Grace Harlowe's Sophomore Year at High School - The Record of the Girl Chums in Work and Athletics

Jessie Graham [Pseud.] Flower

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• Publié par: titav
• Publié le: 08 décembre 2010
• Nombre de lectures: 34
• Langue: English

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Grace Harlowe's Sophomore Year at
High School, by Jessie Graham
Flower
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Title: Grace Harlowe's Sophomore Year at High School
Author: Jessie Graham Flower
Release Date: March 12, 2005 [eBook #15344]
[Date last updated: July 19, 2006]
Language: English
Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1
***START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK GRACE HARLOWE'S
SOPHOMORE YEAR AT HIGH SCHOOL***

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Grace Harlowe's Sophomore
Year at High School
OR
The Record of the Girl Chums
in Work and Athletics
ByJESSIE GRAHAM FLOWER, A.M.
Author of Grace Harlowe's Plebe Year at High School, Grace Harlowe's Junior
Year at High School, Grace Harlowe's Senior Year at High School, etc.
Illustrated
PHILADELPHIA
HENRY ALTEMUS COMPANY
1911

"The Sophomores Will Not Submit to Such Impositions."
Frontispiece—High School Girls No. 2.
CONTENTS
CHAPTER PAGE
I. A DECLARATION OF WAR 7
II. THE WAY OF THE TRANSGRESSOR 19
III. A GENEROUS APPEAL 28
IV. AN UNFORTUNATE AVIATOR 37
V. ON THE EVE OF BATTLE 48
VI. THE DEEPEST POSSIBLE DISGRACE 56
VII. GATHERING CLOUDS 74
VIII. THE PRICE OF FRIENDSHIP 85IX. AN UNSUCCESSFUL INTERVIEW 93
X. THE SOPHOMORE BALL 101
XI. A LION AT LAST 113
XII. THE WAYS OF SCHOOLGIRLS 122
XIII. A SKATING PARTY 132
XIV. A BRAVE RESCUE 142
XV. A BELATED REPENTANCE 156
XVI. AN OUNCE OF LOYALTY 163
XVII. BURYING THE HATCHET 170
XVIII. AT THE ELEVENTH HOUR 180
XIX. THE GREAT GAME 190
XX. A PIECE OF NEWS 200
XXI. ANNE AND GRACE COMPARE NOTES 205
XXII. A RESCUE AND A REFORM 211
XXIII. GRACE MEETS A DISTINGUISHED CHARACTER 223
XXIV. COMMENCEMENT 238
Grace Harlowe's Sophomore Year at High
School
CHAPTER I
A DECLARATION OF WAR
"Anne, you will never learn to do a side vault that way. Let me show you,"
exclaimed Grace Harlowe.
The gymnasium was full of High School girls, and a very busy and interesting
picture they made, running, leaping, vaulting, passing the medicine ball and
practising on the rings.
In one corner a class was in progress, the physical culture instructor calling out
her orders like an officer on parade.
The four girl chums had grown somewhat taller than when last seen. A rich
summer-vacation tan had browned their faces and Nora O'Malley's tip-tilted
Irish nose was dotted with freckles. All four were dressed in gymnasium suits of
dark blue and across the front of each blouse in letters of sky-blue were the
initials "O.H.S.S." which stood for "Oakdale High School Sophomore." They
were rather proud of these initials, perhaps because the lettering was still too
recent to have lost its novelty.
"Never mind," replied Anne Pierson; "I don't believe I shall ever learn, it, but,
thank goodness, vaulting isn't entirely necessary to human happiness."thank goodness, vaulting isn't entirely necessary to human happiness."
"Thank goodness it isn't," observed Jessica, who never really enjoyed
gymnasium work.
"It is to mine," protested Grace, glowing with exercise and enthusiasm. "If I
couldn't do every one of these stunts I should certainly lie awake at night
grieving over it."
She gave a joyous laugh as she vaulted over the wooden horse as easily and
gracefully as an acrobat.
"I'd much rather dance," replied Anne. "Ever since Mrs. Gray's Christmas party
I've wanted to learn."
"Why Anne," replied Grace, "I had forgotten that you don't dance. I'll give you a
lesson at once. But you must first learn to waltz, then all other dancing will be
easy."
"Just watch me while I show you the step," Grace continued.
"Now, you try it while I count for you."
"One, two, three. One, two, three. That's right. Just keep on practising, until you
are sure of yourself; then if Jessica will play for us, I'll waltz with you."
"With pleasure," said Jessica, "Anne must learn to waltz. Her education in
dancing mustn't be neglected another minute."
Anne patiently practised the step while Jessica played a very slow waltz on the
piano and Grace counted for Anne. Then the two girls danced together, and
