Batting to Win Part 20

"Yes. You're such an orderly chap," added Phil, as he looked at his chum's disordered side of the room, "that I supposed you had a hook for each tie."

"Oh, cut it out," advised Tom, making a perfect shower with a rainbow effect of colored silks, as he looked in vain for the blue article of adornment.

"I don't know where in blazes your blue tie is," went on Phil, as he gazed with a puzzled air into a box on his dresser; "but I'd like to know where my garnet cuff b.u.t.tons are. Have you been sporting 'em, Sid?"

"Me? No!" answered the other chum, who was quietly dressing, a task which Tom and Phil seemed to think called for more or less elaborate effort. "But, say, what's getting into you chaps, anyhow? You're togging up as much for the soph picnic as though it was a frat. dance. Are there some damsels in the offing?"

"Oh, there are always girls to these affairs," carelessly spoke Tom, as he opened another drawer and began tumbling about his collars and cuffs.

"Hang it all, where _is_ that tie, anyhow."

"I s'pose nothing but a baby-blue one would suit your fair complexion,"

remarked Phil, glancing at Tom, who was as brown as an Indian from his out-door life.

"It will suit me as well as your cute little garnet cuff b.u.t.tons will you. I never saw such a fusser! Ah, there's the tie. I remember now, I put it there to hide it away from you chaps," and Tom pulled out a gorgeous affair of silk from inside a cuff.

"Speak for yourself, you old fossil!" retorted Phil, who just then discovered his cuff b.u.t.tons marking a place in his Ovid. "Wonder how in blazes they got there?" he murmured, as he proceeded to put them in his cuffs, while Tom was busy trying to make just the proper knot with the blue tie.

"Why are you fellows togging up so?" demanded Sid. "Are you going to take some girls, as well as meet some there?" And, for the first time he seemed to entertain some suspicions of his friends.

"Oh, well, Ruth wanted to go," said Phil, as indifferently as he could, "and Tom and I promised to----"

"I suppose Miss Tyler is going?" asked Sid quietly.

"Yes," a.s.sented Tom, his face flus.h.i.+ng under its bronze coat, though possibly it was from his exertion in pulling his tie into place.

"And so is Miss Harrison," went on Phil, with a desperate effort, as if desirous of getting the worst over. "But you don't need to worry," he added, as he saw Sid sit limply down in a chair. "She probably won't see you, so there need be no embarra.s.sment. I thought it was a pity to have her miss it, especially as Ruth and Madge are going, and she rooms with them. We thought you wouldn't mind, old fellow, but we weren't going to tell you."

"So that's what you've been so mysterious about these last few days,"

commented Sid. "I thought something was up. Of course it's all right. I sha'n't annoy Miss Harrison, only--Oh, what's the use!" and he went on with his preparations.

It was the morning of the day of the annual soph.o.m.ore picnic, and there was much excitement, especially in the ranks of the second-year men, and the more or less numerous fair ones who counted on being taken to the charming little island in the middle of Lake Tonoka. The affair was always held at this season of the year, when there was no danger of an attack from the freshmen students, who, by this time, had settled down into something approaching dignity.

"You're not going to back out, because she--Miss Harrison--is coming, are you?" asked Phil, as he saw Sid cease his arrangements for dressing.

"No--no--of course not. I was just--just thinking. I'll take my camera and specimen box along, and do a little work in biology and nature study. I need a little freshening up for the final exams. I probably won't see much of you chaps."

Phil and Tom departed ahead of Sid, who busied himself with his camera, his specimen box and his cyanide bottle, with which latter he painlessly killed such bugs and b.u.t.terflies as he captured.

"We'll see you later," called Tom, as, with his blue tie very much in evidence, he and Phil went to get the girls.

A picnic is pretty much the same the world over, even if it is gotten up by a college crowd, and the one on Crest Island was no exception. There was the usual screaming of the girls when the boats tipped, and the usual strolling in shady nooks by youths and maidens, there was fun galore and happiness on all sides, for the day was perfect.

Madge Tyler, Ruth Clinton and Mabel Harrison were walking along with Phil and Tom, having just come in from a ride around the lake in a motor launch.

"What shall we do now?" asked Ruth.

"We'll soon have the pleasure of seeing some ants do a waltz or a two-step in the b.u.t.ter," announced Tom. "I see the waiters getting the tables ready," for a caterer had been hired by the students to provide luncheon.

