Posted to Wiretap in July 1993, as subdeb.txt.

Bold and italics are depicted _thusly_. This book
was written by a 16 year old girl, and the spelling
is as it appears in the original paper edition 
(please do not correct it.)

This text is in the PUBLIC DOMAIN.

                           BAB: A SUB-DEB

                       MARY ROBERTS RINEHART

AUTHOR OF "K," "THE CIRCULAR STAIRCASE," "KINGS, QUEENS AND
PAWNS," ETC.

                                ----

                              NEW YORK

                      GEORGE H. DORAN COMPANY

                         COPYRIGHT, 1917,

                   BY GEORGE H. DORAN COMPANY

     COPYRIGHT, 1916 AND 1917 BY THE CURTIS PUBLISHING COMPANY

              PRINTED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

                                 CONTENTS

CHAPTER

   I     THE SUB-DEB

  II     THEME: THE CELEBRITY

 III     HER DIARY

  IV     BAB'S BURGLAR

   V     THE G.A.C.

                                 CHAPTER I

THE SUB-DEB: A THEME WRITTEN AND SUBMITTED IN LITERATURE CLASS
BY BARBARA PUTNAM ARCHIBALD, 1917.

_DEFINITION OF A THEME:_

     A theme is a piece of writing, either true or made up by
the author, and consisting of Introduction, Body and Conclusion.
It should contain Unity, Coherence, Emphasis, Perspecuity,
Vivacity, and Presision. It may be ornamented with dialogue,
discription and choice quotations.

_SUBJECT OF THEME:_

     An interesting Incident of My Christmas Holadays.

_Introduction:_

     "A tyrant's power in rigor is exprest."--DRYDEN.

I HAVE decided to relate with Presision what occurred during my
recent Christmas holaday. Although I was away from this school
only four days, returning unexpectedly the day after Christmas,
a number of Incidents occurred which I believe I should narate.

     It is only just and fair that the Upper House, at least,
should know of the injustice of my exile, and that it is all the
result of Circumstances over which I had no controll.

     For I make this apeal, and with good reason. Is it any
fault of mine that my sister Leila is 20 months older than I am?
Naturaly, no.

     Is it fair also, I ask, that in the best society, a girl is
a Sub-Deb the year before she comes out, and although mature in
mind, and even maturer in many ways than her older sister, the
latter is treated as a young lady, enjoying many privileges,
while the former is treated as a mere child, in spite, as I have
observed, of only 20 months difference? I wish to place myself
on record that it is _not_ fair.

     I shall go back, for a short time, to the way things were
at home when I was small. I was very strictly raised. With the
exception of Tommy Gray, who lives next door and only is about
my age, I was never permitted to know any of the Other Sex.

     Looking back, I am sure that the present way society is
organized is really to blame for everything. I am being frank,
and that is the way I feel. I was too strictly raised. I always
had a Governess taging along. Until I came here to school I had
never walked to the corner of the next street unattended. If it
wasn't Mademoiselle it was mother's maid, and if it wasn't
either of them, it was mother herself, telling me to hold my
toes out and my shoulder blades in. As I have said, I never knew
any of the Other Sex, except the miserable little beasts at