Evening Star Newspaper, April 21, 1940, Page 85

A Short Story Complete in This Issue »* * * T WAS Registration Day in the State Uni- I versity. All the paths of the campus led through wide lawns to the Doric columns of the Administration Building — thousands of the older students were hailing one another with loud, ecstatic cries and forming the small and ever-shifting groups from which rose the easy gossip of the informed, the sophisticated . “They gave me Pop Hueston for Econom- ics — I could die, my dear!” . .. “Have you noticed this year’s crop of freshmen? Aren’t they too ghastly for words!” . .. “Well, you wouldn’t want to rush a human nightmare like that, would you? I don’t care who her father is!" . No one, even in a scene so confused, could lhave missed the poor little freshmen, lost in ]a monstrous multitude — some of them scut- tling about in frank bewilderment, some seek- ng to conceal their uneasiness under an air of Iself-assurance pitiful to behold. Audrey Reynolds stood, with Gene Walton, by the classic portals of the Admin- THIS WEEK MAGAZINE “"Barbara’s swell, isn't she?” said Gene. "Oh, sure!” said Audrey, smiling crookedly —and thinking fast by Josephine Bentham lllustrated by Earl Cordrey “Did you get your schedule all lined up?”’ “Yes. There’s a Mr. Thorndyke who’s go- ing to be my adviser.” “I have a guy called Jackson.” Audrey studied the cards. “We don’t have anything but Psychology together.” “‘Psychology and Cafeteria.” “Well, that’s something.” “What do we do next?” “I've got to find out about Physical Ed.” “Have you seen anything of Scoop or Norma or Bill?” “No,” Audrey said. “I haven't istration Building. No one was pay- \\\ L1{] 6” seen anybody from Medville at all! ing any attention to Audrey and Q I don’t see how you’d ever see any- Gene — and they were accustomed L‘ "'"3 body you ever knew in a place as to a good deal of attention. Gene had been president of the student body of Medville High School, and Audrey had been first assistant edi- tor of the Year Book and vice-pres- ident of the Senior Class. For a long time they had been confident senjors, careless of the honors heaped upon them, disdainful of their own triumphs. It was certajnly a very strange sensation to be freshmen again, with none of the old honors and triumphs meaning any- thing at all. Audrey struggled for words. “Well — my Josh!”” she said. ‘“This sure is a big place!” They were jostled, at that moment, by a aumber of young men moving along in a straggling group, parrying mock blows. Gene icowled after them. ‘“Wise guys,” he mut- .ered, under his breath. “Wise guys!” *“What did you say, Gene?”’ “Nothing.” “I don’t see,” Audrey went on desperately, ‘how you ever find your way to your class- ‘ooins!”’ . WIEK § ////1“] 3\\ big as this!”’ “Sure is quite a place all right.” They lapsed into silence, looking about forlornly. Then one of the prettiest girls Audrey had ever seen in her life paused at Gene’s elbow and looked up at him, smiling warmly. “Why!"’ said this girl. *“For Pete’s sake! Aren’t you Gene Walton?”’ Gene was as pleased as he was amazed. *‘Why, I sure am™And you’re Barbara Ran- dolph!” THEY shook hands, both laughing. Audrey stared at the white schedule card as if it were some astonishing curiosity that had come into her hand from nowhere. Then Gene was ready to introduce her to the strange girl, in his best formal manner. “‘Audrey, this is Barbara Randolph,” he said. ‘“Barbara, this is Audrey Reynolds.” Politely the two girls acknowledged each other’s existence. Shortly Audrey was made to understand that-Gene had met Barbara in Chicago, during the summer he had spent toiling in his uncle’s furniture factory. Bar- bara, like themselves, was a mere freshman, but her position was somewhat different be- cause Barbara’s brother happened to be Brick Randolph, a senior and a fraternity man, and one of the most sensational football heroes State had ever known. Even Audrey was familiar with his name — the Sunday rotogravures were forever running pictures of him, clutching a pigskin and looking fero- cious. “Of course,” Barbara explained, “Brick hasn’t much time for poor little me. You know how brothers are!” She flashed her dazzling smile at Gene. “Oh, well,” he said, awkwardly, “I’ll bet you get along all right.” She accepted the im- plied compliment graciously. *I guess I already know my way around,” she admitted. “So if you need any help, you'’ll let me know, won’t you? Both of you?” She smiled again at Gene and, only a shade less cordially, at Audrey. Then she was mov- ing away with a bright little flash of her gold- and-brown plaid skirt — which, Audrey no- ticed in sudden dismay, was at least one inch shorter than Audrey’s own skirt. “Barbara’s swell, isn’t she?”’ Gene was say- ing with enthusiasm. “Oh, sure,” said Audrey. “And,” he said, “she’s darned good-looking too — don’t you think?”’ “Oh, sure,” repeated Audrey — with, per- haps, a shade less warmth. But he was not yet done with the subject. “She certainly went out of her way to be nice to us!” he said. Audrey looked at him thoughtfully. There was one strange thing about Gene — he had One of had ever seen greeted Gene warmly the prettiest girls Audrey never realized how attractive he was. He had not realized, now, that he was attractive to the Randolph girl. ¢ This modesty had its own charm, of course, but it might lead to all sorts of embarrassing complications. “Well,” she observed aloud, “it’s nice to run into somebody you know. I suppose you'll be seeing a lot of her?”’ “Why, sure!” he said. “Why not?”’ Audrey had always hated people who were too petty to stand a little honest competition. She fought vigorously against these first as- saults of jealousy. Was this any way, she asked herself, to start her college career? So, by a positive effort of will, she put Barbara Randolph out of her mind. SHE had other troubles for Registration Day, in themselves distracting enough. There was the problem, now, of what to wear for her first sorority tea. Audrey’s old friend Norma Ramsay, of Medville, had been invited to the same gathering and was vexed by the same question. “If I wear my blue outfit,” Norma wailed, “they’ll think I'm too impressed. And if I wear my beige outfit, maybe they’ll think I’'m not impressed enough!” “Well, the thing for you to do,” Audrey said promptly, “is not to act impressed. Just kind of look as if you were pleased they asked you, but not surprised or anything.” “Yes,” Norma said. “And I guess they’ll know we’ve been invited to a lot of other sorority teas. That ought to make ’em stop and think! Don’t you think so, Audrey?” Audrey nodded absently. She was staring at herself in the mirror, and at the little hat perched over her curls. “This is the number that really goes with my dress,” she announced. “But I don’t know — you can’t say it does anything for me. I think I look kind of silly in it.” “Oh, no!” Norma protested loyally. ““It’s a divine hat! Only it’s the kind of hat you’ve just got to get used to, that’s all.” Audrey frowned. “You don’t think that feather looks idiotic, sticking up like that?” “Of course not! That feather has defimt.ely a casual note, my dear!” (Continved on page 13)