s no sound so exciting as that
first whistle. It means so much. Betty rose to her toes at the sound of
it, and faced the opposing jumping center.

"I think I'd like the first ball," the Fenwick girl said, laughing.

"Sorry, but you can't have it," Betty replied, bounding into the air;
"it's mine!" She batted it back towards Fanny.

"Good!" Polly whispered to Lois, and raised her left hand above her
head.

But the Fenwick side center intercepted Fanny's pass and, before they
knew it, the ball was down at the other end. Evelin failed to guard her
forward and, after a high toss, the ball fell into the basket.

Dorothy Mead, as official score keeper, drew a 2 slowly on the
blackboard. Fanny felt the fault was entirely hers and turned appealing
eyes to her captain.

"Cheer up!" Polly called. "That's only one; dodge her next time."

But Fanny didn't get a chance to even touch the ball, for Betty lost the
toss up, and the ball was spirited away to the other goal. Evelin fought
hard, but Eleanor was so busy thinking about the lines that the Fenwick
team made another basket.

"Oh, this is awful! I never saw Eleanor so slow," Lois said.

Betty lost the next toss up, too, but, fortunately, Evelin stopped it
and threw to Fanny. She passed to Betty, and Lois waited for it near
the line, but her guard kept her from getting it. They fought hard in
the center for the next few minutes. Eleanor got so excited that she
stepped over the line, the whistle blew, and the Fenwick forward made a
basket. The score was five to nothing.

Eleanor looked at Polly, but she shook her head.

"The first half is almost up," she said to Lois. "I don't want to change
yet."

Fanny fumbled the next ball Betty sent her.

"That's inexcusable," Lois declared, angrily, and Betty stamped her foot
in rage. Fanny began to cry.

"That's the end," Lois said; "you can't put a sub in for her."

"No; but I can do something equally as good," Polly replied, quietly.
"Wait till this half is over." It was like her to be carelessly hopeful,
when everybody else was in despair.

The Fenwick team scored again before the longed-for whistle blew.

"There's Bob and Uncle Roddy," Polly said, just as the ball dropped into
the basket. "He's looking at the score," she added, laughing.

Lois stared at her in amazement.

"Poll, what's the matter with you?" she demanded. "Do you realize that
the score is seven to nothing!"

"Yes," Polly replied in unruffled tones