The Girls of Central High at Basketball; Or, The Great Gymnasium Mystery Read online

  CHAPTER II

  THE KERNEL IN THE ATHLETIC NUT

  The Girls' Branch Athletic League of Central High had been inexistence only a few months. Gymnasium work, folk dancing, rowing andswimming, walking and some field sports had been carried to a certainpoint under the supervision of instructors engaged by Centerport'sBoard of Education before the organization of the girls themselvesinto an association which, with other school clubs, held competitionsin all these, and other, athletics for trophies and prizes.

  Centerport, a lively and wealthy inland city located on the shore ofLake Luna, boasted three high schools--the East and West Highs, and thenewer and large Central High, which was built in "the Hill" section ofthe town, the best residential district, on an eminence overlookingthe lake and flanked on either side and landward, as well, by thebusiness portions of the city. The finest estates of the Hill districtsloped down to the shore of the lake.

  Public interest had long since been aroused in the boys' athletics;but that in girls' similar development had lagged until the springprevious to the opening of our story.

  In the first volume of this series, entitled "The Girls of CentralHigh; Or, Rivals for All Honors," was related the organization of theGirls' Branch, and the early difficulties and struggles of a group ofgirl sophomores, most of whom were now on the roster of the basketballteam as named in our first chapter. Laura Belding was the leadingcharacter in that first volume, and her quick-wittedness and loyaltyto the school and to the athletic association really brought about, ashas been intimated, the building of a fine gymnasium for the girls ofCentral High and the preparation of the athletic field connectedtherewith.

  In "The Girls of Central High on Lake Luna; Or, The Crew That Won,"the second volume of the series, was narrated the summer aquaticsports of the girls and their boy friends; and in that story theLockwood twins, Dora and Dorothy, came to the fore as championcanoeists among the girls, as well as efficient members of the crew ofthe eight-oared shell, which won the prize cup offered by the LunaBoat Club to the champion shell rowed by high school girls.

  Lake Luna was a beautiful body of water, all of twenty miles inlength, with Rocky River flowing into it from the west at Lumberport,and Rolling River carrying off her overflow at the east end of thelake, where stood the third of the trio of towns--Keyport. BothLumberport and Keyport had a well conducted high school, and the girlsin both were organized for athletics as were the three chief schoolsof Centerport.

  South of Centerport was a range of low hills, through which the tworailroads which tapped the territory wound their way through deep cutsand tunnels. In the middle of the lake was Cavern Island, a verypopular amusement park at one end, but at its eastern end wild androcky enough. The northern shore of the lake was skirted by farms anddeep woods, with a goodly mountain range in the distance.

  The girls who had been in the first class at basketball practice beganto troop out of the gymnasium in their street apparel. ChetwoodBelding and his chum, Lance Darby, were waiting for Laura and JessMorse. With them was a gangling, goose-necked youth, dressed severaldegrees beyond the height of fashion. This was Prettyman Sweet, theacknowledged "glass of fashion and mould of form" among the boys ofCentral High.

  "Hullo! here's Pretty!" cried Bobby Hargrew, dancing out behind Lauraand Jess. "You're never waiting to beau _me_ home, are you, Mr.Sweet?"

  "I--oh--ah----" stammered Purt, in much confusion. "It weally would giveme pleasure, Miss Bobby; but I weally have a pwior engagement--ah!"

  Just then Hester and Lily came out of the door. Bobby dodged Hester inmock alarm. Lily stopped in the shelter of the doorway to powder hernose, holding up a tiny mirror that she might do it effectively, andthen dropping both mirror and "powder rag" into the little "vanitycase" she wore pendant from her belt.

  Purt Sweet approached Miss Pendleton with a mixture of diffidence anddancing school deportment that made Bobby shriek with laughter.

  "Oh, joy!" whispered the latter to Nellie, who appeared next with theLockwood twins. "Purt has found a shrine before which to lay hisheart's devotion. D'ye see _that_?" pointing derisively to Lily andyoung Sweet turning the first corner.

  Hester was strolling away by herself. Nellie said, quickly:

  "Let's not go _this_ way. I don't want to meet that girl againto-night."

  "Much obliged to you, Nell, for taking my slapping. But Hester neverreally meant to hit me, after all. You got in the way, you know."

  "You'd better behave," said one of the twins admonishingly. "You madethis trouble, Bobby."

  "There you go!" cried Bobby, with apparent tears. "Nobody loves me;Hester tried to slap me, and Pretty Sweet wouldn't even walk with me.Oh, and say!" she added, with increased hilarity, "what do you supposethe boys are telling about Pretty now?"

  "Couldn't say," said Dora Lockwood. "Something ridiculous, I ventureto believe."

  "It's _funny_," giggled Bobby. "You see, Purt thinks he's reallygetting whiskers."

  "No!" exclaimed Dorothy.

  "Sure. You watch him next time you have a chance. He's always feelingto see if his side-tapes have sprouted. He _has_ got a little yellowfuzz on his upper lip--honest!

  "Well, Purt went into Jimmy Fabro's shop the other day--you know, thathair-cutting place right behind Mr. Betting's store, on the sidestreet? Well, Purt went in and took a chair. Jimmy was alone.

  "'What you want--hair cut again this week, Pretty?' asked Jimmy.

  "'No--o,' says Purt. 'Sh--sh--shave.'

  "Jimmy grunted, dropped back the chair, muffled Purt up in the towels,and then squinted up and down his victim's cheeks. Finally he mumbledsomething about being 'right back' and ran into Mr. Belding's and cameback with a watchmaker's glass stuck in his eye. Then he squinted upand down Purt's face some more and finally mixed a big mug oflather--and lathered Purt's eyebrows!"

