Five Little Peppers at School

by Margaret Sidney

  II THE TENNIS MATCH

  Joel, hugging his recovered tennis racket, rushed off to the court. TomBeresford, staring out of his window, paused while pulling on hissweater to see him go, a sorry little feeling at his heart, after all,at Joe's good spirits.

  "He'll play like the mischief, and a great deal better for the row andthe fright over that old racket. Well, I had to tell. 'Twould have beentoo mean for anything to have kept still."

  So he smothered a sigh, and got into his togs, seized his implements ofbattle, and dashed off too. Streams of boys were rushing down to thecourt, and the yard was black with them. In the best places were thevisitors. Royalty couldn't have held stronger claims to distinction inthe eyes of Dr. Marks' boys; and many were the anxious glances sent overat the four St. Andrew's boys. If the playing shouldn't come up to theusual high mark!

  "Pepper will score high," one after another said as he dropped to theground next to his chums, in the circle around the court.

  "Of course." Nobody seemed to doubt Joel's powers along that line. "Healways does." And cries of "Pepper--Pepper," were taken up, andresounded over the yard.

  Joel heard it as he dashed along, and he held his head high, wellpleased. But David followed his every movement with anxiety. "I'm afraidhe was hurt," he said to himself; "and if he should lose the game, he'dnever get over it. Oh dear me! if Mamsie could only be here!"

  But Mamsie was far away from her boys, whom she had put at Dr. Marks'school for the very purpose of achieving self-reliance and obedience tothe training of the little brown house. So Davie, smothering hislonging, got into a front row with several boys of his set, and bent allhis attention to the game just beginning.

  Sharp at two o'clock the four went on to the court--Joel and FredRicketson against Tom Beresford and Lawrence Greene, otherwise "Larry."And amid howls of support from the "rooters," the game began.

  At first Joel's luck seemed to desert him, and he played wild, causingmuch consternation in the ranks violently rooting for him. David's headsank, and he leaned his elbows on his knees, to bury his hot cheeks inhis hands.

  "Wake up," cried Paul Sykes, his very particular friend, hoarsely,giving him a dig in the ribs. "Don't collapse, Dave."

  "Oh!" groaned David, his head sinking lower yet, "I can't look; I simplycan't. It will kill Joel."

  "Stiffen up!" cried Paul. "Joe's all right; he'll come to. _Ha!_"

  A shout, stunning at first, that finally bore down all before it in theshape of opposing enthusiasm, swept over the whole yard. Screams ofapplause, perfectly deafening, rent the air. And look! even the visitorsfrom St. Andrew's are leaping to their feet, and yelling, "Good--good."Something quite out of the common, even in a close tennis match, wastaking place. David shuddered, and crouched down on the ground as far ashe could. Paul gave him an awful whack on the back.

  "You're losing it all," he cried as he stood on his tiptoes. "Hi! Hi!Tippety Rippety! Hi! Hi!"

  It was Joel's especial yell; and there he was, as David scrambled up tosee him, head thrown back, and black eyes shining in the way they alwaysdid when he worked for Mamsie and Polly, and that dealt despair to allopponents. He had just made a brilliant stroke, returning one of Larry'sswiftest balls in such a manner that it just skimmed over the net andpassed the boys before they could recover themselves, and fairly takingoff from their feet the St. Andrew's men who had been misled by Joel'sprevious slow playing in the first set, which Tom and Larry had won.

  "Who is he? Gee Whiz! but that's good form!" declared Vincent Parry, theSt. Andrew's champion, excitedly.

  "Pepper--don't you know Pepper?" cried a dozen throats, trying to seemunconscious that it was Parry, the champion, who was asking thequestion.

  "Oh, is that Pepper?" said the St. Andrew's boy. While "Pepper--Pepper.Hi! Hi! Tippety Rippety! Hi! Hi!" rolled out, till there wasn't anyother sound to be heard. And a regular tussle of boys were getting inthe wildest excitement when it was announced that Pepper and Ricketsonhad won the second set, the referees trying to quiet them so that thegame could proceed.

  In the third set, Joel seemed to have it all his own way, and fairlyswept Ricketson along with him. The excitement was now so intense thatthe boys forgot to yell, afraid they would miss some strokes.

  David clenched his hands tightly. The net and flying balls spun alltogether inextricably before his eyes as he strained them to see Joe'sbrilliant returns. This was the deciding set, as the cup was to go tothe winners of two sets out of three.

  Joel's last serve was what finished it; the ball flashing by Tom withsuch impetus, that even the St. Andrew's champion said he couldn't everhave returned it.

  Everybody drew a long breath, and then the crowd rushed and converged toJoel; surrounded him, fighting for first place, the fortunate onestossing him up to their shoulders to race him in triumph around theyard.

  "Take Ricket!" screamed Joel, red in the face. "Take him!" he roared."He beat too, as much as I." So a second group seized Fred; and up hewent to be trotted after, the crowd swarming alongside, yelling,tumbling over each other,--gone perfectly wild; Joe waving the cup,thrust into his hand, which would be kept by the winners for a year.

