The Twins in the South Read online

  CHAPTER II--School Chatter

  It was not long after they had returned to the ballroom until the twinsfound themselves in the center of a group of laughing girls.

  "It would be a regular game," Gladys Manners announced.

  "What would?" Phyllis demanded.

  "Guessing which was which," Gladys told her.

  "Oh, let's try it," half-a-dozen voices exclaimed.

  They put the twins side by side, and then the girls took turns guessing.Between turns the twins would change places, or remain where they were.

  "Oh, this is too much!" Prue exclaimed, after she had stared at them fora full minute. "I'm dizzy with looking from one to the other of you, butI'm blessed if I know which one I sat next to at dinner."

  "This is going to be too complicated. I vote that we do something aboutit." Ann Lourie spoke with a Southern intonation, but it was differentfrom Miss Hull's speech and Poppy's lazy drawl. She came from NewOrleans, which accounted for the difference.

  "What are you all doing?" Poppy, with her arm around Gwen's broadshoulders, joined them.

  "We're playing a new game," Gladys announced. "It's called 'Guessing theTwins.'"

  "You're it, Poppy," Prue laughed. "See if you can do it."

  Poppy tried. The twins looked up at her provokingly. Their soft brownhair waved back from their forehead with almost identical curls. Theirheads, exactly the same oval shape, were pressed close together. Theirred lips each smiled a twisted smile, and their golden-brown eyes, solike the color of autumn leaves, danced mischievously.

  "I declare to goodness there isn't anybody on earth that can tell youtwo apart," Poppy laughed.

  "Oh, but there are!" Phyllis told them. "Sally never gets us mixed up."

  "Oh, that's easy to understand," Gwen remarked. "Sally just asks AuntJane's poll-parrot which is which, and that bird, you know, can tell heranything."

  "Just the same, it's going to be complicating," Ann repeated, "and Isuggest that we make one of them wear something to distinguish her fromthe other. It need only be something tiny, just big enough for ourselect group," her eyes travelled from Prue to Gladys and to Poppy andGwen.

  "That's a mighty good idea of yours, Ann, and as representatives of thesenior class"--Gwen was captain of sports--"we endorse it."

  "The question is, what shall it be?" Prue inquired.

  "I know." Gladys unpinned a tiny little gold pin that she was wearing.It was the shape of the crescent moon, and was no bigger than a goodsized pea.

  "It's an old class pin I had years ago when I went to day school. Idon't know what possessed me to put it on yesterday when I lefthome----"

  "I do," Prue interrupted. "You had a snapper off, and you thought thatwould show less than an ordinary pin."

  "Untidy little wretch you are," Ann agreed.

  The rest looked at Gladys' cuff and, sure enough, there was a snapperoff. Gladys, under their laughing scrutiny, was no whit embarrassed.

  "Course I'm untidy," she agreed; "that's because I'm an artist, and it'sbeing done this year. You couldn't expect me to be as neat as Prue, theimmaculate."

  Prue laughed good-naturedly. "Meaning I am not an artist," she remarked."Well, nobody will dispute that with you, least of all Miss Remsted."

  The rest of the old girls laughed as at some well known joke and thetwins smiled in sympathy.

  "Prue tried to have a crush on Miss Remsted last year," Poppy explained."We don't encourage them--crushes, I mean--at Hilltop, but Prue isstubborn--comes from New England, you know, where the word wascoined--and she would have a crush in spite of the fact that she hadbeen here two years and knew that we would have to take drastic steps tocure her."

  "You did and I'm cured; can't we spare them the harrowing details?" Prueprotested.

  "No; it may be a lesson they'll need, and besides, Poppy loves to pointa moral," Gwen remarked. "Go on, Poppy; let's hear the awful end."

  "It's coming; just you listen." Poppy directed her story to the twins."Prue suddenly decided, about the middle of the term, that she was abudding young artist and that all she needed was a little specialinstruction, so she went to Miss Hull and got permission to take specialart. Then she went to Miss Remsted----." Poppy paused to chuckle inanticipation.

  "Miss Remsted told her to bring her her best sketch," she continued."Now, Prue had never made a sketch in her life, but she reckoned itwould be easy enough."

  "Prue's a futurist," Gwen interrupted.

  "So she about made up her mind to draw an animal. What made you choosesomething that was living, Prue? I never did understand."

  "Then you never will, because I'm not going to tell you," Prue repliedairily.

  "Oh, but I am," Ann smiled reminiscently. "The day before she did thesketch she came to me and asked me if a great many artists hadn't madetheir start by drawing pictures of animals. I thought for a minute andthen----"

  "To show off the knowledge that you haven't got"--Gladys took up thestory--"you casually mentioned Rosa Bonheur, and Prue went straight toher desk and----" She turned to Poppy.

  "Drew--I mean sketched--the gardener's watch dog," Poppy went on. "Hewas a nice dog, but not very sketchable. You all know how dogs will jump'round, so you can't blame Prue for what happened. She finished thesketch and took it to Miss Remsted."

  "I did not, I _left_ it for her in the studio," Prue corrected.

  "Left it; excuse me, I stand corrected," Poppy continued. "History doesnot repeat just what Miss Remsted said or did, but when Prue went to herdesk next morning she found her dog with this little note pinned to histail--not literally, you understand, but figuratively: 'Prue, dear; it'sa very nice little rabbit, but it's a pity he has the mumps.'"

  The laugh that followed was led by Prue. The twins exchanged glances.They were both thinking how very differently some of the girls at MissHarding's would have taken such teasing.

  Phyllis always liked and was liked by girls, so she gave the matter lessconsideration than Janet. Janet's heart glowed; here were the kinds ofgirls that she had dreamed about. Their teasing stopped before it becameunkind. Their laughter held no hint of derision; and, above all, she wasconscious of the feeling of fellowship and understanding that existedbetween them. She found herself wishing that she could be the brunt oftheir teasing, for somehow, she felt that in that way only could she beadmitted to the happy sisterhood.

  "There's a strong bond between sister classes at Hilltop," Gladys wasexplaining. "That's the reason that Gwen and Poppy prefer to talk to us,who are only Sophomores, instead of joining that group ofimportant-looking Juniors over there." She pointed to half-a-dozen girlsa little older than the twins who were laughing and joking at the otherside of the room.

  "They'll adopt the Freshmen and make them behave," Prue exclaimed.

  "While it is the Senior's painful duty to see that our class keeps outof mischief," Gladys laughed.

  The twins smiled. They liked the way these girls finished each other'ssentences and interrupted each other without giving and taking offence.

  Ann looked up at the clock--a grandfather one--which stood in the cornerof the big room and chimed out the hours drowsily.

  "'Most time for Sally to come," she announced. "Let's go and watch forher."