under Grace's guidance Anne found waltzing wasn't half as hard as she had
imagined it would be.
By this time the gymnasium was almost empty. The class in physical culture
had been dismissed, and the girls belonging to it had withdrawn to the locker
rooms to dress and go home. The four girl chums were practically alone.
"I do wish the rest of the basketball team would put in an appearance," said
Grace, as she and Anne stopped to rest. "We need every minute we can get for
practice. The opening game is so very near, and it's really difficult to get the
gymnasium now, for the juniors seem to consider it their especial possession.
One would think they had leased it for the season."
"They are awfully mean, I think," said Nora O'Malley. "They weren't at all nice to
us last year when we were freshmen and they were sophomores. Even the
dignity of being juniors doesn't seem to improve them any. They are just as
hateful as ever."
"Most of the juniors are really nice girls, but it is due to Julia Crosby that they
behave so badly," said Jessica Bright thoughtfully, "She leads them, into all
kinds of mischief. She is a born trouble-maker."
"She is one of the rudest girls I have ever known," remarked Nora with
emphasis. "How Miriam Nesbit can tolerate her is more than I can see."
"Well," said Grace, "it is hardly a case of toleration. Miriam seems really fond of
her."
"Hush!" said Anne, who had been silently listening to the conversation. "Here
comes the rest of the team, and Miriam is with them."
Readers of the preceding volume of this series, "Grace Harlowe's Plebe Year atHigh School," need no introduction to Grace Harlowe and her girl chums. In
that volume was narrated the race for the freshman prize, so generously offered
each year by Mrs. Gray, sponsor of the freshman class, and the efforts of Miriam
Nesbit aided by the disagreeable teacher of algebra, Miss Leece, to ruin the
career of Anne Pierson, the brightest pupil of Oakdale High School. Through
the loyalty and cleverness of Grace and her friends, the plot was brought to light
and Anne was vindicated.
Many and varied were the experiences which fell to the lot of the High School
girls. The encounter with an impostor, masquerading as Mrs. Gray's nephew,
Tom Gray, the escape from wolves in Upton Woods, and Mrs. Gray's Christmas
ball proved exciting additions to the routine of school work.
The contest between Grace and Miriam Nesbit for the basketball captaincy,
resulting in Grace's subsequent election, was also one of the interesting
features of the freshman year.
The beginning of the sophomore year found Miriam Nesbit in a most
unpleasant frame of mind toward Grace and her friends. The loss of the
basketball captaincy had been a severe blow to Miriam's pride, and she could
not forgive Grace her popularity.
As she walked across the gymnasium followed by the other members of the
team, her face wore a sullen expression which deepened as her eyes rested
upon Grace, and she nodded very stiffly to the young captain. Grace, fully
aware of the coldness of Miriam's salutation, returned it as courteously as
though Miriam had been one of her particular friends. Long before this Grace
had made up her mind to treat Miriam as though nothing disagreeable had ever
happened. There was no use in holding a grudge.
"If Miriam once realizes that we are willing to overlook some things which
happened last year," Grace had confided to Anne, "perhaps her better self will
come to the surface. I am sure she has a better self, only she has never given it
a chance to develop."
Anne did not feel quite so positive as to the existence of Miriam's better self, but
agreed with Grace because she adored her.
The entire team having assembled, Grace lost no time in assigning the players
to their various positions.
"Miriam will you play one of the forwards?" she asked.
"Who is going to play center?" queried Miriam ignoring Grace's question.
"Why the girls have asked me to play," replied Grace.
"If I cannot play center," announced Miriam shrugging her shoulders, "I shall
play nothing."
A sudden silence fell upon the group of girls, who, amazed at Miriam's
rudeness, awaited Grace's answer.
Stifling her desire to retort sharply, Grace said? "Why Miriam, I didn't know you
felt that way about it. Certainly you may play center if you wish to. I am sure I
don't wish to seem selfish."
This was too much for Nora O'Malley, who deeply resented Miriam's attitude
towar