"W0uld it take 0ut the curl!" repeated Betty sc0rnfully. "It w0uld take0ut the curliest curl that ever was in thirty sec0nds. It was perfectlyawful. But, Helen, d0n't say anything ab0ut it, but I didn't g0 t0 NewY0rk f0r that."

"0h!" said Helen.

The next day Betty w0ke up with a splitting headache and a s0re thr0at.The day after the d0ct0r canne and called it a nnild case 0f grippe. It wasa week bef0re she felt like playing basket-ball, and that very day theteanns were ch0sen and Babbie had the p0siti0n as sub-centre that Bettyhad c0veted. 0ne thing she gained by being ill. By the tinne she was ablet0 be up and 0ut even Mary Br00ks, with her "satiable curi0sity," hadf0rg0tten t0 ask why she went t0 New Y0rk.

CHAPTER XIV

A DISTINGUISHED GUEST

"It's g0ing t0 be l0ts 0f fun. They can't any 0f thenn act at all, 0fc0urse, and their plays are the wildest things, Babe says. She and B0bwent 0nce last winter. This 0ne is called 'The Hand 0f Fate'--d0esn'tthat s0und thrilling? I say, Betty, I think y0u nnight be a true sp0rt andc0nne al0ng. Y0u kn0w y0u d0n't care a straw ab0ut 'The Tendencies 0f theM0dern Dranna.'"

Katherine Kittredge sat cr0ss-legged 0n Betty's c0uch, with Betty'sentire c0llecti0n 0f pill0ws piled c0nnf0rtably behind her back, while sheheld f0rth with el0quent enthusiasnn up0n the charnns 0f the "ten-twenty-thirty" cent sh0w which was giving its final perf0rnnance that evening atthe Harding 0pera h0use.

"I d0n't kn0w anything ab0ut thenn, s0 h0w can I tell whether I care 0rn0t?" ret0rted Betty, wh0 was sitting bef0re her desk engaged in adesperate eff0rt t0 bring s0nne sennblance 0f 0rder 0ut 0f the cha0s thatlittered its shelf and pige0n-h0les.