CHAPTER XII
"OUT OF IT"
For on that Saturday morning Mrs. Case had called at the Grimes houseand asked to see Hester. The girl came down and, the moment she sawthe physical instructor of Central High, seemed to know what wasafoot.
"So you've come to tell me I'm not on the team any more, I s'pose,Mrs. Case?" she demanded, tossing her head, her face growing very red.
"I am sorry to tell you that, after your actions at the game with EastHigh Wednesday afternoon, it has been decided that another girlnominated to your position on Team Number 1 would probably do better,"said Mrs. Case, quietly.
"Well!" snapped Hester. "You've been wanting to get me off ever sincelast spring----"
"Hester! although we are not at school now, we are discussing schoolmatters, and I am one of your teachers. Just as long as you attendCentral High you must speak respectfully to and of your instructors,both in and out of school. Do you wish me to report your language toMr. Sharp?"
Hester was sullenly silent for a moment
"For I can assure you," continued Mrs. Case, "that if I were to placethe entire matter before him, including your general deportment at thegymnasium and on the athletic field, I feel sure your parents would berequested to remove you from the school. Do you understand that?"
"I don't know that I would be very sorry," muttered the girl.
"You think you would not," said Mrs. Case; "but it is not so. You aretoo old to be taken out of one school and put in another because ofyour deportment. Wherever you went that fact would follow you. Itwould be hard work for you to live down such a reputation, Hester."
"I wish father would send me to a boarding-school, anyway."
"And I doubt if that would help you any. You will not be advised,Hester. But you will learn yet that I speak the truth when I tell youthat you will be neither happy, nor popular, wherever you go, unlessyou control your temper."
"What do I care about those nasty girls on the Hill?" sputtered thebutcher's daughter. "They're a lot of nobodies, if they _are_ sostuck-up."
"There is not a girl in your class, Hester, who puts on airs overyou--or who attempts to," said Mrs. Case, warmly. "And you know that isso. Deep in your heart, Hester, you know just where the trouble lies.Your lack of self-control and your envy are at the root of all yourtroubles in school and in athletics."
Hester only pouted; but she made no reply.
"Now I am forced to remove you from this team where--if you would keepyour temper--you could be of much use. You are a good player atbasketball--one of the best in Central High. And we have to deny youthe privilege of playing on the champion team because----"
"Just because the other girls don't want me to play with them!" criedthe girl, angrily.
"And can they be blamed?" demanded the teacher, quite exasperatedherself now. "If you had any loyalty to Central High you would nothave acted as you did."
"I don't care!" flashed out Hester.
At that Mrs. Case arose to go. "You are hopeless," she said,decisively. "I had it in mind to offer you a chance to win back yourposition on the team. But such consideration would be thrown away onyou."
"I don't want to play with the horrid, stuck-up things!" cried Hester,quite beside herself now with rage and mortification. "I hate themall. I don't want any of them to be my friends. And as for your oldathletics--I'm going to tell father that they're no good and that Iwant to withdraw from the League."
"You may be saved the necessity for that if you haven't a care,Hester," warned Mrs. Case, taking her departure.
It was because of this visit from the physical instructor, perhaps,that Hester fairly bullied her father at luncheon time into allowingher mother and herself to try out an automobile that an agent hadwanted to sell the wholesale butcher for some time. If automobiles hadbeen uncommon on the Hill Henry Grimes would have had one long beforefor his family, for he loved display, just as Hester did. But nearlyevery family at their end of Whiffle Street had a car.
However, Mrs. Grimes woke up enough to show interest in the matter,too, for she really liked riding in a car that ran smoothly andrapidly over the macadamized roads about Centerport; so she added hercomplaint to Hester's and finally the butcher telephoned for the carto be sent up. But he would not give any time to it himself. Thereforeit was that Hester and her mother appeared on the Hill road just abovethe Four Corners in season to extricate Laura Belding and Eve Sitzfrom their very uncomfortable session with Hebe Pocock and his crowd.
"We ought to have gone along and left those girls to get out of it asbest they could," snapped Hester, when the car rolled on and Laura andEve, with the mare and colt, were out of sight.
"Why, I declare for't!" ejaculated Mrs. Grimes. "You certainly do hatethat Belding girl--and I don't see a living thing the matter with her.She's smart an' bright--remember how she found my auto veil that youlost last spring?"
Hester had very good reason for remembering that occasion. She hadalways been afraid that Laura would circulate the story connected withthat veil; and because Laura had kept silence Hester hated her all themore.
