cy\Af .;•> %*j CeJl" ©nlu a 2Jarb H-bB 1 \^ There's only one method of meetin' life's test; Jes' keep on a-striving' an' hope for the best. Don't give up the game an' retire in dismay, 'Cause hammers are thrown when you'd like a bouquet. This world would be tiresome — we'd all get the blues If all the folks in it held just the same views. So finish your work; show the best of your skill, Some folks won't like it, but other folks will. If you're leadin' an army or buildin' a fence Do the most that you kin with your own common sense. One small word of praise in this journey of tears Outweighs in the balance 'gainst cartloads of sneers. The plants that were passin' as common-place weeds Oft' prove to be jes' what some sufferer needs. So keep on a-goin' — don't stay standin' still, Some folks won't like you, but other folks will. — Washington Star. (Cover designed by P. O. Lanham.) ©CLA369589 9to i \ Copyrighted, 1914 By CEOBA BELL LANHAM APR -6 ONLY A BARB iss Melvina Perkins sat and watched for the coming of Pen- olope Leigh, then she went to the telephone and called for her: "Hello?" "I want Frank Leigh's resi- dence. ' ' "Is this Pennie?— What?— Well, this is Melvine and I want you to come right up here and try on this dress — I'm tired of waitin' — Alright, see that you do." Turning from the telephone Melvina so- liloquized : "She'll come just when she gets ready, and I can just wait. She is mighty busy though. Gettin' ready to go off to col- lege is upsettin' to a body's nerves. Lawee! I most have nervous prostration gettin' ready to go to the county seat, to the Fair or to the Chautauquie, I don't believe I could stand the strain of goin' away to stay three months to a stretch and all strangers, too. "I'll jest figer up how much she will owe me when I am all through ; $4.00 f er makin' that sky-blue silk; $2.50 fer the white embroidery dress; $3.00 fer the white wash silk dress trimmed in white silk lace; $6.00 fer the Nell Rose silk with the train to it (any body what wears dresses with train to 'em has to pay fer 'em). "Now, let me see? Is there anything else? Oh, yes; fer fixin' over that old tan suit, I'll charge her $1.00; now I'll add it up, naught, naught, one, seven, ten, eleven, twelve, thirteen, sixteen; sixteen dollars and fifty cents. My ! but that is a big bill, and just when she'll be wantin' her money to go to college — well, I'll just make it even $15.00 fer I want to get the job of makin' her weddin' clothes when [4] ONLY A BARB she gets married. — There she is, sooner nan I expected her." Melvina flew to the door to meet the plain slender girl who hurried into the room with many apologies for any delay she might have caused. She tried on the dress and made suggestions occasionally. She was quiet and would never be called pretty unless one looked only at her large soulful eyes. When she reached home her mother was waiting for her in the neat little sitting room and smiled a pleased little smile as her daughter entered the room. "Well, how is your dress coming?" "It looks quite well, but the color is very deep in the day, but of course I'll only wear it when I go to swell parties in the evening. Don't you think I ought to have a party coat, Mother?" "I shouldn't wonder, but I will send that to you, for our funds are getting low. I want you to have plenty of spending money. It will help you to make a good impression at the first." "Mother, you are so smart and good, and you have never been to college, I just couldn't ever be as good as you." "O, my darling, I want to see all my ambitions fulfilled in you, and I have so longed for an education and could not have it, and all your life I have looked forward to the time when you would enjoy college life and there develop all your mind and body and soul and then come back to me with your love for me still unchanged. "I never had a chance to enjoy life and young friends with tastes and ambition like my own,, for I had to work and did not have time to cultivate the acquaint- ance of the more educated folk. ' ' "But, Mother, you are my ideal of a woman, you live for others, love God, are always kind and forgiving, neat, ambi- ONLY A BARB [5] tious and naturally intelligent, and I love you more than all the world and you will see that I will be as popular at school as you wish and study hard and come home crowned with honors and still with all my love, for you." She kissed her mother tenderly and slipped on a gingham apron and hummed softly as she moved from kitchen to din- ing room preparing supper and the mother dreamed the dreams that only a mother can dream, at such a time. A week later Miss Penelope Leigh with a large trunk carefully packed with dresses, not one of which should be found in a school girl's