Betty Lee, Sophomore

by Harriet Pyne Grove

  CHAPTER XV: CLASS CHAMPIONSHIP GAMES

  School went on the next day much as usual. Betty met Marcella in thehall and received a friendly smile, though Marcella was preoccupied. Asthe next few weeks went by, Betty almost forgot how important thesorority matter had seemed. They did not see as much of Peggy, that wasall. And it was probable that Carolyn and Betty did not confide suchintimate affairs to Peggy as before. It made a difference to feel thingsmight be passed on to others with whom Peggy was now intimate. The girlswondered how she "stood" Mathilde, but Peggy never mentioned Mathilde.

  The weeks sped on with the customary tests and the welcome Holidayseason. Betty did not see anything of her old friends, Janet and Sue,who could not visit her at any time suggested. But they all went to thefarm on Christmas, for Grandma was well and longing for them to comeonce more. There was plenty of snow there and hills for sledding. Dicktried to make some skis, without remarkable success, but Doris and Bettyenjoyed trying them.

  The spread of white, snow-covered fields, the freedom from the city'snoise and traffic and the great open fires of the old farmhouse were ajoy to everybody. But Mr. Lee made plans about how a furnace could beput in for Grandmother, since she refused to leave the home place. Thatshould be done before another winter. The children had brought theirvarious reports to show Grandmother, who asked Betty, "Still on thehonor roll in spite of athletics?"

  "Yes'm," said Betty, with an engaging smile. "You see, hikes andswimming and practice games are in the nature of recreation. I go homeand rest and eat good meals and then I can get my lessons all right."

  "Aw, Betty is just smart, Grandma," said Dick. "Couldn't all of them doit." And Betty, surprised at this brotherly tribute, made Dick asweeping bow.

  Betty was on the regular class basketball team now. There were about twohundred girls who had "gone out" for basketball on the call for theinter-class contest teams, though the contest would not start untilFebruary. But the teams were organized before Christmas and Betty waschosen captain. How that had happened she claimed not to know and wasreally surprised, for she thought that one of the athletic teachers hadbeen influenced by Mathilde and did not like her.

  But Betty had played good hockey and in basketball practice games shewas light, active, showed powers of leadership, and best of all, couldmake baskets, an important ability in basketball, it would seem! Inconsequence she found herself in command of the Sophomore Jumping-Jacks,a name for which Betty was not responsible. But some one had watchedthem and declared that several of the girls were "regular jumping-jacks"when it came to lifting the ball to and through a basket. Some one whooverheard called them the Jumping-Jacks and the name stuck till thegirls considered it "cute" enough to be adopted. The "squad" was a largeone, with a number of girls who played nearly as well as those on whatwas considered the "team." There were a few jealousies to be handled, asBetty well knew. How she had made the position of captain she scarcelyknew yet. Carolyn told her that she was the "dark horse," as she saidher father called it in politics. "Sort of a compromise?" queried Betty,who had not even sought to be captain and dreaded it.

  "Yes. Everybody knew you weren't after it, and there was such a messthis time, sorting out for the first and second team. So you're it. Nowsee that we beat everybody. I'm only playing basketball on your account,Betty."

  "Don't you really like it?"

  "Yes, but I don't enjoy a big contest. I'll do my best, though, to makemy part of the second team so good that I'll get called in to help outthe first squad."

  "Good for you. If I have anything to say, you'll get a chance to playwith me!"

  Kathryn was on the first team and a good player. She was as quick asBetty and with her practiced on the floor to make long shots fromdifferent angles. "It sometimes saves the day Betty," said Kathryn. "Doyou remember last year how Freddy Fisher had a chance to put the ballthrough that basket from 'way across the floor! We certainly have missedFreddy this year, haven't we? But Ted Dorrance is playing basketball andhe's good."

  "Is that so? He wasn't on the football squad."

  "No. His mother draws a line on football and said she'd take him out ofschool, or send him away somewhere to school if he played. But he'sgrand in basketball. Didn't you see that write-up of him in the _Roar_last week?"

