The Twins in the South Read online

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  _JANET AND PHYLLIS LOOKED AT HER WITH DANGEROUSLY CALMEYES_]

  *THE TWINS IN THE SOUTH*

  _By_

  DOROTHY WHITEHILL

  PUBLISHERS

  BARSE & HOPKINS

  NEW YORK, N. Y., NEWARK, N. J.

  Copyright, 1920

  by

  Barse & Hopkins

  MADE IN U.S.A.

  Table of Contents

  CHAPTER I--Welcome to Hilltop CHAPTER II--School Chatter CHAPTER III--Sally Arrives CHAPTER IV--The Rivalry of the Wings CHAPTER V--A Fresh Freshman CHAPTER VI--A Squelching CHAPTER VII--Poetry and Prose CHAPTER VIII--More Twins CHAPTER IX--A Question of Names CHAPTER X--The Parrot Is Consulted CHAPTER XI--The Archery Contest CHAPTER XII--Janet to the Rescue CHAPTER XIII--Diverse Paths CHAPTER XIV--The Story of the Two Dogs CHAPTER XV--Making Plans CHAPTER XVI--More Plans and Plots CHAPTER XVII--The Tableaux CHAPTER XVIII--The Elections CHAPTER XIX--The Tennis Games CHAPTER XX--The Dramatic Club CHAPTER XXI--And Last

  *The Twins in the South*

  CHAPTER I--Welcome to Hilltop

  "I always believe in separating sisters," Miss Hull made thisastonishing announcement with a gentle smile.

  Janet and Phyllis looked at each other, consternation written large ontheir faces.

  "But Miss Hull----" Janet began.

  It was Phyllis who spoke with grown-up assurance.

  "We couldn't think of being separated, Miss Hull," she said, with one ofher winning smiles. "You see, we found each other only a little over ayear ago, and we've such a lot of time to make up."

  "But if you were separated you'd get to know the girls so much better,"Miss Hull's soft Southern drawl protested. "I've planned for each of youto room with an old girl. I'm sure it's the better way."

  Miss Hull was an imperious woman, statuesque in figure, a smooth levelbrow, flashing dark eyes and a mass of wavy gray hair, piled high on herhead. When she said a thing she expected instant submission. She wassurprised when Phyllis, still with her charming smile, but with a noteof firmness in her voice, replied:

  "But you see, Miss Hull, we should both be very unhappy. We're twins,you know, and that makes a difference."

  Miss Hull could not deny the note of decision in her voice, and like allbroad-minded and imperious people, she admired anyone who had those samequalities in common with her.

  She did not speak down to Phyllis, but rather as to an equal, when shereplied:

  "Very well, you will room together. I suppose being twins does make adifference," she added laughingly.

  Phyllis thanked her, and with a maid to guide them, they went upstairsto a big room, with long French windows, one of which opened onto a tinybalcony. They sat down in comfortable wicker chairs and stared at eachother.

  "Oh, Phyl, you are magnificent!" Janet exclaimed. "I never was sopetrified in my life. Miss Hull is such a masterful sort of person thatshe silenced me with a glance."

  Phyllis tossed her head.

  "The person never lived that could silence me," she said vaingloriously."But I don't think it was very nice of her to wait until Auntie Mogsleft and then try to separate us."

  "We should have let Auntie Mogs stay at the hotel for a day or two asshe wanted to," Janet remarked thoughtfully.

  "No; that would have been a kiddish thing to do; and after all, Jan.,Miss Hull was really doing what she thought was right. As soon as Iexplained to her she was very nice about it. I like her tremendously,"she said.

  "Well, I don't," Janet announced firmly. "She tried to separate us."

  "But she didn't, dearest. It would take more than Miss Hull to do that."Phyllis laughed into Janet's serious eyes.

  The Page twins after a summer in Arizona with their brother Tom, hadcome to Hilltop school. Their aunt, Miss Carter, had brought them fromNew York to the Virginia hills, but had returned almost at once, forthey had arrived early that morning, and she had taken the afternoontrain for home. It was six o'clock now, and from their window they couldsee the twilight creeping closer to the great old trees that grew in athick protecting border around the school.

  Hilltop was indeed well named. The white colonial building crowned thehill, and a roadway, straight as an arrow, and lined on either side withtall interlacing elms, ran down the gentle slope for a mile and a halfuntil it joined the highway in the valley.

  It had been a wonderful mansion in its day. Now a new wing had beenadded on, and many of the rooms had been divided and cut up into smallerones, but the outside of the house had lost nothing of its old-worlddignity and charm.

  Janet and Phyllis stood in the little balcony and watched the shadowslengthen on the green below. They had each other so they were notunhappy, but the suggestion of a lump in their throats made them think alittle forlornly of Auntie Mogs and the cheerful rooms of their New Yorkhouse.

  "I wish Sally would come," Janet exclaimed. "I simply can't wait to seeher."

  "Neither can I," Phyllis agreed. "Just think, we haven't seen her sincelast Christmas."

  "It was a shame Daphne couldn't come down with us, wasn't it?"

