CHAPTER XXIII
DAN LARKIN REMEMBERS
Dan Larkin was a character. He stood behind the little counter of histraveling store, sleeves rolled up to display sinewy forearms, small,good-humored eyes twinkling out from masses of puffy flesh, and a derbyhat set rakishly on the back of his grizzled head.
He looked from the bill in Billie’s hand to Billie’s face and shook hishead waggishly.
“You oughtn’t to startle an old feller like that,” he said. “I ain’tsure where I got that bill, young lady--let’s see, it’s a five dollarone, ain’t it? But one thing’s certain--I come by it honest!”
“I don’t doubt it,” replied Billie, smiling engagingly. “Anyone wouldknow you were honest, just to look at you.”
“Would they now!” exclaimed the old man delightedly. “That’s the bestnews I’ve heard in a powerful long time. I _am_ honest you know--as theday!”
“I’m sure of it,” Billie repeated. “Mr. Larkin,” pushing the billtoward him again, “won’t you please look at this again closely andtell me if you don’t notice anything strange about it?”
“Hm!” said the old man, giving her an extraordinarily shrewd glancefrom his little, good-humored eyes. “Important, is it?”
“Oh, very, very important!” said Billie.
She waited in an agony of impatience, of mingled hope and fear, whilethe old man removed one pair of spectacles and replaced them byanother. Taking the bill in his hand he peered intently at it.
“A five dollar bill, eh--_with_ a blot on it,” he ruminated. “Now,what’s to be made of that?”
For a long moment he appeared lost in thought, then, with a gesture ofregret, pushed the bill across the counter toward Billie.
“Sorry I don’t seem to recollect----” Then, as Billie’s fingers reachedfor the bill: “Whoa there! Hold your horses! Sure, I know who giveme that five dollars with the spot onto it.” The blue eyes twinkledand danced at Billie from between mounds of flesh. “’Twas Mrs. MariaTatgood. That’s who ’twas!”
The interior of that quaint place reeled before Billie. She clung tothe counter and heard her voice say faintly, joyfully:
“Has--has Mrs. Maria Tatgood been buying much of you lately?”
“Ho! That’s a queer question! But I’ll answer it honestly. That’s myway. Now you come to speak of it, Mrs. Tatgood has been buying quite alot of me lately.”
“More than she used to?” Billie persisted.
“Quite a good deal more.” The small eyes beamed and danced at her.“Yes, I should say she’s buying quite a good deal more than usual thesedays. Which is gratifying to an old chap who has to make his livingtrundling a store about on wheels. Ain’t it, now?”
Billie agreed that it was and, reminded of her own deep obligation toDan Larkin, she emulated the good example of Mrs. Tatgood and boughtseveral things of him, all of which she could have done very wellwithout.
Scarcely able to believe in her good fortune, Billie returned asquickly as possible to Three Towers Hall. All during the ride in thestreet car she debated the question as to whether it would be wise toconfide her extraordinary news to Laura and Vi.
“Not just yet,” was her decision. “Monday and Tuesday are the days ofthe tennis tournament. I’ll wait till after that. Meantime,” imitatingMr. Dan Larkin, “I’ll keep my eyes open. Oh, won’t I just!”
The next day Billie went about radiating so much joyfulness that herchums were curious. Some of them even went so far as to be suspicious.
“Billie Bradley looks like the cat who has just swallowed the canary,”said Jessie Brewer. “I wonder,” musingly, “if she _could_ have had ahand in the disappearance of that Gift Club money!”
“Don’t be a goose!” said her companion shortly. “Billie Bradley wouldnever steal anything!”
However, the seed of doubt had been planted, and it grew!
Toward the end of the long pleasant Sunday, Billie’s mood of optimismbegan to wane somewhat. After all, argued the still, small voice of herpessimism, even though she had turned up a red-hot clue, what righthad she to believe that she would be able to follow it through to asuccessful conclusion? It was not a very convincing clue, she toldherself, and she was not very experienced in running down clues ortrails of any kind.
If only to-morrow were not the beginning of the tennis tournament! Ifonly--if only----
That night Laura and Vi worked over Billie’s knee, rubbing, massaging,as earnest in their ministrations as any professional trainer.
“I think it will do now,” said Billie, at last. “Thanks so much, girls.”
“But how does the knee feel?” Laura insisted.
