Part 11 (1/2)
Miss Heath was behind her friend as they climbed the steps of the stadium, but happening to pa.s.s Betty and Carolyn, she gave Carolyn a meaning smile and reached for Betty's hand to give it a squeeze.
”She can't _say_ anything, to gloat over our victory, of course,” said Carolyn, ”but I can't help be mean enough to be gladder because that other teacher was so _sure_ we were defeated!”
”What about the Don now, Betty?” asked Peggy. ”If he isn't so 'slick' as some of the boys in dressing up, he was 'slick' in winning the game for us, wasn't he?”
”Oh, the Don's all right!” said Betty. And just then she felt a hand at her elbow. It was Ted, who thus boosted her up a few steps, telling her that the plan was to make ”them” feel secure and then ”spring Don.” ”So long, girlsgood game, wasn't it?” Ted finally inquired, leaping up the rest of the way and again joining the boys.
A tired but happy Betty clung to the straps of the crowded street car on the way home. Doris was riding home in an automobile, with the little daughter of a neighbor, but d.i.c.k grinned at Betty from the far end of the car and joined her when they left it at their corner.
”Say, did you ever see a fellow as heavy as that foreign fellow looks run like that? But he isn't quite as slippery as Freddy. They might have caught him if they hadn't been so surprised. What became of Doris? I didn't see her there at all. I hope she didn't miss it.”
”No; Marie's folks were there, with her and Marie, and I saw Doris getting into their car while we were waiting for the street car.”
”Just to think! We're the champions of the scholastic what-you-call it.
Didn't I _yell_, though at the last shot, when the last quarter was over and the game ours!”
CHAPTER IX: SHOWING OFF LYON HIGH
The game that won the champions.h.i.+p for the Lyon High team pa.s.sed into history without much effect upon Betty's relations to any one. It must be said that the Lyon High boys and girls could not always forbear to mention their victory in the presence of their rivals from the other school and were immediately dubbed too ”c.o.c.ky” over the ”accident” or ”trick” which permitted the result. But argument died out in the interest of other things and the football season closed at the usual time.
The next bit of excitement for Betty was the visit of her friends from home. ”_Please_ arrange,” she wrote to Janet, ”to come in time to visit the school on Wednesday at least. Of course, I could take you to see the buildings; but it will be so much more interesting for you to see them full of all of us. And I can introduce you to the girls and everything.
”You must meet Carolyn and Peggy, that I've told you about, and then there are such a lot of other nice girls; and we'll probably have an auditorium session Wednesday morning with something or other that you would enjoy seeing go on. It isn't going to hurt you to miss a day or two of school_please!_ Get the teachers to let you make it up and tell 'em why.”
In consequence, two bright-eyed and inwardly excited girls descended from their car at the railway station, to find Mr. Lee meeting the crowds that were hurrying along with their bags inside by the long train; and Betty was close to the iron gates, watching with eager look to catch the first glimpse.
Betty had not known Sue as intimately as Janet, but she had always liked her and Sue belonged to her Sunday school cla.s.s as well as to her cla.s.s in school. At any rate Sue was as warmly received as Janet and tongues went rapidly indeed on the way home.
”Tell me everything,” Betty had said, and in reply Janet had suggested that Betty ”show them everything.” But the sights had already begun, for Mr. Lee went home by a roundabout way to drive through one of the most beautiful parks, from which they could see the river and its scenery and villages on the other side. He also drove past the high school which Betty attended and Betty was quite satisfied with the exclamations of her friends.
”I met Father down town,” Betty explained, ”for I went right down after school, with some of the girls, and we had a soda. Then I went to Father's office and waited for him to be ready. Did you girls miss much school?”
”Only this afternoon, and tomorrow, of course,” Sue answered. ”Janet's father drove us to Columbus, so we caught this train.”
”It's pretty yet, isn't it?” remarked Janet, looking about at the trees and bushes in the park, ”and not a bit of snow.”
”We had a wee bit one day; but you can notice quite a difference, one of the girls said, between the climate here and where we used to live.”
”Doesn't that sound awful, Janet?” asked Sue, ”where she _used_ to live!”
”But then you couldn't visit me here, you know,” Betty hastened to say, and Janet smilingly replied ”Sure enough.”
”Anyhow, you still _own_ your house and the lot next to it, don't you?”
queried Sue.
”I guess sodon't we, Father?” answered Betty, who did not pay much attention to business affairs, and Mr. Lee nodded a.s.sent as he drove rapidly along the boulevard, now homeward bound.
”Do you know, Betty,” said Janet a little later, when they were almost home, ”I never was inside of an apartment house!”