wardrobe, and a head full of false standards of value, arrived in the little college town and registered as a student in B University. Now Miss Leigh had been directed to a boarding-house near the college, but found all the other boarders were at least Juniors, and to a Freshman that meant a year of solitude, as far as house compan- ionship was concerned. iShe next discovered that the merry group of girls seated on the ground in front of the Library were not to be joined without invitation and that such invita- tion was to be received in the attitude of a benediction by the one so fortunate as to receive it. She found that the pillow never reveiled the secret ''weeps" it witnessed and that crying did not improve her appearance in any way, also, that her clothes did not fit in to the styles, even in the widely varied catalog of college styles. She soon found that the hardest student was rarely popular. In fact the person who knows more than you do is not a per- son you admire, or if you do you content yourself with "distance lending enchant- ment." It is more congenial to have a companionable friend with whom you can [6] ONLY A BARB exchange ideas on the plan that, 'a fair exchange is no robbery." She soon knew the greatest thing in the college world was not the learned pro- fessors, the college president, or the stu- dent body but the Frats and Sororities, so she decided she would belong to the best National Sorority and go with the most popular Prat man in school, but alas! and alack! she still had much to learn! All during this discovery she wrote to her mother the cheeriest little letters, tell- ing of the nice girls in school, of the grand parties that were given, of the pretty dresses and the fine young men who were there. She did not say that she was or was not present, and from the tone of the letters her mother could never guess how she had seen or learned about the people and parties of which she wrote. In disappointment one is always either bowed or proud, and Penelope was by degrees, each. Sometimes she met girls with a " hang-dog-expression" which was amusing to the merry crowd and next time she would pass them haughtily and only nod. She made her next mistake by asking to be taken into a Sorority, who made such a joke of it, that poor Penelope wished she was dead several times until she realized they wouldn't care if "she did go to the garden and eat worms," then she began to think logically and soon became acquainted with that very 'uncom- mon sense: common sense. It was almost time for the final examina- tions before Penelope had received an in- vitation to a select affair of any kind and when she read this invitation, to a little tea to be given by one of her classmates, she let loose all her pent up feelings, and cried as she had not cried since her first two weeks in college, but after she bathed her eyes and had a good night's sleep, ONLY A BARB [7] she was surprised to see the bright happy- face which smiled back at her from the mirror the next morning and even her German teacher remarked as she left the class room: "You are making some de- velopment, Miss Leigh," which was a compliment. Penelope blushed and smiled and lifted her eyes to meet those of Tom Bradly, the Captain of the Foot-ball Team. He gave her a look of recognization which was more than she had received since making the acquaintance of the men of the school. In consequence of all these flattering attentions she seemed to "blossom out" for the little party, and she had had so much time to think and read and all the wit which she imagined was delighting the ears of the students at the longed for parties, she had memorized, and was de- lighted to find that all the jokes she knew were very entertaining to her listeners. She had the satisfaction of feeling that although she had been invited to but one party during her Freshman year, it had been a success and that the one chance she had to measure up socially, scored in her favor. She passed all examinations well and left school at the end of the first year with the consciousness of having made a favor- able impression with her teachers. Had she been so unfortunate as to have been unable to return to the University the following fall, her idea of the benefits of a college education would have re- mained unfavorable. She regarded a Uni- versity as the least democratic institution in the world, yet she often wondered if she would have cared to go back, if she had not had the happy memory of that one party. II. enelope missed the round of recitations and the interesting student body but she found the restful home life and the con- genial companionship of her de- voted mother very pleasant. Her friends complimented her on being her own