“what’s the matter with mimi?” madge asked sue. “everytime any one mentions christmas she flounces out of the room.”
“i hadn’t noticed but i can guess. it’s the first christmas she was ever away from her folks and that must be it. she has the grandest family. i’ll miss them, too. the hammond’s always have open house all through the holidays and our crowd almost lives over there.”
“i’m glad i asked you. i was beginning to think it was i. i am queer but i can’t help it. i couldn’t bear it if mimi stopped liking me.”
“don’t be silly. mimi likes everybody. she doesn’t think you are queer. i don’t either. i’ve heard her say you were a very interesting girl. so there.”
“have you really, sue? cross your heart?”
“yeh.”
“thanks. thanks too much. i like mimi better than any girl in school. i always have and since she turned down those bids to join the clubs, i’ve adored her. gee! that took nerve. but you won’t tell her, will you, sue?”
“no, i cross my heart again.”
“thanks.”
sue forgot madge’s sensitiveness right away. she had other things to consider in regard to mimi. why hadn’t she thought sooner that mimi had nowhere to go christmas? gee! it would be terrible if she had to stay here with everyone else home. sue would write home for permission to invite mimi to her house. no. that would take too long. mimi was already dreading christmas. sue knew that every other year mimi had considered christmas the wish-come-true time of times. she’d ask her now and then write home. sometimes she had to do things backwards. her daddy called it taking the bull by the horns.
“a—d—f a—b—f!” sue thrilled as she walked faster and faster toward the gym. she was trying so hard to memorize souvenir for the christmas recital but she couldn’t practice until she settled mimi’s christmas arrangements.
“e-e-e-prettee!” she shrieked the old camp call from the balcony of the gym.
mimi let the ball fly sidewise as she looked up.
“hey! aw sue, you made me miss.”
“sorry. getting good?”
“am i? seven fouls out of ten. not bad?”
“regular dead eye!”
“what brings you here fiddle in hand? are you going to play a balcony scene?”
“no. i came to invite you to spend christmas with me.”
bowling green—cissy, king, von, miss jane and dick, dottie, margie, jean, honky—heaven! as near perfect a christmas as could be without precious, precious mother dear and junior so far, so very far away. the distance had been widening daily ever since mimi had mailed their presents to germany. she had wrapped her packages quietly and mailed them without telling, but she had known they were gone, known how lonely christmas would be and sue had guessed. dear roly-poly sue who was never lonesome herself.
mimi blinked and gasped.
“sue, do you really?”
“no savvy englesh?”
“why, sue! i’d love to, only, do you think it will be all right with your mother?”
“you don’t think i’d ask you if it wasn’t, do you? why—” sue had to be convincing now. “mother is writing mrs. cole—and dr. barnes both so that there can be no question about your permission!” sue stopped triumphantly. when mrs. cole’s and dr. barnes’ names were mentioned, all was said that could be said.
“providing the permission comes through, i accept. yes, a thousand times yes.”
“good! see you at supper.”
mimi watched sue disappear. sweet sue. she put the basket ball back in the locker, without putting her sweater on, she jogged across the short cut from the back door of the gym to prep hall ell.
so much to do! she hadn’t been studying as much as she should of late. the lessons and notebooks had been piling up to be worked on during christmas while her suite mates were gone. now that she was going to celebrate too, she would have to make things fly. as soon as she changed clothes, she’d go to the library and get greene’s source book and catch up on her outside reading in history. at study hall tonight she’d make every minute count. she would not look at the clock a single time, or get permission to speak to a soul, or to sharpen her pencil or to fill her pen unless it was an emergency. after study hall she would mend her hose, straighten her trunk, the dresser’s drawers and if there was time before light bell, she’d check up on her allowance and see if she could squeeze out a new pair of gloves. while she was home she could get several things. daddy had oked a charge account for her and had told her she could order things but so far she hadn’t used it. she was trying to spend as little as possible because daddy’s expenses must be terrific. she knew he had not planned on spending so much on her until she was college age.
plans were racing through her head.
“i’m going to bowling green, i’m going to bowling green.” her mind played an accompaniment to her marching feet. thinking was so thrilling, before she realized it, those marching feet were detouring by sue’s practice room instead of keeping the straight trail to the library. she’d only stay a minute. she’d have to rave a while and calm down or she could never sit still in the library with the source book.
opening the big door to the practice rooms was like opening the door of a menagerie at feeding time. standing in the hall from which the cell like rooms opened, mimi’s ears were assailed by squeaks, grunts, and ferociously thundering bass notes. mimi bumped into the proctor who was looking through the glass windows in the doors to check and be sure that the music students were keeping their regular practice times and—that no one was playing jazz. she scowled at mimi.
“could i speak to sue a second?”
“if you’ll hurry and leave before i do. i am not supposed to leave any one here without special permission.”
mimi ducked in sue’s cell. the watchful eye of the proctor cramped mimi’s style but she got in a few hurried expostulations. who could say much with the feeling that some one was holding a stop watch over them?
“put your sweater on,” motherly little sue called after her.
“thanks a lot,” mimi said as she brushed past the proctor on the way out. some hopeful soprano was singing, “who is sylvia?”
