CHAPTER V--WHOM DO YOU BELIEVE?
The Beldings lived in a nice house on Whiffle Street, with quite a bigplot of ground about it--room for a lawn in front, a tennis court at theside, and a garden in the rear, out of which a rustic gate opened intothe street where the Hargrews lived. Mr. Belding owned the house and,with his business as jeweler, was considered, as fortunes went inCenterport, a wealthy man. But the family lived with old-fashionedsimplicity.
Mrs. Belding was, Laura knew, just the dearest mother who ever lived;yet she had been brought up as a girl in a country community, had neverhad interests any broader than her own home while her children weresmall, and now that Laura and Chetwood were almost "grown up"--or, atleast, _felt_ they were--Mother Belding scarcely understood their plansand aspirations. The new organization was "too much" for her, as shefrequently said.
"Why, how ridiculous!" Mrs. Belding once said, upon coming home from ashopping tour. "They show me exactly the same style of garment both forLaura and myself. No difference save the size, I declare! And at Laura'sage I had not even begun to put my hair up, and my skirts had not beenlengthened."
"Changes--changes! Don't let them worry you, Mother," said her husband,comfortably.
"Well, Milly and Frank are left us, anyway--they're still children,"sighed the troubled lady. "But I must admit that Laura and Chet are toomuch for me!"
Not that either of her older children gave her real cause for worrimentor complaint. Chet was his father's chum and confidant; he could not gofar wrong under such guidance. And Laura was a very sweet tempered andpractical girl. Indeed, it was Laura's shrewd outlook upon and her keenappreciation of things that had never entered her mother's mind as agirl, that so startled Mrs. Belding.
At supper that night Chet was full of the ball game that his father andhe had attended that afternoon.
"Well, the East High fellows beat the West High boys, just as everybodysaid they would. They've got the battery--Hanks and Doolittle--andMerryweather and Ted Doyle are some punkins with the stick. Why, Ted isa bear-cat! But I believe we Central High fellows can put up a game thatwill hold them for a while. I want to see Central High win the pennantthis year."
"What is a battery?" sighed his mother. "Why 'punkins' and 'stick'? Isthis Ted you speak of really a subject for side-show exhibition, or areyou 'nature-faking' when you call him a 'bear-cat'? And why should theplaying of you and your friends at baseball, Chetwood, 'hold them' forany length of time? Please elucidate?"
Laura and the younger children burst out laughing, and the olderdaughter said:
"English _is_ a funny language, isn't it?"
"The American brand of it is," said Mr. Belding, who was also smiling.
"That is not English," remarked the mother, with scorn. "Suchexpressions have no relation to good English. But I grant you that theslang language is very funny, indeed."
"Aw, mother, the trouble with you is you don't understand athletics.Every game has its own technical phrases, so to speak. You ask Laura toexplain. I hear Central High girls are going in for 'em. Going tocompete for all honors with the other schools, eh, Laura?"
"We hope to," returned his sister.
"How did the meeting go, daughter?" asked Mr. Belding, with interest.
Laura recited the work accomplished. "Of course," she said, "we shallfound our association on the constitution of the Girls' Branch AthleticAssociation. Then we can compete for trophies with inter-county andinter-state teams, as well as with the local teams. Mrs. Case says thatthere will be an association at both Lumberport and Keyport."
"Do you approve of all this disturbance about girls' athletics, James?"asked Mrs. Belding.
"It's for after-hours. It won't interfere with their school work. Itcan't, in fact," said the jeweler, "for only those pupils who stand wellin both their studies and in deportment can take part."
"And poor Bobby!" cried Laura, suddenly. "It does seem as though she wasfated to have bad luck. She won't be able to join, even if MissCarrington has her way," and she told the family about the fire in theprincipal's office.
"A very careless girl," said Mrs. Belding, yet not sternly, for sheloved jolly, harum-scarum Bobby Hargrew.
"You were a brave kid, Laura, to think of the water bowl," said Chet,with enthusiasm.
"I object, Chetwood!" exclaimed his mother. "Neither your father nor Iare caprine, hollow-horned ruminants. Your sister, therefore, cannot bea 'kid.'"
"Oh, Mother!" complained Chet. "You won't let a fellow talk."
