The Dawn of a Dream by Ann Shorey Page B

me.” She waved her hand at a pitcher and two glasses on a serving table between upholstered chairs. “Mrs. Hawks has treated us to lemonade.”
    “That sounds delightful.” Luellen struggled to act nonchalant. No doubt Belle hadn’t had the same experience she did at school that day. Guilt at passing herself off as Miss McGarvie, worries about additional studies on top of regular classes, and now financial concerns left her feeling drained. She leaned back and closed her eyes.
    “Are you unwell?”
    “Just tired. Too much in one day.”
    Belle eyed her with sympathy. “I was sorry you had to take that test. You must have passed—you’re registered, aren’t you?”
    “Just barely. Dr. Alexander is going to permit me to study independently and test again at the end of the term.”
    “Extra studies? In what?”
    “Botany and zoology, chiefly.” She removed her bonnet and smoothed her hair. “I need to locate the necessary textbooks in the school library.” Fatigue settled in her bones. She couldn’t have studied a nursery rhyme and made sense of it.
    “I went to the Ladies Hall while you were occupied.” Belle handed Luellen a glass of lemonade. “Mrs. Bledsoe, the matron, said we couldn’t share a room, but she did assign us adjoining quarters. I’ve already made arrangements for a delivery man to take our things to the campus.”
    “Oh, thank you! I’m grateful for your help. I’m feeling quite overwhelmed.” She sipped the tart beverage while calculating the amount of cash left in her reticule. “What will he charge?”
    “I don’t know.” Belle waved a hand. “Not much, I shouldn’t think. My father told me not to worry about expenses. He’s a banker, so he knows all about money.”

    The following Monday, Luellen woke early and dressed by lamplight. Breakfast in the ladies’ dining room would be served at seven. At eight the bell would toll for her first class as an Allenwood student.
    Her eyes ached from studying late into the night. A zoology textbook lay open on the table under the window, and two more books were stacked on the rug next to the single bed. She fluffed her pillow, tucking it with her nightgown under the Rose of Sharon quilt. Her few garments hung inside a pine wardrobe next to a two-drawer chest that held her underthings. After living in her parents’ home in Beldon Grove, she felt confined in a space smaller than the bedroom she’d shared with Lily.
    Luellen looked out at the approaching dawn, remembering how the prairie turned golden at daylight. Here all she saw were brick and stone buildings. She sighed. In due time, she’d take her certificate and return to the prairie to teach. Farmers’ children deserved more than the rod and rote memorization.
    She blew out the lamp and stepped into the hallway, stopping at the next room. “Belle. Are you awake?”
    The door opened. “I’ve been up for an hour. I heard you moving around in there.” Belle rubbed her hands together. “Let’s have breakfast and go to our lecture class early.”
    “I’m glad geography is the first session,” Luellen said as they descended the stairs. “I’ve always done well with maps.”
    “I don’t know south from west.” Belle giggled, dimples accenting her cheeks. “The good thing about maps is that little arrow at the top pointing north. Keeps me straight.”
    After the meal, Luellen and Belle, along with other women boarders, headed across the campus toward the ladies’ entrance to the lecture hall. Male students joined them on the pathway, but according to the rules, no conversation between the sexes was allowed. Upon reaching the building, the men entered by a separate door.
    Inside, tables were arranged in two columns with an aisle in the middle. Clerestory windows let in morning light and lamps were lit along the walls. The men sat on the right side of the hall. Luellen and Belle found seats among the other female students on the left.
    Promptly at eight the instructor