  "I missed getting that number, Kathryn. Have you a copy?"

  "Yes. I'll show it to you."

  "What is his speciality?" asked Betty, thinking of the tall boy sheadmired so much.

  "Well, in the first game he made some under the basket shots that werejust in time to make the score. It beat the other team. It's a shame youdidn't see the account of the game. It's all in the paper."

  "All I knew was that we beat," said Betty. "I didn't even see theevening paper at home. That was the night I was studying for a test andforgot everything else. It was my only chance, for we were doing thingsall day Saturday."

  "Ted has a new girl, Betty, they say."

  "Really--who?"

  "Oh, one of the junior girls that he is taking all around to the partiesand everything. He had her out here at the school for the minstrel showthe other night. That was real funny. Did you go?"

  "No. I can't go to everything and I just _have_ to go to the musicalthings. Mother and I went to the Symphony Concert the last time."

  "It's funny Chet didn't ask you. He's been hanging around so much oflate, Betty." Kathryn gave Betty a roguish glance as she decided thatthey had practiced enough and sat down to change her shoes, donning theones fit for the street. Betty, too, took off her gym shoes for the samepurpose. The gym was almost empty now, for it was after school hours.

  "Oh, Mother wouldn't let me go out at night with the boys yet," answeredBetty. "It's all right for parties and picnics and things like that, itseems, but not for shows and things. Mothers are funny; but I have avery nice one and I suppose she knows why she lets me do some things andsays no about others."

  "My mother says that she hasn't the least idea what to do with me aboutanything in 'these days,' but she hopes to take care of me, if she hasmy 'co-operation.'"

  Betty laughed at this. "Our poor mothers! Well, I rather guess it's upto us to co-operate then. Why, if you won't tell, Chet did ask me and Icouldn't go with him, but he wasn't mad at all. Mother just told me toput the blame on her, so I did, explaining, you know. Then I felt as Itold you about choosing the things I can go to myself."

  "Chet is a pretty good sort of a boy, of course. Chauncey said the otherday he thought he'd cut him out with you, Betty, and I told him to goand do it." Kathryn slipped a foot into a shoe and stood up laughing."I'd like you real well as a sister, though I didn't go so far as to saythat to Chauncey."

  "I should _hope not_!" said Betty, with emphasis. "It's none of it asserious as all that, Kathryn, but I don't mind being liked and beinginvited, do you?"

  "What girl does? But I don't want a real 'case' yet."

  "Mercy, no! And Mother says I mustn't accept invitations from boys thatI don't know anything about, no matter how nice they seem here. Thereare some drawbacks to numbers after all."

  "Yes, but you can usually tell about boys and girls, too, and it's easyenough to find out about them. Dad says that he is a 'social democrat,'but I notice that he is terribly particular about my company."

  "We have such a lot of things going on at school that it is easy enoughto make friends and be with boys and girls you like without botheringabout dates any more important than meeting your 'boy friend,' as Dickcalls it, at the picnic or at the ball game. Carolyn's parties arealways such fun. I want to have one the spring vacation, though thatseems a long way off, doesn't it!"

  "I'm having one in two weeks, on Friday night, Betty, so save that date,please. I'll have a time getting ready for it during school, so pleasecome early and help me, will you?"

  "Of course I will. It will be fun. What do you want me to do?"

  "I'll tell you in plenty of time. I want it a _real_ party and I'm goingto invite Lucia, of course, so it must make a good impressio
n on ourlady from the Italian nobility."

  "Lucia won't be critical, Kathryn. She said that she liked you. You were'so sincere.'"

  "Did she? I like Lucia, too, though some things made me a little tiredat first."

  "Just think of the handicap, Kathryn, of not being born an American!"Betty was grinning, but she really felt that Lucia had not had a fairchance to be like a girl who was born in the "land of the free." Thiswas a phase that had crept out with Lucia a time or two in her contactwith other girls and had amused that daughter of the Caesars as much asa few of her ways amused the American girls. But they were meeting oncommon ground in the school room and in the case of the few girls ofwhom Lucia was becoming fond, friendly adjustments were easy to make.

