Janet Aldridge

“ Even Disbrow could not conceal his disappointment, for he knew the Meadow-Brook team had not played as well as they had done in practice. Jane realized this, too, and just before they reached the court for the second set she whispered to Hazel in a very decided tone, “This set we must win. You know perfectly well that we can play better than those girls. If we lose, it will be a disgrace to Mr. Disbrow, and if we make use of all he has so patiently taught us, we shall not lose. Come on, let’s ‘thhow’ him, as Tommy would say.” ”

“ Harriet was thoughtful, while Miss Elting smiled her appreciation upon the boys, of whom she was almost as fond as of her own young charges.
“I would suggest that we put up the net. Even if we aren’t able to play, we shall be able to have a lot of enjoyment out of the tennis outfit,” said Harriet. “Do you object to our using it while we are here, boys?”
“Object?” George Baker was on his feet instantly, the set lines of his face relaxing somewhat. “Well, I should say not! Do you really mean that you’ll play over the net?”
“I don’t know about playing,” answered Harriet laughingly. ”

“ Harriet laughed merrily. “We shall have to play a much better game, and that is what we are going to do. But we are wasting time. Girls, get ready for practice. Captain, you sit on the boulder yonder from where you can watch us. Don’t be afraid to criticise. We need your severest criticism.”
The girls ran for their racquets, Sam got the tennis balls, George pulled himself together and stumbled over to the boulder, on which he took his seat, but instead of watching the girls, he sunk his head in his hands and relapsed into his former gloomy mood. ”

“ Come on, darlin’s,” cried Jane.
“Oh, yeth, let’th go,” urged Tommy.
“I do not think it would be wise,” answered Harriet reflectively. “I should dearly love a swim, but I do not think it prudent. We might catch a little cold or stiffen our muscles or something of the sort. We have too much at stake to take any chances. I for one shall not go in the surf and I hope none of you girls will.”
“Harriet is right,” answered George approvingly.
“Yes, she is,” agreed Miss Elting. “But you haven’t told us the news. Mr. Herrington said you knew a lot about what had been going on here.” ”

“ A month will be long enough for any girl to have it in her home at a stretch. I’ll tell you what we will do, we will each put in a little money that we shall earn, and buy one of those black marble pedestals that are used to hold statues. Then we can stand the precious cup in the window so people passing may see it.”
“And, of course, we must write to our friends and announce the good news,” reminded Hazel Holland.
“I know one person, at least, who will be glad to hear of our triumph,” declared Harriet. “Grace Harlowe will be delighted to learn that we’ve qualified as champion tennis players.” ”

“ A long rest was taken after luncheon, and then the afternoon was a repetition of the morning with work made easy by the enthusiasm and the painstaking effort of the Meadow-Brook Girls. It had been the first really successful day since they began their practice.
“One point in your favor,” declared Disbrow as he was leaving the Meadow-Brook camp that night, “is your wonderful endurance. I believe in a long race you would wear out a steam engine. Add skill to that quality of endurance and you will be heard from one of these days on the tennis court.” ”

“ The clearing, surrounded by great trees, was about an acre in extent and a really attractive camp site.
“Here we are,” announced George jovially, throwing down his pack. “You girls just make yourselves at home while we put the place to rights. How do you like it?”
“I like it,” answered Harriet frankly. “You have done considerable work here, I see—cut all the bushes and leveled off the ground for the camp. It is very kind in you, Captain. Where is your camp?” ”

“ Enthusiasm was running high. The Meadow-Brook Girls had by this time become very prominent. They were nearing the blazing cup which had served as Tommy’s inspiration and which seemed almost within reach now. But there remained the other team, before which everything had gone down. It seemed hopeless for Harriet and her slender, excitable little companion to hope to win against the hard-hitting, quick-footed, skilful Scott Sisters.
“They can’t do it,” declared Disbrow. “But even if they do not, they have won second place. ”

“ It was at this moment that Jane McCarthy came tearing up in her motor car, scattering people to the right and to the left. The Meadow-Brook Girls were going back to their camp to spend the night, then on the morrow they were going home, bearing the precious trophy that Harriet and Tommy had won for them. ”

“ The guardian nodded.
“I can’t see how you can hope even to get a place in the tournament. Tennis is a game of skill requiring years to make one proficient, and how you can expect to get into shape to play in a tournament five weeks hence is beyond me.” ”

