CHAPTER XI
A LION AT LAST
It was a week before the last borrowed decoration reposed in its originalplace, and fully that long before the echoes of the sophomore ball diedout. It was pronounced the most successful class function given in Oakdalefor a number of years, and the sophomores felt justly proud of themselves.Miriam Nesbit took particular pains to point out that the success of theaffair was in no way due to Grace Harlowe, and many of the girls who hadhitherto believed that Grace was a necessary factor in High School fun,decided that they had perhaps overrated her ability.
Grace was fully cognizant of their change of heart, and spent more thanone unhappy hour over it, but outwardly she carried herself as thoughunaware of the many little ill-natured stabs directed toward her. Anne,who was completely ignored, took it philosophically, her only regret beingthe fact that Grace had been dragged into difficulties on her account.
Thanksgiving had come and gone. The High School boys had played theirusual game of football with a neighboring school and whipped them to astandstill, David had played on the team and covered himself with glory bymaking a sensational touchdown. The girl chums had worn his colors andshrieked themselves hoarse with joy over the prowess of their friend.
Miriam, secretly proud of her brother, resolved to make a like record forherself during the next basketball game, which was to take place duringthe following week. She believed that it was the last touch needed to makeher the avowed leader of her class. She even dreamed that the basketballcaptaincy might one day be hers. To be sure Grace had Nora on her side,and Nora was one of the regular players, but the other two players wereMiriam's faithful allies. That made three against two, and the second teamhad practically declared in her favor. Grace would have to do differentlyif she expected to keep the captaincy.
Meanwhile Grace was finding the captaincy of a team divided against itselfanything but satisfactory. The girls, with the exception of Nora, obeyedher orders indifferently and as though under protest. It was almostimpossible to get every member to come to practice. Some one of theminvariably stayed away. On one occasion she spoke rather sharply to theteam about it, but her earnest words were received with sullenresentment.
"What is the use of working ourselves to death simply to have our gamehanded over to the enemy?" one girl had muttered.
Grace colored at this thrust, but closed her lips tightly and made noreply. But the attitude of her team worked upon her mind, and she lostconfidence in herself. She realized that a new and injurious influence wasat work, and she was powerless to stem the tide of dissension that hadarisen.
The practice game was played on the afternoon before the contest, and noteven Jessica was there to witness it, although she had formerly been takenas a matter of course. When invited to attend practice she had scornfullyrefused it.
"No, thank you," she said. "If anything should go wrong to-morrow I'd beaccused of treachery. No one's reputation is safe in this class." At whichremark several sophomores had the grace to blush.
The day dawned bright and clear. Grace arrived at the gymnasium longbefore the others. She was worried and anxious over the behavior of herteam. She was half afraid that some one of them would absent herself, inwhich case one of the substitutes would have to be called, and Gracedoubted whether they could be relied upon.
Two months before, she had been certain that there were no players likethose of the sophomore organization. Now she had no confidence in them orherself. She had a faint hope that when the game opened, her players wouldforget their grievances and work for the honor of the sophomores. Shewould do her best at all events, and Nora could be depended upon, too. Allthis passed rapidly through Grace's mind as she waited for the team toappear.
The spectators were arriving in numbers. The gallery was almost full, andit still lacked fifteen minutes of the time before the game would becalled. The proverbial little bird had been extremely busy, and all sortsof rumors regarding the two teams were afloat. The juniors were, as usual,seated in a body and making a great deal of unnecessary noise. The membersof the sophomore class were scattered here and there. Anne and Jessica satwith three or four of the girls who had refused to pay any attention tothe talk about Anne. A dozen or more of Miriam's flock sat togetherwatching for the appearance of their favorite. Occasionally they glancedover toward Anne, whispered to each other, and then giggled in a way thatmade Anne wince and Jessica feel like ordering them out of the gallery.
Grace and Nora stood talking together at one end of the gymnasium. Gracekept an anxious eye on the clock. It was five minutes of two and Miriamhad not arrived. "Would she dare to stay away?" Grace wondered. At twominutes of two there was a burst of applause from the section of thegallery where Miriam's admirers were seated. Grace glanced quickly aroundto see what had caused it, and beheld Miriam serenely approaching, asatisfied smile on her face. She had waited until the last minute in thehope of making a sensation, and had not been disappointed. Then the gamebegan.