“not sylvia. who is chloe?” as if she didn’t have enough on her mind without being haunted by that.
mimi had no sooner stored away the mystery about chloe, the happy holidays ahead, and determinedly buried herself in the source book when some one stepped up behind her and covered her eyes with two cold hands. she started to cry out, then remembered where she was. placards with “silence” were in plain sight all around in case one was prone to forget. silently she removed the fingers and twisted around. it was chloe; her glowing dark eyes lighted up her whole beautiful face. mimi had never seen her so radiant.
“meet me outside—quick,” she whispered.
goodbye history reading. mimi’s insatiable curiosity had the best of her. she followed chloe out as quickly as she could return the book to the desk.
“guess what?” chloe exclaimed when they were safely out of the quiet zone.
mimi could only think of one thing. chloe had a clue to her identity.
“you have found out—?” she didn’t know how to say what she was hoping.
“not that,” chloe replied quickly sobering up. “but maybe while we’re there we can find out—”
“while we’re where?”
“at aunt marcia’s! i just received a letter and she says i may bring someone home for the holidays and, of course, i want you, mimi. i’m asking you first.”
what could mimi do? as much as she would love to go to sue’s she would miss all that fun for the chance to ferret out more about chloe. she wanted to meet aunt marcia. she and chloe would have a good time, too.
“that’s mighty nice of you, chloe.”
as mimi fumbled for words she could see chloe’s feathers fall.
“it isn’t that i don’t want to. please don’t think that—but i’ve accepted sue’s invitation, but maybe——”
“oh, it’s quite all right.” chloe’s chin went up. “i understand perfectly.”
as they walked too silently toward tumble inn, mimi was sure she didn’t. however what happened next did help. betsy was rushing to meet them.
“mimi, i’ve looked high and low for you. where have you been?”
“the library.”
“no!”
“yes, i have. study has caught up with me. before holidays begin i am going to know more than—”
“holidays? that’s what i want to see you about. mother says i may bring you home for the holidays. of course, you’ll come?”
“home-for-the-holidays.” mimi repeated slowly. “what is this a frame up or a song?”
“a what?”
“it is funny,” chloe was smiling now. “you see, betsy, sue asked her, you ask her, i ask her! whew! is she popular?”
“please—” mimi was embarrassed. “you are all honeys to want me. i still think you’re kidding!”
“we are not,” said sue having arrived in time to hear the last of the discussion. “we want you. but remember, you’ve promised me.”
“what we should have,” mimi said suddenly inspired, “is a house party! then we could all be together. a progressive house party. oh, if mother dear were only home!”
for several days the girls buzzed with ideas about a house party but as mimi disgustedly phrased it they, “got no where fast.” however, sue’s mother, as mothers often do these days, had followed sue’s instructions to the letter.
after calling mimi on the carpet, not the magic carpet by any chance, and impressing upon her what a trying position the school would be in if anything should happen to her, mimi received permission.
now on the day before departure she was stacking out her things to pack.
“sue, i can hardly contain myself.”
mimi went into a rhapsody ending in a clog. she poised breathless, hands on hips, head to one side, face flushed.
“i’m as thrilled as i was when we packed for camp. far as i am concerned they might as well not meet classes today. all i want to do is ‘deck the halls with boughs of holly, fa, la, la, la, la; la, la, la, la’.”
“why are you holding your head, mimi?” chloe asked tumbling in from the hall over sue’s bag.
“i’m kind of dizzy,” mimi replied sitting down on the side of the bed. “i’ll be all right in a minute.”
she wasn’t. when she came up to her room after lunch she was aching and shivering. soda! that was what she needed, soda water—that would cure anything.
ca-chew! yes, if this was a cold soda was the very thing. she’d go right down to the kitchen now and get some. if she went to the infirmary—well, no use taking a chance. but she was all right. she had to be—ca-chew! she remembered her last trip for soda and felt her face burning. betsy and madge and the alarm. betsy still did not know why madge failed. that was the only secret she had from betsy now. ca-chew!
she sneezed once too often. mrs. cole passing and hearing poked her head in.
“who is that sneezing? here let me feel your head. child, you have fever. come with me.”
too amazed to resist, and aching and feeling much worse than she cared to admit, mimi allowed mrs. cole to lead her to the infirmary wing. nurse took one good look.
“flu,” she said. “if we don’t have some freezing weather soon, there will be an epidemic. quarantine, for you, young lady.”
“i can’t come up here. i’m leaving tomorrow.” mimi protested. “i’m all right, really i am, nurse.”
“fever one hundred and one-half; eyes red, nose dripping.”
“sue’s mother will fix—ca-chew!—me up—”
“mrs. cole have her roommate bring up her robe and pajamas and toilette articles. mimi is staying with me.”
as nurse tucked her in and put an ice bag on her hot head, mimi raised to her elbows.
“what now?”
“the singing,” mimi said smiling sadly. “hear.”
into the open window floated the strains of “noel, noel.” the glee club was practicing but the glad tidings sounded very faint and far away to mimi. for once in her life christmas would come too soon.