  The matter of being acquainted with boys was natural enough in a largehigh school, and a large residence district as good as that from whichLyon High drew most of its attendance supplied children of some of thecity's best citizens. It was not very likely that boys attracted toBetty and Kathryn would not have a good background, to say the least.Many of them they had known all through their freshman year. What Bettydid not know was that Chet Dorrance was at present going out of his wayjust to pass Betty in the hall, whether he had an opportunity to speakto her or not. In a class or two in which both recited, he never stareddirectly at her, but one corner of his eye knew where Betty was and whatshe was doing. It was his first attack and very acute, Ted would havesaid. Chet, however, was good at concealing his feelings and would nothave had the boys guess how much he liked Betty. Of course, they teasedhim a little for "hanging around," but Chet, with apparent candor, saidthat he liked "that bunch of girls" and didn't care who knew it. "Youhave to have a little social life," said he. "It's a poor sophomore thatcan't take a girl out once in a while."

  If it had been Ted, Chet's brother, now, Betty might have been thrilleda little at the frequent meetings and all the excuses that Chet made tospeak to her about this or that. But Betty was demurely responsive, orpleasant, interested in what Chet had to say, but not including him inany of her dreams. Chet wasn't the Prince Charming by any means. YetChet would be that to some one, doubtless, one of these days.

  The names of the basketball squads were posted, that of the freshmenhaving more extras than those of the other classes. The sophomores nowhad only a few more than the two "teams." Betty found that she was agood deal more excited over the coming contests than she had expected tobe, since so much responsibility for whipping the sophomore team intoshape rested upon her.

  Dates of games to be played in the girls' gym were also posted, anotherspur to excellence. Kathryn postponed her party because of the necessityfor strenuous practice, but said that she would have one to celebrate,when the sophomores "beat the championship game." Betty told her thattoo much confidence was a "hoo-doo," but Kathryn told her thatdetermination to beat was "one of the greatest assets" a team couldhave.

  Betty, Kathryn and Carolyn had a front seat at the first game of thecontest, played between the seniors and freshmen. It would have beenhard to say which were the more excited, the busy players or the rooterswho were girls expecting to meet the two classes they were watching, ina future game.

  "Watch that freshman guarding, Betty. She's rough. We'll look out forher and see that nothing is done that isn't seen! Say--that was a goodplay! Did you _see that_?"

  Betty was watching too closely to say a word. If she could get thetactics, provided there were any special ones, or the importantcharacteristics of the senior girls, it would help, she thought. Sheearly dismissed the freshmen as opponents. They were playing a good gamein the main, but not a winning game. They needed practice and more"team-work."

  This game was on a Tuesday afternoon, after school. The next day theseniors were to play against the juniors, and the girls of all theteams, as far as possible, were urged by their captains to be present.The score of seniors versus freshmen was only eleven to six and thefreshmen were jubilant over having kept the seniors from scoring asheavily as they had expected. But Betty saw that senior mistakes wouldbe corrected. She still thought that her greatest effort would be in thegame against the seniors. Still, some had said that the juniors wereplaying excellent games.

  On Wednesday the gym was again full of interested girls who gave theirclass cheers and cheered for the enemy. The sophomores rooted chieflyfor the seniors, but to their great surprise, the juniors won! "Well!"cried Betty. "I'm not a prophet, and that is that!"

  "I'm glad we don't meet the juniors or seniors first," said LuciaColetti, who sat next to Betty this time. Lucia was not playingbasketball, but she was interested sufficiently to identify herself withher class and attend the games.

  "Tomorrow we play against the freshmen, don't we?" she asked.

  "Yes, and what did Miss Orme do but give us a test, a last hour test,mind you, just before the game. I told her, but she looked at me inperfect disgust. 'Do you think we should dismiss school on account ofthe games?' she asked." Betty sighed.