“ Harriet Burrell played worse than ever. It had come to the point where she could not even hit a ball, much less deliver it properly.
“If there were a lake handy, I’d jump into it and drown myself,” George confided to Billy.
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“Go jump in the spring. A good ducking will do you good. Your face is as red as a lobster. You couldn’t be any hotter if you had been playing a championship game yourself.” ”

“ The Meadow-Brook Girls are our team. You are the players who are going to win the tennis championship for the coast, and you’re going to put all the others so far back of the lines that they won’t be able to find themselves for the rest of the summer. Now, what do you think of that?”
“What?” Harriet sat up very straight, looking George Baker squarely in the eyes. “Why, Mr. Baker, none of us has ever played a game of tennis in her life.” ”

“ But in Harriet Burrell’s mind was a stronger determination than ever to win until she came face to face with Patricia Scott across the tennis net, provided Patricia were still playing, which seemed more than likely, for the Scott Sisters were playing a magnificent game.
The story of the next set of the match is briefly told. Harriet and Tommy played three strong games, not perfect games by any manner of means, but Disbrow, who was watching their every movement with the eyes of an expert, saw that they were coming up magnificently. Each succeeding game was played better than the previous one. ”

“ Disbrow was their first caller. He turned Harriet toward the light that shone through the tent opening and gazed quizzically down into her eyes.
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“Just a wee bit nervous, eh? You will get over that when you get to work. It is perfectly natural. Everyone feels nervous before going into a tournament. Why, when I am going into a match I am so nervous that I can’t talk without breaking down, but the moment I feel the grip of the racquet in my hand and see the net before me I want to shout for joy. ”

“ They went through their morning work without a hitch, finishing with flushed faces and sparkling eyes.
“Oh, it is good to be alive, even if one had to sit in a puddle of water most of the night,” declared Harriet, as they sat down to breakfast. “Eat sparingly, girls, and chew your food well. That was Mr. Disbrow’s advice. We are to have some dry biscuit to nibble if we feel hungry.”
Margery and Miss Elting had taken an earlier breakfast and hurried over to the Meadow-Brook camp to gather up the necessary articles for the battle. ”

“ If anything, Harriet Burrell was fresher, stronger than at any time since she had begun playing in the tournament, but it was too much to hope that she and Tommy could ever stand up under the cruel grilling of the Scott Sisters, who seemed to know every trick that was known to tennis players. ”

“ Tommy declared that Buster was too fat to play tennis anyway, and that it was fortunate for her companions that she knew it. The game was resumed and played out, Jane winning. There had not been a moment of encouragement in it to the observers on the boys’ side. Even Miss Elting had frequently shaken her head, evidencing her hopelessness of the girls ever accomplishing anything at the game.
Hazel and Tommy played next. The little lisping girl took a keener interest in her tennis practice than they had ever known her to do in anything else. ”

“ Songs are a good thing. Our players will ‘go stale’ with too much work. It is not a good plan, I have heard, to keep too steadily at it when one is preparing for a contest. Am I not right?”
George nodded. Sam smiled broadly.
“Yes, we must take care of our principals,” declared the latter. “They are very delicate and very precious.” This raised the first laugh of that long, trying afternoon. The boys checked their own laughter suddenly, as if they had caught themselves doing something wrong. [106] Harriet started the Meadow-Brook yell, in which the boys joined with a shout. ”

“ He could show us how to win a match. By the way, Captain Baker, how many will there be in our class at the tournament?”
“They are all in your class—that is, eligible for the same events. Of course, you girls will play in doubles. For instance, you and Jane will play together on a side with two other girls opposed to you, while Hazel and Grace are playing together on another court against another pair of girls. If either of you win a certain number of sets, whatever may be agreed upon by the committee, then the winners play each other. Doesn’t sound so very formidable, does it?” ”

“ We’ll sleep over it rather than decide hastily. I should like to know what that surprise is that they have planned for us; that is the kernel in the nut.”
“They just want to tease us,” complained Margery. “I don’t believe they have any surprise at all.”
“I think you are wrong, Margery,” replied Miss Elting. “Those boys surely have something that is to be a great surprise to us. If we don’t do as they wish, they may not tell us.”
“They will tell us,” nodded Harriet reflectively. “What do you girls say about moving camp?”
“We will leave that to you,” answered Hazel. ”

