"And poor Bobby!" cried Laura, suddenly. "It does seem as though she was fated to have bad luck. She won't be able to join, even if Miss Carrington has her way," and she told the family about the fire in the princ.i.p.al's office.

"A very careless girl," said Mrs. Belding, yet not sternly, for she loved 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 I are caprine, hollow-horned ruminants. Your sister, therefore, cannot be a '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 both brave and quick-witted."

"She'll get along in the world," said Mr. Belding, with a satisfied smile. "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. "n.o.body 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 circ.u.mstantial evidence into consideration, then?"

laughed her father.

"Not against Bobby's word," returned Laura, confidently. "Bobby just couldn't tell a falsehood. It isn't in her. That is why she so often gets into trouble in school. She cannot even _act_ deceit."

"Short and Long is like that," said Chet. "And _he's_ going to be barred from athletics if he doesn't have a care. We would be in a mess if we lost 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 of them. Yesterday he got into trouble with Dimple-er-Professor Dimp. The professor had written something on the board-I forget the sentence; but it had the word 'whether' in it. Billy read it as though it was 'weather.' 'Ha!' snapped Dimple in his very nastiest way, 'how do you spell "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 this spring. Recitation zero,' snaps Dimple. Now, wasn't that mean-for just a little joke?"

"It seems to me," said his father, "that the professor had the best of the joke. There's some wit to that Professor Dimp, after all. And your friend, Billy, is too old for childish pranks, even if he is such a little fellow."

The topic of the girls' athletics and the new a.s.sociation was discussed in many homes in Centerport that evening. Nor was it tabooed from conversation on Sunday. By Monday morning, when the pupils of Central High gathered for cla.s.ses, the girls, at least, were in a buzz of excitement. But they had an added topic of interest, too. The fire in the princ.i.p.al's office on Sat.u.r.day afternoon was much discussed.

Laura and Jess, with some of the other girls, surrounded Bobby Hargrew the 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 to answer."

"Well, tell us!" commanded Jess.

"I'll tell you; but half of you won't believe me," said Bobby, rather sullenly. "And that is the way it stands with the faculty. They don't believe me."

"Why, Bobby! I shall certainly believe what you say if you are positive in 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 whispered together. 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 the gutter."

"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 desk when 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 smaller girl.

"Thanks, Laura. You always were a good sport," said Bobby, having hard work to keep back the tears. "But Gee Gee won't believe me, and if I don'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 leave school-although good old Dad has already paid for the damage done, and bought new goldfish."

CHAPTER VI-FALSE EVIDENCE

If there was anything of importance to be threshed out for the general welfare of the school, Franklin Sharp, princ.i.p.al of Central High, took the topic up at the Morning a.s.sembly. The general standing and deportment of the scholastic body as a whole, rules of conduct laid down by the faculty, or news of importance to the scholars, both male and female, were there detailed.