Page:Girls of Central High on the Stage.djvu/215

Rh gan to chant the well-known yell of Central High.

But that was not what Jess waited for. That was school loyalty. She had expected that.

As the thunder of the boys' applause began to wane there was another sound which reached the ears of those listening behind the curtain. A steady, sharp clapping of hands; then joined by a shuffling of feet. The great mass of the audience was applauding.

The curtain went up, and the whole company appeared. It rose and rose again, at last to display only the principals, down to the final two who had closed the play. But that was not enough.

They could hear Dr. Agnew's heavy voice growling somewhere out in the darkness of the auditorium:

"Author! Author! Bring her out!"

The boys took up the demand. They even called on Jess Morse by name, and hitched that name to the battle cry of their athletic field.

"You've got to go!" cried Laura, giving her chum a push. "You've got to, Jess!"

And so Jess Morse stepped forward, modestly, bashfully, and faced the great audience. Tears half blinded her, but she bowed as she had been taught. And all the time she tasted the first intoxicating draught of Fame!