CHAPTER XX A WELCOME DISTURBANCE
"Caught red-handed," cried a familiar voice.
Margery uttered a little scream.
"Thave me!" cried Tommy, dropping her racquet.
"Sorry to have frightened you, ladies, but glad that it was I who did itrather than some one else," he said, stepping forward, laughing heartilyat their confusion.
"It's Mr. Disbrow," cried Harriet. "Oh, we are glad to see you. How longhave you been here?"
"Since the beginning of the set. You should be more cautious. How did youknow but that one of your opponents might be watching and gettingpointers from your practice? You certainly have been applying all theinstruction I gave you."
"It was a mistake," agreed Miss Elting. "We were all too absorbed tothink that any one might be looking on. How did you get here so early?"
"I just arrived, and, after leaving my bag at the hotel, thought I wouldwalk over and have a look at the courts. It is too early for breakfast atthe hotel, you know."
"I am glad. You will now have breakfast with us. The boys have not yetarrived."
"I did not expect to see them," chuckled Disbrow. "But tell me, what isnew? What do you hear about the other contestants?"
Harriet told him all that they had learned from George Baker, to all ofwhich Mr. Disbrow listened gravely.
"Yes, I have heard as much. It seems a foregone conclusion that the ScottSisters are going to win the cup. From what I have been able to learnthey are accomplished players and have been in training for this matchever since early in the spring."
"Yes?" Harriet's eyebrows elevated ever so little. "You have lost yourconfidence in the Meadow-Brook Girls, then?"
"By no means. From what I have just seen here you girls will give a mostexcellent account of yourselves, but that doesn't mean that you will winthe cup. I do not see how you could even hope to do so after the verybrief time you have spent at the nets. Had you finished?"
"We were going back to camp, but we will put on another game if youlike," replied Harriet.
"I wish you would. You may not find another opportunity when no othersare about. After this afternoon I shouldn't do more than just keep ingood form. I mean, do no hard work on the court. Now, if you are ready,you may play a couple of games, keeping the same partners, and payingespecial attention to team work."
They did so, Harriet Burrell's side winning each time, the two gamesbeing watched keenly by the Englishman, but without comment until thegames were finished.
"Very good, _very_ good!" he cried, with something more than the usualpraise in his voice. "I am satisfied that you have done a great deal morethan really could be expected of you. In fact, I may say that I would nothave deemed it possible for novices to get in such form as you areshowing in so short a time. Do not set your hopes too high, but get asnear the top as you can. I shall make it a point to circulate among theplayers who are here and renew old acquaintances. I may have somethingfurther to say on the matter this evening. Oh, no, I am not going to spyon our opponents. I merely want to hear from persons who know what theothers have been doing, how they are showing up as to form and skill. Ithink I shall accept your invitation to breakfast with you. This air hasgiven me an appetite."
"We have a very good court at the camp," said Miss Elting after the partyhad started for camp. "The boys have worked like Trojans to put it inexcellent shape. It is a dirt court."
"That is good. They are a fine lot of boys."
"Yeth, and Tham bumped hith nothe," Tommy informed him.
"So I hear. Poor Samuel. He is a most unfortunate mortal, but he is allto the good. That is a fine location for you. You should have some placein which to rest, however. You will have seven minutes after each thirdset, you know."
"The teams are to have dressing tents near the courts if they wish,"answered Harriet Burrell. "Mr. Baker is going to put up one for us."
"Good old George!" approved Mr. Disbrow.
At breakfast, which was a hearty meal in the case of the champion, heoffered his criticisms of their playing that morning, making valuablesuggestions and giving them a series of instructions regarding theirplaying when the real test was at hand--that of standing up beforehundreds of people and yet being wholly unconscious of their presence.
The conversation was continued after breakfast, then the girls told himof their code of signals. Disbrow said he had observed them when theywere playing the second set while he was watching from behind the stand.He agreed that it was an excellent idea provided they did not give toomuch attention to watching for signals and thus overlook the moreimportant things.
"Harriet ith going to let uth have the thilver polithh and cloth for thecup," interjected Tommy wholly irrelevantly to the subject underdiscussion.
Mr. Disbrow laughed heartily.
"I sincerely hope you may have use for the silver polish," he replied."To-morrow, I believe, the singles are to be played off. You should seeall of them and study the methods of the players critically, especiallythose whom you are to face in the courts next day. Here come the boys."
"It's P. E.!" shouted George the instant he caught sight of theEnglishman sitting in the camp. The boys welcomed him boisterously, thenGeorge poured out all the news he had obtained. Later on he accompaniedMr. Disbrow to his hotel, where the two discussed the chances of theMeadow-Brook Girls. Neither the champion nor the boy saw any reason tochange their opinions on this subject. That the girls might make anexcellent showing they agreed, but that they stood any chance at all ofwinning the championship neither believed.
