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Show U .. A Diploma for j . Kitty i ' Ey H. LOUIS RAYEOLD j " z I (CopyrlKht.) I 'TIU:itI-; was one thing that the ; - iidjreu-ay ydiuol for Girls prided I itsi-If upon and that was that their ' diplomas were hoi.csliy earned. That : was why the Itidseway diploma really meant somtthing in the world outside. Not that many Iiidseway alumnae went job hunting. Graduation meant marriage for most of them. (Inly occasionally, oc-casionally, as in the case of Kitty Al-styne, Al-styne, for example, was there real need for a position that would" bring in money. And now here was this same Kitty, as commencement drew near, in very grave danger of getting no diploma at all. "You see, Katlierine," Miss Rromley, the principal, was telling the downcast girl, "you haven't worked this last semester. se-mester. Too much frivolity, I am afraid." "But there's a. tiny chance, isn't there?" Kilty begged. The woman sighed. "Very, very tiny," she admitted. Disconsolately, Kitty went out and, closing the door gently behind her, stood for a moment thinking things over. Then, as she saw Mademoiselle, the French instructress, coming down the hall, she took out her handkerchief handker-chief and began dabbing her eyes. Mademoiselle paused at once. "Mees Keetly oh, have you the bad news?" "The very worst," confessed Kitty. "You know you gave me a D in French Lit. Well, I'm not going to get my diploma." Gently Mademoiselle patted Kitty's shoulder and resolved to go over her marks carefully. There might have been an error. Perhaps that last composition com-position now This little incident was but typical of others which followed when rumor spread through the school that Kitty Alstyne was in danger of flunking her finals. The bashful young man recently re-cently called in to teach mathematics offered to help Kitty after class if she wished and decided it would be no great crime to go easy when correcting her problems. Even the cold Miss Warner, English professor, wondered if she had been a trifle severe and whether she could not conscientiously jack up Kitty's few remaining marks a bit. For Kitty, with her lovable manner and winsome face, had made her way into the hearts of everyone. Not only of classmates and teachers, but yes, it must be confessed of various masculine mas-culine acquaintances in the not far distant men's college. For four years no Junior tyrom tr Senior ball had seemed quite complete without Kitty's shining presence. For a time she had chosen her escorts with great impartiality, but of late she had been seen mostly with Hartley Haynes or Jimmy Rogers snd considerable interest in-terest had developed as to which one of the two she would ultimately favor. Kitty had no family to back her, no money to depend upon. At the time of her father's death there had been just enough left to finish the schooling school-ing upon which she had started and for some time it had been her intention, inten-tion, upon graduation, to step bravely out into the world of business, her diploma di-ploma her only credential. - It was because of this that a conspiracy con-spiracy gradually grew up to see that somehow or other Kitty graduated. Fair or not, everyone had secretly subscribed sub-scribed to it. Time was short and Kitty Kit-ty herself strangely apathetic, is one who had lost hope. How could she be expected to know that her strict instructors were wrestling with their consciences to boost her percentages and insulting their Intelligences by giving her the benefit of doubts where no doubts existed ! One week before commencement the teachers were gathered in Miss Bromley's Brom-ley's office for the final marking of reports. re-ports. As regarded Kitty, each had fought the bitter fight and, morally speaking, had lost out. Miss Bromley, picking up Kitty's card, actually beamed. "The dear child! Not one deficiency I Shows what application " A timid knock drew her attention from various guilty faces. I "Come in why, Katherine 1" For Kitty herself stood on the threshold, rather shy in her little blue suit and hat, but with a great shining happiness in her eyes. "I I thought I'd find you all,," she said. "I've come to say good-by. You see " she held out her hands appeal-ingly. appeal-ingly. "I've just married Jimmy Rogers 1" There was a moment of utter silence. Then, "Kitty!" Miss Bromley's voice held consternation. But Kitty's radiance was undlmmed. "I know I should have waited " "For your diploma," murmured Mademoiselle. "Oh, that " Kitty dismissed it carelessly. care-lessly. "I knew there was no hope. Besides, what good would it do me? I am to stay with Jimmy's people until he graduates. And then, that very day, we sail for Italy on our honeymoon." honey-moon." Italy! Honeymoon! Mademoiselle, Miss Bromley, the English professor looked surreptitiously at one another. The diploma they had sacrificed their consciences for seemed somehow insignificant. in-significant. I |