The Girls of Central High on Track and Field Part 26

However, the incident effectually called Gee Gee's attention away from Bobby, and the latter heard nothing more of _her_ fault. But it seemed that the connection between the teacher and Margit Salgo was not founded upon _love_. There was some other reason than affection that made Gee Gee care for the half-wild Gypsy girl. Some of the others whispered that Gee Gee must have done some awful thing, and Margit knew it and so held the teacher in her power. But that, of course, was a silly explanation of the mystery.

It was plain, too, that the teacher would not let Margit out of her sight on the street. They came and went to school together, walking side by side. At the place where Miss Carrington had boarded so long, n.o.body ever saw Margit in the yard, but Miss Carrington was with her.

One might have thought the girl a prisoner.

Bobby was hurrying over to Laura's house with her books, one morning, wishing for a little help in one of the problems to be discussed that day, and she started through the grounds surrounding the Widow Boyce's house, from the back street.

Suddenly she saw a man crouching in the shrubbery. Weeks before she had seen a man spying about the house, and believed him to be one of the Gypsies. Now Bobby halted and spied on the Peeping Tom himself.

In a moment she saw that it was the man with the gold rings in his ears whom Eve had told her was Jim Varey, the husband of the Gypsy Queen. He was lurking there for no good purpose, that was sure.

Having carried Margit off from Farmer Sitz's house in the middle of the night, the Gypsies would doubtless attempt to steal the girl away from Gee Gee, as well. The school teacher had evidently not settled with the Romany folk. They had not yet got money through the girl, as Margit had said they hoped to do.

Bobby turned back toward the street, intending to look for a policeman, or for some neighbor; but as she did so she heard wheels grating against the curb, and there stood a covered wagon, with two sleek horses attached, and another Gypsy man driving them.

The man on the seat of the wagon whistled, and Jim Varey raised his hand as a signal. Then the latter darted around the corner of the house toward the front.

These maneuvers were only too plain to Bobby. There was not time to look for a policeman--and, in any case, an officer was hard to find in the Hill section of Centerport.

Bobby ran along the hedge, stooping so as not to be seen by the man on the wagon seat, and came around to the front of the house from the direction opposite that which Jim Varey had taken.

Just as she reached the front porch there was a wild scream from Miss Carrington, and Bobby saw the man leap from the far end of the porch with Margit in his arms.

Margit did not scream; she only beat the man about the head and--perhaps--left the marks of her nails in his dark face.

It was plain that she was being carried away from Gee Gee against her will. She had no desire to go back to the Gypsies.

Now, Miss Carrington could not run. She had been brought up in no athletic school, that was sure. She followed the kidnapper clumsily enough, and he would have gotten well away in the covered wagon with the girl, had it remained to Gee Gee to intervene.

But Bobby screamed, dropped her books, and went at the fellow as though she were playing football. She "tackled low," seizing with both arms about the knees, and Jim Varey, screeching and threatening, fell forward on the sward--and Margit escaped from his arms.

"Oh!" gasped the girl.

"Quick! get into the house!" cried Bobby, bounding to her feet.

Margit whisked past her, and past Miss Carrington, and fled indoors as she was advised. Jim Varey leaped up and confronted the little girl who had overturned him. His fists were clenched and he gabbled in the Romany tongue a string of what were evidently threats and vituperation.

"Now, it isn't me you want to carry off," said Bobby, bravely. "I wouldn't be any good to you. Get away, now, for I see Mr. Sharp coming down the street."

Which was true enough--although the school princ.i.p.al was still a long way off. Jim Varey seemed to see the wisdom of the girl's remarks, however, for he turned and fled.

The next minute they heard the heavy wagon being driven furiously away from the garden gate, and Bobby turned to find Gee Gee, sitting very faint and white, upon the porch steps.

CHAPTER XXII--LOU POTTER SCORES ONE

"Has he gone?" gasped Gee Gee, weakly.

"They've driven off, Miss Carrington. Margit is in no danger now," said Bobby, eyeing the teacher curiously.

"You--you know about it, too, do you?" murmured the teacher.

"I guess I know something about it," replied Bobby, promptly. "We girls saw Margit up there in the hills when she ran away from the Gypsies the first time. And I was over to Eve Sitz's the night the Vareys stole Margit away again. I'd see the police if I were you, Miss Carrington."

"The police--yes!" returned the lady. "It will all have to be dragged into publicity, I suppose."

Bobby didn't know what to say, for she did not understand Gee Gee's present character, anyway! n.o.body before had ever seen Miss Grace Gee Carrington so disturbed in her mind.

Bobby saw the front door open again, and Margit appeared on the porch.

"Come in! Come in! It's all right now," said the Gypsy girl. "There is nothing to fear from them now---- Ah! who is this?"

Bobby turned quickly and saw a little, stooped old man, turning in at the gate. Miss Carrington saw him, too, and she came to her feet in a moment. The color came back into her face and she began to look very grim again--more like her usual self.

"Morning! morning!" cackled the old gentleman, nodding at the school teacher, but looking hard at Bobby. And the latter recognized him as Eben Chumley, a queer, miserly old man who owned a great deal of property on the Hill.

"Good morning, Mr. Chumley," said Miss Carrington, quietly.

"Now, don't tell me _this_ is the gal," said Mr. Chumley, pointing a long finger at Bobby. "For that's Tom Hargrew's young 'un--I know her well enough."

"_This_ is the girl I wish you to see and talk with, Mr. Chumley," said Miss Carrington, beckoning Margit forward. Then she added, in her severest tone: "Miss Hargrew! you are excused."

"Well, the mean cat!" muttered Bobby, as she went out of the yard. "I had no intention of listening to their private affairs. But she might at least have thanked me for tumbling over that Gypsy."

Margit came to her, however, that morning, and thanked her warmly.

"You're a brave girl, Miss Hargrew," she said. "And I think that Jim Varey will let me alone hereafter. At least, he had better keep his distance."

And so it seemed, for thereafter, when Miss Carrington and her charge walked to and from school, a policeman strolled behind them. The girls--especially those of the junior cla.s.s, however--were almost eaten up with curiosity.

Luckily, as June approached, they had something else to think about out of regular recitation hours. The rivalry on the athletic field became very keen indeed. Mrs. Case did her best to impress upon the girls'

minds that a spirit of rivalry between cla.s.ses would perhaps injure the chances of the school at large at the final meet.

"Loyalty to Central High!" was her battle cry. But all of the girls--especially a certain portion of the seniors--forgot the "good of the greater number" in the petty cla.s.s differences.

Lou Potter, the senior, was backed strongly for first place in putting the shot and for the broad jump. n.o.body but Mrs. Case, indeed, knew just how Lou and Eve Sitz stood in those two events.

The Sat.u.r.day afternoon came when Mrs. Case was to try out the girls with the highest scores in the various events to be featured on the Big Day.

Relay teams from each cla.s.s had been gradually made up, and now these were to compete for the honor of representing Central High at the meet.

The Junior Four was made up of Laura Belding, Jess Morse, and Dora and Dorothy Lockwood, with Bobby Hargrew as subst.i.tute. They were not only all fast, but they were quick-witted. A relay race isn't altogether won with one's feet.

The seniors averaged taller girls, and heavier. The soph.o.m.ores were nearer the weight and size of Laura and her mates; and of course, it was scarcely to be expected that the freshman four would stand a chance at all.

When the three heats were run off, however, the freshmen proved better than the seniors once, and surpa.s.sed the soph.o.m.ores in two of the heats.

The juniors won all three heats in fast time.