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Page 36
Jessica blushed and was silent, but Nora said glibly, "Oh, Jessica just
now said that you made a fine captain." Then she went on hurriedly, "I
think our chances for winning the championship are better than ever, don't
you?"
"The juniors have been practising like mad since their defeat," mused
Grace. "They will make a hard fight next time. Miss Thompson told me
yesterday that she never saw better work in basketball than ours last
Saturday. I am so proud of my team even, though they haven't been very
nice to me lately. My whole desire is for them to win the final game. I
suppose a captain has about the same feeling toward her players that a
mother has toward her daughters. She is willing to make any sacrifice in
order to make fine girls of them."
"And you are a fine captain," cried Anne. "I felt so proud of you the
other day. You handled your team so well. Knowing how hateful they have
been, it was wonderful to see you give your orders as though nothing had
happened. No other girl could have done it."
"That is a nice compliment, Anne, dear," said Grace pleased with the words
of praise from her friend, for the bitterness of her recent unpopularity
had made her heart heavy.
At that moment the sophomores whom Jessica and Nora had encountered filed
into the room.
Each girl wore a self-conscious expression. Eva Allen carried an envelope
in her hand. She was confused and nervous.
Once inside the door the girls paused and began a whispered conversation.
Then Eva Allen tried to push the envelope into another girl's hand; but
the girl put her hands behind her back and obstinately refused to take it.
There was another whispered conference with many side glances in Grace's
direction.
Nora stood scowling savagely at the group. She noticed that it consisted
of the basketball team and its substitutes. They were all there except
Miriam.
"If you have any secrets, girls," remarked Grace in a hurt tone, "please
postpone the telling of them for a few minutes. I am going, directly."
She opened her locker and drew out her coat and hat, trying to hide the
tears that filled her eyes.
Then Marian Barber impatiently took the envelope from Eva and stepped
forward. She had made up her mind to get the whole thing over as rapidly
as she could.
"Er--Grace," she said, clearing her throat, "er--the team has----"
"Well, what is it?" exclaimed Nora, irritated beyond her power of
endurance. "Why don't you speak out, instead of stuttering in that
fashion? I always did detest stuttering."
"Marian has a note for you, Grace," interposed one of the substitutes
growing bolder.
Marian placed the note in Grace's hand and turned slowly away. Up to that
minute she had believed that what they were about to do was for the best;
but all at once the feeling swept over her that she had done a
contemptible thing. She turned as though about to take the envelope from
Grace, but the latter had already opened it, and unfolding the paper began
reading the contents aloud.
"Dear Grace," she read, "after a meeting to-day of the members of the
regular and substitute sophomore basketball teams, it was decided that
your resignation as captain of the same be requested.
"We are sorry to do this, but we believe it is for the good of the team.
We feel that you cannot be loyal to its interests as long as you persist
in being a friend of one of its enemies."
The names of the players, with the exception of Nora's and Miriam's, were
signed to this communication.
After she had finished reading Grace stood perfectly still, looking
searchingly into the faces of her classmates. She was trying to gain her
self-control before speaking to them.
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