"It is simply an impossibility," declared P. E. with emphasis. "I wish Imight look at it in a different light. Perhaps we may change our mindsafter we see what the other people have been doing, but I doubt it. Haveyou seen any of the others play?"
George said he had not, but that he had some confidential reports on thework of the Fifth Avenues and the Riversides.
"How are they?" questioned Disbrow eagerly.
"Hot stuff," answered George, "but very fancy. My, but they handle theirracquets well!"
"That doesn't necessarily make a champion," suggested Disbrowthoughtfully. "But we shall see. I shall hope to have further informationby this evening and still more to-morrow. I say, if I shouldn't get backbefore dark, see that the girls play a couple of sets--light practice,mind you--after four o'clock this afternoon. And don't let them work toohard during the heat of the afternoon. They are pretty fit physically nowand I don't want them to lose form. I think it is safe to say that noteam in the tournament will enter the courts in better physical conditionthan the Meadow-Brooks. They are simply wonderful physically. I leave youto look after these things as I do not wish to take an active part. Itwould not be best for them."
George agreed. All arrangements having been talked over and understoodbetween George and Mr. Disbrow, they separated, George to return to camp,the Englishman to spend the day among the tennis people, many of whom heknew, for the tournament had drawn as spectators tennis players of highand low degree.
Almost every person was talking tennis and discussing the merits of therespective teams. Of the Meadow-Brooks little was known. Some had heardof them, most had not, nor had the girls appeared on the streets of thetown enough to be identified and placed. They were too busy with theserious affairs in hand to spend any time wandering about the summerresort in idle pleasure.
Every train that arrived during the day brought with it players andvisitors. Early in the forenoon girls in white sweaters might have beenseen at practice on the tournament courts. The Meadow-Brook Girls were atno time among them, nor were the Scott Sisters nor the Fifth Avenues andRiversides. The latter two were practising on their own private courtsand the former were staying with friends and resting preparatory to thebattle to be fought perhaps on the morrow.
It was after dinner that evening before Earlington Disbrow turned hisfootsteps toward the Meadow-Brook camp. He was not highly elated overwhat he had learned that day
, but showed nothing of this in his face ormanner when he called on the girls. The boys were still there.
George reported that the girls had had a very satisfactory day'spractice, but that the Tramps had had difficulty in keeping spectatorsand curious players away from the place. The Tramps had literally throwna circle about the Meadow-Brook Girls' court, permitting no one to passwithin the circle while practice was in progress.
"Will they play to-morrow?" questioned Dill.
"No. Mr. Herrington does not think it advisable. It will undoubtedly belate in the afternoon before the singles are run off, so he has decidedto start the doubles on the following forenoon at ten o'clock."
"What do you wish on the question of team-mates?" he asked, turning toMiss Elting.
"We have been leaving that to you."
"Then I will offer my suggestion. I have talked it over with George andhe agrees with me. I believe the best results can be obtained byarranging it as follows, Miss Burrell and Miss Thompson to play together,Miss McCarthy and Miss Holland to act as team-mates. Of course, MissThompson is not as heavy as I wish she were, but she makes up for that ina measure by her alertness. Have you any objections to the arrangement?"
"Indeed not," answered the guardian. "You have expressed my own ideas onthe question. None of the girls has expressed any preference, but I knowthey will be satisfied."
"I for one am," answered Harriet promptly. The other girls announcedthemselves as pleased with the arrangement.
"Then we will call it settled. I wish we might be drawn so that you girlscould play the weaker teams first."
"We do not wish any favoritism," declared Harriet. "If we can't winfairly and on our merits, we prefer to be beaten."
"That is the sportsman-like spirit. That is the spirit that shouldprevail in all contests, as I am certain it will in this. You are goingto be in hot company. I have learned something more about the playing ofthe Scott Sisters. They are fine players. I am not belittling your work,mind you. You play a splendid game--a marvelous game for the time youhave been practising, but you must remember that one has to go through afew public matches before one learns to play well before people."
"Yeth, we underthtand," nodded Tommy.
"Then you think we shall not win?" questioned Harriet.
"I do not wish to discourage you, nor do I think you will so construewhat I have to say. I think you will play a very fine game and that youwill not win the booby prize, but as for winning the cup, for the life ofme I don't see how you are going to do it. There! It's out now."
"You are one of those perthonth who have to be thhown, aren't you?"lisped Tommy Thompson after a moment of deep silence following thediscouraging announcement. "I gueth that we thhall have to thhow you."