“All right, most of the time. Then once in a while when I least expectit, it grows a peculiar kink. I can’t quite explain it, but suddenlyall the strength goes out of it and I feel as though I’d either have tosit down or take a nose dive. Never mind!” smiling at their seriousfaces, “let’s hope it will last through to-morrow. That’s all I ask ofit!”
“That’s all you ask of it, yes,” grumbled Vi. “But that’s an awful lotto ask of a weak knee, Billie. I’m worried about it. If you’d onlykept off of it this past week or two, it might be all right now. As itis--why, don’t you know that this tournament is important?”
“Don’t I know that this tournament is important! Of course I know!Don’t be silly, Vi.” Then, seeing that Vi looked a little hurt, shewent on: “Oh, I’m sorry, honey. But don’t worry. It’ll turn out allright.”
Next day dawned gloomily, with more than a hint of rain in the sky.However, by ten o’clock the sun had come out to stay, the air was crispand cool--ideal tennis weather.
Almost the entire student body of Three Towers flocked out upon thegrounds. Lessons were suspended for the two days of the tournament. Theteachers often came to watch a spirited match. It was not unusual forMiss Walters herself to occupy a camp chair close to the courts duringthe finals.
Billie crashed through the elimination sets, crushing her opponentswithout mercy.
“There she goes!” cried Vi, gnawing the ends of her fingers in herexcitement. “6--0, 6--2, 6--0. Rose is down, and she waves a wickedracket, too. Oh, boy, there’s nobody can stand before Billie to-day!”
“Amanda Peabody is doing just as well. I never saw such pretty work inmy life. She seems to be top form.”
Vi turned toward the quiet voice and saw Ray Carew standing beside her.She regarded the girl steadily for a long moment.
“Sounds to me as if you were rooting for Amanda, Ray. Are you?”
Rachael had the grace to flush. She avoided Vi’s direct glance.
“No,” she said, and in a moment walked over to join a friend.
When Vi turned again to watch Billie’s smashing service, her cleverbackhand, her choppy, certain net-work, the enthusiasm she had feltbefore was definitely overshadowed.
“Billie is just throwing away everything she has gained here bysticking to that wretched Edina Tooker. I can’t think what she sees inthe girl. I never liked her, anyway--not from the very first!”
When Billie limped from the courts after a day of smashing victories,having reached the finals with a defeat of only one game, her firstwords were of praise for her adversaries.
“They were all good fighters and game losers,” she cried, her eyesshining. “Oh, what a day--what a marvelous day! Where’s Laura?”
“Here! I just stopped to lace my shoe.”
“You’ve reached the finals, too, haven’t you? Marvelous! We’ll doubleagainst Amanda and Eliza to-morrow.”
“But, Billie, how is your knee?”
“Gracious! I haven’t had time to think of it. Now you mention it,” withan experimental wriggle of the injured member, “it does hurt a little.Nothing to speak of, though. Oh, what a day!”
Next day, the great day of the finals, dawned bright and clear,though with a hint of rain which no one took note of on the westernhorizon. By ten o’clock the ring about the courts was packed solid withspectators.
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Billie, warming up her service with Laura, vainly searched the ring offaces for Edina Tooker.
“Hiding up in the dormitory, eating her heart out, poor kid,” thoughtBillie, and dubbed her ball into the net.
“Hey, Billie!” Laura shouted. “Stop your daydreaming and send me theball. I can’t pose for the Statue of Liberty all day. My arm waxethweary.”
For revenge Billie patted a ball neatly over her head. Laura swungwildly for it and missed, while a ripple of merriment swept theaudience.
“All right for you,” called Laura, good-naturedly. “I’ll get even withyou yet!”
Soon after that the real business of the day commenced.
Billie in the singles, Billie and Laura in the doubles, swiftlyeliminated all their adversaries except Amanda Peabody and Eliza Dilks.
Then these two girls went down to a decided but in no sense ignominiousdefeat before the combined powers of Billie and Laura.
When Billie at last faced Amanda Peabody for the last and decidingmatch of the tournament, an audible sigh broke from the spectators.
“Now,” said Rose Belser, “we are about to see something!”
“It will be a battle of the century,” predicted Connie Danvers.
On the courts Billie waved good-naturedly to Amanda.
“Your serve,” she called. “Ready?”