CHAPTER XVI
UPHILL WORK FOR THE TEAM
"I declare!" ejaculated Bobby Hargrew; "we're being whipped out of ourboots!"
"I'm doing the best I can!" wailed Roberta Fish.
"Nobody's blaming you, child," Jess Morse hastened to say.
"Not at all," added Laura. "I haven't a single complaint to make aboutyour work, Roberta."
"But there's something lacking somewhere," declared Dorothy Lockwood.
"We might as well admit that these Keyport girls are better atbasketball than we are," said her twin.
"My gracious!" cried Bobby. "They're better than we ever _dared_ tobe!"
"No!" cried Laura. "That is not so."
"What's the answer, then, Miss Captain?" demanded the irrepressible.
"We must play up to each other, that's all," said the captain. "Ourplaying is loose."
"We're weak in spots," admitted Nellie Agnew, slowly.
"And I'm the worst spot," groaned Roberta.
"Pshaw! you're not, either," said Eve Sitz, kindly.
"You do your very best, Roberta," said Laura, again.
"But that isn't as good as Hester's best," responded Roberta, quickly.
"Hessie is certainly one mighty good player," grumbled Bobby.
"And we got rid of her rather hastily," sighed Nellie.
"Don't wail about that now!" cried Josephine Morse, with someasperity. "My goodness! I'm only glad she's out of it. And I reckonLaura is."
"I am sorry it seemed best to ask her to get out," admitted thecaptain.
"Bah! she was more trouble than she was good," declared Jess. "Let'snot weep and wail over what we did."
"But have you heard what she did last week, girls?" asked the doctor'sdaughter, earnestly.
"What now?" returned Bobby, with curiosity.
"Remember the day we found her broken down in that new car of herfather's on the Keyport road?"
"Sure!" cried several of the team together.
"That was the day of that big forest fire. You know, Chet warned herthat the wind was likely to change and blow the fire across the road.Well, she rescued a man from the burning woods and then ran that carall over the hill country up there, warning farmers and other peoplethat the fire was coming. She is a very brave girl," concluded Nellie,softly.
"Pshaw! don't you weep over Hess Grimes," exclaimed Bobby. "You're tootender-hearted, Nell."
"But she _is_ brave," said Laura, hastily.
"And just as ill-tempered as she can be," put in Jess Morse. "We'rewell rid of her."
"I guess nobody in this world is quite perfect--nor all bad, either,"suggested the doctor's daughter. "And as for Hester, she never let ussee her good points."
"But some mighty mean ones!" exclaimed Dora Lockwood.
"Just the same," sighed Laura, "if she had only stuck to the rules ofbasketball in playing she would have been a great help to us rightnow!"
Lily had been "prinking up" at the other end of the room while thisconversation was going on. Now she flung them one malicious "I toldyou so!" as the gong rang and they hurried out to their places in thebasketball court.
"All ready?" cried the referee.
"Do your best, girls!" begged Laura.
The whistle sounded long and loud at the toss-up and the game was on.At first, although the play was fast and furious, neither side scored.Then came the umpire's shout:
"Foul on Central High for over-guarding!"
It rattled Laura and her team mates. Their opponents got the ball andshot it basketward. Right from the field Keyport made a basket. Andthen, in little over half a minute they made another!
"Break it up, guards! Break it up!" begged Laura.
But although the girls of Central High fought hard, and there weresome brilliant plays on the part of Laura and Jess, it was all to noavail. Nor did the "rooting" of their boy friends help. The Keyportteam forged ahead steadily and at the end of the game they were sixpoints in the lead. It was as bad a beating as the girls of CentralHigh had ever received in a trophy game.
Roberta was in tears in the dressing room when Mrs. Case came in tocheer them up.
"Now, now! what have I told you about being good losers?" shedemanded, briskly.
"Tha--that's all right," stammered Roberta. "We cheered 'em, didn't we?But I feel it's my fault. I fumble dreadfully. You know, I always didwhen I was on the team before. Get somebody else in my place, Mrs.Case--do!"
Naturally Lily Pendleton told all this to Hester; but it only added toHester's bitterness of spirit. Deep down in her heart she felt thesting of Central High's defeat--only she wouldn't admit it. The teamhad lost--she believed it, too--because she wasn't there in her place atforward center!
And Mrs. Case had tried to show her how she might win back, if shewould, and Hester had refused. Her bad temper had cut her off from theinstructor's help entirely. She was a pariah--and she felt it.
So she told Lily she was glad the team was having up-hill work and wasso nasty about it that Lily, who was feeling bad, too, about theaffair, almost got mad herself, and went home early.
"That Hester Grimes _can_ be awfully exasperating when she wants tobe," Lily admitted to her mother.
"Bless me, child! I don't really see why you associate so much withher. She does come of such common people. Why, Mrs. Grimes isimpossible!" sighed Mrs. Pendleton.