CHAPTER IX--A DISCUSSION ABOUT GIRLS
Diamond could not resist Ephraim's heartiness, and his face cleareddespite himself. The Yankee boy was so good-natured and ready to meethim more than half-way that he was conscience-stricken.
"I am a fool!" he muttered; "and I'm the only one to blame. It is in mynature, and I don't seem to be able to help it."
"It's all right now, old fellow!" laughed Frank, as he passed an armaround Jack's shoulders in a most friendly way. "I hardly thought youwould go back on me and spoil my scheme."
Having watched all this, Rattleton edged a bit nearer Bruce Browning,who was stretched flat on his back, and had seemed to take no more thana slight interest in what was going on.
"Isn't it strange how much Merry will stand from Jack?" said Harry,cautiously. "Diamond has been growling and kicking and making things asunpleasant as possible for some time, and yet I swear Frank seems tothink more of him than ever before. The more I know Frank Merriwell theless I know him!"
Browning grunted.
"You're not the only one; there are others," he said.
"Say, fellows," called Hodge, "there goes a party of pretty girls intothe surf."
"Begorra!" exclaimed Barney. "It's nivver a bit ye'll miss seein' themat all, at all."
"Dot peen so," nodded Hans. "Partly alvays seen all der britty girlsdere vas, you pet my poots!"
Four girl bathers had come down to the beach, without seeing the littleparty of lads lolling beneath the wide-spreading tree. There were fourof them, and they all were dressed in tasty and modest bathing suits.
"One of them is Inza Burrage," said Frank, whose eyes never failed torecognize the girl he admired so much.
"And the one standing with her near the edge of the water is the younglady to whom she introduced us last night, Frank."
"Miss Random."
"Yes."
"She is a charming girl."
"That's right," agreed Hodge, his admiration showing in his eyes; "but Idon't suppose you think her quite as charming as Inza?"
"Oh, I don't know! There is a great difference between them. Miss Randomis more quiet and less bubbling and full of spirits. She has blue eyesthat are soft as the California skies, and she is very gentle andladylike. Although Inza has developed into a young lady, she still hasmany of her girlish ways. She is quick and impulsive, easy to takeoffense and ready to forgive. It is hard to compare two girls who are sodissimilar."
"Of course I know which one you admire most," said Bart, with somethinglike the ghost of a smile on his dark face; "and I am quite willing thatyou should. There is something about Effie Random's blue eyes andsubdued manner that captivates me."
"Here! here! here!" cried Frank, laughingly. "Is it possible you arefalling in love again, Hodge? Be careful! You know what sort of scrapesyour love affairs get you into."
Bart flushed.
"Don't worry about me," he said, sharply. "I don't propose to make afool of myself again. I have done that enough. I'll not get so muchstuck on any girl that she'll be able to make me do anythingdishonorable."
"I don't believe you will again, old man. I think you have learned yourlesson, and learned it well."
Browning had slowly rolled over on his side, so he could watch the girlbathers without lifting his head to do so.
"I don't know," he said, slowly, in his peculiar lazy manner. "I was notintroduced to Miss Random, but I have seen her in her street dress, andnow I see her in bathing costume. I don't know; I don't know."
"Don't know what?" asked Rattleton.
"Don't know but she could tempt me to do almost anything. She is out ofsight!"
"There is one thing she could not induce you to do."
"Name it."
"Hurry."
"Well, she could induce me to try, and that's a great deal."
"Begorra! it's nayther av you chaps nade worry about her," put inBarney. "It's nivver a bit she'll throuble her purty head over yez.She's lookin' fer bigger fish, me b'ys."
"I suppose you know all about it?" grunted Bruce, sarcastically.
"Ah, Oi know a thing ur two," returned the Irish lad, serenely, quiteunruffled by Browning's manner. "Santa Barbara has a distinguishedvisitor, av ye'll plaze remimber, an' all th' girruls are afther castin'shape's-oies at him."
"Do you mean Lord Stanford?"
"Av course."
"It is not possible Miss Random has been attracted by thatwhiskey-drinking wreck of the English peerage!"
"Whoy not?"
"Miss Burrage is friendly with Miss Random, and she would tell her allabout Lord Stanford."
"She has thot, but it's quare fools some av th' American girruls do bewhin they see a furriner wid some sort av a toitle. It's crazy they gitintirely, an' divvil a bit do they look at th' man at all, at all. It'sth' toitle they're thinkin' av. They're riddy to take any koind av anold thing, av it has a toitle hung to it."
"I don't believe Effie Random is that sort of a girl," warmly declaredHodge. "She seems to have more sense than that."
"It's not always their since ye can measure by th' looks av their face,me b'y."
"I think you are insinuating things about Miss Random without having theleast reason for doing so, and I don't like it," came warmly from Bart'slips.
"Oll roight, me laddybuck," nodded Barney. "It's nivver another worrudwill Oi say at all, at all."
"I am sure Barney did not mean any harm," smiled Frank. "It's a mistaketo take too seriously anything he says."
The Irish boy opened his lips, as if to say something, but quicklyclosed them again.
"Why is Stanford hanging around here so long, anyway?" asked Jack, whohad grown interested in the conversation. "After we took Inza away fromhim, the fellow seemed to throw up the sponge, and I thought he wouldget out in a hurry."
"That's right, but he seems very much fascinated with Santa Barbara andthe young ladies here."
"Dot shows he haf a leedle sense," cut in Hans. "Sandy Parpery peen atandy blace, und der girls here--um-um-er-um!--dey vos pirds!"