  "Oh, well, you'll be less excited for something else to think about.Perhaps it will not be hard."

  "And perhaps it will, Lucia. Be glad you aren't in her class. But thatis a good idea about thinking of something else. I'm gone if I worry.And I've been getting that work so far. I'll just take it all as sport.But I do want my team to play well."

  "They'll beat the freshmen, I think, though those freshmen aren't to bedespised."

  "Indeed they aren't."

  Betty was pretty well keyed up before her first game of the classcompetition, but Betty never lost her self-control. She set her lips andwent through the rather difficult written test as well as she could. Theair grew close, and it was with a thrill of actually joyous expectationthat Betty hurried to the gym as the time approached, and joked with thefreshman captain whom she met on the way. She could breathe in the gym!

  "We're going to 'lick' the sophomores," jovially the freshman captaininformed her.

  "Don't be too sure. We're out to win," cheerily answered Betty. Shegathered her girls together and told them of some points she had notedabout the freshman playing and they entered the game with confidence,though warned not to be too sure. The "rough" freshman was taken outafter some too apparent fouls due to her performances, and the finalscore was eighteen to three in favor of the sophomores. They had wontheir first game at least, Betty said. "Now send up the score, girls, ashigh as you can with every game. No telling what we can do if we try!"

  The inter-class games continued, with some intervals due to otherimportant school events, for three weeks. Classes were given more thanone opportunity to better their score against other classes. But finallyit narrowed down to a contest between the juniors and sophomores, Bettyfinding the sophomore record making her "famous," as Kathryn said.Senior luck held part of the time only, but that class never had done aswell in basketball as in other things, Carolyn told Betty.

  The championship game was to be played in the boys' gym, which waslarger, and the boys were allowed to attend. Betty, her cheeks pink fromexcitement, saw that her mother with Amy Lou had a good seat. "Look out,Amy Lou, and don't get hit with the ball!" and Betty left them todisappear into the regions of the girls' gym, where the teams weregetting ready.

  Dick and Doris were there and all the girls of the G. A. A. who couldcome, to say nothing of various boys, particularly those of thesophomore and junior classes. "Forget the crowd, girls, and whether yournose gets shiny or not," advised Betty. "You're a graceful lot anyhowand usually succeed in avoiding a terrible scramble. But remember thatwe _have to beat_ those juniors!"

  Betty was distrustful of Mathilde, who had gotten on the first team byno wish of hers. She would be playing against Marcella and the otherjuniors of Kappa Upsilon and Betty thought, though she could not besure, that she surprised a message between Mathilde and one of thejunior players at the other game they played with that class. Mathilde'splay had been a failure. Could it have been that she _wanted_ to givethe game to the junior captain, her sorority sister?

 
Betty told her worries to no one but Kathryn. She did not want to worryCarolyn, who could not imagine that any one would be as mean as that andwas too unsuspicious to see anything but the most flagrant acts. "I'llkeep an eye out, Betty," said Kathryn. "Mathilde doesn't care for thesophomores or anything but that old sorority, and she doesn't like yourbeing captain, though I hate to tell you that."

  "Don't worry. I know it. We'll just keep awake and I'm glad to say thatit's Miss Fox who's keeping an eye out this time, besides the referee.But it's going to be a fast game and no telling what may happen."

  First with applause, then with silence, the little audience in the gymgreeted the two teams as they came out, without the preliminary stuntsthat sometimes marked school affairs, and started right in. Amy Louisestood straight up when she saw for the first time the big ball, tossedfrom one to another, going across the floor, in the hands of Betty'sgirls, to be popped into the proper basket. That was after the"tip-off," as a freshman girl told Mrs. Lee. She knew few of the correctexpressions, but enough to indicate results. "The point is to put theball through their own basket, Mrs. Lee and they 'make the goal' and'score.'"