  * * * * *

  It was the middle of the night. Davie, flushed with the happiestthoughts, had peacefully settled to dreams in which Mamsie andGrandpapa, and Polly and Jasper, and all the dear home people, weretangled up. And Phronsie seemed to be waving a big silver cup, andpiping out with a glad little laugh, "Oh, I am so glad!" And now andthen the scene of operations flew off to the little brown house, that itappeared impossible to keep quite out of dreamland. Some one gripped himby the arm.

  "Oh, what is it, Joe?" David flew up to a sitting posture in the middleof his bed.

  "It isn't Joe. Get up as quick as you can."

  David, with a dreadful feeling at his heart, tumbled out of bed. "_Isn'tJoe!_" he found time to say, with a glance in the darkness over towardJoel's bed.

  "Hurry up, don't stop to talk." The voice was Tom Beresford's. "Get onyour clothes."

  Meantime he was scuffing around. "Where in time are your shoes?" ButDavid already had those articles, and was pulling them on with hastyfingers. "Oh, tell me," he couldn't help crying; but "Hurry up!" was allhe got for his pains. And at last, after what seemed an age to Tom,David was piloted out into the hall, with many adjurations to "gosoftly," down the long flight of stairs. Here he came to a dead stop. "Ican't go another single step, Tom," he said firmly, "unless you tell mewhat you want me for. And where is Joel?" he gasped.

  "Oh, bother! in another minute you'd have been outside, and then itwould be safe to tell you," said Tom. "Well, if you will have it, Dave,Joe's finishing up that business with Jenk, and you're the only one thatcan stop it. Now don't keel over."

  David clung to the door, which Tom had managed to open softly, and for aminute it looked as if Beresford would have his hands full without inthe least benefiting Joel. But suddenly he straightened up. "Oh, tell mewhere he is," he cried, in a manner and voice exactly like Polly whenshe had anything that must be done set before her. And clear ahead ofhis guide when Tom whispered, "Down in the pine grove," sped Davie onthe very wings of the wind.

  "Gracious! Joel is nothing to Dave as a sprinter," said Tom to himself,as his long legs got him over the ground in the rear.

  The two boys hugged the shadow of the tall trees and dashed across thelawn to the shrubbery beyond. Then it was but a breathing space, and afew good leaps to the depths of the pine grove. In the midst of thiswere two figures, busily engaged in the cheerful occupation offisticuffing each other till the stronger might win.

  "_Joel!_" called David hoarsely, his breath nearly spent as he dashedup.

  Joel, at this, wavered, and turned. Seeing which, his antagonist dealthim a thwack that made his head spin, and nearly lost him his footing.

  "That was mean, Jenk!" exclaimed Beresford, dashing up in time to seeit. "You took advantage when Joe was off guard," he cried hotly.

 
; "No such thing," roared Jenk, losing his head at what now seemed an easyvictory, "and I'll settle with you when I get through with Joe, forbeing such a mean sneak as to turn tell-tale, Tom."

  "All right," said Tom coolly. "Go it, Joe, and pay him up. You'veseveral scores to settle now."

  "Joel," gasped Davie. "Oh Mamsie!" He could get no further.

  Joel's hands, out once more in good fighting trim, wavered again, andsank helplessly down to his side.

  "Oh dear!" Tom groaned in amazement.

  "Hoh--hoh! you see how easy I could whip him," laughed Jenkins, rainingdown blows all over Joel's figure, who didn't offer to stir.

  "See here you!" Tom fairly roared it out, perfectly regardless ofpossible detection. "You beastly coward!" And he jumped in between Joeland his antagonist. "You may settle with me now if you like."

  "Stop, Tom." Joel seized him from behind. Tom, in a fury, turned to seehis face working dreadfully, while the brown hands gripped him tightly."I forgot--Mamsie wouldn't--like--you mustn't, Tom. If you do, I'llscream for John," he declared suddenly.

  John, the watchman, being the last person whom any of Dr. Marks' boysdesired to see when engaged in a midnight prank, Beresford backed awayslowly from Jenkins, who was delighted once more at the interruption,and fastened his gaze on Joel. "Well, I never did, Pepper!" he broughthimself to say.

  "Tom," said David brokenly, and getting over to him to seize his hand,"don't you know our Mamsie would feel dreadfully to see Joel doing anysuch thing? Oh, she would, Tom," as Beresford continued to stare withouta word.

  "Not to such a miserable beggar." Tom at last found his tongue, andpointed to Jenk.

  "Oh, yes, she would. It's just as bad in Joel," said Davie, shaking hishead. Joel turned suddenly, took two or three steps, then flung himselfdown flat on his face on the pine needles.

  "Well, get up," said Tom crossly, running over to him. "John will maybeget over here, we've made so much noise. Hurry up, Joe, we must all getback."

  Joel, thus adjured, especially as David got down on the ground, to puthis arms around the shaking shoulders, got up slowly. Then they turnedaround to look for Jenkins. He was nowhere to be seen.

  "Little coward!" exclaimed Tom between his teeth. "Well, we'll have toskin it as best we may back. _Here comes John!_"

  They could see his lantern moving around among the trees; and dashingoff, taking the precaution to hug the shadow of the trees again, theysoon made the big door to the dormitory. Tom reached it first, andturned the knob. "It's locked," he said. "The mean, beastly coward haslocked us out."