MARJORIE DEAN, High School Junior

CHAPTER I—MARJORIE DECLARES HERSELF


“Only to think, next week, at this time, I’ll be saying good-bye to you,
Mary Raymond.” Marjorie Dean’s brown eyes rested very wistfully on the
sunny-haired girl beside her in the big porch swing.

“You know now, just how dreadfully I felt two years ago when I had to
keep thinking about saying good-bye to you,” returned Mary in the same
wistful intonation. “It was terrible. And after you had gone! Well—it
was a good deal worse. Oh, Marjorie, I wish I could live this last year
over again. If only——”

Marjorie laid light fingers on Mary’s lips. “You mustn’t speak of some
things, Lieutenant,” she said quickly. “If you do I won’t listen. Forget
everything except the wonderful summer we’ve had together.”

Mary caught the soft little hand in both hers. “It _has_ been
wonderful,” she agreed rather unsteadily. “I’ll have the memory of it to
treasure when I’m away off in Colorado. I can’t believe that I am really
going so far away from you. I hope I’ll like the West. Next summer you
must come out there and visit me, Marjorie. By that time I’ll be a
little bit at home in such a strange, new country.”

“I’d love to do that,” responded Marjorie with an eagerness that merged
almost immediately again into regretful reflection.

A sad little silence fell upon the two in the porch swing. Each young
heart was heavy with dread of the coming separation. This was the second
time in two years that the call to say farewell had sounded for Marjorie
Dean and Mary Raymond.

Those who have followed Marjorie Dean through her freshman and sophomore
years at high school are already familiar with the details of Mary’s and
Marjorie’s first separation. In “Marjorie Dean, High School Freshman,”
was recorded the story of the way in which Marjorie had come to leave
her chum at the beginning of their first year in Franklin High School,
in the city of B——, to take up her residence in the far-off town of
Sanford, there to become a freshman at Sanford High. In her new home she
had made many friends, chief among them Constance Stevens, to whom she
had been greatly drawn by reason of a strong resemblance between
Constance and Mary. In an earnest endeavor to bring sunshine to the
former’s poverty-stricken lot she had thereby involved herself in a
series of school-girl difficulties, which followed her throughout the
year. True to herself, Marjorie met them bravely and conquered them, one
by one, proving herself a staunch follower of the high code of honor she
had adopted for her own.

With the advent of Mary Raymond into her home for a year’s stay,
Marjorie was confronted by a new and painful problem. “Marjorie Dean,
High School Sophomore,” found Marjorie enmeshed in the tangled web which
Mary’s jealousy of Constance Stevens wove about the three girls. Led
into bitter doubt of Marjorie by Mignon La Salle, a mischief-making
French girl who had made Marjorie’s freshman days miserable, Mary
Raymond had been guilty of a disloyalty, which had come near to
estranging the two girls forever. It was not until their sophomore year
was almost over that an awakening had come to Mary, and with it an
earnest repentance, which led to equity and peace.

It was to this which Mary had been about to refer mournfully when
Marjorie’s gentle hand had sealed her repentant utterance. All that
summer the two girls had been earnestly engaged in trying to make up for
those lost days. Constance and Mary were now on the most friendly terms.
The three had spent an ideal month together at the seashore, with no
hateful shadow to darken the pleasure of that delightful outing. Later
Constance had left them to spend the remainder of her vacation with her
family in the mountains. The Deans had lingered in their seaside cottage
until the last of August. Now September had arrived, her hazy hints of
coming Autumn reminding the world at large that their summer playtime
was over.

To Mary Raymond it was a pertinent reminder that her days under the
Deans' hospitable canopy were numbered. In fact, only seven of them
remained. On the next Friday morning she would say her last farewells to
speed away to Denver, Colorado, where, on her invalid mother’s account,
the Raymonds were to make their home.