“You’ve got to be careful,” cautioned Jack. “If you spoil them Sedley may say you did it on purpose, just to hide the fact that he won.”
“Oh, Jack what a mean thing to say of Joe!” cried Ruth.
“Well, I wouldn’t put it past him to say it,” declared Jack. “He thinks he’s the king-pin of everything when he’s on Black Diamond,” he added somewhat bitterly.
“You wouldn’t want Joe to talk that way about you, would you?” went on the girl earnestly.
“Oh, I wouldn’t quarrel about it, Ruth,” put in Mary before she had given a thought to what her words might lead.
“I’m not quarreling,” and then, after a somewhat awkward pause, Ruth turned, picked up a magazine from the center table, and sat down on the piazza to read.
“Mary! How could you?” whispered Martha.
“Why, I—I—didn’t mean anything,” faltered Fred’s sister.
“Yes, but don’t you see what Jack—” began Martha, and then suddenly stopped. Then, as Jack and the others moved toward the pantry where the pictures were to be developed, Martha went upstairs and Mary slowly followed.