CHAPTER XXII
WHAT MR. BILLSON COULD TELL
The champion basketball team of Central High was holding its own, andeven gaining a point or two now and then in the trophy series; but itseemed impossible for the hard-working girls to change their standingin the schedule of the teams. They remained Number 3.
They could beat West High and Lumberport High School teams every timethey played with them; but it was a hard struggle for Laura and hermates to break even with East High or Centerport, and the Keyportgirls almost always downed them.
"It's a boiling shame!" cried Bobby Hargrew, one day at Laura's, whensome of the team were talking matters over. "We're getting swiped----"
"Goodness me, Bobby!" gasped Laura.
"_Don't_ let poor mother hear you use such dreadful language. Itpositively hurts her to have Chet use slang; and you are worse than heis."
"One would think that you had never been under the benign influence ofMiss Carrington," chuckled Jess Morse.
"Bah!" retorted Bobby. "I don't know but I feel a good deal like mylittle cousin Effie about education. You know, Effie is only six. Theother day her mother had company and her mother and the other ladywere talking about something that they didn't want 'little pitchers'to understand. So they spelled some of the words instead of speakingthem out, and Effie listened with both eyes and mouth wide open. Butshe couldn't catch the meaning of the spelled words. Finally she gotmad and went out to her papa on the porch and says she:
"'Daddy, there's altogether too much education in this house!'
"And I'm getting so saturated with Gee Gee's English and Dimple'sLatin, and Miss Gould's French, that positively I _have_ to let offsteam by using slang," concluded Bobby.
"Just keep your slang for other places then, Bobby," said Laura."Mother is likely to overhear you----"
"And Laura's pretty prim and particular herself," laughed DoraLockwood.
Jess began to giggle. "She's getting literary, I understand," shesaid. "So Mammy Jinny says. I heard her grumbling to herself only thismorning when Jinny was 'ridding up' the living room here. She says:
"'Dese yere literary folk is suah a trouble. Leabin' books, an'papers, an' pen an' ink eroun' fo' odder folks to pick up.'"
"'Is Laura literary, Mammy?' I asked her.
"'Suah is,' says Mammy Jinny. 'Littahs t'ings all ober de house!'"
When the laugh against her had subsided, Laura said:
"But what good is it to boil, Bobby, if we can't win games? To reachthe top and win the trophy, we must win every game of the series fromnow on."
"And a fat chance we've got to do that!" exclaimed Bobby, scornfully.
"Four of them are as good as won," said Dora, confidently. "Those withthe West High and Lumberport teams."
"Don't be too sure of the Lumberport team," advised Laura. "Itimproves all the time."
"We can beat it if Roberta keeps up her end," declared Jess.
"But how about Keyport and East High?"
"Keyport has outplayed us all but one game," complained DorothyLockwood. "East High has beaten us two games and one was a draw. Butwe _have_ beaten them and we ought to be able to do it again."
"That's when Hester was on the team," said Laura, quietly.
Bobby stood up and smote her two hands together loudly.
"If we only had Hester back!" she cried.
"Why, Bobby!" cried Jess.
"I don't care. It's so. I don't like Hester; but I hate to see CentralHigh lose the trophy for the need of another good player."
Nellie Agnew was just coming in and she heard part of what Bobby said.
"Oh, girls!" she cried. "Do you know where Hester is?"
"She wasn't at school to-day," said Dora.
"Nor yesterday," added her twin.
"Nor the day before that," cried Laura. "What's happened to her?"
"She is in the hospital," said Nellie, solemnly.
"My goodness me! what for?" gasped Bobby Hargrew.
Nellie told them. Indeed, she expatiated on the affair to the full.Hester had displayed a quality of courage that appealed strongly tothe doctor's daughter. It was no brave act inspired by impulse, and"of the minute." It took right down moral courage to do what Hesterhad done.
"The transfusion of blood was accomplished yesterday. The operationwas entirely successful. Hester and Johnny are side by side in littlenarrow beds in the children's ward of the hospital. Daddy Doctor letme in to peek at them," said Nellie, her eyes full of tears.
"That girl's just splendid! Johnny is going to live and be strongagain, the doctors say. Oh! I feel so _little_ when I think of Hester.I'm so sorry I signed that round robin, or said anything against herbeing on the team. I--I wish we had her back."
"So--so do I," exclaimed Dora, and Dorothy echoed her twin's desire.
"I wouldn't mind if old Hess was playing with us," said Bobby, with agrin. "Huh! I guess I was the first one to say so."
And this last incident marked the further--and stronger--interest theboys and girls of Central High had centered in the City Hospital.
Laura and Chet had not forgotten Mr. Billson's odd remarks about thegymnasium mystery and Chet had gone again and again to the hospital tosound the man who had been so badly injured in the forest fire. ButBillson was hard to approach. He considered Chet one of those whobelieved Hester Grimes guilty of instigating the raid on thegymnasium. Billson had acquired a fierce admiration for Hester, and itmade him angry with anybody who expressed a doubt of her entireinnocence of the crime which Rumor laid at her door.
