Jane Allen, Center

by George Cary Eggleston

  CHAPTER XXII--JANE ALLEN: CENTER

  The day of the final practice game--that which was to decide which teamwould have the honor to play the Breslins, found every member of allteams fairly quivering with anticipation.

  Jane, Judith, Dozia and Drusilla held a little preliminary meeting atwhich the team's respective places were arranged. Judith, stillincapacitated, was to serve as a scorer, and Norma Travers to take herplace as forward.

  "I am not afraid of any one but Dolorez Vincez," remarked the ever-wiseDrusilla. "She has a form all her own."

  "Yes, Dol is a wonderful player," agreed Jane. "I wonder where she gotsuch fine training."

  "She never speaks of her former school," Dozia commented with a meaningnot specified in her actual words.

  "What do you mean, Dozia? Have you an idea there is a dark mystery, inthe former school days, of the dashing Dol?" asked Jane.

  "I would not be surprised if that just about described it, Janey," saidDozia with a wag of her "roped" head. Dozia's braids were the pride ofher classmates, and the despair of Dozia. They were wonderful braids,like the milkmaids of old, and in color a challenging brown. Judithgave them that shade.

  "Mercy me!" exclaimed Judith. "Pray, we do not stumble on any moremysteries or our athletics may as well be shelved. It seems to me thisyear is mostly squabbles and mysteries."

  "Well, I did not intend to say anything about it," confided Dozia. "ButI am sure, there is something more than queer about Dolorez. Naturally,one hates so to take exception to the girls who are foreigners. Italways looks like prejudice."

  "Yes, that is the way I feel," said Jane. "But I have noticed Dolorezruns out a lot after dark, and just when the rest of us are busy atbooks. I heard her remark a couple of times she was hurrying to catchthe mailman, but it seems strange she should so often be late with herletters."

  "Yes, and did you notice she does not come back quickly?" Dozia askedsignificantly.

  "Oh, well, let us leave Dol to her own troubles. We have enough of ourown for this afternoon," suggested Jane. "I guess we have everythingarranged. Judith, your limp is perfectly fetching, just needs a stickand an eyeglass."

  "Mean thing! When you sprain your throat I shall offer gum drops,"flashed back Judith.

  As a basketball team the girls were first-class noise makers, and ifthere were any other ways of racketing than those operated, Bedlamitself must have held the copyright.

  For this, the final tryout, the great gym was crowded with spectators,as well as with the units of the various teams. Teams One and Two wereto play for place, and that place was to take up the big game with theBreslins--the event of greatest importance in the whole basketballseason.

  The players of most interest were the centers: Jane and Drusilla playedcenter for Team One, and Marian and Dolores occupied the ring for TeamTwo. Jane was jumping center and Marian her opponent.

  Little confusion resulted from the application of the new rules, andnothing of spectacular interest occurred until the end of the firsthalf. Then two fouls were called simultaneously--and both on DolorezVincez. She had grabbed Minette by the shoulders just as Minette wasmaking a goal, and the next foul came on top of that, called on thesame Dolorez, who executed another particularly rough play in whichJane went to the floor. For a moment after this accident there was astandstill--then taking advantage of the foul called, Drusilla caged theball making the second point, and winning the goal Jane had tried for.

  "That was a trick," whispered Judith to Isobel Talmadge, a referee. "Isaw her deliberately put her foot out."

  "I have my eye on that lady," answered Isobel. "That is not the onlytrick she has tried this afternoon."

  With a tie at the first half the interest waxed to a seething point,and the whistle blew for the last twenty minutes. Every girl seemed insuch fine form and exercised such agility that a grand climax waspromised when the tie should be broken.

  Happy, smiling, good natured and expectant, both teams made a picturethe faculty of Wellington had cause to take pride in, and whichever ofthese teams would win out as first, the second surely would hold aplace of high standing.

