Three weeks had passed by, and the girls were making preparations to return to their homes for the Thanksgiving holidays. The whole school, however, looked forward to the big hockey match with Miss Martin’s Seminary which was to be held the last Saturday before vacation. After the game there was to be a reception to the teams and to the visitors from the other school.

Ruth regretted that she had not gone out for athletics from the first; it was too late now to try to make any position on the hockey team. Now that class affairs had quieted down, and there was no longer a possibility of being chosen for the sorority, she was forced to lose her place in the foreground of the school affairs, a situation entirely distasteful to such an ambitious girl as Ruth. She turned the matter over and over in her mind, but she did not see what she could do to alter her position. She had been too proud to write much about her personal feelings to her mother; she preferred to try to work out the problem by herself. Nor had Marjorie’s expectations been realized; she was not so happy after she was pledged to the sorority as she had hoped to be. She lived in too much of a rush; she seemed to race from hockey-practices to teas and cocoa-parties, and to be obliged to stay up late at night to finish her lessons. This, of course, was not allowed—the lights were turned off at ten o’clock—but she lighted three or four candles and put a raised umbrella between Lily’s cot and the light, and “crammed.” But all her lessons, and especially her Latin, suffered.

She had been chosen for one of the forwards on the school hockey team. Lily, strange to say, had been appointed substitute full-back, a position usually taken by girls of the heavier type. She had resolutely kept her word, and had gone in training ever since she had made her promise to Marjorie; and because full-backs were scarce, and Lily did fairly well, and much to her surprise, she had been chosen. She had no idea of playing in the game with Miss Martin’s, but Miss Phillips had told her to come out dressed for action, in case she should be needed.

Most of the other members of the team were upper classmen, and a few of them sorority members. On one occasion, during practice, Miss Phillips showed herself particularly cross with the sorority girls, for a round of parties had left them tired out, and with little energy for practice.

“I wish we could abolish that sorority!” she remarked to Miss Landis after the practice. “Marjorie Wilkinson isn’t the girl she was before she was asked. She hasn’t much time for athletics. I don’t believe she’ll even go out for the swimming team.”

“I certainly agree with you about the sorority,” replied Miss Landis. “The freshmen couldn’t settle down to work on their lessons till after the first six weeks of excitement were over, and then it was too late. I wish there could be some sort of standard mark a girl had to make and keep, to belong to the society.”

“It would be a good plan, but it’s too late to introduce changes now. The thing will go on forever as it is because it can only be changed by a majority vote from within, or by the agreement of the whole Board. And neither of these will ever give in.”

“Lily Andrews certainly has improved, hasn’t she?” remarked Miss Landis. “Compare the change in her with that in Marjorie! Why, that would be the strongest argument anybody could make against sororities!”

The Saturday before the Thanksgiving holidays arrived, bright, clear, and cold. Lily was up early. “Come on, Marj!” she cried, “wake up! It’s the day of the game.”

“I’m so sleepy!” pleaded Marjorie; “let me sleep ten minutes more.”

“But you’ll be late for breakfast——”

“I don’t care——”

After five minutes, Lily made another attack. The other girl roused herself slowly, and rubbed her eyes. “Oh, why did I go to that cocoa-party last night at Mae’s? I know I’ll play a bum game!”

“I hope not,” said Lily pleasantly. “But you ought to follow the advice you are always giving me. You’re a regular member of the team, and I’m only a substitute. Oh, don’t you hope we beat? I know a girl who goes to Miss Martin’s, and I’d feel so badly if her school beat us.”

“I guess we’ll win,” said Marjorie calmly. “Our team’s pretty good.”

When afternoon came the regular team and the substitutes met in Miss Phillips’s office for some final coaching. The girls themselves were confident of success, but the teacher was doubtful.

The benches down on the field were already filled with girls in bright-colored sweaters and fur coats and caps. Miss Martin’s girls arrived,—not only the team, but the whole school—and announced themselves with a rousing yell for “Miss Allen’s.” Miss Phillips brought her team down to the field, and the opponents were introduced. The substitutes sat on a special bench reserved for them.

The whistle blew, and the game began. At first it was hotly contested; for several minutes the ball stayed near the center of the field. At the end of five minutes, Miss Martin’s girls got control of it, sent it through the half-back, on past the full-back into the goal. There was a great shout from the audience.

The remainder of the half passed without either side’s scoring. When Miss Phillips blew the whistle for “time,” the girls stopped, exhausted. And Mildred Warren, the full-back for whom Lily was to substitute, announced that she was played out.

“I couldn’t play the next half,” she said, “if my life depended upon it.”

So Miss Phillips called Lily to take her place.

As the girls grouped around her for final instructions, the teacher showed by her voice that she was vexed. “You’re not getting into it, girls! Marjorie Wilkinson, you act as if you were half asleep,—and Margaret and Elsie,” she said, addressing two of the half-backs, “you never should have let that ball slip through. Now brace up, and win this half!”

The game started; but with little more promise of success. Finally Marjorie got the ball and started down the field. But she was attacked by the opposing forward, who sent the ball flying past Marjorie and past the half-back. But Lily Andrews was on the alert; with all her might she hit the ball and sent it back to her forwards. Everyone clapped.

“A yell for Lily Andrews!” called the cheerleader; and a hearty one was given.

But the forward who was playing against Marjorie on the opposing team was not to be easily daunted. She succeeded in getting the ball again, and this time she aimed it towards the other side of the field from that on which Lily was playing. She sent it past the other full-back and into the goal! Miss Martin’s girls rose in a body and cheered and cheered for their forward. The score was now 4–0.

A final chance was given to Miss Allen’s girls to score when one of the opposing team made a foul, and Marjorie was chosen to make a free shot; but either she had been keeping too late hours, or else she was too nervous; for she missed it. The whistle blew, and the score remained 4–0.

The girls shook hands and crowded around Miss Phillips. She congratulated Miss Martin’s girls, but said nothing to her own team. It was plain to be seen that she was disappointed. Marjorie and Lily walked together towards the gymnasium.

“You were splendid, Lily!” said Marjorie. “If it hadn’t been for you, the score would have been a good deal worse than it was.”

“Thanks,” said Lily, “but that doesn’t make me feel better about the defeat.”

“It was a lot my fault,” admitted Marjorie. “I certainly played badly.”

“You’re not so much interested in athletics now, are you?” asked Lily, as the girls entered the door.

“Yes, I am; but I simply don’t have enough time to do anything well. I’m always helping to get some party ready for the sorority, or talking with the girls, or going to a meeting or a feed. I wish I could do better, though,” she added wistfully; “I still love Miss Phillips, and—somehow I’m not as good as I am when I feel her influence. Wouldn’t you love to be like her when you’re a woman, Lily?”

“Yes, I would. I’m crazy about her, too. You see I know her better now. By the way, did you know what we girls do every Friday evening while you have sorority meeting? We go up to Miss Phillips’s room, and take our fancy-work, and she reads to us.”

“That must be lots of fun,” said Marjorie. “What sort of books does she read?” “She has just finished reading us ‘Old Chester Tales’ by Margaret Deland. It’s great, too! And one night she read us a story by O. Henry, and I was so interested that I wrote home and asked mother to buy me the book. She usually reads a poem or two besides, that she thinks we would like.”

Marjorie thought of the profitless way in which the evenings of sorority meetings were spent, and sighed; but she said nothing.

That evening the freshmen pledged became regular members and were awarded the little blue-and-gold sorority pin, to wear home Thanksgiving.