oyed keeping her off the team, but I didn't dare
do it."

"Then you think we ought to stick to Marian?" Laura asked rather
dubiously.

"Yes. Why not? So long as it suits us to do it. We can easily handle her
if she shows her claws. She won't, though. She knows that I could drop
her from the team if I chose. She won't dare say a word because the rest
of the team are against her. I'll very quickly remind her of it if she
is wrathy about to-day's affair."

"Suppose anything--well--disagreeable for us--should come of it?"

Despite Selina's assurances, Laura was not quite satisfied.

"What do you mean?" queried Selina impatiently.

"Suppose Miss Stearns' friends should take it up and raise a regular
riot about it? A lot of sophs went over to her after the try-out. You
saw them and heard them cheering her. Dorothy Martin was there with the
crowd. She went straight to them from us. I tell you, I don't like it,
Selina. I think we were foolish to lay ourselves open to criticism.
We're seniors, you know, and so are supposed to set a good example for
the other classes."

"Oh, stop worrying about it," roughly advised Selina. "Wait and see what
happens. If the sophs start to fuss, I can soon settle them."

"How?" demanded Laura incredulously.

"By taking Marian off the team and putting the Stearns girls on,"
promptly informed Selina. "If I lose Marian's friendship by it, I'll
gain Dorothy Martin's and Jane Allen's. As I'm not devoted to any of
these girls, I'm not particular which side I'm on, so long as it's the
side that does the most for me."

CHAPTER XX

THE RISE OF THE FRESHMAN TEAM

Returned to Madison Hall that afternoon, Dorothy Martin went directly to
her room to put into effect the spoken resolution she had made in the
gymnasium.

The brief note she dashed off in a strong, purposeful hand, read:

"MY DEAR MISS BROWN:

"Kindly appoint someone else in my place as referee for the coming
games. I must firmly decline to act in that capacity.

"Yours truly,

"DOROTHY MARTIN."

Deciding to send it through the regular mail channels, she stamped and
addressed it, and promptly consigned it to the mail box.

When it presently came into the hands of Selina Brown, it cost the
latter some moments of uneasy speculation. She had not reckoned on
Dorothy's going thus far.

As it happened