CHAPTER XI
GIVING UP A PLEASANT HONOR
The delightful but irregular and rather upsetting vacation of theChristmas holidays soon became a memory. It must be said that Mrs.Lee drew a sigh of relief when the children were all back inschool and hours became regular again without the parties andentertainments, glad as she was to have her children enjoy them.They went through these carefree and youthful days but once. If shecould guide and guard them it was enough.
Betty declared to Lucia that the face at the window haunted her. Shehad "half a notion" to call there and see who was so unhappy. ButMrs. Lee was doubtful of the wisdom of such a call and advised Bettyto find out something about the handsome girl from some socialworker of the neighborhood. And Betty thought she would take hermother's suggestion. Yet when was there "time for anything?"
"Mid-years," the semester examinations, were approaching. Betty wasglad that she had studied her lessons at the proper time. Shefollowed the reviews and "crammed" a little on the side, on lineswhere she was not as sure; but she did not worry as some morenervous girls seemed to do. Peggy Pollard said that she was sittingup nights on Math, and Mathilde Finn looked worried, which wassomething for Mathilde to do over lessons. Several of the "verynicest" junior girls were being tutored and Miss Heath sacrificedher time and strength to hold a review class after school for someof her pupils who were "shaky," as Miss Heath told Betty.
"Oh, I'd love to come in, Miss Heath, to review. Could I?" askedBetty.
"You do not need it, Betty, and you would be wasting time. Besides,it is not in Cicero."
That settled the class question. Betty did need time, though therewas little to do now in the girl reserve work, for the committeeshandled the programs and Betty had little to do except to preside atthe meetings. Orchestra practice was interesting, if exacting, andBetty was "crazy about" the Dramatic Club. Basketball practice wasgoing on, but Mr. Lee had asked Betty not to be on the team whichplayed the competitive class games.
It was a disappointment to Betty and she argued at some length,though respectfully, with her father. Her father was "such a dear"and "always let you say anything you wanted to on _your_ side," shetold Carolyn Gwynne.
"Here I like athletics almost better than anything," said Betty,"and want to get honors, and Father won't let me play! It wasgetting hurt that time, Carolyn, that did it. I told him that it wasonly a practice game and that I might get hurt justplaying--anything. He acknowledged that what I said was so, but Iknow he thinks I won't play so often if I can't be on the regularteams. He tells me to continue being his little fish in swimming andwhen I said that I didn't like the expression, he said 'Be amermaid, then--a siren, and lure your cruel father to the rocks.'"
"And what do you think Mother put in? She was listening to ourargument and hadn't said a word, but now she said, 'financial rocks,Father!' And that was because we had been talking about the clothesDoris and I need for spring."
Carolyn laughed and asked when Betty was hurt. "I don't seem toremember it, Betty."
"It wasn't _anything_! I got knocked down and twisted something orother, sort of a sprain, and hobbled around for a week or so. Theworst was over a week-end and Father had a doctor to look at myankle."
"Oh, yes. I do seem to remember your limping a little one time.Well, the girls will be disappointed and I know they're worrying forfear Mathilde will be captain."
"How can she, if they don't want her?"
"Mathilde is an awfully good player now and stands in with theteacher that has charge this year and she'll work it some way--shehas influence with some of the girls."
"Yes," thoughtfully Betty returned. "That makes me feel better aboutit, though. I've been too rushed to pay much attention to'politics.' And I thought a different girl wanted it."
"How in the world does that make you feel better, Betty?"
"Because I wouldn't want to fight to be captain or anything. Some ofthe girls took it for granted that I would be captain, and I wassilly enough to believe that perhaps I could be. You noticed whatthe school paper said, didn't you?"
"Yes. You got quite a puff on your athletics, Betty. 'With Betty Leeat the head of the junior team, that unusual class is likely tocarry off the honors in basketball this year.' Aha! No wonder youfelt like arguing the matter with your father! Can't you persuadehim? It isn't too late yet."
