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The Grammar School Boys in Summer Athletics, a novel by H. Irving Hancock |
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Chapter 8. Two Rivals Plan Dire Revenge |
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_ CHAPTER VIII. TWO RIVALS PLAN DIRE REVENGE "I wonder what Ted Teall will do after this when he wants to play rattles on the other side?" inquired Harry. Dick & Co. were now making the most of Saturday afternoon. Having no money to spend, and no boat in which to enjoy themselves on the river, they had gone out of Gridley some distance to a small, clear body of water known as Hunt's pond. When sufficient time after dinner had passed, they intended to strip and go in swimming, for this pond, well in the woods, was, by common understanding, left for boys who wanted to indulge in that sport. "I don't believe Ted will get very funny, in the immediate future," replied Tom reflectively. "His fellows came to the field, all primed with a lot of funny remarks they were going to shoot at us during the game. Yet the only fellows who got hit by any flying funny talk were the Souths themselves. I have been wondering if 'Bang---ow-ow' was what cost the Souths the game?" "I don't quite believe that," replied Dick. "Yet I am certain that it took a lot of starch out of Ted himself. Do you remember that time when he went over and spoke to his fellows?" "Yes," nodded Greg. "Well," Dick pursued, "I've heard since that that was the time when Ted went over and begged his fellows to 'can' all funny talk until the game was over." "But they didn't," chuckled Dan. "That was why Ted was so angry at the end." "Anyway," Tom insisted, "Teall isn't likely to bother us any more." "Either he'll quit on the funny talk," agreed Prescott, "or else he'll go to the other extreme and be more tantalizing than ever." It would greatly have interested these Central Grammar boys had they known that the subject of their conversation was even then listening to them. Ted Teall, sore and angry, had come away from town all by himself. He wanted a long swim in the pond, to see if that would cool off the anger that consumed him. Hearing voices as he came through the woods, Ted halted first, then, crawling along the ground, made his way cautiously forward. And now the captain of the South Grammar nine lay flat, his head hidden behind a clump of low bushes. "Having fun over me, are they?" growled Ted. "It was a rough trick to play, of course," laughed Dick. "But I felt so wholly certain Ted's fellows would start in to break us up that I felt I had to spring that torpedo trick in order to shut the other crowd up in advance." "Oh, you did, did you?" thought Teall angrily. "But now there's something else to be thought of," Prescott went on. "Teall is bound to feel sore and ashamed, and he won't rest until be has done his best to get even with us." "Teall had better leave us alone," replied Tom, shaking his head. "Ted's brain isn't any too heavy, and he'll never be equal to getting the better of a crowd with a Dick Prescott in it." "We won't do any bragging just yet," Prescott proposed. "That's right. You'd better not," Ted growled under his breath. "Fellows," announced Dan Dalzell, "I've made an important discovery." "I wonder if he saw me?" flashed through Teall's mind, as he tried to lie flatter than before. "Name the discovery," begged Hazelton. "Look at your watches, fellows," Dan continued, "and I think you'll find that it's now proper time for us to go in swimming." "So it is," Darrin agreed. "Hurrah!" Little more was said for a few moments. All the fellows of Dick & Co. were busy in getting their clothing off. "Say, but I hope you fellows get far enough away from your duds!" breathed Teall vengefully, as he watched through the screen of leaves. "Do you fellows think we had better leave a guard over our clothes?" queried Dick, as they stood forth, ready for swimming. "Not!" returned Dalzell with emphasis. "If I agreed to it, it would be just my luck to have the lot fall to me. For the next half hour I don't want to do a thing but feel the water around me all the way up to my neck." "What's the use of a guard over our clothes?" queried Dave. "There isn't another soul besides ourselves in these woods this afternoon." "Go on thinking that!" chuckled Teall. Running out on a log and putting his hands together, Dick dived. "How's the water?" called Tom. "Cold," Prescott answered, blowing out a mouthful as he struck out for the middle of the pond. "You'd better keep out." "He wants the pond