self, still and unspoiled. She studied Painting and Expression of teachers who spent one day each week in the little village. The blending of colors, the laws of har- mony and artistic arrangement began to develop in the mind of the little school girl and the helpful association of these ambitious teachers, who found time to cul- tivate the friendship of their pupils, was of untold value to the future of Pene- lope. So the little Penelope who entered the University in the fall, wearing a plain little hat with modest trim, a Peter-pan dress and possessing an air of self posses- sion which comes from the consciousness of strength to overcome, met her acquaint- ances of the previous year with a modest but frankly pleaded expression. Indeed, she had in a measure forgot- ten some of the stings of the past year, and was looking forward with pleasant anticipation to a happy future, deter- mined not to repeat any of the mistakes of the past year. Blessed Memory! You make us draw the kindly mantle of Charity called For- getfulness, over the unkind, stingy places, and veil from our eyes the unpleasant and help us to remember only the good and the beautiful. At the end of the second year, Pene- ONLY A BARB [9] lope had grown in favor with both stu- dents and teachers. Her grades were good and she had won second place in the dec- lamation contest. She had been invited to several parties and had even been on the reception com- mittee when the Sophomores gave their annual. The most unkindest cut of all the year was received, however, at this party, just as though it was never intended that she should be entirely happy. As she sat on the railing of the piazza just outside the windows, opening out of the Library, she heard Tom Bradly say to a girl of a Greek letter society: "What is the matter with that little Leigh girl, she don't seem to get 'in' at all?" She listened breathlessly, for the an- swer to the question she had so often asked herself. "0, she is only a Barb, I guess that's all." "Only a Barb," said Penelope to her- self, then that was her crime, and didn't she know how to suffer her penalty? The third year was Penelope's Junior year, and she began to find that even a Barb could find that life had its com- pensations. An upper class man or woman is not open to the running criticism to which a "Freshie" is unfeelingly subjected. She had resolved too, that she would give up trying to beat the other fellow, but get a little ahead of herself each day, and that she would give to other students every bit of help possible. She soon became happy in her busy helpful life, but deep in her heart was that sting "Only a Barb." Several young men had been attracted to Penelope by her bright mind and pleas- ing manners but who in a Greek letter [10] ONLY A BARB Society could brave the displeasure of a Sister Sorority by deliberately choosing the society of a Barb? Tom Bradly had tried this twice and had also asked that Penelope be invited to be pledged in the Sister Sorority but by this time she was "Only a Barb" and thus she was to stay. Tom was so busy with foot-ball and Frat affairs, and with study incidently, that the sympathy for a "Barb" could not claim his attention for long. He rarely met Penelope and had almost forgotten her, when the announcement of the Annual Sorority Hop was made. This dance was to be given by the larg- est Greek letter Society, which was his Sister Sorority. Tom had been showing no special atten- tion to any one girl and had shown an utter disregard for all invitations to the Sorority parties and now as the invitation list was reviewed, there was one brother Frat who would be without a partner. "Well, we could ask some girl from outside for just this once," suggested Gladys Darling. "We might ask someone whom we might wish to pledge later?" said Valeria* Chase. "0, 0, O, I have it," cried Katheryn Kline. "We would think you not only had it but them, what is IT, pray?" ' ' Now, listen ! You know that Tom Bradly has been so perfectly horrid all year?" "Yes," came in a hearty chorus. "And you also know the Honorable Barb?" "Yes, what of her? WE don't want her?" "Now this is my plan. There is nothing so sweet as revenge, revenge, my friends, I say revenge shall be mine!" !