Part 28 (1/2)
”Exactly. She taught athletics.”
”And she presumed to play with school girls,” exclaimed Jane indignantly.
”Yes, but we have our official eye on her,” Mrs. Weatherbee said rather hurriedly, for Mrs. Weatherbee. ”We would not have allowed her to use her so-called skill against our legitimate players, in fact, when she was disqualified for fouls, in your tryout, she then and there was notified she could not again play in any of the games, or take part in any of the athletic contests. We have no objection to her enjoying all the exercises, that is her right, but she is disqualified as a professional, from all amateur sports.”
Jane was too surprised for utterance. That a teacher should stand up in their games and try ”to best” a set of whole-hearted young school girls!
”I would not allow this to become public, as such occurrences would have an unwholesome effect on the morale of the school,” Mrs.
Weatherbee went on. ”But I knew it would filter through. Such sensations always do get abroad-like steam or smoke; we can't control the influence.”
”But Blindwood!” Jane now repeated. ”Wasn't that where-Helen went to school?”
”Yes,” replied the directress, ”Helen was a pupil there also.”
”Then that accounts--” Jane hesitated. ”Why, I wonder, did Helen not recognize Dolorez?”
”They meet very seldom, and Miss Vincez has changed. She may have been a charter customer at her wonderful beauty parlor for as I am informed from Blindwood, Miss Vincez there was a striking blonde.”
”Oh, that is it! She has changed her hair!” Jane could not refrain from exclaiming. ”And she knows Helen, and knows her real name of course.
Oh, Mrs. Weatherbee, I am sure Dolorez Vincez was responsible for that shock Helen received with the bouquet. Whatever was written on the little card simply shocked Helen out of her senses.”
”Precisely,” replied Mrs. Weatherbee. ”But I have not questioned Helen.
I believe the child is on the verge of a nervous collapse, and however kindly we would go about it, a word might be more than she could stand.
She is so high strung and temperamental. I have even had her excused from many lessons, believing that the best plan. Helen will do all she can to meet her obligations, and there is no reason why she should be driven.”
”Oh, Mrs. Weatherbee!” and impulsively Jane threw her arms around the woman who stood as mother to the Wellington girls. ”How good, and kind you are!”
”Thank you, my dear. Such grat.i.tude more than repays me. I sometimes fear my necessary intervention may be taken as interference. But when I have done my duty, and all turns out well then-I am glad.”
”What can I do to a.s.sist you in this matter, Mrs. Weatherbee?” asked Jane earnestly.
”My dear, all I want you to do is to use your influence privately with the young ladies, to show them the absurdity of subscribing to anything like that so-called course of treatments. You see, the danger is, some of them may actually have given their money, and we cannot force Miss Vincez' friend-whoever she may be-to refund it. However, under any conditions, I shall not allow a single Wellington girl to visit this place-this beauty parlor.”
”I will gladly do all I can, Mrs. Weatherbee, to counteract the canva.s.s. I wish I had heard of it sooner. But there has been so much going on lately. And being anxious about our big basketball game, I have been keeping the girls at practice daily.”
”Oh, yes, my dear, and that is quite right. I do not want to spoil your pretty head with compliments, but you must know that we all appreciate what you are doing. Your leaders.h.i.+p for the juniors has given us perfectly splendid results this far.”
”Thank you, Mrs. Weatherbee. But really I am only doing what anyone would do, and I feel rather foolish to be complimented. It is just a case of being in line. Someone has to lead.”
”That is a fine spirit to view it in, Jane,” Mrs. Weatherbee never used first names-that is, seldom indeed. The occasion must have been one of singular confidence. ”But we recall that you did not fall into this place without well-deserved merit,” she commented. ”This is a big college and we have many fine girls, so that those chosen to lead must have been qualified. However, I want to say a word about our little Helen. She surprised me greatly with her wonderful skill at the violin.
You know when she came to us, she had been sort of lost-that is, her friends had abandoned her.”
”Yes, Mrs. Weatherbee,” said Jane simply, choking back her interest.
”Well, I have thought since we might have traced them by their letters, which must have been in the possession of the Blindwood faculty. But I was restrained from doing this by the att.i.tude of Helen herself. She fairly begged me not to seek her friends. Strange, I thought.”