  From the lofts, and over the rails, the older girls were unconsciouslyclimbing to dangerous edges, in the utter disregard of roped-in limitsfor spectators, and more than one grad and undergrad had taken andoffered such innocent bets as flowers and fudge on the possible winnerof the second half.

  A fumble made by Marian cost the Twos a point, when a foul committed byNorma Travers of Jane's team evened them up again, without either sidemaking a basket.

  Time after time the big spherical ball was directly in front of theelusive basket only to be dashed back by an alert opponent.

  "Good work!" called the crowd, as Jane tossed the ball clear into theend field, taking advantage of her privilege as center to run from onefield to another. The throw had been made from the one bounce allowed,and that she had been able to take in all the privileges occasioned asensational play.

  Cheer after cheer rang out, then came the expectant silence. Some onemust "shoot a basket" soon, or the crowd would suffocate from pent-upexcitement.

  Two more fouls gave each side a free throw, but nowhere near the basketcame the much-abused ball.

  Finally the ball was in center, Jane jumped for it, pushed it to thefloor to comply with that rule, and just as she raised it to throw itwith straight aim for the player near the basket, Dolorez waved herhand in Jane's face!

  "Foul!" shouted the referee, and "Shame!" roared the crowd.

  "Disqualified!" came the sentence from the referee, and Dolorez wascompelled to leave the floor. She had been charged with four personalfouls, thus disqualifying her for more play, but in spite of thisunenviable record she did not leave the floor without a protest.

  Marian, quick to realize that a word from her to an official, when onlythe captain should speak, might turn her out as well as Dolorez,promptly substituted Tony Dexter, but it was too late. The foul allowedJane's side gave the free throw needed and into the basket went theball for Wellington. That settled it.

  "Jane Allen, Center!" went up a wild wonderful shout. The tie wasbroken, the game won for Team One, and Jane Allen became officialCenter for the season of 1920.

  "You were by all odds the best player," said Isobel Talmadge, whenquiet had almost been restored, and the players regained something of anormal condition. "But what appeared to be real strategy on Marian'steam, quickly developed into tricks, all of which measured up forfouls. I am going to call a meeting of the Athletic Board soon. Thereis something about Dolorez's playing not found on school teams. Iwouldn't be surprised if she has been something of a professional."

  "Oh, you can't mean it!" breathed Jane. "She is older obviously, buthow could she be a professional?"

  "Oh, very easily, little girl. But you have won your honors fairly andI congratulate you. We will have a record, after our Breslin Day thisyear, I am quite sure."

  "Thank you," said Jane simply. Judith was tugging at her sleeve andDrusilla dragging at the other arm.

  "Oh, come on. The seniors have a spread for us. Such real coffee andsandwiches. Isn't that splendid?" asked Judith, smacking her lips. "Butnot half as good as our victory at that. Jane, aren't you too proud towalk? Shan't we carry you?"

  "Yes, let's!" roared the surrounding girls, and in spite of protestsand appeals, Jane was raised to shoulders, then quickly carried to thefar end of the gym where the spread was "cast."

  It was a good-natured crowd that surrounded the improvised tables, andeven the losers took their defeat in the proper spirit, all but Marianand Dolorez. They had left the gym.

  "What was the matter with that old basket?" asked the good-natured TonyDexter. "I was waiting all afternoon for a chance to sub, and just whenI got it, 'whoop' in went the ball into the net."

  "Yes, and when I all but tucked it in its little bed, it tumbled out,"sighed Ted Guthrie comically.

  "Anyway, I had two bounces and one dribble, that makes a nice littlerecord for my home
report. I love to say I dribbled, sounds so cute andbaby like. Makes mama think I am cutting my eye teeth," supplementedthe big, clumsy Drusilla Landers, who was so big it was a joke for herto talk of baby and teeth.

  "Eat, children! Eat! For to-morrow we starve," commanded ConstanceLipton, a grad. "Jane, here is a sandwich made expressly for Center.See its pretty curve?"