"I would much prefer to hear a young gentleman converse," returned Mrs.Belding, though smiling. "And I agree with you that our Laura is bothbrave and quick-witted."
"She'll get along in the world," said Mr. Belding, with a satisfiedsmile. "But I'm sorry Tom Hargrew's girl is in trouble."
"Of course, I haven't seen her since Miss Carrington sent her home,"Laura said. "Nobody has heard her side of the story."
"Of course, she set the papers afire," Chet observed.
"It seems impossible that it could be otherwise. Thoughtless child!"said their mother.
"But I want to wait and hear Bobby's story. If she says she didn't, and_knows_ she didn't, I shall believe her," spoke Laura.
"You will not take circumstantial evidence into consideration, then?"laughed her father.
"Not against Bobby's word," returned Laura, confidently. "Bobby justcouldn't tell a falsehood. It isn't in her. That is why she so oftengets into trouble in school. She cannot even _act_ deceit."
"Short and Long is like that," said Chet. "And _he's_ going to be barredfrom athletics if he doesn't have a care. We would be in a mess if welost our shortstop. Old Dimple----"
"Professor Dimp, you refer to?" interjected his mother.
"Oh, yes!" sighed Chet. "He can't take a joke. And Billy is full ofthem. Yesterday he got into trouble with Dimple--er--Professor Dimp. Theprofessor had written something on the board--I forget the sentence; butit had the word 'whether' in it. Billy read it as though it was'weather.' 'Ha!' snapped Dimple in his very nastiest way, 'how do youspell "weather," Master Long?'
"Of course, Short and Long saw his mistake right off, and drawled:
"'W-i-a-t-h-i-a-r.'
"'Sit down! You've given us the worst spell of weather we've had thisspring. Recitation zero,' snaps Dimple. Now, wasn't that mean--for just alittle joke?"
"It seems to me," said his father, "that the professor had the best ofthe joke. There's some wit to that Professor Dimp, after all. And yourfriend, Billy, is too old for childish pranks, even if he is such alittle fellow."
The topic of the girls' athletics and the new association was discussedin many homes in Centerport that evening. Nor was it tabooed fromconversation on Sunday. By Monday morning, when the pupils of CentralHigh gathered for classes, the girls, at least, were in a buzz ofexcitement. But they had an added topic of interest, too. The fire inthe principal's office on Saturday afternoon was much discussed.
Laura and Jess, with some of the other girls, surrounded Bobby Hargrewthe moment she appeared.
"Did you do it on purpose?"
"What are they going to do about it?"
"Is Mr. Sharp awfully mad?"
"Is Gee Gee going to have you expelled?"
These and other questions were fired at Bobby in a volley.
"Hold on! Wait! Help! I'm down!" squealed Bobby. "Give me a chance toanswer."
"Well, tell us!" commanded Jess.
"I'll tell you; but half of you won't believe me," said Bobby, rathersullenly. "And that is the way it stands with the faculty. They don'tbelieve me."
"Why, Bobby! I shall certainly believe what you say if you are positivein your statement," declared Laura Belding.
"All right. I'll put you to the test. _I did not set that fire!_"
The girls, for the most part, looked blank. Some of them whisperedtogether. Laura only said:
"You're sure?"
"Pos-i-tive!"
"But the burning punk----?"
"Think I'd
chuck it in that basket?" demanded Bobby, scornfully.
"Maybe you thought you put it out?"
"Maybe nothing! I know. I carried that punk out and threw it in thegutter."
"But a spark from it might have fallen in the basket?" said Jess,weakly.
"No, ma'am! I wasn't near the basket. I was at the other end of the deskwhen Gee Gee caught me," said Bobby, firmly. "Either I did, or I didn't.I say I didn't set that fire."
"Then I believe you, dear," said Laura, suddenly hugging the smallergirl.
"Thanks, Laura. You always were a good sport," said Bobby, having hardwork to keep back the tears. "But Gee Gee won't believe me, and if Idon't own up to what I didn't do, she says she will 'take it up with Mr.Sharp.' You know what _that_ means. I'll likely have to leaveschool--although good old Dad has already paid for the damage done, andbought new goldfish."