“ Use your signals, use everything. Work fast and do your best. There’s no one to see you. No one comes around here. They know better when we men are on hand to watch over you.”
Despite George’s boast, however, a young man had been gradually working his way through the grove, approaching the tennis court from the rear of the tents, his stealthy movements as he darted from tree to tree being shielded from their view by the tents. ”

“ George flushed.
“Of course I know how. They know that without my showing them. But what can you expect a couple of amateurs to do against the champion of all England and half the United States of America? Charlie, watch yourself,” he added in a whisper. “We’ve got to win at least one game of the set from P. E. for the sake of our reputation with the girls.”
“We’ll be a heap better players than we are now before we win anything from him. ”

“ Oh, my poor nose!”
Tommy was regarding her quizzically, her shrewd little face wrinkled into sharp lines. Tommy was very proud of her accomplishment, for did it not prove that she was very skilful and Margery not?
“I think myself that Margery is not a success at tennis,” answered Miss Elting. “I believe you had better give it up and let Harriet [058] and Jane have an opportunity. Jane hasn’t held a racquet yet.”
“No! I’ll play if it kills me,” declared Margery.
“That’s the talk!” cried Sam. “That’s the spirit that wins games and everything else! ”

“ Other [118] things being equal, you ought to win. But you must remember that tennis is not a game to be learned in a day. Years ordinarily are required to make the expert player. I am not going to say that I think you have no chance. I can not say until I have seen you play. To-morrow we shall see what you can do. For my part, I shall do my best for you. It follows that I am able to coach to the best advantage, but first of all you must be tennis players by instinct. Even were you fair players, you would have a task before you to prepare yourself for a tournament within the short time left. ”

“ We have no time to lose. Every minute is precious from now on for the coming five weeks.”
George chose a racquet. They began to play a few minutes later. It was plain that they were evenly matched, though George appeared to be a little more skilful than his opponent. The girls were enthusiastic, the boys sitting on the side lines offering suggestions to both players from time to time. Harriet Burrell never spoke a word throughout the game. Instead, she watched every play with keen eyes, gaining no little knowledge of the principles of the game from such observation. ”

“ The team is going to win. That is what I mean when I say I am going to do it. Of course, I do not expect to do it alone. I know we are going to win a place. I feel it. I can’t tell you just why, but I do, so you had better prepare to protect yourself from sunstroke. If there are any trees where the tournament is to be held, by all means engage a place under one.”
“They don’t have trees near tennis courts. Trees throw shadows that sometimes make the players nervous or cause them to misjudge their distances. No, I’ll have to take my medicine and I will.”
“Hark!” Jane held up a hand for silence. ”

“ I’ve played tennis pretty much all over the world and have had to put up with some pretty rough quarters. I’m jolly well satisfied with a tent and a pair of clean blankets. This supper, let me tell you, I enjoyed more than anything I’ve had since I left England. I shall have to be careful or I’ll put on too much flesh in the two or three weeks I am up here. By the way, what is the physical condition of the young ladies, Miss Elting!”
“I do not see how it could be better,” answered the guardian. “They practically live out-of-doors a good part of the year. ”

“ That’s a trick of expert tennis players to learn whether a racquet is properly balanced. You needn’t tell me you don’t know anything about the game. Sam, bring a ball here. You fellows are going to get a surprise in about a minute and a half. Harriet, you and Hazel take your places. No, not in the middle of the court—diagonally in those squares. ”

“ Harriet shook her head.
“It is out of the question, George. Miss Elting plays, I believe. Let her take the entry for us.”
“She isn’t eligible,” objected George. “This entry is for girls not more than eighteen years old. Of course you will play,” he added with a more hopeful note in his tone. “I know well enough that you play, and play superbly. No girls who are such clever girls, out-of-doors as well as in, could help playing tennis. ”

“ Love-all, fifteen-all, thirty-all are called when the score is even, each side having nothing or one or two points, as the case may be. At forty-all the score is called ‘deuce,’ each side having three points, and as either side secures the next point it becomes ‘vantage-in’ or ‘vantage-out’ according to whether server or striker has the advantage.”
“My grathiouth! you make my head thwim,” murmured Tommy.
“Then the score hovers between vantage and deuce until one side secures two points in succession,” explained Miss Elting.
“Yes,” agreed George, nodding. ”