Terrier's Twirler Tearful as Band Rebuffs Blondes, Sticks to Music

PRISCILLA COOK ruefully contemplates the probability of being caught with her bands down next Saturday, before the weekend football crowd.

A hundred and thirty Harvard bandsmen juggled a petite, blonde B. U. majorette in their laps for a few hours yesterday afternoon but bounced her back in front of the Terrier trombones without missing a beat.

If not for band manager Walter J. Skinner '48, pert little Priscilla Cook might have led the "best in the business" into the stadium this week. As it was, she brushed the teardrops from her eyes last night and asked herself why nobody wanted her. B.U. had started all her troubles when bandsman Warren Freeman decided his cohorts could do without her and offered her to the Jawn Harvards.

"Everybody who marches with our out-fit plays an instrument," Crimson spokesman Skinner replied tersely, leaving Priscilla without a seat in the Stadium at all on Saturday.

"Some bands are content to play an accompaniment to a chorus line," said Skinner, adding that his group will continue to rest its reputation on the music it plays. The only skirts will be on bagpiper Leigh Cross '51.

The unwanted Sargent junior admitted, "Many a girl would be thrilled to death to march with Harvard," but worried more over her light treatment at home. "First they wanted to drop me from a helicopter," she chirped.

If she ever does get into the fray between the halves, the fans will be getting a look at an Eastern States Twirling champion who finished fourth in national competition way back at the age of 14. Priscilla calls herself Cookie, is a dance major at Sargent, and did her early twirling up on the ends of her toes.

Skinner was unimpressed by her credentials. "Lots of girls are trying to get into the act," he said. An aide reached into the flies and came up with an offer from a State of Texas twirling champ who was coming east to college. "We told her the same thing," he declared.

"B.U. can borrow some good musicians from us, if they need them," said Skinner. "We kept the band down to 130 men this year and turned away lots of good ones."

He declined to mix in the "battle of the bands" talk emanating from B.U. Harvard is out to put on a good show, he said, and if the Terriers can help "that will he just splendid.