all to himself," muttered Tom, and dived at once. In a moment all six boys were in the water, sporting about and enjoying themselves. "I wish they'd get further away from here," thought Ted wistfully. "They're hanging right around here. If I show myself they'll all swim in. There wouldn't be time to do anything." All too late Ted heard some one coming through the woods behind him. He crouched, ready to crawl away to privacy, but found himself too late. Hi Martin parted the bushes as be forced his way through. "Hello, Teall," called the North Grammar captain. "Hush---sh---sh!" warned Ted, putting a finger to his lips. "What's the matter?" "Prescott and his crew are out there swimming, and their clothes are right below." "I see," nodded Martin. "You want to get the clothes?" "Sit down here, out of sight, and keep quiet, won't you?" urged Teall. Hi sat down quietly. He didn't like Teall especially, but he disliked Prescott, and perhaps here was a chance to serve Dick's discomfort. "If they'd only swim away for a little stretch!" whispered Ted. "I see," nodded Hi Martin rather pompously. "Too bad, isn't it? Now, Teall, you and Prescott both come from mucker schools, and I don't know that I ought to butt in any. But I don't mind seeing you torment Prescott a bit. You wait. I'll go in, and maybe I can challenge those fellows to swim down the pond that will take them away from this point." Ted's face had flushed sullenly at Hi's remark about "mucker schools." At another time Teall might have been ready to fight over a slighting word like that. Just now, however, he craved help against Prescott more than anything else. "All right," urged Ted. "You decoy that crowd away from here for a few minutes, and maybe I won't do a thing to them!" "I'll see what I can do for you," returned Martin, going down to the edge of the pond. "How's the water, fellows?" called Hi. "Fine," returned Dick with enthusiasm. "Room enough in the pond for another?" Hi asked. "Surely. Come on in." "I believe I will," Hi answered, seating himself and fumbling at his shoe-lacings. A couple of minutes later Hi dived from the log and swam out to the other boys. "Are you fellows any good on swimming distances?" Martin asked, as, with lazy stroke, he joined Dick & Co. The North Grammar boy was an expert swimmer and proud of it. "I guess we can swim a little way," Prescott replied. "I don't remember that we ever swam any measured courses." "Can you swim down to that old elm?" asked Hi, indicating a tree at the further end of the pond. "We ought to," smiled Dick. "Come along, then," invited Hi, starting with a side stroke. Dick & Co. started in irregular fashion, Darrin and Reade soon spurting on ahead of Martin. "How long can you tread water?" inquired Hi, after they had reached the neighborhood of the elm. This sport is always interesting to boys who are good swimmers. Forthwith some endurance tests at treading were started. Then Hi showed them all a few "stunts" in the water, some of which Dick & Co. could duplicate easily, and some which they could not. Thus the minutes slipped by. Hi, for once in his life, went out of his way to be entertaining to Central Grammar boys. But, at last, he muttered to himself: "I guess Teall has had plenty of time for his tricks. If he hasn't, then all afternoon wouldn't he time enough." "Hello, Hi," called Dick. "Where are you going?" "Back to dress," Martin replied. "I've been in long enough." "I guess we all have," Dick nodded, himself turning back. His chums followed. "I don't know whether I'll dress or not," remarked Tom Reade, as he shot ahead of the others. "If I find I don't want to dress, then I'll just sit on the bank and dry my skin before going in again." Continuing his spurt, Tom kept on until be reached the log from which the first diving had been done. He waded ashore, looked about in some bewilderment, and then called over the water: "Say, fellows, just where was it that we left our clothes?" "Why, barely a dozen feet back of the log," Dick called from the water. "Hardly ten feet from where my clothes lie," added Hi Martin, his face solemn, but with an inward chuckle over the rage of six boys that he knew was soon to follow. "But where are your clothes, Martin?" asked Tom, staring about him. "Where is anybody's clothes?" The look in Hi's face changed rapidly. He took a few swift, strong strokes that bore him to shore. Then, indeed, Martin's wrath and disgust knew no bounds. For his clothing was as invisible as that of the Central Grammar boys. _ |
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