football team. Paul was already a member of the team and rumor had it he was the choice for next year’s captain. But then Paul was the football type, broad-shouldered and stocky, and Ernie was slender in the same way Lynn was.
Why he wanted to make the team, his parents could not see.
“Really, dear,” Mrs. Chambers had said gently, “it’s not necessary to go out for something like that, just because a lot of the other boys do. We’re not all meant for the same things.”
“Sure,” his father had agreed. “You’re going to be a doctor. That’s something most of those muscle-bound fellows could never dream of doing. You don’t have to prove yourself by playing football, Son; there are plenty of other ways.”
But Ernie had been stubborn. Lynn thought she knew why. It had something to do with getting a letter sweater to present to Nancy. It was just when his steady dates with Nancy were beginning, and he wanted to give her a sweater, as all the boys did when they went with a girl.
“Which is silly,” Lynn had declared. “Nancy isn’t the kind of girl to care about something like that. She cares about you, not about some old letter.”
“Mind your own business, Sis,” Ernie had said, not unkindly. “This is something I’ve made up my mind to do, and I’m going to do it.”
And so he practiced. He practiced and practiced—and came home grimy and lame and bruised. Then the day of the tryouts came, and he did not make it He did not say much when he came home that day. He just said, “I didn’t make it,” and went upstairs and shut himself in his room.
Nancy phoned later, and he would not come to the phone to talk to her, which was unheard of for Ernie. He did not even come out for dinner.
Then, that evening, Paul arrived.
Dodie saw him first. Dodie was a year younger than Lynn and always saw everything.
“It’s the Kingsley boy,” she exclaimed, glancing out the window, “the Big Wheel of the school! My goodness, don’t tell me he’s come a’courting!”
“He certainly hasn’t if it’s me you’re considering,” Lynn said in equal surprise. “I’ve never even talked to him.”
She went to the door and let Paul in, liking him right away; liking the easy way he walked and the warm blue eyes and the way one eyebrow went up a little higher than the other when he talked.
He said, “I came by to see Ernie.”
“Ernie—” Lynn hesitated, wondering what to say. “Ernie’s upstairs. He—he’s not feeling awfully well. He tried out for the football team today and he—”
“I know,” Paul broke in. “I was there. That’s what I wanted to talk to him about.” He glanced at the stairs. “Do you think it would be all right if I just went on up?”
“Why, yes,” Lynn said. “I think that would be fine. It’s the first door on the left.”
She and Dodie stood in the hallway, watching him mount the stairs and turn down the upstairs hall. They heard him give a sharp rap on a door.
“Why did you let him go up?” Dodie whispered accusingly. “Ernie’s going to be furious! You know he doesn’t want to see anybody, even Nancy.”
“I know,” Lynn said. “But I have a feeling Paul’s different. I think he’ll want to see Paul.”
The boys were upstairs for a long time, and when they finally came down together, Ernie had a smile on his face.
“Paul saw me at the tryouts,” he said. “He thinks I’ve got the stuff for the team; I just haven’t had practice enough. He’s going to work out with me some this year, and next year I’m going to make it.”
“Fine!” Lynn replied, glancing gratefully at Paul. “I’m sure you will, too.”
Ernie said, “We’re going to pick up Nancy and go to a drive-in for a hamburger. Want to come along, Sis?”
“Which sis?” Dodie asked.
“Not you, small fry,” Ernie told her. “Big sis.”
Lynn said, “Well, I—”
She glanced at Paul. He was smiling at her.
“I wish you would.”
“Well, all right. I’d love to.”
And that is the way it had begun, quickly, easily, simply—because Paul was the kind of boy who would go out of his way to help somebody who was having a tough time, and because Lynn happened to be there, and maybe because the hamburgers had been a little overdone and they had laughed together about them, and there had been stars, and the River Road, when they drove back, had been drenched in moonlight. Not one thing alone, but all of them, had added up to the fact that it was a special night, and when it was over Paul had asked, “What about next Friday? Want to go to a movie or something?” and Lynn had answered, “Yes.” The next year, Ernie had made the football team. And by that winter, Lynn and Paul were going steady.
Because Paul was as he was, easy and cordial and quick to like everyone, he picked up friends everywhere he went, and, through their friendships with Paul, several “outsiders” were drawn into the Crowd. But generally speaking, the little group that sat on the left side of the front steps and called out greetings to Lynn and Nancy as they came up were from the Hill.
“Hi there, you two!” somebody shouted “We were wondering where on earth you were. We’ve already been through ‘who’s been where’this summer and have a brand-new topic.”
“Well, goodness,” Lynn exclaimed, joining the laughing group, “we are behind on things! Catch us up.”
“Guess what!” Holly Taylor cried, catching Lynn’s hand and drawing her down onto the steps. What is the most exciting thing you can imagine happening in Rivertown? To us, I mean!”
“The most exciting thing?” Nancy joined the discussion. “I can’t imagine. Maybe Hollywood talent scouts have discovered the beauties at Rivertown High and are planning to make a movie hen, or the school has decided to give flying lessons during gym class, or—”
“Oh, more exciting than that!” Joan Wilson exclaimed. “I’d keep on making you guess, but the bell will ring soon and then we won’t have time left to hash it all over. We’re going to make our debuts!”
“Our debuts!” Lynn’s eyes opened in amazement. “What on earth—”
“We knew you’d be surprised!” Everyone began to talk at once. “We just learned it today. Mrs. Peterson is behind it of course, and it’s going to be the most fabulous thing . . . you can’t imagine . . . parties every weekend, and a whole week of them during Christmas vacation ... a huge Presentation Ball in the spring...”
“Slowly!” Nancy fairly shouted above the excitement “Please, please, one at a time! Lynn and I want to digest this thing. Suppose just one person tells it.”
“Well, I will,” Holly Taylor said quickly, “because I heard about it first Mrs. Peterson was talking
