Part 6 (1/2)
”What did she want to throw that water on me for?”
”But it didn't hurt you,” Nan pointed out. ”You are dressed for it!”
”Yes,” snapped Rhoda, looking down at the jumper and overalls. ”I look like a silly in these things.”
”Well, you don't need to act like a silly,” urged Nan, keeping pace with her, as Rhoda left the gymnasium. ”You are making it awfully hard for yourself. The girls won't forgive you.”
”Forgive me? Well, I like that!” scoffed Rhoda.
”Oh, yes. It was all in fun. We all have to go through some such performance--when we are greenhorns.”
”Not for me!” exclaimed the Western girl with emphasis.
Nan was silent for a moment, guiding the new girl through the unfamiliar and only half-lighted pa.s.sages to the back stairway.
Then Nan asked:
”Does your knee hurt?”
”Of course it does.”
”I have some lotion in my room. It is good for a sprain, or anything like that. I'll get it for you and you can rub it in well when you go to bed.”
”If those girls come around to bother me again--”
”I'm afraid they won't,” said Nan, sorrowfully.
”You're _afraid_ they won't?”
”Yes. They may let you very much alone. You won't have much fun here.”
”Humph! I can flock by myself,” said Rhoda, quite cheerfully.
”But you can have so much better times if you are friends with the other girls.”
”I don't know about that. I don't like any of them--as far as I've gone. Except you. Out where I come from--at Rose Ranch--there are plenty of Mexican girls and Indian girls who are much more ladylike than this crowd. Why! these girls are savages.”
”Oh, no, Rhoda! Not quite that,” laughed Nan. ”You don't understand. And I am afraid they won't understand you.”
”Who wants 'em to?” responded Rhoda Hammond gruffly.
Nan Sherwood took the liniment into Rhoda's room, and when she returned, bringing back the overall suit to be returned to Henry, she found her chum, Bess Harley, in their room, slowly preparing for bed.
”Well! isn't that the greatest girl you ever saw?” exclaimed Bess.
”She will have a nice time here--not! And I should think you'd not have anything to do with her, Nan. The other girls won't like it.
We're just going to ignore her. A girl who can't take a joke!”
”I shan't have much to do with her until she comes to her senses,”
Nan admitted. ”But I am sorry for her, just the same.”
”You'll waste your 'sorry' on that one,” laughed Bess.