Milne School - Bricks and Ivy Yearbook (Albany, NY)

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24 THE CRIMSON AND WHITE In the fall she had sprained her ankle and the set was never finished. The next day, with the tirm intention of showing Marcia that somebody else had perfect manners and knew the sporting thing to do Ward carried her racquet over and politely inquired how she was. Peggy informed him that Marcia's parents had called for her and taken her to a neighboring village, some twenty miles away. Vtfard looked thoughtful and picking up the racquet which he had carelessly thrown on the hammock, told Peggy goodbye and went home. The truth of the matter was that Wartl's vanity had been hurt. Having been favored by girls, all girls, from the shyest in the kindergarten class to thc reigning belle of the high school, he was a bit inclined to be conceited and spoiled. He had been able to make no impression upon Marcia, to be sure, none of the fellows had, but with his extraordinary good looks, his good playing of all sports .... The next week he drove over to the village where Marcia was staying and after returning her racquet and talking for a while he realized that he was beginning to lose his dislike for her. Somehow she seemed lonelywshe admitted that she had had no other company except Peggy. Their conversation had been interesting, had touched on many topics but never tennis. Much to his surprise Warcl discovered that a very real sense of humor lay beneath the lovely exterior. Although he hinted pointedly for an invitation to come again, she gave no Sign, so he left without the invitation but with a tennis racquet marked M. M. riding peacefully on the back seat of the car. The next week he returned the racquet again and was delighted by the appreciative gleam in Marcia's eyes and the sudden trem- bling of her mouth. Once more Marcia ignored the hints for a hoped for invitation and once more Ward left-with the racquet grasped firmly in one hand in plain sight of an interested pair of gray eyes. And still the next- week he came back, he was more than ordi- narily interested--he was fascinated and curious. He felt there was something behind the cool composure Hlld haughtiness, something unthought of-something-something shy!

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THE CRIMSON AND WHITE 23 j UIQE E TERYX W 1 ll A. LR? f H THE LOVE SET I Four-'l'wo llarvcy's voice was a trifle too cxcitccl, a trific too pt-rsonal to bt- proft-ssional. lt wasn't ball, this unipiriug busi- ncss, cspccially if onc's bcst frit-ntl and particular pal was carrying off all thc honors from a girl who was supposctl to bc a lllEl1'V0l. Marcia Manning hatl hchl thc tcnnis cup and championship of hcr school for two yt-ars and whcn thc bunch had learned of hcr cxpcctctl visit to Pcgxgy thcy hail innnccliately made plans for a contcst bctwccn hcr and thcir own bclovctl champion, VVarcl llowc. Marcia had bccn in tht-ir own littlc colony two wccks bcforc shc agrcccl to play VVartl. Shc had attcntlctl a fashionablc antl cxclusivc girls' school, worc gorgcous clothcs and was stunning looking. That 's why thc girls tli1ln't cart- about llitll. Shc was cool, mlistant and hartl to Ellllllflfk 'l'hat'g why thc boys ditln't like hcr. liccausc of l'cggy's firmly cstablishctl popularity scvcral pafrtirs wcrc givcn for hcl' gut-st but noun- of lllvlll, strictly spcaking, wa-rc a succcss, at lcast not for Marcia. llcr dancing was tint' but laokctl the truc lovc of thc art, shc ncvcr attcniptccl to llldlit' convcrsation beyond a fcw convcntional rcniarks, hcr nianncrs wcrc pcrfcct and thcrc shc was, stunning, pc-rfcctly gowncml, borctl and unintcicsting. Tho wholc colony of young peoplc, or as they wcrc niorc coni- nionly callctl, 'Lthc gang had lookctl forward to thc ganic with grcat intcrcst. NVartl was inclinctl to be a bit supcrior ancl confi- rlcnt of thc OlliC0lIll'. The first st-t was fast and furious and wt-nt to NVa1'tl, who, cxcitctl by his easy victory, lost thc sccontl bcfore hc iwalizctl it. 'l'hc thircl now stootl four to two in favor of VVartl. Marcia walkctl ac-ross thc court to changw- with VVartl, ht-r haughty chin was up. ht-r gray cycs cool and distant. At thc sanic nionient llarvcy talking to some of thc girls, pickctl up a ball and carclcssly thrt-w it in thc tlircction of thc nct. lt l-antlctl ncar Marcia antl thc next nionicnt shc had stcppctl on it, fallcn, and lay lnuhlh-tl in a hcap.

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-- in THE CRIMSON AND WHITE 25 t The next week she took the racquet from him and took it in the house. Again they spent an interesting afternoon and when he was ready to go home he looked at her despairingly, Marcia, Where's the racquet?l' Marcia laughed, 4'Wliy the racquet?', she asked quite simply. t'Well, I've got to have some excuse haven't I? Particularly when I don 't get any invitations. tilts rather a bulky excuse, isn't it?'l she asked sweetly and then, 'ttell me, do you like lavendar?', Ward squinted his eyes speculatively and gazed at the slender simplicity of the lavendar linen frock, at the glorious blue-blackness of her hair, at her wide gray eyes and out of the very middle of his heart he answered her, You bet I do. He was a bit puzzled, why should she care whether he liked lavendar or not? Despite his atrociously open hints for an invita- tion she did not issue one-at least not verbally but when he said good-bye, she held out her hand in a surprisingly friendly gesture and smiled and was gone before he could say more tha11 a short good-bye but at his feet lay a small square of linen faintly sug- gesting perfume-and it was lavendar. As the summer went on they became wonderful friends but neither alluded to the tennis match until one day when they were out in her canoe. Ward leaned forward eagerly, Say Marcia, aren't you glad we played tennis that day? If We hadn't, and if you hadnlt fallen, and I hadn't returned your racquet in i'Three times interrupted the girl calmly. t'Well, golly, you wouldn't help a fellow along and over at Peg's you acted as if I bored you. You did, at Peg's the girl announced frankly, as for that tennis, I was between the devil and the deep blue sea. You see I knew you all didn 't like me and if you won why they might not hate me quite so much and if I won I'd show lem that you Weren't the only one in the Wide universe who could play, anyway my pride was up 'cause you looked so awfully confidentf' 'tSay, what was the score? It might have been a love set for all I know. t'It was four-two your favor but I'm going to beat you some day. il ill ik if ii SF Sl! if