Jasper County Democrat, Volume 12, Number 87, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 12 February 1910 — THE PU BRSUIT OF SALLY [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

THE PU BRSUIT OF SALLY

And the New Professor In the Woman’s College. By LOUISE OSBORN. (Copyright. 1909, by American Preaa Amoelation.] "They’li never think of looking for W here in the grove ut thia time.” Belly -Pardon looked anxiously « over tar shoulder with less confidence than tar words implied. i “But what If they don’t find ns?" asked Julia breathlessly, trying to keep pace with her companion. “If we aren’t able to get back to the village in time for the dlnnef that won’t help us very much.” “We’ll manage to get back all right,” said Sally, looking critically through the trees at the fading light of the autumn stuf. “It will be dark enough soon for us to make a dash out through the other end of the grove, through one of the farms, and from there we can get to the village from the upper end. The sophomores won’t expect us in that direction.” “Quick T’ Sally had suddenly changed the tone of her voice and was crouching with an arm around her companion behind a clump of laurel bushes. “They’re In the grove,” she whispered “Lie flat and don’t breathe!” “Oh, dear!” whispered Julia as the sharp twigs scratched her face, but Sally’s palm, clapped suddenly over her mouth, cut her complaints short. The sound of hurried footsteps on the dead leaves and whispering voices came nearer. “They’re in here somewhere,” said one. “We must get Sally anyway.” The footsteps suddenly ceased within a few feet of the crouching freshmen. Sally, with one hand still held firmly over her companion’s mouth,. waited • with every sense alert. “They’ve circled us,” whispered one. and the sound of the crumpling leaves announced at least a temporary relief for the freshman. When the sounds were lost In the distance feally crawled

carefully from the bushes, dragging her friend, limp and distracted, with her. “I can’t move a step.” Julia begged. “I’m so dreadfully frightened.” “Fiddlesticks. Julia.” Said Sally, with ■corn. “Why, if the girls bad known you were such a baby they would never have elected you vice president." “Oh. I wish they hadn’t. It’s dreadful. Do they steal Just the officers?” “Of course. Just me and you and the treasurer and the secretary.” Sally explained. “You ought' to be proud to be worth stealing. Let's make a dash for the farm now before they come back." Argument having failed. Sally tried to carry her friend by main force. “Quick!” she urged. “They’re coining.” The returning footsteps only made the timid vice president more stolid. “I ca'n’t mover' she moaned. Suddenly the figure of a sophomore ■prang from- behind the shadows of the trees. Julia started to scream. “Silence!" commanded the sophomore in mock solemnity. The plucky little freshman president let go her hold on her helpless friend, dodged the attempted grasp of a second sophomore who had appeared on the scene and ran with a sure foot and « steady pulse through the dark grove toward the farm and the open country beyond. She leaped skillfully over a fence, dashed down a country lane, crept under a hedge and found herself on the Open highway that led to the village. It was now about 6 o’clock, and she had half an hour to make her way through the ranks and traps of the flgflant sophomores to her expectant classmates awaiting her in gala attire #at one of the village tea rooms. Freshmen presidents had evaded sophomores before and reached their class banquets, but they had been disguised as peddlers or smuggled in tied tsp in laundry bags or wrapped in burlaps and delivered from caterers’ hours before the banquet. “I’ll Just have to trust to luck and my own muscle.” thought Sally, with undaunted nerv'e, as she walked along the country road. But when, as she rounded the last corner and turned Into the village street, she heard the sound of quick footsteps behind the hedge at her side ■lie felt a fatiguing sense of defeat. “There she Is.” she heard some one