"How interesting," remarked Madge. "Suppose we go over there in the shade----" She paused suddenly, and with a little gesture to Ruth went on hurriedly: "Oh, no, let's go this way."

"That's too sunny," objected Mabel. "I'd rather go over in the shade, and----"

She, too, stopped, and then she saw what had made her chum hesitate. Sid Henderson was approaching them on a path which had no turn in it, as they had pa.s.sed the only one just as Madge tried to branch off. There was no help for it. Sid was creeping up with his camera, intent on getting a picture of a large b.u.t.terfly that had alighted on a flower, and, as yet, he had not seen the little party.

Miss Harrison was at once aware that her two girl chums had endeavored to save her the embarra.s.sment of meeting Sid, but it was too late to turn back gracefully now, and with an admirable a.s.sumption of calmness the girl said:

"Oh, isn't it interesting! I hope Mr. Henderson gets his picture. I did not know he was a naturalist."

Tom and Phil both breathed easier. It seemed that Miss Harrison would not "cut" Sid after all. Perhaps their precautions had been useless.

They were not aware that a girl can sometimes, under force of circ.u.mstances, a.s.sume a part she does not feel. It was this way with Mabel Harrison. She did not want to meet Sid, but she was too cultured to cause his friends sorrow by refusing to notice his presence. So, with somewhat heightened color, she stood in the group composed of her chums, Phil and Tom, and watched the young naturalist coming nearer and nearer.

So intent was Sid on getting the picture that he had not, as yet, seen his chums or the girls.

There was a click of the camera, and, a moment later, after the exposure had been made, the gorgeous b.u.t.terfly sailed gracefully off through the air.

"Did you get it?" called out Tom, and Sid looked up.

"Yes," he replied. "A fine and rare specimen." Then he saw Miss Harrison, and halted in his approach, which he had begun. But, he also, was too proud to turn back now, and came on. The others advanced toward him, and Miss Harrison was just bowing, coolly perhaps, but with a show of cordiality, when from the bushes there stepped a gaily attired youth, whom neither Phil, Tom, nor either of the girls seemed to know.

"h.e.l.lo, Sid, old chap!" greeted the newcomer in easy but rather too loud tones. "I've been trying to pipe you off for ever so long. Looked all over for you. Say, this place is dead slow. Not even so much as a ring-cane game. What makes you college sports come here? It's too dead for me. But I've found a bunch of good things. Come on over and we'll have a little poker, and I'll depend on you to----"

The sportily dressed youth paused, for Sid had started back with horror at the sight of him, and had made an unmistakable gesture of caution.

"What's the matter?" went on the flas.h.i.+ly attired one. "Ain't I good enough to speak to you? Or maybe you think the dames give me the fussers. Not a bit of it. Pleased to meet you, girls," and he made pert bows to the three young ladies, who returned them with mere nods, for they expected to learn that the new arrival was a friend of Sid's, however undesirable he might seem.

"How came you here? What do you want?" demanded Sid, and the hand that held the camera trembled.

"I came after you," was the answer. "Called up at the brain factory, and they told me the whole bunch of second year boys were off on a chowder party, so I took a boat and came here. I thought I'd have some sport, but it's dead slow. Come on, and I'll show you some fun. I've got a deck of cards and----"

Sid was quickly at the side of the sporty one, and uttered something in a hoa.r.s.e whisper.

"Oh, that's all right then, don't mind me," came the answer, and the youth leered at the girls. Tom was with difficulty keeping down his anger, while Phil was hopelessly wondering who on earth Sid's acquaintance could be.

Miss Harrison, who had started to greet Sid, drew back and there was a look of disgust on her face. She turned aside, and started back.

"Don't go away--I like your style," called the sporty lad. "We need another lady as it is. Don't go away."

"Keep quiet!" begged Sid desperately. "I'll go with you. Come on," and, to the surprise of his friends, Sid turned into the woods, and followed the youth, who impudently took off his hat and threw kisses to the girls, as they turned their backs. Miss Harrison had disappeared around a turn in the path.

CHAPTER XIV

"MIND YOUR OWN BUSINESS!"

For a moment no one knew what to do or say. Tom was nervously kicking at the pebbles in the path, while Phil got out his knife and began whittling a stick furiously. As usual it was the girls who saved the situation.