CHAPTER XIX
A GAME WORTH SEEING
The second Saturday in February dawned anything but encouragingly. Thenight before a blizzard had set in, and at one o'clock Saturdayafternoon the temperature had dropped almost to zero. The wind howledand shrieked dismally, and to venture out meant to nurse frozen ears asa result of facing the blast. But neither wind nor weather frightenedthe enthusiastic basketball fans. With knitted and fur caps pulled downover their ears they gallantly braved the storm. Even the majority ofthe faculty were in the front seats that had been reserved for them andby two o'clock every available inch of space in the gallery was filled.
The sophomore colors of blue and gold mingled with the red and white ofthe freshmen colors in the decorations that were displayed lavishlyabout the gymnasium. The faculty, too, wore the colors of theirrespective favorites, while the president of the college held twoimmense bouquets, one of red, the other of yellow roses, showing that heat least was impartial. On each side of the gallery a group of girlsstood ready to lead their respective classes in the basketball chorusesthat are sung solely With the object of urging the teams on to deeds ofglory. These choruses had been written hurriedly by loyal fans who hadmore enthusiasm than ability as verse writers, and fitted to popularairs. The fact that they possessed neither rhythm nor style troubled noone. The main idea was to make a great deal of noise in singing them,and nothing else counted.
The freshmen and sophomore substitutes were the first to emerge fromtheir dressing rooms on either side of the gymnasium, dressed in theirrespective gymnasium suits of black and blue, the sleeves and sailorcollars of which were ornamented with their colors. They were greetedwith a gratifying burst of song from both sides which lasted until theytook their places, eager and alert, ready to make good if theopportunity presented itself. After a brief interval the dressing roomdoors opened again and the real teams appeared. This time the burst ofsong became so jubilantly noisy that the president of the college halfrose in his seat as though to signal for order, then, apparentlychanging his mind, settled himself in his chair, smiling broadly.Immediately the song ended the referee's whistle blew and the great gamebegan.
From the moment the ball was put in play it was plain to the spectatorsthat this was to be a game worth seeing. The sophomores, with VirginiaGaines as center, adopted whirlwind tactics from the start and thefreshmen did little more than defend themselves during the first half,which came to an end without either side scoring. That the freshmencould hold their own was evident, and when the whistle blew for thesecond half the freshmen in the gallery applauded their team withrenewed vigor.
During the brief intermission Grace and Miriam had clasped hands andvowed to outplay the sophomores in the second half or perish in theattempt. The three other members had thereupon insisted on beingincluded in the vow, and when the five girls trotted to their respectivepositions at the sound of the referee's whistle, it was with adetermination to stoutly contest every inch of the ground. Luck seemedagainst them, however, for the sophomores scored through the cleverplaying of Virginia Gaines. The freshmen then set their teeth andresolved to die rather than allow the enemy to score again. Then Miriamsecured the ball and dodging and ducking this way and that she passedthe ball to another player who made the basket and the score was tied.This put the sophomores not only on the anxious seat, but also on theirmettle, and try as they might the freshmen found themselves unable topile up their score.
The end of the second half crept nearer and the score still remainedtied. Grace, who was becoming more and more apprehensive as the minutespassed, stood anxiously watching the ball, which was being playedperilously near their opponents' goal. Catching the eyes of Miriam, whostood nearest it, Grace made a desperate little upward motion. Miriamunderstood and redoubled her efforts to secure the ball, which shefinally did by springing straight up into the air and intercepting it onits way to the basket. A shout went up from the freshmen which grew to aroar. Miriam had thrown the ball unerringly to Grace, who caught it, andfacing quickly toward the freshman goal, balanced herself on her toespreparatory to tossing her prize into the basket.
"She'll never make it," groaned a freshman. But her remark was lost inthe clamor.
With one quick, comprehensive glance, Grace measured the distance, thenwith a long, swift overhand toss she sent the ball curving through theair. It dropped squarely into the basket, bounded up in the air, thendropped gently into place.
Grace Measured the Distance.]
For the next few minutes pandemonium reigned in the gymnasium. The happyfreshmen burst into song and drummed on the floor in expression of theirglee. The freshmen team had outplayed that of the sophomores. Only oncebefore in the history of the college had such a thing occurred. To GraceHarlowe and Miriam Nesbit was given the principal credit for this latestvictory. Grace's goal toss had been a record-breaker. Never had afreshman been known to make such a toss.
Now that the excitement was over, Grace felt suddenly weak in the knees.She started for a seat at the side of the gymnasium, but before shereached it there was a rush from the freshman class. Her classmateslifted her to their shoulders and began parading about the gymnasiumfloor, singing:
"Nineteen---- is looking sad, Tra la la, Tra la la, I wonder what has made her mad, Tra la la, Tra la la, Her coaching was in vain, The freshman team has won again, Little sophomores, run away, Come again some other day."
Then there followed a song that brought a shout of laughter fromhundreds of throats, and one in which the sophomores did not join:
Backward, turn backward, O ball in your flight, Why did you drop in the basket so tight? Sadly the sophomores are rueing the day They asked the freshmen in their yard to play, Sophomore banners are hung at half mast, Sophomore tears they are falling so fast, Sophomore faces are turned toward the wall, Sophomore pride has had a hard fall.
Grace had been seized and carried around and around the gymnasium on theshoulders of her exulting classmates, who sang lustily as they marched,then gently deposited her in the dressing room. Miriam also had receivedthat honor. When the two girls left the dressing room twenty minuteslater, they were taken charge of by a delegation of admiring freshmenand informed that there would be a dinner given that night at Vinton'sin honor of them.
An air of deep gloom pervaded the sophomore dressing room, however.Virginia Gaines dressed in gloomy silence. One or two of her teamventured to speak to her. She answered so shortly that they did nottrouble her further, but went out talking among themselves as soon asthey had changed their gymnasium suits for street clothing. OutsideElfreda waited impatiently. "I thought you were never coming," grumbledthe stout girl. Then the unpleasant side of her disposition, which shehad tried to eliminate during her brief friendship with the Oakdalegirls, came to the surface and she said maliciously: "I thought you saidthey couldn't play, Virginia. Funny, wasn't it, that you had such a pooridea of their playing? It was the best game I ever saw, but all the starplaying was on the freshman side."
Virginia's face grew dark. "Stop trying to be sarcastic," she stormed."I won't stand it. Do you hear me?"
"Yes, I hear you. I'm not deaf," returned Elfreda dryly. "As forstanding it, you don't have to. Good-bye." Turning sharply about she setoff in the opposite direction, her hands in her pockets, a look ofintense disgust on her round face. "That's the end of that," shemuttered. "I'll move to-morrow. This time it will have to be out ofWayne Hall, unless----." Then she shook her head almost sadly: "Notthere," she added. "She wouldn't have me for a roommate."