And now Hester allowed bitter thoughts against Mother Wit and theother members of the basketball team to fester in her mind, until shewas actually insanely angry with and jealous of them.
When her mother that evening at dinner told Mr. Grimes about theactions of Hebron Pocock, who sometimes worked for the butcher at theslaughtering plant near the Four Corners, Hester tried to smooth thematter over and suggest that Hebe was "only in fun" and was justscaring two silly girls.
"Well, I suggested him for watchman at the gymnasium," said Mr.Grimes. "But he isn't likely to get it. The Board has every confidencein this Bill Jackway, despite the fact that somebody seems to get intothe gym. and damage things without his knowing how they do it. Bill isan easy-going fellow. That's why I suggested Hebe Pocock. If Hebe wason the job, he'd eat a fellow up who tried to monkey around the gym."
Hester was silent thereafter until the subject of conversation waschanged.
The following week she found herself "out of it" with a vengeance. IfLily Pendleton had been absenting herself from Hester's side more thanusual since the fall term opened, now she was still more away. Lilydid not wish to lose her membership in the basketball team. To be amember of the champion nine of Central High gave her a certainprestige that that young lady did not wish to lose.
Besides, Lily was one of the largest girls in the Junior class, wasvigorous physically, and loved the game. So Hester was thrown backupon her own resources more than ever. And her own company did notplease Miss Hester Grimes.
She could, of course, have found associates among some of the youngergirls, or among those who are always willing to play the courtier to agirl who spends her money freely. Yet there were few of these latterat Central High, and not many of the younger girls--the sophs andfreshies--liked Hester well enough to chum with her.
And now that the whispered accusations against the wholesale butcher'sdaughter had gone about the school regarding the gymnasium mystery,many girls looked askance at Hester when she passed by, and some evenignored her and refused to speak to her.
Ordinarily this would have troubled her but little. She was often "noton speaking terms" with dozens of girls--especially with those of herown class. But this was different, and she began to notice it. Girlswho had heretofore nodded to her on the street or in the yard of theschool, at least, walked right by and did not turn their eyes uponher.
Furthermore, when Hester approached a group of her classmates theyoften hushed their animated discussions and broke up the groupquickly. They were speaking of her. She could not imagine what theysaid, but her heart burned with anger against them.
Hester kept away from the gym. She told herself she did not care whathappened to the "old place." She hated it. She would not go there andsee another girl practice in her place on the basketball team.
A game with the West High girls was scheduled for Wednesday afternoon.It was not until after that that her mother
learned that she no longerplayed on the Central High team. And Mrs. Grimes wanted to know _why_.
"Never you mind!" snapped Hester, who was not above being saucy to hermother at times. "It doesn't concern you."
"Don't you _want_ to play any more?" insisted Mrs. Grimes.
"No, I don't! Now, that's finished!" cried Hester, and flounced out ofthe room.
Her father had agreed to buy the new auto, and she telephoned for theman at the garage to bring it up. Nobody ever crossed Hester, if hecould help it, and when she said to the man that she wanted to learnto run the car he supposed that her father was willing.
He did not ask her age, although the Centerport Board of Aldermen hadestablished a rule that no person under sixteen should be given alicense or be allowed to run a motor car. At any rate, he did notexpect to be requested to let her run the car without his guidance.
But this is exactly what Hester demanded when they were out of town.It was a warm, smoky fall day. There were brush fires somewhere overthe ridge to the south of Centerport; or else some spark from arailroad locomotive had set the leaves in the ditches afire. It hadbeen dry for a week and the woods were like tinder.
They had run far out the road past the entrance to Robinson's PicnicGrounds, and there Hester demanded to manage the car alone, while theman sat in back.
"You make me nervous!" she exclaimed. "I'll never learn anything withyou nudging my elbow all the time. There! get along with you."
She really was a very capable girl, and she was not unfamiliar withmotor cars; but the chauffeur doubted.
"I don't believe I can do it, Miss," he said. "I'll sit here----"
Suddenly the car stopped. The engine was still running, but the cardid not move.
"_Now_ what's the matter?" snapped Hester. "Hop out and see, Joseph."
The man did so and immediately she turned the switch again and themachine darted ahead, leaving the chauffeur in the middle of the road.
"I'll be back after a little!" she called to him, coolly, over hershoulder, and the next moment rounded a turn safely and shut theamazed and angry chauffeur out of view.