ts as to whether she could continue to maintain
a lofty indifference toward Marian's spiteful activities. Would she be
obliged eventually to descend to Marian's level and fight her with her
own weapons? She had more than once, of late, darkly considered the
question. Now she knew that so long as Marian's spleen directed itself
against her, and her alone, she could never do it. She would fight for
her friends, but never for herself.

CHAPTER XIX

RANK INJUSTICE

At half-past four o'clock on the Wednesday following the sophomore class
elections, the sophomore basket-ball try-out took place in the
gymnasium. Twenty girls of the sophomore class had elected to enter the
lists, while the usual number of freshmen and upper class spectators
lined the walls of the big room.

Among the ten bloomer-clad girls who were finally picked for the
deciding tussle, five wore the dark green uniforms that had identified
them the previous year as the official freshman team. They were Judith,
Jane, Adrienne, Christine Ellis and Marian Seaton. Among the other five
contestants, Barbara Temple and Olive Hurst, both of last year's
practice team, had survived. The other three girls were disappointed
aspirants of the previous year's try-out, who had sturdily returned to
the lists for a try at making the sophomore team.

When the shrill notes of the whistle sent the ten into deciding action,
it became immediately evident that it would be nip and tuck as to the
winners. In every girlish heart lived the strong determination to be
among the elect. In consequence, the zealous ten treated the spectators
to a most spirited exhibition of basket-ball prowess.

When it had ended, the players ran off the floor, breathlessly to await
the verdict. With the exception of two of them, opinion was divided.
Regarding these two, there was no doubt in the minds of the watchers
that Jane Allen and Adrienne Dupree, at least, had made the team. They
were distinctly eligible.

Each in her own fashion had shown actual brilliancy of playing. The
others had done extremely well. How well was a matter which must be left
to the three judges to decide.

While the ten impatiently waited for the decision, over in the judges'
corner a spirited discussion was going on between Dorothy Martin and the
two seniors who were officiating with her in the capacity of judges. One
of them, Selina Brown, had already been appointed as basket-ball
manager of the teams for the ye