Welcome to sleep stories with Steph your go-to podcast.
That offers you a calm and relaxing transition into sleep.
Into a great night's sleep.
It is time to relax and fully let go.
There is nothing you need to be doing now.
And know where you need to go.
Close your eyes.
And feel yourself sink into the support beneath you.
And let all the worries of the day go.
Drift away.
This is your time.
And your space.
Take a deep breath in through your nose.
And let it out with a long sigh.
That's it!
There is nothing you need to be doing now.
And know where you need to go.
Happy listening.
The jest that failed.
I think it's simply a disgrace to have a person like that in our class,
" said Edna Hayden in an injured tone.
Doesn't seem a bit shamed of it either,
" said Agnes Waters.
Rather proud of it,
I should say,
Returned her roommate spitefully.
It seems to me if I was so bad I had to ruin myself and dress as dowdly as she does,
I really couldn't look anyone in the face.
Must the boys think of her!
If it wasn't for her being in it,
Our class would be in the smartest and dressiest in the school.
Even those top lofty senior girls admit that.
It is a shame,
Said Agnes conclusively.
But she didn't expect to associate with our set,
And I,
For one,
Won't have anything to do with her.
Nor I.
I think it's time she should be taught her place.
If we could only manage to inflict some decided snub on her,
She might take the hint and give up trying to poke herself in where she doesn't belong.
The idea of her consenting to be elected onto the Freshman Executive.
But she seems impervious to snobs.
Edna,
Let's play a joke on her and it'll serve her right.
Or send an invitation in somebody's name to the senior prom.
The very thing.
And signed Sidney Hill's name to it.
He's the handsomest and richest fellow at Paysand.
He belongs to one of the best families in town and he's awfully fastidious besides.
No doubt she'll feel immensely flattered and of course she'll accept.
Just think how silly she'll feel when she finds out he never even sent it.
Let's write it now and send it at once.
There's no time to lose for the promise on Thursday night.
The freshman co-eds at Paysant College did not like Grace Seeley.
That is to say,
The majority of them.
They were a decidedly snobbish class that year.
No one could deny Grace was clever.
But she was poor,
Dressed very plainly,
Dowdily,
The girl said,
And roomed herself.
That phrase meaning she rented a little unfurnished room and cooked her own meals over an oil stove.
The Senior Prom,
As it was called,
Was the annual reception which the senior class gave in the middle of every autumn term.
It was the smartest and gayest of all the college functions and a Paysante co-ed who received an invitation to it.
Counted herself very fortunate.
The senior girls were included as a matter of course,
But a junior,
Sophomore or freshie could not go unless one of the senior boys invited her.
Grace Seely was studying Greek in her tiny room that afternoon when the invitation was brought to her.
It was scrupulously orthodox in appearance and form,
And Grace never doubted it was genuine,
Although she felt very surprised that Sidney Hill,
The leader of his class and the foremost figure in all college sports and societies,
Should have asked her to go with him to the senior prom.
But she was girlishly pleased at the prospect.
She was as fond of a good time as any other girl,
And she had secretly wished very much she could go to the brilliant and much-talked-about senior prom.
Grace was quite unaware of her own unpopularity,
Although she thought it was very hard to get acquainted with her co-eds.
Without any false pride herself,
And of a frank independent nature,
It never occurred to her the other freshies could look down on her because she was poor.
She straight away wrote a note of acceptance to Sydney Hill.
And that young man naturally felt much mystified when he opened and read it in the college library the next morning.
Grace Seely.
Pondered.
Ah,
That's the jolly girl with the brown eyes.
I met at the filmathic the other night.
She thanks me for my invitation to the senior prom and accepts with pleasure.
I certainly never invited her or anyone else to go.
There must be some mistake.
Grace passed him at that very moment on her way to the Latin classroom.
She bowed and smiled in a friendly fashion.
And Sydney Hill felt decidedly uncomfortable.
Now what was he going to do?
He did not like the thought of putting Miss Seeley in a false position because somebody had sent an invitation in his name.
I suppose it's some cad who has a spite at me that's done it,
" he reflected.
But if so,
I'll spoil his game.
I'll take Miss Celie to the prom as if I'd never intended doing anything else.
She shan't be humiliated because someone at Paysand would stoop to that sort of thing.
He walked up the hall with grace and expressed his pleasure at her acceptance and on the evening of the prom he sent her a bouquet of white carnations.
Their spicy fragrance reminded her of her own little garden at home,
And Grace thought it very nice of him.
And dressed in a flutter of pleasant anticipation.
Her gown was a very simple one of sheer white organdy and the only evening dress she had.
