Outside the school building Jerry Macy and Irma Linton were holding a
patient vigil. Not permitted to witness the try-out they had declared
their intention of waiting across the street for their friends.
Confidently expecting that their wait would be long, they had set off
for Sargent's directly after school, there to while away at least a part
of the time. It was twenty minutes after four when they returned to the
school and determinedly perched themselves upon the top step of the long
flight where they proposed to remain stationed until the try-out should
be over. As ardent fans, they had a lively curiosity to know as soon as
possible the results of the contest. They were also deeply concerned as
to what had transpired between Marjorie and Miss Merton.
"Good gracious!" grumbled Jerry, as she frowningly consulted her wrist
watch. "When do you suppose it will be over? It's half-past five now. I
hope----"
"Hark!" Irma raised a warning hand. "I hear voices. Here they come at
last."
As she spoke the heavy door behind her swung open. One after another the
contestants began issuing forth to unite into little groups as they
passed down the steps to the street. Jerry and Irma were now on their
feet eagerly watching for their friends. Jerry's shrewd power of
observation had already been put to good use. Thus far she glimpsed
defeat in the faces of those who passed. Among them was Mignon La Salle.
Her arm linked in that of Charlotte Horner, the French girl was carrying
on a low-toned monologue, the very nature of which could be read in the
stormy play of her lowering features.
Jerry gave Irma a significant nudge as Mignon switched past them without
sign of recognition. Irma nodded slightly to show that she understood
its import. She, too, had guessed that Mignon had not made the team.
"At last!" Jerry sighed relief, as Marjorie stepped across the
threshold, followed by Susan, Muriel and Daisy Griggs. "What's the good
word?" She hailed.
"We are the real people," boasted Muriel Harding, a throbbing note of
triumph in her light tones. "Marjorie, Susan, Daisy and I made the team.
The fifth girl is Rita Talbot. She was the only one of the blues chosen.
Poor Harriet didn't make it. Neither did Esther. Harriet's been chosen
as a sub, though. She has that queer little green-eyed Warner girl.
She's such a quiet mouse, I never even dreamed she could play basket
ball. She can, though." Muriel rattled off all this, hardly stopping to
take breath.
"So dear Miss Merton changed her mind," burst forth Jerry irrelevantly.
"How long did she keep you, Marjorie? What did she say?" They had now
progressed as far as the sidewalk and had halted there to talk.
Marjorie entered into brief details, giving Muriel the lion's share of
credit for her blunt explanation to Miss Archer. "If Muriel hadn't
spoken so plainly, Miss Archer might not have seen things in the right
light," she ended.
"Don't you believe it," disagreed Jerry. "Miss Archer knows Miss Merton
like a book. It's a real comfort to have a principal like her. Say, I'll
bet Mignon is so mad she can't see straight. You should have seen her
when she passed us. She was talking a blue streak to that Miss Horner.
She was one of the judges, wasn't she?"
"Yes." Marjorie's face clouded at mention of the languidly spoken
senior. It now occurred to her that she had not been at fault in
believing that Charlotte Horner disliked her. No doubt Mignon was the
motive for her dislike. Like Ellen, she, too, tardily recalled that the
two had been occasionally seen together last year. It might account also
for the emphatic wagging of heads that had gone on among the three
judges before the final result of the try-out had been announced.
"I suppose you are going to play the sophomores." Irma's soft intonation
brought Marjorie out of her brown study.
"Of course." It was Daisy Griggs who answered. "They are to have their
try-out to-morrow afternoon. I don't believe we will be ready to play
them before November. We have a lot of practice ahead of us. We'll have
to have new suits, too. But we won't know until we have a meeting what
colors to choose. We ought to ask the subs what they'd like. We can't
very well go by the junior colors this year. They are deep crimson and
white, you know. We couldn't possibly have white suits with a crimson J,
and crimson suits wouldn't be pretty, either."
"_I_ think they _would_," put in Muriel Harding stoutly. "We could have
our suits of a little darker crimson than the class color. They would be
stunning with a white J on the blouse and a wide, rolling collar of
white broadcloth. Besides, crimson is a victorious color. We'd just have
to win. It would be inspiring."
"It sounds good to me," approved Susan. "They'd certainly be different
from any we've ever had. We could all put together and buy the cloth.
Then have them made by one person instead of each going to our own
dressmaker."
"I think that would be nice," nodded Marjorie. "But we want to please
Daisy, too, so perhaps----"
"Oh, I don't mind. Just so they aren't a glaring red," hastily amended
Daisy. "I suppose the subs will want to have new suits, too. We ought to
call a meeting of the team some time this week. That reminds me, we
don't know yet who is to be captain. You ought to be, Marjorie. I think
Ellen will ask you."
