Beverly Gray's College Years, Career in New York, and Visit to the World's Fair
Any person who has not yet read the Beverly Gray series is warned that the following summaries will reveal important plot information that not all readers would wish to know before reading the stories.
  #1 Beverly Gray, Freshman

Beverly Gray arrives at Vernon College with her best friend, Anne White.  Beverly is the daughter of Helen Chadwick Gray and John Gray.  Helen Chadwick is a legendary figure at Vernon College, and Beverly is determined that no one know that she is the daughter of Helen Chadwick as she wishes to make good on her own.

Beverly and Anne are disappointed when they learn that they will not room together.  Anne is to room with Lois Mason, and Beverly with Shirley Parker.  Anne gets along fine with her new roommate, but Beverly finds it impossible to get along with Shirley.  Beverly tries every approach possible, but Shirley rebukes her.  The situation only becomes worse when Shirley reveals that she knows Beverly is Helen Chadwick's daughter and that she thinks Beverly is at the college to make everyone think she is so special.

As the school year passes, Beverly goes home over the Christmas holidays and has a very harrowing adventure, nearly losing her life.  After the holidays, Beverly finds Shirley meeting a man in secret and tries to prevent Shirley from making a serious mistake, even though she and Beverly are not on speaking terms.  Finally, Beverly saves Shirley's life, and Shirley warms to Beverly's friendship and explains why she treated Beverly so terribly.  As the school year ends, Beverly and Shirley are finally friends, and the rest of the students know that Beverly is Helen Chadwick's daughter and respect Beverly for her own accomplishments.
  #2 Beverly Gray, Sophomore

As Beverly's second year at Vernon College begins, Beverly and her friends Shirley Parker, Lenora Whitehill, Anne White, Rosalie Arnold, and Lois Mason organize the Alpha Delta Sorority and elect Beverly as their president.

Beverly wins a position on the Vernon College newspaper, the Comet, and has been assigned to investigate the strange lights and figures that have been seen in the old Horler Mansion.  After Beverly has one strange experience at the old house, she and her friends take turns watching it at night and see several strange occurances.  During one of Beverly's visits to the house, she meets a young man named Larry Owens, who seems friendly enough, but she wonders if he is somehow involved in the mysterious occurences around the house.

Beverly takes a break from the mysterious mansion when she goes with Anne to see a football game in which their special friends Jim Stanton and Tommy Chandler play.  Beverly is made uncomfortable when she realizes that Jim wishes to marry her, and she is not certain if she is ready for marriage.  During the Christmas holiday, Beverly visits Shirley at her home in New York City.  While Shirley and Beverly attend a social tea, Beverly meets Charlie Blaine, a reporter for the Herald Tribune.  Since Beverly is interested in becoming a reporter, she accompanies Charlie as he gathers information for a story.  Beverly helps Charlie get a big scoop when she traps a jewel thief.

Back at school, Beverly finally discovers what is happening at the old Horler mansion and what role Larry Owens is playing in the mysterious events.  Beverly has a series of exciting events when she experiences a plane crash and later must help clear Shirley of an accusation of cheating on an exam.  The school year ends with the Alpha Deltas promising to meet again on the first day of the new term of their junior year at Vernon College.

  #3 Beverly Gray, Junior

At the beginning of their third year at Vernon College, the Alpha Deltas convene for their first meeting.  They quickly decide to visit the gypsy camp to have their fortunes told.  The girls are concerned when the gypsy warns Beverly of a dark period in her life when she will be taken away from her friends and will be in great danger.  Later that evening, the gypsy's dire prediction comes true when Beverly witnesses a robbery and chases the gypsy thief.  The gypsy grabs Beverly and takes her away with him.

Meanwhile, Shirley is terrified when she awakens the next morning to discover that Beverly never returned home the previous night.  The Alpha Deltas immediately begin searching for Beverly.  Their only clue is that a girl answering Beverly's description took chase after a gypsy who had robbed an art shop.
Both Jim Stanton and Larry Owens soon arrive in Vernon to help search for Beverly.  They fly around the countryside in Larry's plane and locate the gypsy camp.  Unfortunately, the gypsies outsmart the young men and prevent them from finding Beverly.  Later, Larry and Jim become convinced that Beverly is imprisoned at the camp and return to attempt to rescue her.  With the help of Anselo, a young gypsy who had befriended Beverly during her captivity, Larry and Jim finally rescue Beverly.

Shirley spends the winter holidays with Beverly in Beverly's hometown of Renville.  During their stay in Renville, Beverly and Shirley have more than one life-threatening adventure.  Upon the girls' return to Vernon College, they become involved in a production of Hamlet.  Shirley wins the starring role in the play, leaving another girl, May Norris, feeling bitter.  May plays several dirty tricks on Shirley and her friends in an attempt to ruin the production.  Upon the successful performance of the play, the Alpha Deltas celebrate the end of their junior year and look forward to their senior year at Vernon College.