  "Yes, in a way; but we'll be acquainted by the time she gets here, andthat will be nice, too."

  "Still, it would have been fun to have her on the train with us."

  Sally Ladd and Daphne Hillis were old friends of the twins. They hadknown them in New York, and at Miss Harding's school they had been knownas The Quartette. Sally had come to Hiltop for the second term the yearbefore, and it was because of her glowing accounts of boarding-schoollife that the other three girls had decided to come this year.

  Sally had not come from New York with the twins, as they had planned,because at the last minute she had decided to visit a friend of hers inOhio. Her train was due at eight o'clock.

  A knock at the door brought the twins in from the balcony.

  "Come in," Janet called, and a tall, heavily-built girl with red hairand spectacles entered the room.

  "Aren't you the Page twins?" she inquired heartily.

  "Yes, we are," Phyllis and Janet answered.

  "Well, Sally Ladd has talked so much about you that I feel as if I'dknown you all my life. I'm Gwendolyn Matthews, otherwise known as Gwen."She held out a large hand covered with golden freckles, and the twinsshook it gratefully.

  "Come along downstairs and be shown off. The girls are dying to see you,for of course Sally has told us the thrilling way you discovered eachother last year."

  Phyllis and Janet followed her down the wide red-carpeted hall to thefloor below. They could see the lights coming from a big room a littleway beyond, and hear a hubbub of voices.

  Janet had a sudden and overwhelming desire to run, but Phyllis hurriedforward eagerly. Gwen pushed them both before her, and they foundthemselves in an immense room, brightly lighted by two crystalchandeliers. The ceiling was painted with white clouds against a bluesky, and fat little cupids danced or plied their art with miniature bowsand arrows. It was the old ballroom untouched and still beautiful afterthese long years.

  They had barely time to look about them before Gwen held up animpressive hand and announced in strident tones:

  "The Page Twins."

  There was an instant hush of voices and the girls looked at themcuriously. A dark-haired, blue-eyed girl, dressed in fluffy white, leftthe group she had been talking to and came
towards them withoutstretched hands.

  "I declare, Gwen, you are just a dreadful tease." Her delightfulSouthern drawl was lazily good-natured.

  "How do you do? We're mighty glad to welcome you to Hilltop," she saidcordially.

  "That's awfully sweet of you," Phyllis smiled winningly.

  "Thanks," Janet mumbled.

  "My name is Hillory Lee, and I'm a Senior," she went on; but a ripplinglaugh interrupted her.

  "A Senior, just one day old. Come now, Poppy, don't put on airs. You'renot old enough."

  "A dear little, new little, Senior, all filled up with dignity," anothervoice teased.

  Poppy--Hillory Lee was always called Poppy--led the laugh that followed,and then suddenly the girls gathered around the twins, introducingthemselves and talking with a fine disregard of one another.

  The dinner gong silenced them, and out of the confusion a double lineformed down the length of the room. Phyllis and Janet were shown theirplaces along with the rest of the new girls.

  Poppy, as the president of the senior class, stood on the top of thesteps that led to a small stage at the end of the room.

  "You all must come to order, and please go down very quietly to thehall," she said a little shyly; but no one attempted to tease her. Sherepresented Hilltop as she stood on the stage, and they one and all gaveher instant obedience.

  The dining hall was under the ballroom of the first floor. Deer headsdecorated the wall, with other trophies of the chase. A huge fireplaceran along the side of one wall. The mantel was filled with big silverloving cups.

  Janet and Phyllis were to learn their importance in the life of theschool as the year progressed. Just at present they could not take indetails. They were too busy trying to sort their first impressions.

  There were four long tables with twenty girls and two teachers at each.The twelve seniors, with Miss Hull, sat apart in state on a dais at theend of the room. The tables were all narrow and the high-backed oakchairs gave the room the look of an old monastery.

  There was lots of talking at dinner. The twins did not try to rememberall of the girls' names, but three of them stood out as special friendsof Sally's. One was Gladys Manners, a rough-and-tumble sort of girl withmischievous blue eyes, dark hair and a contagious giggle.

  "Do you know Aunt Jane's poll-parrot?" she asked at the beginning of themeal, and the twins loved her at once.

  Prudence Standish--called Prue for brevity's sake--sat beside Janet, andshe was so attentive and thoughtful during the meal and so careful toexplain what the girls meant by their many illusions of places andthings that had happened in the past, that the twins' gratitude ripenedinto a sincere liking before the meal was over.

  The third girl sat just across from Phyllis. Her name was Ann Lourie.She hardly spoke through the meal, but her quiet smile and the humorthat lay at the back of her hazel eyes gave the twins the impression ofa personality worth cultivating.

  The teachers at the table were Miss Remsted and Miss Jenks. They wereboth young and full of fun, and the twins contrasted them with theteachers at Miss Harding's, to the latter's disadvantage.

  When dinner was over Miss Hull stood up.

  "You have nothing to do tonight, girls, but get acquainted; and I wantyou to do that thoroughly. Remember, every new girl must be made to feelat home at Hilltop."

  The bell tinkled, the lines formed, and the girls marched back to theballroom.