call, and tally mad* a / sudden cut across the street and dashed through the campus gate Into the protecting shadow of one of the college buildings. Safe for a moment, she crouched along the wall to the corner of the building. Then, with bead bent forward, she made another quick turn and rushed headlong into— With a quick sense of relief it came to her that sophomores didn’t wear overcoats. It was only a professor. “Excuse me,” she said, trying to speak as if butting head first Into professors was an everyday occurrence. “Sally!” he said, and for a moment the plucky freshman president lost her pluck and forgot all about the pursuing sophomores and the expectant classmates. “Stephen Dray,” she gasped, “how could you?” “How could I what? Didn’t you know I was here?” The man stood before her in bewilderment. * “How could I? Why, I didn’t even know that you knew I was here.” she stammered, trying to make herself clear. “Oh, you are the most unreasonable man in the world. Did yon come today?” “Come today, Sally! Why, I’m a professor here. I thought I’d try to bury myself here with my books and forget”— “Oh," said Sally in surprise, “and I came here to get my degree.” She wrung * her hands with impatience. “Stephen, you are so inconsiderate. You ought to have known that I’d want to come here to college. And I was having such a qice time, and now you’re going to spoil It all. Why will you be so persistent?” “You can jolly well change your mind about my persistence. Sally. Why”—he clutched his bands helplessly at his side—“why, Sally, I—l shan’t even speak to you—only, of course, as an instructor.” “An instructor? Stephen, are you really an instructor?” Sally laughed a funny little laugh that made Stephen wince. “Well. I’m sure I beg your pardon, Mr. Instructor, for butting into you.”

The sound of the exasperating sophomores urged Sally on. “Goodby, Stephen.” she said, but Stephen detained her with an outstretched hand. “Just once, Sally”— he began. “Do you want me to chuck the whole thing and get away?” “Why, no; of course not!” she assured him, preoccupied with the sound of the approaching voices. She hurried past him and crouched down. Then, with a sudden determination, she whispered. “Stephen!” He turned and came back. “Help me, Stephen,” Sally whispered, rising to her feet “They’re after me—the sophomores. You’re not an instructor now; you’re just Stephen. Please”—her hands clutched bis arm convulsively—"please get me to the banquet and I’ll” Stephen, mindful of his own not far distant college days, caught the situation in a flash. “Get down!” be commanded. “Lie as flat as yon can.” Sally obeyed, and Stephen threw his ample overcoat over her. Then, bending down, be began to examine the bark of a tree a few feet away. The sophomores, completely mystified by the sudden disappearance of their prey and not daring to make known the object of their quest to a professor, hurried by. “I thought be was the uew English instructor.” Stephen beard one of the sophomores exclaim, “but be seems to be doing botany experiments." Two minutes later Stephen left the tree and came cautiously over to Sally. “I guess 1 can dash down to the tea room now.” suggested Sally from beneath the coat. •

Stephen bad other plans. “Here!” be ordered, lifting her up and tucklug her bands Into the sleeves of the overcoat “Can you tie your hair down so that it will go into my bat?” And, while Sally worked with sure Ungers pinning down her disheveled hair, the instructor began unlacing his heavy boots. “The coat is Jong enough to cover your dress, and the collar turned up will come to your ears, and the hat pulled down will cover your forehead. Sit down a second while I fasten these over your shoes. You can walk a little way with the two pair*. I fancy.” The shoes fastened and the bat drawn, down. Sally jumped to her feet with a thrill of victory, and. without stopping to consider the plight of tbs bootless Stephen, harried bravely on to tbe banquet and slouched past tbe exasperated sophomores like some weary tramp. The next day curiosity was rife. “How on earth did Sally PnrdoD evade tbe sophomores?” asked tbe upper class meu. and tbe freshmen, knowing the manner of her disguise, asked in vain for the name of tbe onq wbc furnished her forth so generously. “It was a miracle.” Sally told them, with a twinkle in her eye that ouly increased their c’uriosity. Two days later Sally encountered Stephen in the campus. “Stephen.” she exclaimed, “it was tbe biggest freshman triumph in years.” She laughed with enthusiasm and gratitude, “But I don’t just know how to get your things back again. Perhaps 1 could drop them out of my window some night and”— “Oh, never- mind that,” Interrupted Stephen, disregarding tbe fact that he was wearing a borrowed hat and shivering for tbe want of a coat, “What I to know is what you started to say you’d do If I eaw you through.” “Ob!” gasped Sally in alarm. “Didn’t you know? And maybe you wouldn’t have done it if you bad known." “Sally Purdon,” Stephen asked almost severely, “will you marry me or won’t you?” j “Stephen Dray “ *ulrt Sully, trying to imitate Ills toui*. “! wilt.”

SLOUCHED PAST THE EXASPERATED SOPHOMORES.