Page:Girls of Central High on the Stage.djvu/213

Rh "Strange how I should feel so differently!" spoke Laura, cheerfully.

"Oh, dear! I'll never be able to hold up my head again if it's not liked," Jess pursued. "It will just kill me."

"Don't die so easy, Chum," said Laura. "You know we'll need you in the big interschool meet after Easter."

"Oh! I'll never be fit to do anything in athletics again!" gasped Jess.

Which was certainly not borne out by the facts, for Jess Morse took a most important part in the spring meet of the Girls' Branch Athletic League, as a perusal of the next volume of this series: "The Girls of Central High on Track and Field; Or, The Champions of the School League," will prove.

At last Miss Gould said all was ready. Really, she did very well without the assistance of the unpleasant, black-eyed, little Pizotti! The signal was given and the curtain rose on the first tableau—and it was a pretty sight! In this allegorical introduction to Jess's play there were a score of the very prettiest girls of Central High, and they had been dressed and were grouped so artistically that an "Ah!" of admiration burst from the big audience.

The little fantasy unwound the thread of plot