When the rising bell rang, Sue counted three, then kicked off the covers. She sprang out of bed to pull down the window leaving Betsy shivering.  
“Cruel world.” Betsy further down in bed and reaching for the covers.
 
“Cruel nothing,” Sue retorted. “You fresh air fiends will be the death of me yet. Pick the coldest night of the year to throw the window to the top.”
 
For two reasons Betsy could hardly hear the last of Sue’s . She had covered up head, ears and all. Sue had run in the bathroom to dress where it was warmer and had closed the door.
 
“What’s all the ?” Mimi asked. The bell had her but she had not stirred. If she moved out of her warm place she touched cold sheets.
 
“The greatest disaster in contemporary history,” came Betsy’s voice from the adjoining bed. “On this, perhaps the only Friday morning of the year when we could miss breakfast and stay in bed our energetic friend, Sue, has to sound a triple alarm and fire a nineteen gun ! Sue,” she yelled her head out, “I hope you’re freezing.”
 
“What’s this rot about not getting up?”
 
Sue, dressed opened the bathroom door and entered, a glass of cold water in her hand.
 
“We’re not getting up! Don’t tell me the fact that one may cut breakfast and enjoy a little free time today because of term-end failed to your ?”
 
Betsy was wide awake and away just because she wished she were sleepy. All eyes with on the glass of water; she, Mimi, and Chloe watched Sue’s expression .
 
“Woe is me! I did forget. Move over Betsy I’m coming back to bed clothes and all.”
 
Sue set the glass on the floor took one jump and landed in bed. Betsy and spiraled and succeeded in wrapping all the covers around her. Sue pulled and jerked without success.
 
“All right, I’ll get in with Chloe and Mimi. They’re not old meanies.”
 
But they were. They held tightly to their covers. Sue went to the foot of the bed, loosened the covers and started reaching for their feet. The fight was on. Zip-whizz! Betsy threw a pillow barely missing Sue’s bobbing head.
 
The five minute bell rang. Sue gave up.
 
“Three against one is no fair. I’m going to breakfast and I hope we have waffles and country sausage and and pineapple juice and——”
 
Blam!
 
Mimi’s pillow struck Sue’s retreating figure.
 
“Go eat ! Scram!”
 
But Sue had roused Mimi. She jumped up.
 
“Come on let’s go to breakfast. I could dress for my wedding in five minutes.”
 
When the last bell rang the three were within a half dozen steps of the dining room door. Betsy was pulling the comb through her hair. Chloe was straightening her tie and Mimi was at her stocking but they got in before the door closed.
 
“Gee! I’m glad we came,” Mimi sighed.
 
She was so full she could hardly speak. More than half the girls were taking advantage of their term-end privilege and had stayed away so there were seconds and thirds! Of course, the menu wasn’t all Sue had pictured but they did have pineapple juice for a change and Mimi had two servings. While she was too full to do much talking, Mimi could sit back and listen. She wouldn’t have missed Miss Bassett’s announcement for anything.
 
“May I have your attention, please?”
 
The girls turned toward Miss Bassett, in their faces. Her announcements were always good news—game schedules, pep meetings, hikes or something enjoyable. The one she made today was one she had not made for four years! She might not get to make it for four more or longer because the winters were not as severe as they used to be.
 
“The manager of Wildwood Park has telephoned that the lake is frozen solid. The temperature is dropping and the forecast for tomorrow is continued fair and colder. If there is six or more inches of good ice on the lake, we will have a skating party tomorrow.”
 
Clap! Clap! Clap! Cries of approval. Mimi clapped loudest.
 
“I am going out to Wildwood today to see for myself how the ice looks. In the meantime all girls interested in ice skating sign the sheet on the bulletin board. Only those girls who are well and warmly dressed will be permitted to go. This is not a definite promise but know this. I want to go as badly as you do, maybe more.”
 
Mimi never doubted the weather man an instant. She felt sure, too, that Miss Bassett would not have mentioned the party at all unless she was practically sure the ice would hold. Mimi’s worry was not the temperature, it was getting some ice skates. Here at last was a chance to learn how to do something she had always wanted to know how to do. She realized that there would be only a limited number of skates available and she would have to think fast. That she could borrow a pair was unlikely. Any girl who liked skating enough to own a pair and them around with her when there was so little chance of skating in this climate, would be using her own. There was but one thing to do, buy a pair and buy them now before the hardware and sporting goods stores sold out. She had not done one thing since Daddy and Mother had been gone but she was going to spend practically her whole month’s allowance at one crack.
 
All this had flashed quickly through her mind. Breakfast was over and in another few minutes the girls would start a mad search for skates. Somehow she must get the jump on them. The college girls could go right on to town without permission. Oh, dear! There seemed but one thing to do and Mimi did it immediately and successfully.
 
Slapping her napkin quickly to her mouth as if to suppress a hiccough she jerked her head and stood up. Making signs to the hostess she excused herself. As she passed Mrs. Cole’s table, still pressing the napkin to her lips, she hiccoughed out loud. As soon as she passed out the double glass doors she dropped the napkin and ran.
 
