Webster - Just Patty

Just Patty
First published in 1911.

ISBN 978-1-775417-15-6

2009 THE FLOATING PRESS.

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"It's a shame!" said Priscilla.

"It's an outrage!" said Conny.

"It's an insult!" said Patty.

"To separate us now after we've been together three years"

"And it isn't as though we were awfully bad last year. Lots of girlshad more demerits."

"Only our badness was sort of conspicuous," Patty admitted.

"But we were very good the last three weeks," reminded Conny.

"And you should see my new room-mate!" wailed Priscilla.

"She can't be any worse than Irene McCullough."

"She is!Her father's a missionary, and she was brought up in China.Her name is Keren-happuch Hersey, after Job's youngest daughter. Andshe doesn't think it's funny!"

"Irene," said Conny gloomily, "gained twenty pounds through the summer.She weighs"

"But you should see mine!" cried Patty, in exasperation. "Her name isMae Mertelle Van Arsdale."

"Keren studies every second; and expects me to walk on tiptoe so she canconcentrate."

"You should hear Mae Mertelle talk! She said her father was a financier,and wanted to know what mine was. I told her he was a reform judge, andthat he spent his time putting financiers in prison. She says I'm animpertinent child," Patty grinned feebly.

"How old is she?"

"She's nineteen, and has been proposed to twice."

"Mercy! Whatever made her choose St. Ursula's?"

"Her father and mother ran away and got married when they werenineteen, and they're afraid she inherited the tendency. So they pickedout a good, strict, church school. Mae doesn't know how she's ever goingto fix her hair without a maid. She's awfully superstitious aboutmoonstones. She never wears anything but silk stockings and she can'tstand hash. I'll have to teach her how to make a bed. She always crosseson the White Star Line."

Patty scattered these details at random. The others listenedsympathetically, and added a few of their own troubles.

"Irene weighs a hundred and fifty-nine pounds and six ounces, notcounting her clothes," said Conny. "She brought two trunks loaded withcandy. She has it hidden all over the room. The last sound I hear atnight, is Irene crunching chocolatesand the first sound in themorning. She never says anything; she simply chews. It's like roomingwith a cow. And I have a sweet collection of neighbors! Kid McCoy'sacross the hall, and she makes more noise than half-a-dozen cowboys.There's a new French girl next dooryou know, the pretty little onewith the two black braids."

"She looks rather desirable," said Patty.

"She might be if she could talk, but she only knows about fifty words.Harriet Gladden's rooming with her, as limp and mournful as an oyster,and Evalina Smith's at the end of the corridor. You know what aperfect idiot Evalina is."

"Oh, it's beastly!" they agreed.

"Lordy's to blame," said Conny. "The Dowager never would have separatedus if she hadn't interfered."

"And I've got her!" wailed Patty. "You two have Mam'selle and Waddams,and they're nice, sweet, unsuspicious lambs; but the girls in the EastWing simply can't sneeze but Lordy"

"Sh!" Conny warned. "Here she comes."

The Latin teacher, in passing, paused on the threshold. Connydisentangled herself from the mixture of clothes and books and sofacushions that littered the bed, and politely rose to her feet. Pattyslid down from the white iron foot-rail, and Priscilla descended fromthe top of the trunk.

"Ladies don't perch about on the furniture."

"No, Miss Lord," they murmured in unison, gazing back from three pairsof wide, uplifted eyes. They knew, from gleeful past experience, thatnothing so annoyed her as smiling acquiescence.

Miss Lord's eyes critically studied the room. Patty was still intraveling dress.

"Put on your uniform, Patty, and finish unpacking. The trunks go downto-morrow morning."

"Yes, Miss Lord."

"Priscilla and Constance, why aren't you out of doors with the othergirls, enjoying this beautiful autumn weather?"

"But we haven't seen Patty for such a long time, and now that we areseparated" commenced Conny, with a pathetic droop of her mouth.

"I trust that your lessons will benefit by the change. You, Patty andPriscilla, are going to college, and should realize the necessity ofbeing prepared. Upon the thorough foundation that you lay here dependsyour success for the next four yearsfor your whole lives, one mightsay. Patty is weak in mathematics and Priscilla in Latin. Constancecould improve her French. Let us see what you can do when you reallytry."

She divided a curt nod between the three and withdrew.

"We are happy in our work and we dearly love our teachers," chantedPatty, with ironical emphasis, as she rummaged out a blue skirt andmiddy blouse with "St. U." in gold upon the sleeve.

While she was dressing, Priscilla and Conny set about transferring thecontents of her trunk to her bureau, in whatever order the articlespresented themselvesbut with a carefully folded top layer. Theoverworked young teacher, who performed the ungrateful task ofinspecting sixty-four bureaus and sixty-four closets every Saturdaymorning, was happily of an unsuspicious nature. She did not penetratebelow the crust.

"Lordy needn't make such a fuss over my standing," said Priscilla,frowning over an armful of clothes. "I passed everything except Latin."

"Take care, Pris! You're walking on my new dancing dress," cried Patty,as her head emerged from the neck of the blouse.

Priscilla automatically stepped off a mass of blue chiffon, and resumedher plaint.

"If they think sticking me in with Job's youngest daughter is going toimprove my prose composition"

"I simply can't study till they take Irene McCullough out of my room,"Conny echoed. "She's just like a lump of sticky dough."

"Wait till you get acquainted with Mae Mertelle!" Patty sat on the floorin the midst of the chaos, and gazed up at the other two with wide,solemn eyes. "She brought five evening gowns cut low, and all her shoeshave French heels. And she lacesmy dears! She just holds in herbreath and pulls. But that isn't the worst." She lowered her voice to aconfidential whisper. "She's got some red stuff in a bottle. She saysit's for her finger nails, but I saw her putting it on her face."

"Oh!not really?" in a horrified whisper from Conny and Priscilla.

Patty shut her lips and nodded.

"Isn't it dreadful?"

"Awful!" Conny shuddered.

"I say, let's mutiny!" cried Priscilla. "Let's make the Dowager giveus back our old rooms in Paradise Alley."

"But how?" inquired Patty, two parallel wrinkles appearing on herforehead.