CHAPTER XV
AN UNEXPECTED DUCKING
The trouble with Billie Bradley’s knee did not improve during the daysthat followed. Although, assisted by her chums and Edina Tooker, sherubbed it faithfully with arnica each night, she still showed far fromher old form on the tennis courts.
She was forced to suffer the constant taunts of Amanda Peabody andEliza Dilks. Instead of making reply, she closed her lips tight andsaid nothing.
“Why not tell them your knee is in bad shape?” cried Laura on oneoccasion when Amanda’s caustic comments had aggravated her almost pastbearing. “You let her stand there and say all sorts of things and nevercome back with a word in your own defense. I must say I’m disappointedin you, Billie.”
Billie shook her head stubbornly.
“I’ll not excuse my failures,” she said.
“Well, then, let me excuse them--or Vi or Edina here. We’ll undertakeit with the greatest of pleasure.”
Billie remained adamant.
“It would be just as bad to have you making excuses for me. No, sir,if I have to take a beating, I’ll take it right!”
Although her chums understood Billie’s attitude and, in their own way,sympathized with it, no attempt was made to underestimate the direeffect of Billie’s temporary indisposition upon their hope of victoryin the fall tennis tournament, now close at hand.
“It isn’t only Billie who may be defeated. It’s our whole crowd that’llgo down in the crash--at least, our pride will crash,” sighed Vi toLaura one day.
“I know. But there’s no use arguing with Billie when she’s in thismood,” was the response.
On the courts, Billie and Amanda Peabody had long been rivals. Amandawas a spectacular player with speed and power, but apt to proveerratic, especially when the play went against her.
Billie was steady, careful, sure, coolest in an emergency.
It was pretty to watch the two on the courts; it was alwaysinteresting; it was even apt to prove dramatic.
To Billie, tennis was a well loved sport. On the courts all personalenmity was forgotten, all private grudges temporarily wiped out.
Not so, however, with Amanda. This girl, while having developedexcellent tennis form, was a bad sport both on and off the courts. She,unlike Billie, carried her private grudges with her and was only attop form when winning.
This year, however, it began to look as though Amanda Peabody wouldwin. With Billie so far from top form, there was no one at Three Towerscapable of giving Amanda “a good run for her money.”
Billie regarded her chums with troubled eyes.
“If only one of you could train in my place----”
“Don’t look at me!” cried Vi, in alarm. “You know I am a perfect dub onthe courts.”
“You are getting better all the time.”
“It would take me from now to eternity to get good enough to beatAmanda. Don’t pick on me, Billie. You know very well I’m out.”
Billie looked at Laura, who giggled and raised her hand as though toward off a blow.
“I’m good--I admit it--on the courts, as elsewhere. But not nearly goodenough. Take Edina here,” she added, with a mischievous glance at the“lion cub.” “She looks like your one best bet.”
Edina grinned.
“Me! I can bust the insides out of a ball when I hit it, but my racketand the balls, they seem to be just born enemies. They never git closeenough together to be friends.”
Laura chuckled.
“I’ve watched you miss more balls this week, Edina Tooker, than Ithought there were in the world!”
Billie sighed and rubbed her knee reflectively.
“Well, it seems to be up to me. And I’m a total loss. I guess Amandawill walk away with all the honors this season.”
“It’s more than I can bear!” Vi stood for a moment in deep thought.Then said eagerly: “You know, Billie, I’ve a hunch about that knee.You’ve been working it too hard. I’ll bet if you had absolute rest fora week, never went near the courts, it would be a heap more profitablethan all this violent exercise you’ve been putting yourself to.”
“But I need the practice,” Billie protested. “My form is terrible.”
“Your form is just as good or bad as your knee. Get that into shape,and I’m willing to bet your form will take care of itself.”
“Sounds like sense to me,” Laura abetted her. “Why not try it, Billie?I tell you what! Ted has been at me for a long time to get up a picnicon the lake. To-morrow’s Saturday. How about it, everybody? Anyobjections?”
“Not a one, that I can think of,” returned Billie, with a smile. “Thisis excellent picnic weather and we want to make the most of it.”
“Before the lake gets frozen over with ice,” chuckled Laura. “Allright. I’ll tell Ted it’s a go.”
Edina shied like an unbroken colt at the mention of boys.
“We git along together like rattlesnakes and coyotes. I don’t likethem and they don’t like me no--any--better. You’d better leave me outof this here picnic. I’ll spoil it all for you.”
“Nothing doing!” said Billie decidedly. “You no go, I no go either. Theboys don’t bite and I’m sure you don’t, ’Dina.” With a severity, beliedby the twinkle in her eye, she added: “You’ve got to learn to get alongwith the boys, you know. It’s an important part of your education.”