  "Oh! what for?" demanded Dora Lockwood.

  "That's what Purt asked him," giggled Bobby. "Jimmy said in his gruffway:

  "'I'm hanged if I can see hair anywhere else on your face, Pretty. Youwant your eyebrows shaved off, don't ye, Pretty?' So, Chet says,Purt's been trying to shave himself since then in a piece of brokenmirror out in the wood shed, and with a jack-knife."

  Although Nellie Agnew laughed, too, at Bobby's story, she was in nojolly mood when she parted from the other girls and entered Dr.Agnew's premises.

  The doctor, Nellie's father, was a broadly educated physician--one ofthe small class of present day medical men who, like the "familydoctor" of a past generation, claimed no "specialty" and treatedeverything from mumps to a broken leg. He was a rather full-bodiedman, with a pink, wrinkled face, cleanly shaven every morning of hislife; black hair with silver threads in it and worn long;old-fashioned detachable cuffs to his shirts, and a black string tiethat went around his collar twice, the ends of which usually flutteredin the breeze.

  There had long since been established between the good doctor and hisdaughter a confidential relation very beautiful to behold. Mrs. Agnewwas a very lovely woman, rather stylish in dress, and much given tochurch and club work. Perhaps that is why Dr. Agnew had made such acomrade of Nellie. She might, otherwise, have lacked any personalguide at a time in her life when she most needed it.

  It was no new thing, therefore, that Nellie should follow the doctorinto the office that evening after dinner, and perch on the broad armof his desk chair while he lit the homely pipe that he indulged inonce a day--usually before the rush of evening patients.

  When Nellie had told her father all about the unpleasant quarrel atthe gymnasium the doctor smoked thoughtfully for several minutes. Thenhe said, in his clear, quiet voice--the calm quality of which Nelliehad herself inherited:

  "Do you know what seems to me to be the kernel in the nut of theseschool athletics, Nell?"

  "What is it, Daddy Doctor?"

  "Loyalty. That's the kernel--loyalty. If your athletics and games don'tteach you that, you might as well give 'em up--all of you girls. Thefeminine sex is not naturally loyal; now, don't
get mad!" and thedoctor chuckled. "It is not a natural virtue--if _any_ virtue ishumanly natural--of the sex. It's only the impulsive, spitfire girlswho are naturally loyal--the kind who will fight for another girl.Among boys it is different. Now, I am not praising boys, or puttingthem an iota higher than girls. Only, long generations of working andfighting together has made the normal male loyal to his kind. It is aninstinct--and even our friends who call themselves suffragettes havestill to acquire it.

  "But this isn't to be a lecture, Nell. It's just a piece of advice.Show yourself loyal to the other girls of Central High, and to thebetterment of basketball and the other athletics, by----"

  "By what?" cried Nellie.

  "By paying no attention to Hester Grimes, or what she does. After all,her shame, if she is removed from your basketball team, is the shameof her whole class, and of the school as well. Ignore her mean ways ifyou can. Don't get in the way of her hand again, Nell," and his eyestwinkled. "Remember, that blow was not intended for you, in the firstplace. And I am not sure that Clara Hargrew would not sometimes be thebetter for the application of somebody's hand--in the old-fashionedway! No, Nell. Say nothing. Make no report of the affair. If Hester isdisloyal, don't you be. Keep out of her way as much as possible----"

  "But she spoiled our games with the other schools last spring, and shewill do so again," complained Nellie.

  "Then let Mrs. Case, or somebody else, be the one to set the matter inmotion of removing Hester from the team. That's my advice, Miss."

  "And of course I shall take it, Daddy Doctor," said Nellie slowly."But I _did_ think it was a chance for us to get rid of Hester. She is_such_ a plague."

  The doctor's eyes twinkled. "I wonder why it is that we always want toshift our burdens on other folks' shoulders? Do you suppose either theEast or West Highs would find Hester any more bearable if she attendedthem instead of Central?"

  The girls of Central High had something of more moment than HesterGrimes's "tantrums" to think of the next day. Bobby Hargrew cameflying up the path to the doctor's porch long before school time.Nellie saw her and ran out to see what she wanted.

  "What do you s'pose?" cried Bobby.

  "Couldn't guess, Chicken-little," laughed Nellie. "Has the skyfallen?"

  "Almost as bad," declared Bobby, twinkling, but immediately becominggrave. "The gymnasium----"

  "Not burned!"

  "No, no! But it's been entered. And by some awfully mean person. Theapparatus on the upper floor has been partly destroyed, and thelockers broken into downstairs and lots of the field materialsspoiled. Oh, it's dreadfully mean, Nellie! They even sawed through therungs of the hanging ladders a little way, so that if anybody swung onthem they'd break.

  "And with all the harm they did, nobody can tell how they got into thebuilding, or out again. The watchman sleeps on the premises. You know,he's not supposed to keep awake all night, for the same man keeps thefield in repair during the day. But my father says that Jackway, thewatchman, must have slept like the dead if he didn't hear themarauders while they were damaging all that apparatus.

  "It's just too mean," concluded Bobby. "There isn't a basketball thatisn't cut to pieces, and the tennis ball boxes were broken open andthe balls all thrown into the swimming pool. Tennis rackets wereslashed, hockey sticks sawed in two, and other dreadful things done.It shows that whoever did it must have had a grudge against theathletic association and us girls--must have just _hated_ us!"

  "And who hates us?" cried Nellie, the question popping out before shethought.

  Bobby turned rather white, though her eyes shone. She tapped Nellie onthe shoulder with an insistent index finger.

  "You and I know who _says_ she hates us," whispered the younger girl.