Evening star., 1940-02-16
e @ y5iS!;;5 &C. !; Is, IS; :, =
1MM o IN III

above the ground. If she were dis
covered and expelled from the COL
.lege, it would be her own fault, she
thought, stepping cautiously down
the ladder. She should have gently
but firmly refused Betty and Clara
when they first proposed this mad
cap adventure. She should have
spointed out to them that with gradu-
sation but two days away they were
fools to sneak out the window of
.their room and risk being expelled
Just to celebrate her coming wedding
(which, if she fell, would never take
.place.
. Immersed in her thoughts, she was
mot aware she had stopped her slow
.descent until an insistent hand
slapped her ankle. She looked down
sto see Betty motioning impatiently.
sHeavlng sigh she pressed close
against the vine-covered wall to keep
sfrom being too clearly outlined by
sthe moonbeams. In the stiffness of
sthe night the click of her shoes on
sthe iron steps sounded like the re-
sport of exploding firecrackers and
sshe trembled nervously. The whole
.tdea had been insane; they were
ssure to be caught and if they were
a meant disgrace, disgrace which
sWould give Eric's mother the chance
sshe had long sought-the oppor-
@tunity to break up their marriage.
: Just few steps more, me trem-
.bling beauty" Betty called up en-
ecouragingly in hoarse whisper.
= Elaine IS Rol;ayad
: Elaine smiled her relief and,
@growing more confident, she sped
sdown the rungs. Betty already was
sstanding in shadow against the
swall glancing about for Clara.
Shes looking to see if the coast
sis clear BETTY told her with
sgamin-like grin.
= why you think up this sort of
2thing is more than can figure out"
Elaine said cautiously. IF we're
scaught :"
: Betty chuckled. forbidden fruit,
smy child. Besides, rules were made
ssonly to be broken. But, if we are
caught I'll just tell them you were
tsleep-walking"
Elaine found herself smiling de-
spite her resolve not to- 1t was USE
less to attempt to reason with Betty,
or Clara, for that matter. If she
had learned nothing else during the
four years she had roomed with
them at this fashionable school for
girls she had learned that.
"AH Clear" Clara called, ma
terializing from the shadow IF we
keep among the trees We'll be safe"
Speed Across Campus.
The girls sped across the campus,
Betty in the lead, Clara and Elaine
struggling to keep up with her. AS
they approached the chain gate
Elaine felt her fears subside. They
were out of danger now unless some
instructor happened to. be walking
at that end of the grounds, which
was highly improbable.
Tony is to meet us at Union street
at TO-" Betty told them as they
slipped under the gate He prom
ised to bring couple of boys with
him, which means you two can enjoy
yourself while tell him about my
coming trip to Paris"
"Darn!" Clara glared threatening
~ at her. Betty Jordon, If you
mention Paris once more, Just once
more, .I'll-Ill break your neck!"
You're just jealous because you
aren't going to Paris"
Clara clapped a hand to her fore
head and groaned. She turned ap-
pealingly to Elaine Please" she
tmplored, please tell this red-head-
ed nincompoop that trip to Paris
isn't the most important thing in the
world"
Elaine glanced coldly at them both.
Il think you're being silly" she told
them with mock severity. paris or
business or marriage are all right in
their places. but right now we have
more important things to worry
about"
Afraid They'll Be Caught.
Betty snorted. "For Pete's sakes,
Elaine, stop worrying. We've never
been caught yet"
And we won't be caught now,"
Clara said with determination.
That's what they all say" Elaine
reminded her, but their words did
make her feel more confident.
Arm IN arm the three girls walked
down the tree-lined street, Betty and
Clara still pickering, Elain listening
but choosing no sides. Experience
had taught her that to do so was
akin to declaring war, and tonight,
tonight she wanted only to enjoy
herself. This would be the last eve
ming she would spend with them for
quite some time. Within a week
Betty would be EN- route to Paris,
Clara would be at work in her
fathers chain of department stores,
and she-she would be aboard a
steamer bound for Hawaii and a
tropical honeymoon.
1t was strange, she mused, how
fond they had become of one an
other. It seemed only yesterday
that they had been assigned to room
together. Complete strangers they
had been then, yet they liked each
other instantly, this liking evolving
into a strong friendship as they
found more and more things in COM
mon.
Her hlch companions.
That also was strange, Elaine
thought, when one considered that
Clara and Betty came from rich,
influential families while she, ever
since her parents died, had lived
with her Aunt Ella in California,
partly paying her way at school by
helping out as a waitress in her
restaurant. She recalled with a
smile that she had been afraid to
come to this fashionable girls school.
She had read about the snobbery of
the rich, how keenly aware they
were Of class difference and how de-
termined they were to maintain their
superiority.
But Aunt Ella had hr,1shod har