A few minutes over the telephone were sufficient to arrange with theboys for the following day’s fun. A few moments more in the kitchenprovided for the hearty appetites of a healthy group of boys and girls.Clarice promised to put up a hamper of good things that would make “yo’eyes pop clean out o’ yo’ haids.”
“Now all we have to do,” said Laura contentedly, “is to go to bed andpray for a clear day to-morrow.”
Surely, the following day might have been an answer to any one’s prayerfor fine weather. It was one of those lovely early fall days when thesun warms the blood and the tang of crisp air sets it dancing.
“Oh, I do love this time of the year!” Billie’s face glowed above thewoolly white sweater she was wearing for warmth’s sake. “It makes mefeel equal to meeting and beating Amanda Peabody, even with one kneeout of joint!”
“The way you look to-day, you could meet and beat any one with bothknees out of joint,” declared Laura loyally.
It had been decided the day before that the boys would row across fromBoxton and pick up the girls at the Three Towers’ dock.
Their part of the bargain was so promptly kept that the girls hadbarely reached the boathouse when they descried the fleet of rowboatscoming toward them across the lake.
“There come Teddy and Chet----”
“And Ferd Stowing. But who’s the fourth?”
“Paul Martinson, probably,” said Billie. “Chet said he might comealong.”
Billie cast a sidelong look at Edina, and was quite satisfied with whatshe saw.
The girl from Oklahoma wore a white sport coat--recently added to hersteadily growing wardrobe. The sport coat topped a white, fuzzy skirtand a silk jumper adorned with a flaming, scarlet tie. On Edina’s feetwere white sport shoes of an approved style. Her legs were encased inimmaculate, unwrinkled white silk stockings.
The improvement in Edina was more than “clothes deep,” however, a factof which Billie was very well aware. The girl had acquired a new poise,a dignity which was very attractive. Moreover, her disposition hadimproved signally. She was not nearly so ready to claw and scratch asshe had been a short time since. The “lion cub” was surely becomingcivilized.
“You look stunning, Edina,” Billie said. “The boys will love you.”
Edina turned on her a look of panic.
“I’m plumb scared to death,” she confessed. “I’d like to go hide in ahole!”
The boats scraped against the dock and with whoops as of ComancheIndians, the boys leaped to the dock to capture the girls and the lunchbaskets.
Chet Bradley came first. He was burned a deep brown by the sun and wasas full
of animal spirits as a gamboling puppy. He dashed up to thegirls, gave Vi a paternal pat on the shoulder, pulled Laura’s ear andBillie’s hair and--stopped short at his first sight of Edina Tooker.
“Hello!” he stammered. “I don’t think I have had the pleasure----”
“Oh, Chet, this is Edina. She’s very much the rage with us, and you’lllike her, too. I’m counting on you boys to give her a good time.”
“Righto!” replied Chet, grinning cordially. “We’re fast friendsalready, aren’t we, Edina? Come along, fellows,” beckoning to the othersun-tanned lads. “Step up and be presented. If you like it as well as Ido, we’ll all have a very swell time!”
Edina was blushing furiously. Billie wished she were not, because itwas unbecoming to her. However, the other boys seemed to like her andthey were soon chatting and laughing together in a chummy and highlysatisfactory manner.
The lunch baskets and the assortment of bright-colored cushionscontributed by the girls to lend comfort to the trip were quickly putin place, and the girls invited to follow.
As Edina hesitated, lagging behind the others, Paul Martinson linkedhis arm through hers and led her toward his boat.
“You come with me,” said the young cadet, with a masterful air.
Behind Paul’s back, Billie winked mischievously at Edina.
“Without even fishing, you’ve made a good catch,” she whisperedmischievously. “Hang on to it!”
Whether this pleasantry confused Edina, or whether the girl, hating andfearing the water, slipped as she was about to enter the boat, no oneever knew. At any rate, she lost her footing in some way, pushed therowboat outward as she fell, and plunged headlong into the deep waterat the end of the pier!
“She can’t swim a stroke!” cried Billie, and without an instant’shesitation followed the girl into the chilly water.
Billie dived for Edina but could not locate her.
“She has been caught under the dock!” Billie came up for a breath ofair and dived again. This time she, too, came up under the dock. Shebumped up against something that was only a fuzzy white blur in thewater and cried in her heart: “Thank goodness!”
A long nail had caught in the wool stuff of Edina’s skirt and held itfast.
Billie’s lungs seemed to be bursting, but she worked at the cloth sofrantically that the nail came out of the rotted wood.
As she felt herself begin to sink again, Edina twisted in the waterand wrapped both arms about Billie’s neck with the desperation of adrowning animal!