sunday was a full day, but mimi was glad when it was over. she shook hands and made curtsies off and on all day. meeting other girls’ parents and sisters and brothers was fun but it was tiring. then, too, it made her too impatient to see her own.
sunday afternoon she slipped away quietly to say goodbye to her favorite places. she lingered under the big maple tree where she had studied on sunny days. she inspected the partially completed swimming pool as carefully as a contractor. not next year, but some year, she would take swimming instructions here and she wanted it just so. she hoped miss bassett would be teaching advanced swimming when she returned. she must take another last look at the gym.
to her delight the door was unlocked and she could enter. no doubt some faculty member had been showing it to visitors. the big empty gymnasium was not lonely to mimi. she loved it. here she had known sorrow; but here, too, she had been happiest. suppose she added all the hours of free time she had spent here practicing goals? suppose she had fastened a pedometer on her ankle to record the miles she had dribbled down the floor?
am i queer that i miss places as much or more than people, she wondered? she remembered how it hurt to say goodbye to the friendly trees at camp, the lodge, the river, the hills. when she thought back about camp, it was these things she longed for.
she’d be the same way about sheridan. in the long summer days ahead she would miss the window ledge in the gym where she had perched to rest, the atmosphere of tumble inn; and now since it had been the scene of such violent emotions, dr. barnes’ office was endeared to her.
because of the fire the baccalaureate service had been changed from morning to evening. true some of the prep graduates were not as well dressed as they had planned to be, but, taken as a whole, the rows and rows of girls in white made an inspiring picture.
the commencement program proper, at which sheepskins were awarded to the college girls taking degrees, and highly embossed parchment diplomas were given to the graduating preps, was monday morning at eleven o’clock. since this was the last year of its long existence, the preparatory students were given the special privilege of carrying the daisy chain. instead of the seniors filing in a single line carrying the great rope of plaited flowers to pass down to the undergraduates as had been the custom, the order was reversed. the seventy-five girls of the prep department carried the daisy chain and passed it to the college freshmen. this year the significance was that the fine old traditions on which sheridan seminary had been founded must not die. they must be the foundation of sheridan’s continued growth now that she was to be a fully accredited college.
mimi felt very solemn marching along balancing the flower rope on her erect shoulder.
true to her word, olivia the “near-child-prodigy” took first honors with the highest average ever made by a prep.
sue played in the orchestra.
betsy and mimi sat side by side.
imagine mimi’s astonishment when dr. barnes, contrary to his time-honored policy of never singling out girls for special attention, publicly commended her for her cool-headed bravery the night of the fire. she was pleased but betsy was ecstatic!
things were whirling around mimi, but not touching her deeply. she was absorbed in a mystery solved and a home-coming.
“free night” before departure, when all restrictions were off, was fun; but mimi was impatient. had she been going south instead of north she could have left monday evening.
she was all packed. many things she had treasured were left in ruins. she could hardly wait the coming of daylight which heralded the arrival of the station wagon, the rickety old bus which would rattle up and take a load of eager girls jiggety jig to the north-bound train.
she must get home to help cissy get the house aired and ready for mother dear and junior and summer visitors. she had already asked both chloe and betsy and they had accepted “if.” mimi, who was never stumped by “ifs” knew that they would come and that there was a happy summer ahead.
this took the bitter out of the goodbyes.
only once when mimi turned away from the fluttering hands and chorus of farewells and glanced toward the ashes of prep hall, were there tears in her eyes. she wiped them away with her bandaged hand.
after all, sheridan was her sheridan now and she was coming back some day.
