he little bronze dragon
clock on top of the book shelves showed the hour of five, when Charity
called:

"You'd better start in on your Founders' talk, Kit; we've only got about
half an hour."

There was a baffled look in Kit's eyes, as she picked up the challenge and
rose from the brown willow chair. Charity must know perfectly well how
untimely it was to start to spring the surprise while there was a running
chance of Marcelle appearing. Still there was a hush, and the girls faced
her expectantly.

"As you all know," began Kit, "the old bronze tablet in the lower hall
carries names on its roll of honor which not only uphold the glory of Hope
College, but also of the entire town of Delphi, of the entire state, I may
say, of Wisconsin."

"Kit," murmured Peggy, sotto voce, "if you start declaiming like that
you'll have 'the Jinx' after your scalp. First thing we know, you'll
begin, 'Ladies and fellow constituents.'"

Kit waited until the laugh had subsided, and Peggy had replaced the shell
pins from her tumbled braids after a tussle with "the Jinx," who took all
political allusions as personal affronts.

"There are few of us here to-day, if any," continued Kit, slowly, one eye
watching the concrete walk across the campus from the nearest window, "who
can boast of a Hope founder in her family."

"I can, almost," interrupted Antoinette, otherwise Tony; "my big sister
Marie was engaged for a very little while to Bernard Giron. If she had
only married him, we would have had a 'Founder' in the family."

"Tony," said Kit, severely, "I am dealing with facts, not prospects, and
you ought not to reveal any family secrets, either. I say it is a great
honor to be a direct descendant of a 'Founder,' and we have one in our
class. A girl, too modest to take advantage of her grandfather's record."
She paused impressively, but with a quickening gleam in her eyes, as there
suddenly have in view a hurrying figure in gray sweater and dark crimson
cap on the campus walk. It was Marcelle herself, late, but in time to
create the desired sensation.

Kit drew a deep breath, and plunged back to her subject, considering
exactly the time it would take for the belated guest to reach the study.

"Since all the girls here belong to this dormitory, it seems appropriate
that the founder whose memory we honor should be Malcolm Douglas. His
portrait hangs upon the wall, evidently taken from an old likeness." Oh,
how she wished the home folks c