  "Oh, it tastes good all around too," added Jane, munching the tid-bitall around, making a circle to outline center. "I love them this way."

  "That's just always the way it is," wailed little Clare Bradley. "Whena girl gets popular she receives all the honors. Jane Allen isover-subscribed--that is what Daddy calls it in the Liberty Loans."

  Everybody roared at pretty little Clare's definition of Jane'spopularity. To be over-subscribed in honors!

  "I'll admit I have more than my share!" Jane replied, "but then yousee, my second had to go and hurt her ankle. Otherwise she might havemade that big throw."

  "Oh, never!" protested Judith. "If I saw that basket waiting for myball, I would have been stage struck, and ducked. I tell you, Janie,you looked like all the cowboys when you made that throw. I'll wageryou had in mind my particular Fedario. Girls, you should see myFedario! He's the handsomest, blackest, wildest cowboy--with the mostwonderful skill at his ropes."

  "Oh, of course," yelled Weasie Blair. "Janey ought to be best atbasketball. Think of her cowboy training."

  "And the baskets the Indians make!" supplemented Gloria Gude.

  "And the great big balls that come with the hail storms," Ted Guthriedrawled out foolishly. "I believe if I were brought up in the hills ofMontana I could play anything from hookey to bean bag."

  A deluge of scraps and crumbs put an end to Ted's wit. As it was, shehad a blouse pocket full of coffee, and she bore up with at least oneear full of cookey crumbs.

  "But where is Helen?" asked Dickey Ripple between munches of realbread, and nibs at a soda biscuit. "Haven't seen her in eons."

  "Oh, she was in during the battle," Jane made answer. "But Nellie is atsomething new in music, and she simply cannot tear herself away fromthat fiddle."

  "Just the same," objected Weasie Blair, "she might take time tocelebrate. The Uppercuts don't often blow us to a feed like this."

  "We accept the compliment," responded Isobel Talmadge. "I have beenwondering why someone has not seen fit to say the eating was good."

  This brought forth such a storm of compliments, given in chorus withoutvery much harmony, that the Uppercuts, as the freshmen call the upperclass girls, finally begged for mercy.

  "And what became of Marian?" asked Mildred Jennings. "Seems to me allplayed well enough to be patted on the back, even if Team One did winout."

  "Indeed you did," Jane quickly replied, "and I hope Marian will come inand test the lovely spread. Naturally she felt badly about Dolorez. Ican't see why Dol rushed football tactics in."

  The moment she made the remark Jane regretted it. She had not intendedto refer to Dolorez's disqualification. And now she had broughtattention directly to it.

  The hum of subdued voices plainly agreed with Jane in their arguments.

  Marian should have stood her ground and helped her team celebrate, ifnot victory, then defeat!

  "Well, it is no news to have Jane for Center," spoke up Gloria Gude,when the Marian incident had been disposed of. "We knew she would becenter, ever since the term opened. Who else made a record anythinglike hers of last year?"

  "Of course," chimed in Grazia. "Jane is born Center. She knows justwhen to jump--I wouldn't wonder if she jumps in her sleep, eh, Jane?"

  "Now, girls, you all know as well as I do that there is plenty ofsplendid basketball talent sitting right here at this table. And thefact that you have made me Center----"

  "Means merely that you are the one best, dandy, all around Center wecould choose," interrupted Dorothy Blyden. "Three cheers for JaneAllen, Center!"

  "Hip-hip-hoorah!" and the echo shook the rafters.

  Then came the epidemic of:

  "I know a girl and her name is Jane," etc.

  "Say, girls," moaned Jane, when throats gave in and the shouts ceased,"if there is any way of getting a name changed without paying incometax on the change, I think I'll apply. You all know that girl whosename is Jane----"

  Came the--

  "A reebald--a ribald--reebald, ribald rum! Wellington! Wellington! Sis boom--ah--Wellington! Wellington! Rah! Rah! Rah!"