The Binworth Captain now arranged her field, and Winona sent in Bessie
Kirk and Irene Swinburne to face the bowling of Meg Perkins at one end,
and Phyllis Knight at the other. At first things did not go over well
for Seaton. Bessie Kirk fell a victim to Meg's crafty slows. She played
too soon at a short-pitched ball, and spooned a catch to mid-on. Irene
at first scored merrily, but growing foolhardy was clean bowled by
Phyllis Knight, to her huge discomfiture. Betty Carlisle and Maggie
Allesley met with better luck, and the score began to creep up. The
Seaton girls breathed more freely. Audrey Redfern and Lizzie Morris came
up next. Lizzie broke her duck in the first over, and gaining confidence
began to get her eye in, and with Audrey stone-walling with dogged
persistence at the other end, and now and then making a single, the
score reached fifty-three. There were only ten minutes left. Winona
began to grow desperate. She came forth herself now, with a look of
determination on her face. Dora Evans at once rolled the ball to Lottie
Moir. Winona took her block composedly. Lottie might with advantage have
been put on before. Her style, though by no means swift, was most
awkward to play. Winona in the first over did not attempt to score. She
wished to take the measure of her opponent. In the next over her partner
made a single, which brought Winona to the opposite wicket. The first
ball came well on the off-side, and she sent it flying to the boundary
for four. Fifty-eight was now up on the board, and there were only five
minutes left! Perhaps Lottie Moir was tired, or waxed a little careless.
The next ball she sent down was an easy full pitch. Winona waited till
just the right moment, and then, with a fine swing of her bat, sent the
ball clean over the boundary for six. The match was won, and Seaton, in
the ecstasy of victory, was cheering itself hoarse.
"I never thought we'd do it!" murmured Winona to Betty, as they drank
ginger pop together in the pavilion.
"I reckoned our Captain wouldn't fail us!" chuckled Betty delightedly.
"Linda must compose an epic on it for the School Magazine. It beats
Marathon, in my opinion!"
"Well, I'm glad my last match at the old 'High' has been a success,
anyway!"
"Seaton _versus_ Binworth" had taken place on Wednesday, and the school
had scarcely finished exulting over its triumph before another matter
claimed its attention.
On Thursday morning the results of the examination arrived. Miss Bishop
summoned the whole school into the lecture hall to hear the news. She
was looking flushed and excited. She waited a few moments as if to give
extra effect to her words, then announced:
"I have just received the results of the Entrance Examinations from
Dunningham University. Out of twelve candidates who were entered from
this school, ten have satisfied the examiners. Their names stand as
follows in order of merit:
FIRST CLASS.
Garnet Emerson.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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