"California is full of pretty girls, anyway," declared Rattleton.
"By gum! that's jest so!" Ephraim cried. "There's only one place I knowof where there's more pritty gals."
"Where is that?"
"Up in Varmont, b'gosh! Never see no gals as could hold a candle tew theVarmont gals, b'ginger!"
"That's right," laughed Frank; "stand by the girls of your own State. Idon't blame you. I never was in Vermont in my life, but I'll wager thereare as pretty girls in that State as can be found anywhere."
"There are different types of beauty in different parts of the country,"said Diamond. "To a Virginian, Virginia girls are the handsomest on theface of the earth; but I presume it is because there is somethingdistinctive in the type they represent, and, by familiarity with it, wehave come to consider it superior to anything else."
"Begorra!" broke forth Barney; "it's no tuype Oi care fer, but Oi'vethraveled th' whole worruld over, an' Oi swear it's nivver a bit av useto look fer purtier girruls thin can be found in ould Oireland."
"It's not girls we were to discuss," said Diamond. "Merriwell spoke ofsome kind of a scheme."
"And came near forgetting it. Never mind the girls now, fellows. Gatheraround me, and I will lay before you my plan for a trip that is bound tobe full of sport and adventure. I know you will be stuck on the scheme."
He sat down on the ground, and the boys settled themselves in positionsto listen.
"My scheme," said Frank, smiling at the interest he saw expressed on theeager faces about him, "is to form an athletic combine and take ineverything in the way of sports that we can strike on our way backEast."
There was a stir among the listening lads, all of whom were greatlyinterested in athletics and outdoor sports.
"We can begin right here in Santa Barbara day after to-morrow,"Merriwell continued, "for you know we have decided to wait over andattend the athletic tournament which is to take place here on that day."
"Yes," said Harry, hastily; "but we would not be allowed to pate tark--Imean take part in it."
"Why not?"
"Why, isn't it for Californians exclusively?"
"Not at all. California seldom does anything for Californiansexclusively. They are the most liberal, broad-minded people in theworld, and they like to interest outsiders in their doings. Thistournament is open to all non-professional athletes who may wish toenter it."
The interest of the listening boys grew deeper.
"And you think it would be a good plan for some of us to take a hand init, eh?" said Diamond, his face brightening.
"Yes."
"Is that your scheme?"
"Part of it."
"I fail to understand how it would be affected by my departure."
"Wait; you have not heard all I have to say."
"I beg your pardon. Go on."
"In this crowd right here are fellows who can take part in almost anykind of an athletic contest."
"That's right."
"We could form a club, and be prepared for anything we ran up against.Do you tumble?"
"You are right; but what would we run up against?"
"Plenty of hot times, if we looked for them. We could make a trip backEast, taking time for it, as there is time to spare before collegebegins in September."
"That's so," grunted Browning. "We'd want to take lots of time. I don'tsee the good of hustling back East, anyway."
"Nor I," said Harry. "I agreed to spend some time in Bar Harbor thisseason, but I don't suppose it will kill any one if I fail to getthere."
"Bar Harbor is a long distance from Santa Barbara," laughed Frank."Forget it. If my scheme pans out, you'll have more fun than you couldget out of Bar Harbor, with its dances and its tennis parties. Dancingand tennis are well enough, but here are other things more interesting."
"Golf, for instance," grinned Rattleton. "They say tennis won't be in itat Bar Harbor this summer. Golf is bound to be all the rage."
"Let it rage. It's better than tennis in some respects, but there is notquite enough excitement about it for the average American lad. Baseballand football are the things to make the blood tingle."
"You bet!" cried several of the boys in chorus.
"If my plan is adopted," said Frank, "we can travel back East by easystages, stopping wherever we hear there is anything going on in which weare interested, and getting into all sorts of sports and games. How doesit strike you, fellows?"
"Pully," shouted Hans. "Uf I peen aple to get me some footraces indo, Ipet you your life I vos goin' to make der natifs hustle."
The Dutch boy's one pet hallucination was that he was a great sprinter.He cherished the delusion with tender fondness, and nothing couldconvince him it was a delusion.
"Begorra it's a great skame, Frankie," cried Barney. "It's a roightjolly ould toime we'll hiv."
"Gol darned ef we won't," nodded Ephraim, bobbing his head up and downwith his long supple neck.
The others, with the exception of Jack and Bruce, expressed themselvesas greatly pleased with the idea. Browning grunted and groaned:
"Merry, you're always getting up something to make a fellow work. Nowour trip across the continent is over, I have been contemplating thejoys of a lazy trip back home in a parlor car. Here you come with ascheme that knocks the wind out of my sails."
Diamond was silent.
Frank knew that Bruce did not mean more than half he said, and so hesimply smiled on the big fellow. To Jack he said:
"You haven't said what you think about it."
"I was wondering."
"What about?"
"About your statement that it would spoil your plan if I left theparty."
"It would."
"I don't see how. There would still be eight of you."
"But eight is not nine, and it takes nine men to play a game ofbaseball."
"Baseball! That's right! Why, we have enough here for a ball team."
"That is it, exactly," smiled Frank. "This is the season when baseballflourishes, and we will be sure to strike some games on our way backEast. If there are nine of us, we'll have a ball team of our own."
"Mah gracious," broke in Toots. "Dat am de stuff. If dar am anyfing Ileks teh do it am teh play baseball--yes, sar."
Diamond was satisfied, and he immediately proposed that they organize anathletic club without delay.