Leander Clark College - Cardinal Yearbook (Toledo, IA)

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, 'v Q . K. .' fl 'IQ -Yi nw- NAI' it VA. fps. I- 'Ji tx, I Q lf, -J ll ex, Sweet Violets Patricia Dennis, more commonly called Patsy , was both the pride and despair of Winston I-Iall. It boasted in her brains, her ready wit, her unrivalled skill in handling a tennis racket or playing basket ball. Yet, not even her best friends could call her 'tprettyw as they did Kitty Wales, or sweet as they did Beth Greaves. She was just Patsy, tempestuous, carefree Patsy. A tousled mass of red hair surmounted the oval face with its upward tilted chin in which a tiny dimple played hide-and-seek. Yet not even the dimple and the sparkling eyes could blind the critic to the fact that the nose was decidedly pug, and that a profusion of freckles was scattered indiscrimin- ately over her features. Altogether the impression obtained was that Patsy was independent to the point of obstinacy. It was nearly the close of an intensely warm day in late May, Patsy, long limbed and agile, swung up to the door of the dormitory whistling and swinging aloft her tennis racket after an afternoon 's sport. Nearing the hall she spied two girls looking down at her reprovingly from and upstairs window. Then she heard her name and the words, I can't understand her. Unquestionably the thing to do was to find out what about her they did not understand, and if advisable explain to them. So flinging open the door to their room she walked in, tossed the racket on the bed and flung herself on a cushion at the window with the easy familiarity of the privileged guest. 'fNow girls , she began, 'ffess up, pray what do you not understand about your humble servant. O, Kitty, for pity sakes don 't look so grieved as if I had done something sinful. Yes I know my hair is down, and she impatiently brushed back the wisps of curling hair around her face. Probably my dress is grass stained and my face is red as a beet-always is after a good game of tennis-but mark my works pretty pussy, donlt you think I care! I've had a perfectly grand time with Toby anyway she finished defiantly. Yes, that's just the trouble, burst out Kitty stormingly. You donit care. To think of getting your face all red and burned the day of the Sophomore I-Iop. And with that little, insignificant Toby Weston too.'7 HAnd as for Toby Westonf, flashed back Patsy, her eyes beginning to sparkle dangerously, he's a great little sport, if he isn't the kind of dandy that wears stand-up collars and patent leather shoes and sends Bowers to the girls - this with a scornful wave of her hand toward the table where huge bunches of orchids and violets nodded. He's some tennis player, too. And as for my com- plexion, when Patricia Dennis chooses to sit upstairs, bleaching her face and mooning over a bunch of florist 's violets, when there 's heaps of 'em in the woods for the hiking, she'll let you know, my prettyf' And with a grandiloquent ges- ture and profound bow, Patsy slammed the door. The heretofore silent Beth turned with a mischievous smile to Kitty and said, HI wonder,-if it were Bob Leighton 's violets- . Kitty looked up quickly Y - I ' E1-T F- 'iv Wi X .Q

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li. fa sf ,ft i im if? 3 ,- -1--F--f- Nm, kftsni: ln-Eel lu Z1 ----h. -E-1---B - Bob Leighton, you don 't mean to say- UNO, I don't mean to say any- thing, interrupted Beth. Only I've been playing detective, and I notice that Patsy shuts up like a clam and looks self-conscious when Bob 's name is men- tioned, and whenever I speak of Patsy, when Cousin Bob is around, he is ridiculously eager to hear more, and asks guarded questions in a manner he tries to make offhand. Poor Bob, he's rash enough in anything else, I'm thinking if either of them makes the advances it will have to be Patsy. 'CNot Patsy, broke in Kitty who was still smarting over Patsy is last speech. Shc's too independent for that, 'twould be too much like 'mooningf Let her play tennis with her Freshmen babes if she wants to, for my part I wash my hands of- . MO, Kitty, wait a minutef' put in Beth breathlessly, and she put one hand over Kitty 's mouth, I've a great idea and I ibelieve you and I can do it. Listen -Bob 's gone home, went yesterday to his chum's wedding. He 's going to be gone two whole weeks. Let 's fix up matters, so when Bob gets back, all there will be left to do, will be a few explanations to be made and lo and behold-'Two hearts that beat as one'. 'tBeth, you wouldn't dare-what, how? One question at a time please , answered Beth, dancing excitedly. i'To- morrow we will begin, and every day or so, we'll send Patsy either a note or flowers from the tt1orist's, and Beth 's eyes danced wickedly. Of course we'll not send any name, but I've a feeling that Patsy 's heart will be going pit-a-pat, and she'll be guessing they're from Bob. VVont it be fun to watch developments in the love-defying Patsy. Kitty wavered a moment and then said 'iAlright, I'm with you Beth. Itls a pretty big risk, but it will be worth it all to have Patsy take back a few of her remarks. The next evening Kitty dashed into Beth 's room, and in a laughter-choked voice exclaimed. HO, Beth, I've had the most fun. The florist's boy just brought the violets you ordered, and I peeked through the key hole when Patsy opened the box. Oh, it was too funny, and Kitty threw herself on the bed and stuffed the corner of a pillow into her mouth to smother her laughter. First, she lifted the violets from the box and held them at arm's length. looking at them at first wonderingly and then scornfully. Suddenly she lifted her arm and that beauti- ful bunch of violets lay scattered in the farther corner of the room. All I heard was a disgusted, 'Shucksl' Then she went over and sat on the bed and looked a little curiously, first at the violets and then at the box. You know how Patsy talks to herself, when she is thinking. Well, at last I heard her say, 'Well, that is a perfectly foolish way to waste good money, but I wonder who sent them. Toby Weston isn't such a silly as that. They surely can't be from- , but I didn't hear the name. Then she slowly tiptoed over to the violets looking as sheepish as if she were stealing. She fumbled around for the card, but of course didn't find any. At last, smiling sort of shamefacedly, she put the offending violets in a bowl of water, handling them as gently as if they were babies. And Oh, Beth, where do you think she put them-on the top shelf of her closet, and shut IQIC5