-■; ONLY A BARB [11] "How do you propose to proceed ?" "Thusly: we will invite the Barb to take Tom and then 'freeze' them; Tom don't care for her, and she can't enter- tain a man anyway. Now just imagine the Barb dancing! But we can get even with Tom ! ' ' "Just the thing!" they all agreed ex- cept Gladys, who said: "I don't think it is quite fair to the Barb, really she has never offended us in any way, only she never bows to us and will not humbly greet us with that proper, ' Thou art holier than I' air." "Why, Gladie! How unjust to your > own!" "I am determined," cried Katherlyn, and that settled it for all time. Tom was invited and waited, as usual, until the last minute to accept the invita- tion. "The Barb" was by turns delighted and dismayed and then she began to won- der if she was to be the target of a joke to amuse the crowd. She determined not to go, and as suddenly determined to em- brace her only opportunity to go to a party 1; of the "inner circle." (She lived twixt hope and fear for days and probably would have decided to give up the party if it hadn't been for the thought of the pleasure that the descrip- tion of every little detail would give to her mother. She had no misgiving about Tom and yet she did not trust him any more than she did the Sisterhood whose guest she was to be. She was surprised to receive many lit- tle kind attentions from these girls toward whom all the eyes of the college were turned, for is it not true that the Greek letter girls are the standard of correct conduct for all the girls in the school? The more she learned of the beautiful [12] ONLY A BARB daily lives of these Sisters, the more she admired them and the more she longed to be like them. There is no place in the uni- verse where a girl can learn life's lessons as well as in a college Sorority. The girls began to learn some very pleasing things about the "Barb" and if they had not felt so unforgiving toward Tom, it is doubtful if they could have con- tinued their policy for the Hop. "Girls," said Gladys, on the night be- fore the Hop, "that look of questioning in the large searching eyes of the Barb, haunts me." "Well, it is too bad," said Katheryn, "but such things have to be." $ III. he very eventful evening ar- rived and the last couple to appear was the "Barb" and Tom. The "Barb" wore the Nell Rose pink evening dress which had been robbed of its train and was veiled with a dainty shadow lace, edged with black fur; she wore her hair high and as this was her crowning glory she made it count for all it was worth. The hint of perfectly rounded arms and shoulders which peeped through the dainty shadow lace added a touch of be- witching beauty unguessed in this plain little unassuming girl. When Tom Bradly looked at his pro- gram he found that no girl had asked him for a dance. He expected to dance the opening dance with Penelope, of course, but had never given a thought to the other numbers. Penelope danced the first dance and at its close realized that she had no part- ner for the next dance, or the others on her program. She asked Tom for the next dance and began to think. "Mr. Bradly, here is my program and when you look at the pleased faces of the hostesses here, you can see the an- swer to the question I have been asking myself ever since I was invited to this party." "I don't care for myself," said Tom, "but it is a shame for you; why did you fall into this trap? I thought you a smart girl?" "I suppose I might as well tell you, for nothing will matter much after to- night." (Poor soul! How often what [14] ONLY A BARB we think is the end of everything is only the beginning of it all.) "You see mother had always planned that I should go to college. I never knew why, and I don't know that she ever rea- soned any further than that I should have the pleasure of the social life of a college. ''I came here expecting to find groups of merry hearted girls waiting on every corner to greet me with open arms and for weeks before I came we had our lit- tle town dressmaker looking up the styles for college women and we read all the fashion notes in the weekly paper and even bought a city Sunday paper so we might read the fashion and the Beauty notes. "My folks believed I would be a great success at college and I had almost begun to hope it might be so. "I never got 'in', as you know and I couldn't bear to have my mother disap- pointed, so I wrote to her about all the nice little affairs, the girls and boys, and she knows all of you by your first names and loves you for all the good times I have had (in my letters). "I worked the best I knew and thought perhaps my time would come but this is the end of all hope. I am humiliated and will not bore you with my company any longer." "O, say, come don't take it that way. I say, let's beat them at their own game." Penelope smiled a ghost of a smile. "I wish you would please ask for all my dances, you see I am quite 'frozen' off the others programs. I will humbly fol- low you and I assure you it will be a great pleasure to me Miss Leigh." The girl hesitated; could she? Tom insisted. The more he talked to this unattractive girl, the more he found to admire. She could talk well and intelligently on ONLY A BARB [15] any subject