But suddenly public opinion veered clear around. The story of littleJohnny Doyle's necessity and how Hester had volunteered to come to hisaid spread about the Hill section of Centerport almost as quickly ashad the story of the gymnasium mystery.
"What do you think?" Billson asked Chet Belding, when the boy visitedhim and Hebe Pocock again--but this was out of Hebe's hearing. "What doyou think--that a girl like this would hire a foolish boy to do suchdirty work? If Miss Grimes had wanted to bust up that gymnasium, youbet she'd have had the pluck to go and do it herself! That's myopinion."
"Well, Rufe was there," said Chet, quietly.
"Where?"
"In the gym. The first night the things were disturbed. Bill Jackwayadmits that. They've got time-clocks for him and he goes all over thebuilding several times a night, now; and they have let him hireanother man to help him on the field during the day. But he says thathe let Rufe out at midnight because the boy was scared and wanted togo home. And the second time, Rufe could have slipped in when Bill hadthe door ajar, and afterward got out of the window and walked backwardto the field fence. Oh, he could have done it."
"But why mix Hester Grimes up with it?" growled Billson.
"Rufe would never have thought of the thing himself, I don't believe.And Hester threatened to 'fix' all the girls, and said she hated them,and the gym., and the whole thing."
"Guess she was mad," said the man.
"Quite likely. She sure wasn't _glad_," returned the boy, drily.
"And I suppose you think," said Mr. Billson, scowling, "that she isdoing all this for the Doyles to pay Rufus for his monkey-shines, eh?"
"No I never said such a thing," cried the indignant Chet.
"Then what? If folks have really got anything against Miss Hester, whydon't they come out square and say so? This hinting at things--going'all 'round Robin Hood's barn'--gets my goat--it does so!"
"I guess the girls of Central High feel a whole lot differently towardHester than they did," admitted Chet. "At least, they talkdifferently."
And it was a fact. While Chet and Billson were talking the basketballteam had gathered at the Belding house and had concocted another"round robin." But this one was couched in quite different languagefrom the first that had been presented to their physical instructor.This time both Lily Pendleton and Roberta Fish signed the paper, whichwas an unequivocal request that Hester Grimes be invited to take herold position on the team.
Hes
ter had not come back to school yet; the doctor would not allow it.But she was taking her lessons at home. Johnny Doyle was well on theway to recovery and all Hester needed was a little rest, the doctorsaid, to put her in as good condition as usual.
The round robin went to Mrs. Case and, after an interview with theprincipal, Mrs. Case went again to call on Hester at her home.
"Ain't she the greatest girl you ever heard of, Mis' Case?" demandedMrs. Grimes, fluttering about as she ushered the teacher into Hester'spresence. "Me and her father can't do a thing with her when Hess isset on doing anything she wants to do. And this at the hospital--well,if we say a thing about it she gets that mad!"
"How-do, Mrs. Case?" yawned Hester, who had been reading, curled up inthe window-seat. "Do take that easy chair. Mother! I declare--you havegot a grease spot on that wrapper."
"Oh, excuse me!" exclaimed the simple Mrs. Grimes. "I'll go change itfor a fresh one."
Thus her daughter got her out of the room before Mrs. Case began totalk. And, indeed, it was Hester herself who began the conversation inher usual abrupt way.
"I don't know how you feel towards me, Mrs. Case, but I know I wasimpudent to you when you were here before. But you said you could showme how to get back on the basketball team, and I guess I _do_ want toget back--if it isn't too late?" she concluded, wistfully.
"That's what I've come to talk about," said Mrs. Case, promptly. "Thegirls want you back----"
"Oh, no!" exclaimed Hester, in surprise.
"Oh, yes!" returned the teacher, smiling, and bringing out the paperthe members of the team had signed. She put it into Hester's hand; thegirl read it quickly and then turned her face away so that Mrs. Caseshould not see her eyes for a moment.
"They say they need me!" Hester said, in a choked tone.
"Yes," returned the teacher, simply.
"That they can't win the trophy without me," added Hester, devouringthe writing again.
"Yes."
"And they don't say a word about that foolish business at thehospital. Folks talk too much about that," said Hester, recovering herusual manner. "If these girls really want me to help the team, I'llplay."
"They want you, Hester, for just that purpose. If they have morekindly feelings toward you than they have had of late, that is betweenthem and you. But as for your joining the team again----"
"Yes, Mrs. Case?"
"You must remember the rules and play the game in a sportsmanlikemanner," declared the instructor firmly. "You understand me?"
"Yes, Mrs. Case," returned the girl, hanging her head.
"Then I shall expect you to appear for practice just as soon as Dr.Agnew allows you to take up that work," said the teacher, risingbriskly. "And I shall be glad to have you back on the first team," sheadded, giving Hester's hand a hearty squeeze.