CHAPTER XIII COLLEGE BOYS AND GLENWOOD GIRLS

 "Isn't he stunning¹!" gasped² Tavia.

 

"Do you think so? I never call a pretty boy 'stunning,'" replied Dorothy. "I like Tom's looks best. He's so vigorous and athletic³."

 

"But Roland's curly hair! And that complexion—so hyacinthy."

 

"Precisely⁴ my objection," argued Dorothy. "I always object to 'hyacinthy' boys."

 

"Well, I'm just a little glad of it, Doro, for the fact is I think I might inveigle⁵ him into taking care of me at the 'doings.' Now, I happen to know he fancies you, and my only chance is that you may turn him down."

 

Dorothy laughed merrily. She was no prude, and made no pretense⁶ of being one. She enjoyed most of the nonsense that girls between fifteen and eighteen years of age usually enjoy. The strange young men, Tom Jennings and Roland Scott, whom the White boys had taken to the woods on the "evergreen⁷ hunt," called that very morning—came to make their "party call," they said.

 

Dorothy and Tavia were busy with the Christmas wreaths when the strangers happened in. Ned and Nat had gone to town, and it devolved upon the girls to be "civil" to the new boys.

 

To be sure, Joe and Roger helped some, but Roger managed to say rather embarrassing things about beaus, and Roland's love, that youth having asked the little chap to take some "regards" to Norah.

 

Tom laughed, but Roland almost blushed. Dorothy and Tavia could scarcely appreciate the joke, but managed to guess that the boys had been talking about them.

 

Finally Tom came to the rescue by telling about the "ghost scream." Tavia was much interested, but Dorothy laughed at the idea. She had any amount of explanations to offer for the queer occurrence, but none of them was accepted as being plausible⁸.

 

Tom and Roland both declared they would go out again some day and look the whole thing over carefully.

 

Then Dorothy told the visitors of the Christmas plans—at least, she attempted to tell them, but was interrupted by the coming of Ned and Nat. So the girls were excused and the boys left to their own resources.

 

It was after all this that Dorothy and Tavia gave their personal views of the two young men from college.

 

"They may help along our charity play," suggested Dorothy. "They look as if they might be able to act, especially Mr. Jennings."

 

"Yes, I fancy he could act some parts—a big part with a whole lot of sitting down in it," said Tavia.

 

"And Mr. Scott might be something on the Christmas tree," returned Dorothy. "In a pretty, striped dress he would make a dear little cornucopia⁹, his blond head sticking out of the top like a sweet little doll."

1 stunning   

adj.极好的；使人晕倒的

参考例句：

• His plays are distinguished only by their stunning mediocrity.他的戏剧与众不同之处就是平凡得出奇。
• The finished effect was absolutely stunning.完工后的效果非常美。

2 gasped   

v.喘气( gasp的过去式和过去分词 )；喘息；倒抽气；很想要

参考例句：

• She gasped at the wonderful view. 如此美景使她惊讶得屏住了呼吸。
• People gasped with admiration at the superb skill of the gymnasts. 体操运动员的高超技艺令人赞叹。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

3 athletic   

adj.擅长运动的，强健的；活跃的，体格健壮的

参考例句：

• This area has been marked off for athletic practice.这块地方被划出来供体育训练之用。
• He is an athletic star.他是一个运动明星。

4 precisely   

adv.恰好，正好，精确地，细致地

参考例句：

• It's precisely that sort of slick sales-talk that I mistrust.我不相信的正是那种油腔滑调的推销宣传。
• The man adjusted very precisely.那个人调得很准。

5 inveigle   

v.诱骗

参考例句：

• In the main,the Eisenhower administration did not try to inveigle Kennedy into underwriting it's policies.总的说来，艾森豪威尔政府并没有设法诱骗肯尼迪在它的政策上签字画押。
• With patience and diplomacy,she can eventually inveigle him into marrying her.她靠耐心和交际手腕，到头来是能引诱他与她结婚的。

6 pretense   

n.矫饰，做作，借口

参考例句：

• You can't keep up the pretense any longer.你无法继续伪装下去了。
• Pretense invariably impresses only the pretender.弄虚作假欺骗不了真正的行家。

7 evergreen   

n.常青树；adj.四季常青的

参考例句：

• Some trees are evergreen;they are called evergreen.有的树是常青的，被叫做常青树。
• There is a small evergreen shrub on the hillside.山腰上有一小块常绿灌木丛。

8 plausible   

adj.似真实的，似乎有理的，似乎可信的

参考例句：

• His story sounded plausible.他说的那番话似乎是真实的。
• Her story sounded perfectly plausible.她的说辞听起来言之有理。

9 cornucopia   

n.象征丰收的羊角

参考例句：

• The book is a cornucopia of information.书是知识的宝库。
• Our cornucopia is the human mind and heart.我们富足是由于人类的智慧和热情。