THE BASKET-BALL GAME
It is natural for the younger girls of a school to look up to those
in the upper classes--for the freshmen to make one of the juniors or
seniors her ideal; and it is likewise usual to find the younger girl
admiring the older boys she happens to meet. Partly for this reason,
perhaps, and partly because he was both genial and attractive, Ruth
conceived a violent admiration for John Hadley. She had considered him
the best-looking scout at the demonstration in January; now, after
the party at the cabin, she admitted to herself that she was really
“crazy about him.” True, she had not seen much of him at the party,
for he sat beside Doris after the games were over; but she knew that
Doris was pretty well smitten with Roger Harris, and did not allow
the possibility of her interference to worry her. She had never heard
Marjorie speak of him, and she had no idea that his interest lay in
that direction.
She knew that this year was John’s last at the academy, so she planned
to see more of him before it was too late.
“Why don’t you ask Jack to go over to Miss Martin’s to our basket-ball
game with them, and take some of his friends?” asked Ruth of Marjorie,
a week before the date for which the event was scheduled. “Miss Allen
said the boys would be allowed to attend.”
“Oh, I don’t know; I’ve been too busy to think about it!”
Marjorie, because she was both tall and quick, had been chosen for the
position of jumping-center on the school team. She had been going out
regularly to the practices in the field (the girls at Miss Allen’s
played out-door basket-ball), and she was in splendid trim for the
game. Her cheeks glowed and her eyes sparkled while she played; had
she been a vain girl, she would have realized that under no other
circumstance could she appear so attractive.
“Go on--write to Jack!” pleaded Ruth. “Why, he’d love to see you play.
Ask him to bring some of the other scouts!”
“But I wouldn’t be able to look after them! I’m in the game!”
“Of course--that’s why he ought to be allowed to come. I’ll entertain
them, and ask Doris to help.”
“All right,” agreed Marjorie. “Who else shall I suggest?”
“Roger Harris, of course, for Doris, and anybody else. How about the
senior patrol leader--what was his name?”
Marjorie blushed. “John Hadley?”
“Yes; why not?”
“All right; but I guess I’ll tell Jack to take whoever he wants.”
The game was scheduled for the second Saturday in May. All of the girls
on the team, except Marjorie, were Girl Scouts--Ethel Todd and Edith
Evans played forward, Ada Mearns and Dorothy Maxwell were the guards,
and Frances Wright acted as side center. Incidentally, Marjorie was the
only freshman on the team, although one other girl of her own class
served as a substitute.
Jack accepted his sister’s suggestion gladly; he wrote that he would
arrive at Miss Martin’s school with John and Roger immediately after
lunch.
Marjorie took the letter to Ruth. “It’s your party,” she said. “I won’t
even be able to meet them. Miss Phillips is going to take us over early
to get a chance to try the field; and then Miss Martin’s team is giving
us a special lunch in their gym.”
“All right,” agreed Ruth; “I’ll look after them. By the way, is there
any girl Jack specially likes, so I could invite her to go with Doris
and me?”
Marjorie laughed. “I think he always ‘specially liked’ you, Ruth!”
“No, I mean somebody else. He met some of the girls at your dance.”
Marjorie tried to think. Finally she shook her head.
“I’m afraid there isn’t, Ruth; ask whoever else you please to sit with
you. All I know is, I can’t!”
Ruth decided to ask Evelyn Hopkins. The latter had not made the Girl
Scout troop; and in fact she had been left out of almost everything
lately. Ruth felt sorry for her, and hoped by this invitation to make
up for neglecting her during the past month or two.
Miss Martin sent over the request that the Girl Scouts wear their
uniforms. Ruth was somewhat annoyed at the idea. “Who wants to dress
up in a hot khaki suit this time of year?” she complained. But Miss
Phillips had issued the order, and all the scouts had to obey.
Ruth, Doris, and Evelyn got permission to leave the rest of the
students while they went in search of the boys. They met them at the
gate, and Ruth introduced Evelyn.
Ruth had tried to arrange matters so that Jack would walk with Evelyn,
and Roger with Doris, so that John Hadley would be left to accompany
her. But her plans went wrong. John immediately attached himself to
Doris, who had started on with Roger, so Evelyn and Ruth were both
forced to walk with Jack.
When the party reached the basket-ball field, Ruth decided to take
matters in her own hands.
“Mr. Hadley,” she said, laughing, “I am afraid I shall have to scold
you. Can’t you see that Roger and Doris want to be together?”
“Oh, I beg their pardon!” said John apologetically. “I really forgot.”
“Nonsense!” exclaimed Doris. “Please don’t be silly!”
But they discovered that they could not all sit together, and Ruth saw
to it that Doris and Roger took the seats ahead, and she and Evelyn sat
between Jack and John. She smiled happily. At last she was with _him_.