Grace knew there would be many smart addresses at the reception,
But the knowledge didn't disturb her sensible head in the least.
She fingered the dainty white frills lovingly and remembered the sunny summer days at home in the little sewing room,
Where cherry boughs poked their blossoms in at the window,
And her mother and sisters had helped her to make this very dress.
Into semen,
Puff and frill,
Many girlish hopes and dreams have been sewn.
And they all came back to Grace as she put it on and helped to surround her with an atmosphere of happiness.
When she was ready she picked up her bouquet and looked at herself over in the mirror.
She wasn't exactly pretty,
But she had such a bright,
Happy face,
And such merry brown eyes and friendly smile,
She was very pleasant to look upon,
And a great many people thought so that night.
Never in her life had she had so good a time as she had at that senior prom.
The seniors were quick to discover her unaffected originality and everywhere she went she was the centre of a merry groom.
In short,
Grace,
As much to her own surprise as anyone's,
Found herself a social success.
Presently Sydney brought his brother up to be introduced and the latter said Miss Seeley,
Would you excuse my asking if you have a brother or any relative named Max?
Grace nodded.
That's my brother.
He's a doctor out west.
I was sure of it,
Said Murray Hill triumphantly.
You resemble him so strongly.
Don't consider me as a stranger for a minute longer.
Max and I are like brothers.
I owe my life to him.
Last summer I was out there on a surveying expedition and I took typhoid.
Your brother attended me and he managed to pull me through.
He never left me day or night until I was out of danger.
He worked like a Trojan for me.
Dear old Max,
" said Grace,
Her brown eyes shining with pride.
That's so like him.
He's such a dear brother.
I haven't seen him for four years.
To see somebody who knows him so well is the next best thing to seeing him myself.
He's an awfully fine fellow,
Mr Hill-Hartley.
And I'm delighted to have met the little sister he used to talk so much about.
I want you to come over and meet my mother and my sister.
They've heard me talk so much about Max,
They must think so much of him as I do.
They'll be glad to meet you.
Mrs Hill was a handsome,
Dignified lady who was one of the chaperones of the prom.
Beatrice Hill,
Her daughter,
Was an extremely pretty,
Smartly-gowned girl.
They both made Grace feel at home immediately.
Came with Sid,
Didn't you?
" she whispered.
He's so sly,
He never tells us whom he's going to take anywhere.
But when I saw you come in with him,
I knew I was going to like you.
You look so jolly.
And you're really the sister of Dr Sealy who saved Murray's life.
I think you've been at Paysant nearly a whole term and we never even knew it.
How have you enjoyed your prom,
Miss Seeley?
Asked Sid as they walked home together under the arching elms of the college campus.
It was splendid,
Said Grace enthusiastically.
Everyone was so nice.
And then to meet someone who could tell me so much about Max,
I must write them home all about it before I go to sleep.
Just to calm my head.
Mother and the girls will be so interested!
I'll send Lou and Mab a carnation apiece for their scrapbooks.
Give me one back please,
" said Sid.
And with a little blush,
Grace did so.
That night,
While she was slipping the stems of her carnations and putting them into water,
Three little bits of conversation were being carried on,
Which is necessary to report in order to round up this story neatly and properly,
As all stories should be rounded up.
In the first place,
Beatrice Hill was saying to Sydney.
.
.
That Miss Celie is a lovely girl.
I don't know when I've met anyone I like so much.
I asked her all about herself and she told me about her mother and sisters and home and the lovely times they've had together.
And how hard they've worked to send her to college.
Now she's taught school in vacations and roomed herself to help along.
I know we're going to be great friends.
I hope so,
" says Sidney briefly,
Because I have an idea she and I are going to be very good friends too.
Then he went upstairs and put away a single white carnation very carefully.
In the second place,
Mrs Hill was saying to her eldest son,
I like Miss Seeley very much.
She seems a very sweet girl.
And finally,
There were Agnes Waters and Edna Hayden discussing the matter with great mystification in their rooms.
I can't understand it at all,
" said Agnes slowly.
Sid Hill took her to the prom,
And he must have sent her those carnations too.
She could never have afforded them.
Did you see the fuss people made over her?
I heard Beatrice telling her she was coming to call on her tomorrow.
Mrs Hill said she must look upon Beach Lawn as her second home while she was at Paysante.
Well,
If the Hills are going to have to take her up,
We'll have to be nice to her too.
I suppose,
" said Edna conclusively.
The truth of the matter is,
Sid Hill meant to ask her anyway.
I dare say he asked her long ago and she'd know our invitation was a fraud.
It turns out.
.
.
The joke was on us.
After all.
The end.
