Eve Sitz did not find it so easy to score ahead of all her rivals, however. And Lou Potter’s record steadily grew better. Eve knew that she was doing her very best right along, whereas the senior was creeping up, creeping up—showing almost as good a record as Eve, and still forging on.
Magdeline Spink, of Lumberport, held the championship for putting the shot, and Eve knew that she had surpassed her score. In the broad jump it was almost as difficult for the contestants to learn their exact record as it was for the sprinters to learn theirs. If Mrs. Case measured the distance she kept the record secret.
Some of the seniors, especially those who were backing Lou Potter, began to make trouble in the meetings of the athletic committee, too. Heretofore no point had been made of the fact that the after-hour athletics were dominated by the junior class of Central High. That it was the fault of the present class of seniors if they were not in control of the League, did not now appeal to the disaffected.
Some of the junior and sophomore girls who, as Bobby said, were inclined to “toady” to members of the first class, took up cudgels for the seniors, too. Notably Lily Pendleton, who was forever aping the manners of her elders and always liked to associate with more mature girls.
And so, when there was friction in the committee meetings, Lily usually sided with the senior members.
“Why don’t you stick by your classmates, Lil?” demanded the hot-tempered Bobby, one afternoon, when the committee had been discussing plans for the June meet. It had already been decided that the inter-school field day exercises should be held on the grounds of Central High, that being by far the best field.
“Have I got to stick by you whether you’re right, or not, Bob Hargrew?” demanded Lily.
“But we’re right—of course.”
“I don’t think so. The seniors should have their say. We’ll want to boss when we are seniors.”
“They haven’t shown much interest in the scoring of Central High in athletic matters until lately,” Jess Morse said, quickly. “Why should they want to come in now and run it all?”