"That's one on you, Laura!" shouted Chet, as Mammy Jinny indignantly waddled out. "Shouldn't teach Mammy words of more than one 'syllabub.'

You've been warned before.

"By the way," he added, for they had told their parents about the adventure of the afternoon, "that Poc.o.c.k is in the ward with the man Hester Grimes saved from the forest fire--right in the next bed to Billson. Poc.o.c.k had both legs broken, the doctors told me--one above the knee and the other below. He's going to have a bad time of it."

"Poc.o.c.k, eh?" said Mr. Belding. "Hebron Poc.o.c.k is the name of the person who applied to the Board of Education for the job of watchman at the girls' gymnasium. I believe he gave Henry Grimes as reference.

But I think we shall keep Jackway. He's a faithful soul and, whoever got into the gym. and did that damage, I am convinced that it was not Jackway's fault."

"No; it wasn't Jackway's fault," muttered Chet to Laura. "But I guess we could find the person at fault pretty easily, eh?"

CHAPTER XIX

AT LUMBERPORT

The girls of Central High were not neglecting other athletic work through their interest in basketball; but just as the boys were giving most of their spare time to football, so their sisters, during the fall weather, were mainly interested in their own game.

As a whole, the girls' cla.s.ses of Central High were given practice at the game at least twice a week; and of course the representative team, to which our particular friends belonged, was on the court almost daily. There were games between the less advanced teams, too, which brought the parents of the girls to the athletic field; and as the season advanced the courts were marked out in the large upper room of the gymnasium building, so that the game could be played under cover on stormy days.

With the handicap against it at the beginning, of having been roughly played in the city clubs, and the record of several girls having been hurt who played without the oversight of a proper instructor, the game gradually grew in favor at Central High until even such old-fashioned folk as Mrs. Belding spoke approvingly of the exercise.

The girls themselves, even the "squabs" and "broilers," as Bobby Hargrew called the freshmen and soph.o.m.ores, were more and more enthusiastic over basketball as the days pa.s.sed. Although their champion team was being beaten or tied in the trophy inter-school series, they went to see each game, from week to week, and cheered the Central High team with unflagging loyalty.

The very next week Laura's team went to Lumberport, a small steamboat being chartered. It was filled with Central High girls and their friends, and they went over to the game, intending to have a collation aboard after the game and return down the lake by moonlight.

"Whether you girls beat the Lumberport girls, or not," chuckled Chet, "we're bound to have a fine time. But I _do_ hope you'll lead your team to victory at least _once_ this season, Laura. It looks as if you girls couldn't beat an addled egg!"

"Nor anybody else, Mr. Smartie!" snapped Jess Morse. "You don't know much about eggs, I guess."

"Nor you girls don't seem to know much about basketball," chuckled Chet.

"What's the fight about?" demanded Bobby, coming up to the group on the upper deck of the steamer.

"We ought to all pitch into him," said Jess, pointing to Chet. "He is maligning the team."

"All right I'll help--if it's to be 'battle, murder, and sudden death,'" chuckled Bobby. "We ought to get our hands in, anyway, for to-morrow."

"What's to-morrow?" cried the girls.

"Didn't you hear what Gee Gee said to the English cla.s.s to-day when the gong rang?"

"Go on, Bobby. What's the joke?" urged Dora Lockwood.

"Why, Gee Gee said, 'Now, young ladies, that we have finished this present subject, to-morrow we shall take the life of Carlyle. Come prepared.' If Jess really wants us to help her draw and quarter Chet, it might be good practice for what we're going to do to Mr. Carlyle."

"Poor Gee Gee," said Nellie, shaking her head. "She has her hands full just now. Some of the squabs are as bad as ever you were, Bobby, when you were a freshie."

"I like that!" exclaimed the irrepressible. "Me bad!"

"But what's happened to Miss Carrington?" asked Laura.

"She's got some mighty smart scholars in the freshman cla.s.s," said Nellie. "The other day she asked them what two very famous men were boys together, and what do you suppose was the answer she got?"

"Give it up!" exclaimed Jess. "What was it?"

"One of those fresh squabs put up her hand and when Gee Gee nodded to her, she squeals: 'Oh, I know, Miss Carrington! The Siamese Twins!'"

There were enough old folk aboard the steamboat to keep the exuberance of the boys and girls within bounds. Short and Long had brought with him his famous piratical wig and whiskers, and with these in place and an old red sash-curtain draped about him, he looked more like a gnome than ever, he was so little. The girls dressed up a stateroom for him, into which he retired and told fortunes. And as Billy Long did not lack in wit he told some funny ones.

This was one of the few occasions when Alice Long, Billy's busy sister, had escaped from her manifold home duties to join in the "high jinks" of her schoolmates. When they were all laughing at Billy's antics and prophecies, Laura said to Alice:

"How do you ever manage to get along with those children, Alice? Tommy is as full of mischief as Billy, isn't he?"

"He's worse," sighed the big sister; yet she smiled, too. "Tommy's pretty cute, just the same. He had a birthday last week, and Dr. Agnew came through our street going to see Johnny Doyle.

"'Hullo, Doctor!' Tommy called to him. 'I gotter birfday.'

"'You have!' exclaimed the doctor, apparently very much astonished.'How many birthdays does that make?'

"'I'm five, I am,' says Tommy.

"'Five years old! Well,' ruminated the doctor, stopping at the gate as though he contemplated coming in, 'what had I better do to a boy that's got a birthday?'

"And Tommy speaks right up promptly: 'You can't! I'm sitting on it!'"

They had a lot of fun on the boat; but when the basketball team of Central High got into their gymnasium suits in the Lumberport High School dressing-room, they came down to serious thoughts again.

"We really _must_ beat these girls," said Laura, Mrs. Case being out of the room. "It's all right to talk about being 'good losers' and all that. But we don't want to be either good, or bad, losers all the time. We've lost enough in the past. It's up to us to put Lumberport on the shelf!"

"Hear! hear!" cried Bobby. "That's the talk."

"We have usually been able to handle Lumberport at basketball,"

continued Laura. "Let's not make this an exception to a good rule."

Even Roberta felt the inspiration of coming success before the game.

The team had been practicing faithfully and there was no real reason why every member of it should not make a good showing. Mrs. Case encouraged them as they went on to the court, and the Central High crowd lined out the "yell" to greet them. There was a big audience, for the Lumberport school had a good field and the parents of the girls engaged were enthusiastic over basketball.

The ball was tossed up and Laura shot it over to Lily. Lily was a pretty sure player when she was not excited. It was safe to trust her during the first of any game. She now pa.s.sed it quickly according to her captain's signal, and to the right girl. The girls of Central High kept the ball in play for a couple of minutes, and entirely away from their opponents. Then Nellie got it for a good throw and--pop! the ball went into the basket.

"First goal--hurrah!" yelled the boys from Central High.

For despite the insistence of the League rules, and the advice and preachments of physical instructors, there was bound to be a spirit of rivalry in the games. How else would the interest be kept up? Playing for the sake of the game is all right; but the personal desire to win is, after all, what inspires any player to do his, or her, best.

There was no ugly playing, however; tense as was the interest, the opposing teams played fair and there was not an unpleasant word or look indulged in by a member of either. With Hester Grimes off the team from Central High there could be no complaint that they played too hard, or unfairly. The whistle in this first half sounded very seldom for fouls. And the game was played with a snap and vigor that was delightful.

Central High had somewhat the best of it from that very first goal.