ncle Roddy
clapped so hard that Polly and Lois looked up and waved.

Lois had just caught a ball that Betty threw and was aiming for a basket
when the whistle blew.

"Now, what!" Betty demanded. "We can't stop with a tie."

Miss Stewart consulted the two captains.

"We will play an extra two minutes," she said, "to decide. Ready!"

It was a tense second. The school groaned as the Fenwick center won the
toss, but they had forgotten Maud. She jumped high in the air and batted
the ball back to Betty, who passed it to Fanny, and then ran to the line
to receive it again. Lois was waiting for it and passed it low to Polly
and dashed to the goal post. Polly threw it back to her and she threw
for the basket. There was an agonized silence as the ball tottered on
the iron rim, that broke into a shout of triumph as it dropped in the
basket, a fraction of a minute before the whistle blew.

Seddon Hall had won--a splendid victory--and Polly's dream was realized.
The girls crowded around her and cheered; then lifted her according to
custom, shoulder high, and carried her around the room.

"Where's Fanny Gerard?" she asked as soon as they put her down before
the cup she had won.

"Here!" Betty called, pulling the reluctant center to her.

Polly threw her arms around her. "Fanny, will you ever forgive me?" she
said. "I didn't mean a word of all those horrid things I said--not one.
I only did it to make you mad. I knew if you could only begin to rage,
you'd get back your nerve, and you did; you played like a little
fury--but oh, how I hated to do it!"

Fanny threw back her head and laughed with relief. "Oh, Polly!" she
exclaimed, "I thought you really meant it."

Maud accepted Polly's praise with genuine pleasure. For once her stolid
indifference gave way to natural enthusiasm. Mrs. Baird presented Polly
with the cup, and the Fenwick captain added to her joy by telling her
that she had never seen such a wonderful exhibition of generalship. Dr.
and Mrs. Farwell, with Uncle Roddy and Bob were waiting at the door as
the girls came out bundled up in their sweaters.

"Good for you, Polly!" Bob said, enthusiastically. "That certainly was a
ripping game, and you deserve a whole lot of credit. I take back
everything I ever said about your girls' basket ball. Let's see the
cup," he added.

Polly showed it to him.

"I'm proud of you, Tiddledewinks," Uncle Roddy said, "and Lois, too. You
have a splendid eye. That last goal was wel