he could introduce. She danced well, was graceful and showed strength of character in this ugly situa- tion and great love for her mother. He found something about her that all the other girls had lacked. "I am sure you are very kind and yet I couldn't bear your sympathy.' ' "Sympathy? Why, let me tell you the girls have planned this to get even with me for past courtesies, and I am the one who should receive the sympathy. I don 't see why you were chosen to be the 'goat.' I suppose they couldn't — " He never fin- ished the sentence. As the "frozen" couple wove in and out among the dancers, Tom exchanged a friendly nod here and there, and Penelope showed no sign of displeasure. "I do believe that Tom Bradly and the Barb are having the time of their lives," said Katheryn as she paused to rest for a minute. "I heartily hope they do, for I feel like a 'cad' myself," said Gladys. The next day after the Hop, the Greek letter girls were in the music room of the House, "talking it over" when the maid announced that Miss Leigh was at the door. "0, girls, I can't face her!" said Va- leria. "Katheryn, you were the one who was most anxious to have Tom punished, now you will have to meet her. ' ' "Pikers! I will not meet her alone!" "It is a shame to keep her waiting," said Gladys. "Martha, show her in." The only person at ease in the little company was Penelope. She was master of the situation. "0, how-de-do ?" said each girl in a very stiff formal manner. Penelope broke the awkard silence. "Girls, I wish to thank you for the [16] ONLY A BARB pleasure which you didn't plan for me, but for which you are responsible and since, deserve the thanks. "This is the first real party I have had in the three years I have been here. "I want you to know I felt from the first that there was 'method in your mad- ness' but what it was I didn't know. "I came from a little country town where the people think that dress and so- cial leadership are the two most important things in the world and my mother was ambitious for me to be a social climber, here. I came to your party because I wanted to tell her about one real party. Your party was a grand success and every detail was perfect. You girls are truly wonderful and are the most beautiful girls in the world!" She trembled as she finished speaking and with the others sank in seats. "0 — we — er — " stammered Valeria, . "we all thank you, and Penelope you are a dear, and we are very sorry that we treated you so." "Yes," said Gladys, "can you ever for- give us?" "We only meant to punish Tom, you see he is so conceited." "Penelope," cried Helen Burge, "please forgive us?" "You are just about three years late, you really hurt me when you made me a Barb, but last night added but little to that. I only came to thank you and now, good afternoon!" The girls looked at each other but no one said a word. Penelope swept out of the front door and closed it quietly behind her. "Val, why didn't you say something?" "There were no words to express it." "We are beaten, dead beat!" they all agreed. IV. he next part of this college story has not to do with the college but with these young ladies. It was just after commence- ment two years later when these Sorority Sisters had gath- ered at the beautiful country home of Mr. and Mrs. Tom Bradly to christen their tiny daughter, the Sorority baby. Valeria was Mistress of Ceremony. "And what does your Highness wish the beautiful young lady to be called ?" she asked of Penelope as she proudly knelt before her. "Eugenia," laughed the little mother, "Eugenia B. Bradly!" "Why the 'B'?" "For 'Barb,' don't you see. She is 'only a Barb,' but her mother hopes she will fulfill all her fondest hopes," she said. "Why, girls, it was not so long ago since my mother was wishing for me just what I am wishing for her." "Well", said Gladys, "the young lady's college career is assured, she can never be a 'Barb' ! At the close of the pretty ceremony, Valeria addressed the tiny personage "A toast! A toast! young lady!" Eugenia B. beat the air with her fists and cooed, "F-f-f-f-f ba-ba-bu-u!" "Yes, I understand", said Val, "the young lady says she wishes a toast given to the greatest 'f-foot-b-ball player of his time. All-to-gether girls, here's to the long life and happiness of the "Tom, Tom, Don 't-care-a-continental, Tom ! ' ' And just here the tiny fists waved [18] ONLY A BARB wildy and the gentle coo swelled to a funny little shreik. That evening as Tom and the Barb stood beside the cot looking at the tiny mite which was the consumation of their love, Tom said: "Why are you so serious, Darling ?" "O, I was just wondering if I could really have enjoyed all of this, as I do, if I hadn't been 'only a Barb' " J KBLLBT PRINTING CO. TOPBKA p