The fireman ran to the door. He poised his axe for a blow as the others stood back. But suddenly Laura Belding halted the whole proceedings.

"Wait! wait a moment!" she cried, darting to the side of the window.

The fireman looked over his shoulder at her. The girl, with nimble fingers, released the awning ropes. In half a minute the heavy awning dropped over the walk and shut out the hot rays of the sun. The cinder of bread stopped smoking. _The fire was out!_

"Well! don't that beat all?" cackled one of the men.

The fireman grinned sheepishly and walked to the middle of the show-window to make sure that the danger was really over.

"You've got a head on you-that's what you've got!" he said to Laura.

"She's Belding's daughter-a smart little girl," declared another of the men.

The engine and hose carriage came tearing around the corner just then.

From up the street thundered the ladder-truck, three huge horses abreast. A crowd came running to the scene.

Laura slipped away, and found Short and Long at her side.

"Huh!" he said, with a grimace. "I thought I was going to be a hero.

You've got me beat, Laura. You stole my laurel wreath right off my head!"

"You ought to have used what's in your head a little better, Billy,"

returned the girl, laughing. "What is your gray matter for?-as Professor Dimple would say."

"Huh! Old Dimple! That's exactly what he would say. He certainly does stick the gaff into us," grumbled the short boy. "I've got a page of Virgil extra to translate between now and Monday morning. He's a mean old hunks."

"Such language!" sighed Laura. "I should think you needed extra work in English, not Latin, Billy."

"I don't need extra work at all," proclaimed Master Billy, with scorn.

"I've got too much work as it is. And he and Mr. Sharp between them threaten to cut me out of the ball team altogether this season if I don't catch up. And what's the team going to do for a short stop?"

"Well, Miss Carrington tells us girls that if we are going in for athletics we have all got to have good marks, too. Only the girls who stand high can join the new athletic a.s.sociation. Some of the lazy girls will be disappointed, I fear."

"Are you girls really going in for athletics?" demanded Billy.

"We are. Why shouldn't we? It isn't fair for you boys to have all the fun."

"And they say they are going to start girls' branches in East and West High, too?"

"Yes. We want to have inter-school matches. Inter-cla.s.s matches are forbidden right at the start. The doctor says there must be no rivalry among cla.s.ses."

"Yah! but there will be," said Billy. "There always is. Purt Sweet pretty near broke up the ball team this season because he couldn't play."

"Now we girls will show you how much nicer we can conduct affairs,"

laughed Laura. "We sha'n't squabble."

"Oh, no!" scoffed Billy. "What do you s'pose Hessie Grimes will do if she isn't allowed to boss everything? Didn't she and that chum of hers, Lil Pendleton, break up the cla.s.s supper last year-when we were freshmen? Oh, no!"

"Well, that won't happen again," said Laura, firmly.

"Why not?"

"Because the rest of us girls will not agree to follow her," declared Laura, confidently.

"You know she won't play if she can't be 'it,'" grinned Billy.

"Now you see," returned Laura, good naturedly, and a moment later she parted from the short boy.

She had not walked another block toward the schoolhouse when she heard a voice calling her name:

"Laura! Laura Belding!"

"Why, Jess!" exclaimed Laura, eagerly. "I was afraid you wouldn't come."

Josephine, or "Jess," Morse was a taller girl than her friend, with bright gray eyes, and hair of that "fly-away" variety that never _will_ look smooth. Despite Miss Morse's bright eyes she often did the most ridiculous things quite thoughtlessly. Her mind was of the "wandering"

variety. And almost always one could find an ink stain on her finger.

This marked her among her girl friends, at least, as being "literary."

And, as the old folk say, "she came by it naturally." Her mother, Mrs.

Mary Morse, had some little reputation as a writer for the magazines.

"Yes," said Miss Morse, putting her arm around her chum's waist as they walked on together. "I just _had_ to come. If you are going in for athletics, Laura, of course I've got to."

"Too bad," laughed her friend. "You're just whipped into it, I suppose?"

"I just am."

"Why, it will be fun, Jess!"

"Who says so? I'd lots rather go to the theater-or to a party-or even go shopping. And you can't dress up and play those horrid games the gym.

teacher tells about."

"But you like to play tennis."

"Er-well-- Yes, I play tennis. I like it because there aren't many of the girls-nor the boys, either-who can beat me at that. I've got such a long reach, you see," said the tall girl, with satisfaction.

"Then you'd like any athletic game in which you could excel?"

"Why-I suppose so," admitted Miss Morse.

"That's a poor att.i.tude in which to approach school athletics," said Laura with a sigh.

"Why is it?"

"Because, as I understand it, we should play for the sport's sake, not so much to win every time. That's the way to play the game. And that is what Mrs. Case will tell us to-day, I know."

"She will be at the meeting, I suppose?"

"And Miss Carrington."