Julia Crosby and Grace Harlowe once more faced each other on the field ofaction. This time Grace won the toss and sent the ball whizzing to thegoal thrower, who tried for goal and caged the ball without effort. Thisaroused the sophomores, and Grace could have danced for joy as she sawthat they were really going to work in earnest. The juniors were on thealert, too. If they won to-day that meant the season's championship. Ifthey won the third game, that meant a complete whitewash for thesophomores.
So the juniors hotly contested every inch of the ground, and thesophomores found that they had their hands full. The first half of thegame closed with the score 8 to 6 in favor of the juniors.
During the intermission of twenty minutes between halves, the sophomoresretired to the little room off the gymnasium to rest. The outlook wasindeed gloomy. It was doubtful whether they could make up their lossduring the last half. Marian Barber, Eva Allen and Miriam whisperedtogether in one corner. Grace sat with her chin in her hand, deep inthought, while Nora stood staring out the window trying to keep back thetears. Two or three of the substitutes strolled in and joined Miriam'sgroup. The whispering grew to be a subdued murmur. The girls wereevidently talking about Grace, hence their lowered voices. Theirlong-suffering captain looked at them once or twice, made a move as if tojoin them, then sat down again. Nora's blood was up at the girls'rudeness. She marched over to the group and was about to deliver heropinion of them in scathing terms, when the whistle sounded. There was ageneral scramble for places. Then the ball was put in play and the secondhalf began.
The sophomores managed to tie the score during the early part of the lasthalf, and from that on held their own. They fought strenuously to keep thejuniors from scoring. When the juniors did score, the plucky sophomoresmanaged to do the same soon after. There were two more minutes of thegame, and the score stood 10 to 10. It looked as though it might end in atie. One of the juniors had the ball. With unerring aim she threw it togoal. It never reached there, for Miriam Nesbit made a dash, sprangstraight into the air and caught the ball before it reached itsdestination. Quick as a flash she threw it to Nora, who threw it to MarianBarber. The latter being near the basket threw it to goal without anytrouble.
Before the juniors could get anywhere near the ball the whistle blew andthe game closed. Score 12 to 10. The sophomores had won.
The noise in the gallery was deafening. Miriam's sensational playing hadtaken every one by storm. A crowd of sophomores rushed down to thegymnasium and began dancing around her singing their class song. Hercheeks were scarlet and her eyes blazed with triumph. She was a lion atlast, and now the rest would follow. She felt sure that she would be askedto take the place of Grace as captain. She had shown them what she coulddo. Grace had done nothing but cause trouble. The team would be better offwithout her.
Anne and Jessica were waiting in the corridor for Grace and Nora. The twoplayers rapidly changed their clothes and soon the chums were walking downthe quiet street.
"Well," said Jessica, "Miriam has done it at last."
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p; "She has, indeed," responded Grace, "and no one begrudges her her glory.She made a star play and saved the day for us. She is loyal to the teameven if she doesn't like their captain."
"I don't know about that," said Nora, "I think she might have exertedherself during the first game if she wanted so much to show her loyalty.She was anything but a star player, then. I have no faith in her,whatever. She cares for no one but herself, and that star play was for herown benefit, not because of any allegiance to her team. She's up tosomething, you may depend upon that."
"Oh, Nora, don't be too hard on her. She deserves great credit for herwork. Don't you think so, girls?" Grace turned appealingly to Anne andJessica.
"It was a remarkable play," said Anne.
Jessica made no answer. She would not praise Grace's enemy, even to pleaseGrace.
"You may say what you please," said Nora obstinately, "I shall stick to myown convictions. The way those girls stood in the corner and whisperedduring intermission was simply disgraceful. Mark my words, something willcome of it."
"Oh, here comes David on his motorcycle," called Anne delightedly.
David slowed up when he saw the girls, alighted and greeted them warmly.He at once congratulated them on their victory.
"I congratulate you on having a star player for a sister," said Grace. "Itmust run in the family." She referred to his late football triumphs.
David flushed with pleasure, more at the compliment paid to his sisterthan the one meant for him.
"Sis can come up to the mark when she wants to," he said earnestly. "Ihope she repeats the performance." Then he abruptly changed the subject.That one little speech revealed to his friends the fact that he understoodthe situation and longed with all his heart for a change of tactics on thepart of his sister.