"Perhaps I could get his consent, Carolyn; but I know that it willworry him and after all, it _is_ a strain, though so awfullyexciting and jolly. If Mathilde wants it, let her have it. The onlything about Mathilde is that she isn't fair and will take anyadvantage that she can. We could easily lose games that way,Carolyn, even if she is a good player."
"We certainly could, and _crede mihi_, Betty, I'm going to see if wecan't get somebody else for captain."
"Fine! I'll support you, Carolyn, in anything you start, only Ican't play on the team myself."
"Worse luck!" But Carolyn laughed. "I 'spect you're safer to do whatyour father wants you to do, and you can't do everything, _credemihi_!"
"_'Crede mihi'_--I can't," laughed Betty. "Do you suppose _'mihi'_ought to come before _'crede'_? Oh, yes, imperative first!"
"_'O tempora, o mores!'_" replied Carolyn, grinning. "Yes, don't youremember we looked it up in the vocabulary, after we found itsomewhere and then couldn't find it again? If 'take my word for it'isn't enough like 'believe _me_' then I can't read Cicero!"
This conversation took place long before "mid-years," as may begathered from the fact that basketball was in the early stages.Betty's special friends had been looking up a few Latin phrases totake the place of slang expressions which their English teacher wasurging her pupils to drop, telling them that they would soon thinkin no other terms. Home influences, however, kept Betty and most ofthese girl from taking on the coarser expressions which they heardfrom some of their acquaintances.
Started in this way, it became fun to take out of Cicero, orationsor elsewhere, little phrases like _ubi est?_ or _Quid loquor?_
_Quid agis?--O miserabile me!--horribile dictu--age vero--daoperam_, and other expressions all had possibilities, thoughsometimes, it must be said that the old Romans would not haverecognized some of the uses to which their language was applied. Butit was all a part of the very active and happy life led by Betty Leejunior at Lyon High.
Mr. Lee had not asked Betty to curtail any of her pleasures withoutgood reason. Betty's parents had noted certain effects in theprevious year which did not seem good, chief of which was atemporary suffering of Betty's work during the basketball season andher being more or less nervous and under a strain. Then, as Mrs. Leewatched several games, she saw the possibility of accident in thefast playing, and as Betty thought, the small injury was the finalargument.
But this curtailment left Betty more free for other lines of workand her time was too full for many regrets. It was rather pleasant,to be sure, to have certain girls exclaim over her defection andprophesy dire results to the team. And Betty was big enough at heartto be honestly glad when the juniors under Mathilde played well,winning over all the classes except the seniors. There at last cametheir Waterloo. For the seniors had previous defeat to wipe out.They had the best team that they had ever had in basketball. Thegirls of that class had never been particularly noted in athleticlines, but as Kathryn declared, they had concentrated on basketball"to beat _us_." And beat the juniors they did.
The school paper came out with big headlines over the result. Theseniors chortled. Chet at first avoided any comment when with Betty,but his eyes twinkled when she congratulated him as a member of theclass. "The girls have been very sure they would win over your classever since you refused to be captain, Betty."
"Nice suggestion, Chet, but I didn't refuse to be captain andperhaps I couldn't have been even if I hadn't dropped out of thegames. Besides, Mathilde is as good as I am."
"You go too far to be honest, Betty. Sure I know all about that; butit's more than likely that you would
have led your girls to victory.Our girls had a lot of confidence, besides having practiced likemad. Your girls played well, but they lacked that punch to put itover when they had a little bad luck. And they didn't trust Mathildeas they would have trusted you. It's funny, but there is a lot inthe psychology of a game. It isn't just good playing."
"My, Chet! Where do you get 'psychology?' Is Ted taking it at theUniversity?" Betty was laughing.
"I reckon! But I get it out of the athletics in the paper. I readthe reports of the big games, you see."
"I suppose so. I only look to see which teams beat. Dick's the oneat our house who reads the sport page."
Betty Lee, Junior Page 11
