Molly Brown's Freshman Days

to mortgage, acre by acre, the fine old place where Molly and her brothers and sisters had been born and brought up. Every time anybody in the Brown family wanted to do anything that was particularl

e juicy ones that are going for your education, Molly, you are no child of min

rich and happy," cried Molly, and from that moment the three golden apples became a secr

had two acres of winter sweets, pippins and greening

extend far into the margin and there was little left for clothes. That was perhaps one

and put on a fresh blue linen shirtwaist; while Nance Oldham, who had been more far-sighted, made herself spic and span in a duck skirt and a white linen blouse. She had little to say during the process of making her toilet, and Molly wondered if, after all, she would like a roommate so peculiarly reserved and whimsical as this new friend

this year. I thought I would stay in France with grandmamma, but at the last moment I changed my mind, a

s sound, like that of a person in

s a small one, and they do say

hout our two young persons judged that this despotic stranger had placed h

ely, with your goings-on," cried the woman br

there? Two

only just arriv

eard by the entire household. "Very well, I'll take this little hole-in-the-wall. I won't move any of m

you, thank

man being shoved out in the hall. Then th

observed Nance. "I wonder if she's goi

y neighbor if she does. But she sounds interestin

nced at h

hour yet. I'm dying to see the famous Quadrangle and the Cloiste

f our greenness," said Molly, recall

the landing, the door adjoining burst open and a human whirlw

stiffly, giving the human whir

r was light brown and perfectly straight. She had peculiarly passionate, fiery eyes of very dark gray, of the "smouldering kind," as Nance described them later; her features were regular and her mouth so expressive of her humors that

to be her usual manner of doing things, the young wom

there's no occasion to hurry. It's my way, I suppose. Are you freshmen? Perhap

nd. Molly, in fact, was almost her first experience in this kind of friendship. Bu

wfully nice. Tha

buildings, in the September twilight, more than ever resembled a fine old castle.

culiar intonation, "I was called 'Frank' last year. I'm so glad we ar

n older girl to two freshmen, and she promptly made known their names t

cross the soft green turf of the campus, singing as

ngton, My

love my We

y the arm and led them straight across the campus, giving the ten girls a wide berth. There wa

t was not college etiquette to break through a line

s singing their class s

phomore?" demand

es

want to meet her fr

resting sights to occupy

oak doors of an antique design opened straight onto the court from the various corridors and lecture rooms and at one end was the library, a beautiful room with a groin

art. Nance seemed so unsympathetic and reserved and there was a kind of hardness about this Frances Andrews that made the warm-hearted, affectionate Molly a bit uncomfor

y, Rosamond. How are you, Lotta? It's awfully nice to be back at the old stand again. Let me introduce you to my n

s Andrews," said Je

ure and a round, good-natured face,

I thought you were goin

was called "Peggy Parsons," sniffed slightly and put her ha

her eyes. "I wish I had never come to college," she tho

h Frances Andrews' and gav

ters?" she said. "I'm pining

y, in spite of the fact that she had just b

she led the way through a passage to another oak door which opene

really allowed to walk

ix P. M.," answered Frances.

me face was waiting under the arc

. I'm very glad of it. Come into my office a mom

s by yourself, can't you, Miss Brown?

alone. She wanted to think. She paced slowly along the cloistered walk, each stone arc

anybody could ever be frivolous or flippant in such an old world sp

ne bench and folded h

e? What is she? Why do her classmates snub her and why did Miss Pembroke, who belonged to the faculty, wish to speak with her in her private office?" It was all queer, very queer. Someho

m sorry for her,"

ing, a pause and the door closed with a clicking noise. Molly started from her reverie. It was six o'clock. She rushed to the door of an

Let me out! I

hter and talking from the Quadrangle. They grew fainter and fainter. A gray chill settled down over the place an