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Read Ebook: The Girls of Central High in Camp; Or the Old Professor's Secret by Morrison Gertrude W
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Ebook has 1386 lines and 42854 words, and 28 pages
However, it was nothing like a kitten that followed the blue-bordered handkerchief out of the voluminous skirt-pocket. A crumpled clipping from a newspaper fell to the walk as Professor Dimp strode away.
Bobby Hargrew's quick eye noted the clipping first, and she darted to retrieve it. She came back more slowly, reading the printed slip.
"What is it, Bob?" asked Jess, idly.
"Why, Clara!" exclaimed Laura Belding, "aren't you going to give it back to him?"
"Look here, girls!" ejaculated the excited and thoughtless Bobby, looking up from the newspaper clipping. "What do you think of this? Old Dimple must be secretly interested in modern crime as well as in the murdered ancient languages. This is all about those forgeries in the Merchants and Miners Bank, of Albany. You know, they say a young fellow--almost a boy--did them; and he can't be found and they don't know what he did with the money obtained by the circulating of the false paper."
"My! Our Aunt Dora lost some securities. She just wrote us about it," Dorothy Lockwood said, eagerly.
"And he wasn't much but a boy!" murmured Nellie. But Laura said, sharply: "Bobby! that's not nice. Run after Professor Dimp and give the clipping to him."
"Gee! you're so awfully particular," grumbled the harum-scarum. But she started after the shabby figure of the Latin teacher and caught up with him before Professor Dimp had reached the end of the next block--for Bobby Hargrew had taken the palm in the quarter mile dash at the Girls' Branch League Field Day and there were few girls at Central High who could compete with her as a sprinter.
When she returned to the group of her friends, still eagerly discussing the plane for their camping trip, her footsteps lagged. Laura noticed the curious expression on the smaller girl's face.
"'Where did you get that, Miss Hargrew?'
"He's odd, you know," suggested Mother Wit.
"What do you mean, Bobs?" demanded Jess, while the other girls all looked amazed.
"Why he said to me just now," answered the disturbed girl, "'you girls better keep away from Acorn Island. That's no place for you to go camping.' And then walked right off with his old clipping, and without giving me a chance to ask him what he meant," concluded Bobby Hargrew.
PLANS FOR THE SUMMER
Bobby Hargrew came to school the next morning with rather a sour face for her. "What's the matter, dear?" asked Nell Agnew, sympathetically.
"I wish I were a bird," grumbled Bobby.
"So you could soar into the circumambient ether and leave all mundane things below?" queried Jess Morse, with a chuckle.
"No," said Bobby, in disgust. "So I wouldn't have a toothache. I was up with one of my old grinders half the night."
"Have it pulled," suggested Laura.
"Suicide is a serious matter," said Nellie, gravely.
"Surely, surely," the cut-up replied, dropping her voice to a gruesome pitch. "Listen!
"'Beside a sewer a man lay dead, A dagger in his side; The coroner's decision read: "He died of suicide."
'Now if this man at home in bed, Had in this manner died, Then could the coroner have said: "He died of homicide"?'
"Never joke about serious things, Nell."
"Hush, Bobby!" commanded Laura Belding. "Tell us, do, if your father has agreed to let us go camping on Acorn Island?"
"Of course," replied the younger girl. "And he says there is a cabin there that can be made tight for ten dollars. It's all right to camp under canvas; but if a big storm should come up he says we'd be glad of that cabin."
"Great!" announced Jess Morse.
"The cabin shall be your mother's particular shelter," said Laura. "Eh, girls?"
"If she is kind enough to go with us," said Nellie, "she should have the very best of everything."
Which was a prophecy likely to be fulfilled, if the past adventures of these same girls were any criterion of the future.
For more than a year now the girls of Central High, together with those of the other two high schools of Centerport and the high schools of Lumberport and Keyport--all five--had been deeply interested in the Girls' Branch League athletics. In following the various games and exercises approved by their instructor, Mrs. Case these six girls introduced above, had engaged in many and varied enterprises and adventures.
In "The Girls of Central High; Or, Rivals for All Honors," the first volume of this series, Laura Belding was enabled to interest one of the wealthiest men of Centerport in girls' athletics so that he gave a large sum toward the preparation of a handsome athletic field and gymnasium for Central High.
The second volume is entitled: "The Girls of Central High on Lake Luna," and the third is "The Girls of Central High at Basket Ball"--the titles of which tell their own story.
"The Girls of Central High on the Stage," the fourth volume, tells of the writing and first production by her mates of Jess Morse's successful play, while the fifth of the series is entitled: "The Girls of Central High on Track and Field; Or, Champions of the School League."
Laura, Jess, Nellie, the Lockwood Twins and Bobby were girls of dissimilar characters . Laura's brother Chetwood, his chum, Lance Darby, Billy Long, and some of the other Central High boys were usually entangled in the girls' adventures--sufficiently to give spice to the incidents.
So, all considered, it was only reasonable that the girls should have eagerly agreed upon the site of their summer camp--Acorn Island. They knew that the boys would probably have their own camp on one shore or the other of the lake, and within sight of the island.
Chet, who seldom failed to walk home with Jess and carry her books--unless the gymnasium called the girls after the school session--and Lance, who filled like office of faithful squire to Laura, joined the girl chums on this afternoon.
"Got it all planned, have you?" Chet said. "I hear Acorn Island is going to be overrun with a gang of female Indians right after graduation."
"We have got to go up there to keep watch of you boys," laughed his sister. "But it's nice of Bobby's father to let us camp there."
"Pull--sheer pull," grumbled Lance. "We fellows tried our best to get permission to camp on the Island."
"Well," said Jess, demurely. "You can come to the island visiting. It will be perfectly proper. My mother says she will go to chaperon us, now that she knows there is a cabin there."
"And Bobby's father is going to send a couple of men up from Lumberport to make the cabin tight and fix things up a little for us. We'll pitch our tents on the knoll right by the cabin," Laura said, eagerly.
"Pretty spot," agreed Chet. "We'll probably have our camp in sight of it and the lake between the south shore and the island is only about two miles broad."
"Oh! we'll have a bully time," his chum agreed.
"Say!" Chet said, suddenly, addressing Lance Darby. "What was professor Dimp saying to you about camping? I heard a word or two. Something about going to the island?"
"Why! I forgot to tell you about that," returned Lance, quickly, while the two girls cast enquiring glances at each other. "Old Dimple is certainly an odd stick."
"As odd as Dick's hat-band," agreed Chet.
"And no-end forgetful. He's been worse than ever lately. There certainly is something worrying him."
"You boys," laughed Jess.
"Something worse than boys," Lance returned. "It's a shame how forgetful he is. Say! did you hear what he did at Mr. Sharp's the other night?"
"No," said the others, in chorus.
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