"No." Marjorie shook a decided head. "To be given center is honor enough
for me. Girls, I'd love to have Muriel for captain. She'd be simply
splendid."
"Oh, no, not me," protested Muriel in ungrammatical confusion.
Nevertheless, she flushed with pleasure at Marjorie's generous proposal.
"That would be fine," asserted Susan Atwell heartily. She was not in the
least jealous because Marjorie had not proposed her for the honor. She
had long since learned that Marjorie Dean was incapable of showing
favoritism. She had selected Muriel strictly with the good of the team
in mind.
"Let's ask Ellen if we can't have Muriel," said Daisy Griggs earnestly.
"You see three of us are of the same mind," Marjorie pointed out with a
smile. "I know Rita will say so, too. But where are she and Harriet?"
"Still in the gym, I guess, with Ellen. Harriet lives next door to
Ellen," reminded Susan. "They'll be along presently."
"I can't wait for them," Marjorie demurred. "It's almost six. Captain
will wonder why I'm so late. Come on, Jerry and Irma," she called. Jerry
and Irma had wandered a little away from the group and were deeply
engaged in earnest discussion. "How many of you are going our way?"
"I'm going to my aunt's for dinner," said Muriel. "So I'll say good-bye.
Daisy goes my way, too. See you to-morrow. Come along, Daisy."
Left to themselves, Susan, Marjorie, Irma and Jerry swung off toward
home, four abreast.
"See here, Marjorie," began Jerry. "You want to look out for Mignon. I
told you how mad she looked when she passed us. Irma saw, too. She'll
try to do something to get you off the team and herself on. See if she
doesn't."
"I'm not going to bother my head about her," Marjorie made careless
reply. "She has never really hurt anyone she's tried to hurt since I've
known her. With Ellen Seymour managing the teams, we are all sure of
fair play."
"Don't be too sure," muttered Jerry. She added in a louder tone,
"Ellen's not much protection with Mignon on the job. If she can't play,
she'll try to fix it so somebody else can't. Not you, perhaps. Anyway,
it won't do any harm for you to keep your eyes open."
"Don't croak, Jeremiah." Marjorie laid a playful hand on Jerry's lips.
"Didn't I tell you long ago that I should not allow Mignon La Salle to
trouble me this year? I am going to keep at a safe distance from her."
"I hope you stick to that," was Jerry's ungracious retort. Under her
breath she added, "but I doubt it."
Jerry Macy's well-meant warning was destined, however, to come back most
forcibly to Marjorie no later than the following morning. As she ran
down the steps of her home and on down the walk on her way to school,
she encountered the postman at the gate. He handed her two letters,
which she received with a gurgle of girlish delight. On the top envelope
she had glimpsed Mary's familiar script. The gurgle changed to a
dismayed gasp as she examined the other. Only too quickly had she
recognized the handwriting. Shoving Mary's letter into the pocket of her
pretty tan coat, she hastily opened the other envelope. Her evil genius
had again come to life. A wave of hot resentment swept her as she
unfolded the one sheet of heavy white paper and read:
"Miss Dean:
"No doubt you think yourself very clever to have made the junior
team. You could never have done so had partiality not been shown.
Others at the try-out were much more worthy of the choice. You
believe because you can dress like a doll and are popular with a few
rattle-brained girls that everyone likes you. But you are mistaken.
A few persons, at least, know how vain and silly and deceitful you
are. You pretend to hate snobbery, but you are a snob. Some day
_everyone_ will know you for what you really are. The time is not
far off. Beware.
"The Observer."
Turning, Marjorie went slowly back to the house and climbed the stairs
to her room. Pausing before her desk, she opened it. From a pigeon-hole
she extracted another letter. Carefully she compared it with the one
that had come by post. Yes, they must have both emanated from the same
source. Stationery, writing and signature were unmistakable proofs. With
a sigh she shoved them both into the pigeon-hole. Who could her
mysterious enemy be? These letters were certainly of the variety she had
heard classed as "poison pen."
Thus far she had flouted the idea of Mignon La Salle as the writer of
them. Now she was forced to wonder if she had been wrong. Was it
possible that Mignon had lurked outside Miss Archer's office on the
morning when she had solved the problem for Rowena Farnham? If this were
so, the letter Miss Archer had received might then be accredited to her,
as well as the two now in her desk. Barring Rowena Farnham, Marjorie
knew no one else who would be likely to engage in such a despicable
enterprise. If Mignon were guilty of this, Jerry Macy's warning had not
been an idle one. It, therefore, behooved her, Marjorie Dean, to be on
her guard. Yet how could she guard herself against a shadow, an enemy
unseen; unknown; unguessed?