All the Girl Scouts except Ruth and Doris, and those taking part in
the game, occupied a bench together; in their neat, trim uniforms they
presented an attractive appearance. John remarked about it, and Ruth
saw him looking closely at the girls.
“Is Marjorie Wilkinson a member of the troop now?” he asked.
Ruth laughed. “No, poor girl, she isn’t! It’s a shame, too, for she
tries so hard. But she’s hopeless in Latin!”
John sighed, thinking of his remaining month at Episcopal. “I’ll never
see her again,” he kept thinking to himself, “unless I suddenly develop
a violent friendship with Jack!”
The referee blew the whistle and the contestants appeared. The forwards
grouped themselves around the baskets, and practiced throwing for
goals; the rest of the girls gathered in separate spots to go over a
few last points.
Marjorie realized that she was a different girl from the one who had
played forward on the hockey-team last fall. She came to this game with
Miss Martin’s in perfect physical condition, and with the consciousness
of good practices behind her. And, added to this, she felt a new love
for Miss Phillips; she knew how much her teacher cared for the victory,
and she meant to do all in her power to win it.
John regarded her all the while intently; he scarcely listened to the
conversation Ruth and Evelyn were holding with Jack.
In a few moments the game started. Marjorie had the advantage of being
taller than the opposing center; besides this, she had arranged for
signals with Frances and her forwards, so that her efforts in getting
the ball to her team immediately after the toss-up were almost always
successful.
With this advantage, the audience thought the game was going to prove
to be a walk-over for Miss Allen’s team. But such was not the case. The
guards who played against Ethel and Edith were splendid; they succeeded
in keeping the forwards from scoring for nearly five minutes, at the
end of which time they finally sent the ball to the other end of the
field.
But if the guards on Miss Martin’s team had been good, those on Miss
Allen’s proved equally efficient. Again, these forwards were powerless.
The only real chance that was given to Miss Martin’s side to score
was when Dorothy Maxwell made a foul, and gave the forward a free
throw; but the girl missed the basket, the whistle blew, and the score
remained 0-0.
During the intermission, the spectators cheered loudly for both sides,
and the Gym teachers encouraged and coached their girls. Each team went
back to the field with the grim determination to win.
The forwards put even more energy into their playing; but the guards
on both sides opposed them the more zealously. During the first ten
minutes each side threw a successful foul, so that the score now stood
at one all.
When Marjorie realized that the time was almost up, she grew desperate.
Giving Frances a new signal, which she had agreed to use only in
case of the greatest necessity, she made a quick dodge away from the
opposing center, and, at the very edge of the line, made a wild throw
at the goal. But she missed it, and stepped slightly over the line; the
referee called a foul, and Miss Martin’s girls scored a point on the
ensuing free throw. The home team was ahead. A wild shout arose from
the enthusiastic spectators.
But Marjorie was not to be daunted by one failure; her forwards had
proved themselves unable to dodge their guards and score; she would try
a second time. Accordingly, she gave the same signal to Frances again,
and, quick as a flash, leapt away from her opponent. Keeping her eye on
the line that she might not overstep it, she made another flying shot.
The ball sped high over the heads of the girls who rushed to defend the
basket; for an instant a hush came over the field as all eyes watched
it describe a graceful arc and fall straight through the goal,--a
perfect shot. Then the silence was broken--not only Miss Allen’s girls;
everyone on the benches clapped; it was a spectacular play, and it
brought victory. In less than a minute, the whistle blew; and the
score-board registered 3-2, in favor of Miss Allen’s team.
Ruth breathed a long sigh, and John wiped the perspiration from his
forehead. “By George!” he exclaimed, “that was the most exciting game I
ever saw! Wasn’t Marjorie wonderful?”
At this moment a yell arose for Marjorie, and it was then that Ruth
realized her mistake in having John Hadley asked to attend the game.
But it was too late now to regret her action. Instead, she discreetly
joined in the other girl’s praises.
Her party followed the crowd across the campus to the gym where tea was
being served. John looked anxiously for Marjorie, but she had been too
much exhausted to appear. Everyone was clamoring for her--the heroine
of the day.
“And they say she isn’t even a Girl Scout!” Ruth heard one of Miss
Martin’s girls remark to her companions. “She’s such a peach, too! I
wonder why!”
Ruth frowned. “Yes, everybody else wonders why, too!” she thought. “Oh,
I’m sick of hearing the praises of Marjorie Wilkinson. But I’m even
with her!”
Ruth was relieved to hear Miss Martin ask the Girl Scouts to give a
demonstration; she stepped forward proudly, glad of the chance to
assume again the center of attraction.
But Ruth was not happy as she rode home that evening. Outwardly, her
plans had all succeeded; but she was not at peace. She knew that she
was as much of a thief as the common burglar who breaks into the
house at night and steals the silverware; she had stolen Marjorie’s
happiness, and she was paying for her act--she had lost her own.