She went as straight to the office as she could.
 
“Please, please,” she pleaded breathlessly to the girl at the desk, “phone Sweirs for me. Here I’ll find the number.”
 
Her fingers flew-P-Q-R-S-Sa-Se-Sw—Sweirs—She could hear the girls now coming down the hall as she gave the number.
 
“Please ask if they have any ice skates to fit a size five boot.”
 
The girl was so impressed by Mimi’s excitement, it never occurred to her she did not have permission to telephone. But Mimi knew she did not have; that was why she was having the girl call for her. Hurry! Hurry! How long did it take Sweirs to answer? They must be terribly busy—probably selling all their skates.
 
“Sweirs are sorry. They have no ice skates.”
 
Mimi groaned.
 
“Then we’ll call the hardware stores.” She was through the directory again.
 
“Look in the classified section in the back,” the girl suggested.
 
H-Hardware. There. She had another number.
 
“Yes, size five please,” the girl was saying. “Just a moment.”
 
Putting her hand over the transmitter she turned to Mimi.
 
“He has some. What shall I say?”
 
“Have him send them out collect—and special delivery.”
 
Ten or twenty-five cents more wouldn’t matter. Mimi couldn’t wait.
 
“Bring your money to the office now so that I can pay the boy.”
 
“Thank you. Thank you so much.”
 
The money. Mimi was down to earth again. She was taking one problem at a time and doing splendidly but she was up against something now. She had only one dollar and seventy-five cents in her purse and that was not enough. She had forgotten about buying three cans of heat, the brown sugar and the movie magazines.
 
Knowing full well that no girl in school is as despised as one who borrows, she risked her popularity to raise the money. Everywhere it was the same. Term end was a time of celebration and each girl Mimi asked needed all she had and more.
 
There was but one thing left to do. She went back to Tumble Inn and taking the key from around her neck she unlocked the secret drawer of her trunk where she kept her diary. She took out one of the blank checks Daddy had left her for emergencies. It would be the first one she had used and she was spending it on something but after all, Daddy wanted her to have a good time. He’d be the first person to say, “Go ahead and get them, Honey.” She felt very important as she made out the check in the office. In her best writing she signed Dr. J. S. Hammond by Mimi. Her name ran sideways off the bottom of the check.
 
The thirty minutes she loafed around where she could see the office entrance and upon the messenger and grab her skates, she had time to think.
 
She had been very selfish. She had thought only of getting skates for herself. What about her mates? She could have ordered theirs at the same time. One special delivery fee would have brought them all. Sorry that she had been so thoughtless she raced upstairs to make and was not in the office when the skates were delivered.
 
“Did you ever hear of anything grander?” Betsy asked as she a pair of skates. “Jill says if I’ll clean them, I can use them. She is going on that party Chloe is going on.”
 
“You mean you’re not going skating, Chloe.”
 
“Is that so strange? I’m going hiking all right and will be in on the food but while you all skate, some of us are going to , if our fingers aren’t too . You might be posing for me for all you know.”
 
“I’m not going skating either,” Sue declared. “Olivia had already invited me to the matinee and had gotten special permission. She is giving a movie party. Five of us are going and—without a chaperon!”
 
“Well blow me down!” Mimi declared. “Imagine doing anything else when one could ice skate, especially an ordinary thing like seeing a movie.” She slapped her hands together in front of her.
 
“Betsy, outside quick—idea!”
 
They whispered together, then dashed off.
 
“Oh, if only Miss Bassett hasn’t left yet!” Mimi cried. Miss Bassett was still in her room and she listened to their plan with interest. Mimi’s enthusiasm was always . To hear her talking with Miss Bassett, her suggested menu of bean hole beans for the skaters tomorrow would be the most feast mortals ever ate. Here was the plan she and Betsy had hatched up.
 
It was Friday morning now. The skating party was for midday tomorrow. Mimi and Betsy posted a notice of a surprise dinner—price fifteen cents a skater. They delegated Madge and Janice to collect. Miss Bassett advanced money for purchase of supplies. She her trip to Wildwood until the girls could buy the beans and put them to soak. Then armed with hand , , matches and a hand full of to make sure, they drove out to Wildwood to dig the bean hole.
 
“Gee! It’s grand riding. I haven’t been in a car since Thanksgiving,” Mimi . “Hadn’t ridden in one then since September. Can you imagine?”
 
“I’m glad you’re enjoying it. But about the beans. Mimi, you know that if they are not good the whole party will be spoiled and I should hate that.”
 
“You go ahead and talk to the man, Miss Bassett. Leave the beans to us. They’ll be good, I can promise.”
 
The way Mimi declared herself Miss Bassett knew she could depend on her. Dumping the girls and their “field artillery” as they called it, she went on her own errand.
 
Mimi was in her glory. She had on her boots and old breeches and three sweaters and was giving Betsy orders right and left. She was working hard herself. While Betsy gathered wood and searched for flat stones, Mimi dug the hole. She selected an o............