lings; I don't think they'll get their hopes up for the team."

"Well, you may have been right," Lois agreed slowly. "Anyway our little
lecture did them good. Fanny stopped me after practice and told me they
had apologized."

Polly said: "Oh, did they?" indifferently, and went to her tub to turn
off the water.

Her head was in a whirl, and, suddenly, tempting hopes ran riot. She
stood looking at the water a minute and shivered in anticipation of the
plunge.

"Captain of the basket ball team," she whispered. "I wonder--"

CHAPTER IV

BASKET BALL ELECTION

As Senior President, Lois was a decided failure. It was not through any
lack of interest on her part in the class and its affairs, but rather
because the fairies at her christening had failed to bestow upon her the
gift of leadership with which Polly was so richly endowed.

She just couldn't think of the hundred and one practical things that
needed attending to. Perhaps Miss Crosby was partly to blame. She had
taken a decided interest in Lois from their meeting on the stairs, and
had given her permission to use the studio at any time. She had
criticized her work and gave her helpful points not infrequently in her
own room, where Lois often dropped in at tea time.

But progress in art, though beneficial to Lois, was of no use to the
Senior class. Polly was at her wit's end. Lois had called a class
meeting the day before and forgotten to come to it. School had been
running smoothly for over a month by now, and all the strangeness of
the first few weeks had worn off. With Thanksgiving in sight, the girls
felt that they were well into the year.

To-day was Friday. After dinner the election for the basket ball captain
was scheduled and nothing was arranged.

Polly, after looking in the gym and some of the classrooms for Lois,
returned to Senior Alley. She was excited about the election, but she
was more deeply concerned about Lois. She was thinking and she walked
slowly in consequence. As she entered the corridor Dot Mead's voice,
high pitched and angry, made her stop abruptly.

"Not a thing planned, the slips not ready, and here it is Friday
afternoon. Lois wasn't like this last year. If she accepted the office
of president why doesn't she act up to it! Why, even the Freshmen are
criticizing." Her voice subsided into a grumble of displeasure.

Polly shook her head slowly and went quietly into her own room. The
Dorothys were growling as usual. She had