  But there was little opportunity to explain. As had been predicted, thegame was a fast one. The sophomores had the advantage at the first andscored several times. Then the juniors succeeded in keeping thesophomores from scoring, put up a clever defense of their own, carriedthe ball with bewildering speed from one to another and passed the scoreof the sophomores with their own. The sophomores came back with a seriesof successful plays after disaster temporarily visited the juniors; andKathryn covered herself with glory by making the long shot, for whichshe had been practicing, and saved the day in a bad situation which hadoccurred. Advantage now on this side and now on that, the first twoquarters ended with an equal score.

  "If we can do that, Betty," whispered Kathryn, "we stand a good chanceto beat."

  But Betty was too engrossed to heed. Miss Fox was talking to Mathilde,who was answering loudly. The referee was called to the conference. ThenMiss Fox came to Betty, who was watching. "I--we--are taking Mathildeout, Betty. She is not guilty of any foul, but we think that shepurposely lost an advantage. I'm not going to risk it. Put in Mary EmmaHowland for the rest of the game. If the juniors beat us they want to doit fairly."

  Mary Emma was only too glad to play. The other girls wondered a little,but the game was too engrossing, when again they were in the midst ofit, to care who was playing. Betty gave Mary Emma a few instructions,but Mary Emma was one of the best on the second team and had been hopingfor a chance to play the Championship game. Mathilde was very angry, asBetty could see. She came up to Betty and said, "You put Foxy up tothat, I know!"

  "I didn't even see what you did, or didn't do, Mathilde," replied Betty,but she turned away. It would not do to get into a discussion now.

  Again the contest waxed hard and fast, each side to put the ball throughtheir own basket, each side to keep the other from doing the like. Ittook quick thinking and quick action and keeping the rules. Betty had anopportunity at showing what she could do in scoring, getting away fromher guard and making two beautiful "shots" from unfavorable angles. Thejuniors felt that it would be a disgrace to let the sophomores beat thecontest and began to grow excited. Betty never was more cool within,though physically she was warm from the action. It wouldn't be soterrible to be beaten by juniors--but oh, how good to beat them--evenMarcella, who was playing a good game.

  But personal relations were forgotten on the floor. Marcella was keptfrom sending the ball through the junior basket and Mary Emma starred asguard in that occasion. The quarters,--the halves--passed, and thepistol shot rang out for the close of the game with the score even.

  No one was satisfied, of course, but many were the compliments for theplaying of both teams. Few fouls, clean playing, fast playing, enoughbaskets, the comments declared. "It's so stupid when nobody can score,"said one. "These girls managed to do it some way in spite of goodinterference."

  Twenty-five to twenty-five the score stood, said Marcella caught up withBetty as they went back to the girls' gym to change costumes again. "The_idea_ that you beat us, Betty," said Marcella with a smile. "I justdeclared that you never would!"

  "Why, we didn't beat you!" cried Betty.

  "You might as well. We couldn't beat _you_, anyhow, which was terrible!I think we were a little better in our guarding, but you overcame thatdisadvantage by those long shots that we did not dream you could make.You and Kathryn are stars, Betty. I'm sorry we did not get you in KappaUpsilon. What was the trouble with Mathilde, Betty?"

  "I don't know, Marcella. You'll have to ask Miss Fox or the referee. Ididn't see anything."

  "I imagine you have an idea, though," said Marcella. "Well all hail tothe Jingery Jumping Jacks! The Lucky Leapers are forced to give themcredit, though we don't want to do it."

  "Aren't you a great jollier, Marcella Waite! I'm glad it's over, but I'drather somebody would beat. Still, there are things to be said in favorof a tie, provided a body couldn't win the championship outright. Oh, doyou suppose they'll make us play another game?"

  "Let _us_ have another chance, you mean," winked Marcella. "No, the bigexcitement is over and they'll not do it, though I'd love to."

  "The sophomore team will be ready," said Betty, "though just now I'm fora good dip in the pool and a square meal at home!"

  "Sensible idea. You make me hungry at the thought. Oh, Mathilde! Wait!"

  Betty watched Marcella follow Mathilde, who neither turned around norwaited, but hurried into the other gym.