  #4 Beverly Gray, Senior

The Alpha Deltas' senior year at Vernon College promises to be exciting because the Forsythe Film Company is shooting a film at the College.  Beverly enters the contest to write the best scenario for the new film and wins the competition.  Her dream of seeing her story filmed ends when Mr. Forsythe reports that the film is canceled because its star has abruptly quit.  Beverly and friends save the day when they convince Mr. Forsysthe to let Shirley audition for the role, and Mr. Forsythe hires her on the spot.

The Alpha Delta's joy turns to dismay when they see that success has gone straight to Shirley's head.  Shirley walks around with her head held high and refuses to follow the dormitory rules which Beverly is trying to enforce.  Beverly's troubles continue as Connie Elwood and her friends blatantly disregard the dormitory rules.  After Beverly's actions prevent Connie and her friends from getting in trouble, they decide to join the Alpha Deltas.
Shirley declares that she will leave the Alpha Deltas if Connie and her friends are allowed to join, thus causing the rift between Shirley and Beverly to grow wider.  The roommates are barely speaking to each other.  Beverly travels home for the holidays and is taken aback when Jim asks her to marry him.  Beverly refuses and returns to the school, feeling very confused about her future.  Soon, Beverly and Lenora learn that some film has been stolen from the film company and manage to recover it from the thief.  Next, Shirley is kidnapped and a demand for ransom is made.  Beverly and Lenora help to rescue Shirley, but the friends are unable to resolve their differences.  Finally, events draw Shirley and Beverly close together again, and Shirley admits that her behavior was wrong.  After their senior year ends, the Alpha Deltas gather for Anne and Tommy's wedding and wonder what the future will bring.
  #5 Beverly Gray's Career

Determined to make a career of writing, Beverly tries fruitlessly to begin writing a short story, but the ideas won't come.  The arrival of first Shirley and then Lenora at her home in Renville is a welcome diversion.  Lenora has just inherited a large sum of money and is on her way to New York to seek her fortune.  She invites Beverly to go to New York to live with her.  Beverly is enthusiastic, but her parents are more cautious and will only agree for Beverly to go to New York for a six month trial.  If at the end of that time Beverly has not found work, then she will have to return home to Renville.

Upon her arrival in New York, Beverly takes an apartment with Lenora and Lois.  Both Beverly and Lois encounter difficulties as Beverly tries to find work as a writer, and Lois tries to sell her sketches.  Beverly finally lands a job at the Tribune, where Charlie Blaine is now editor.

As the days pass, the girls become acquainted with another girl named Hope Rodgers who lives upstairs.  They also meet a Hindu named Omar El Hamel who has a valuable bag of jewels in his possession and is pursued by thieves.  El Hamel gives the jewels to Beverly to keep safe for him.  When El Hamel goes back to his apartment, he finds a dead man in his apartment and is accused of murder.  Beverly, Larry Owens, and El Hamel lay a trap for the murderer, who is seeking the jewels, and are able to capture him and get a full confession.  However, El Hamel is forced to leave the country because the jewels had been smuggled into the country illegally.

Beverly finally sells a story to a magazine, and Lenora opens a dress shop with Hope Rodgers.  Shirley also gains some success when she is given a small part in a play.  In the spring, the Alpha Deltas travel to Vernon College to see Connie Elwood and her friends graduate.  While at Vernon, Beverly and her friends help solve a mystery concerning a visiting inventor.  Lois prepares to depart for a year of art study in Paris, and Shirley leaves for the west coast to pursue her acting career.
  #6 Beverly Gray at the World's Fair

After Lois leaves for Paris, Beverly and Lenora are joined by Connie Elwood and Kathleen Ryan in their apartment in New York City.  Beverly, Connie, and Lenora travel to Chicago to see the World's Fair.  After their arrival in Chicago, Beverly sees Shirley outside of a store and spends some time with her.  Beverly is concerned about Shirley because the producer of Shirley's play has died, forcing the play to close.  Shirley is out of work and refuses to return home to her parents.  It is clear that Shirley is short on money, but Shirley is too proud to let Beverly help her.

The girls witness a murder while they watch some of the exhibitions at the World's Fair.  Beverly and Lenora help the police solve the murder.  Later, Beverly is nearly attacked by an escaped lion.  Finally, the girls travel back home after their numerous adventures.

The girls decide to go to the theater to see the fabulous new actress, Dale Arden, about whom everyone is raving.  They are shocked when the curtain rises, and they see that the popular actress is Shirley.  They marvel at Shirley's fantastic performance, but Shirley collapses on stage during the second act.  When the girls visit Shirley, she admits that she has been overworked and that the doctor has ordered her to go away for awhile.  Shirley's friend, Roger Garrett, suggests that the young people go on a world cruise on his yacht, The Susabella.  Beverly is excited at the chance to gather material for new stories but is worried that going will cause her to lose her job at the newspaper.
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