“But we shall all want it in our homes,” declared Jane. “How are we going to arrange that?”
“We might split the cup into five parts and each take a piece home,” suggested Hazel.
“No, that won’t do. I’ll tell you how we shall arrange it, girls,” planned Harriet enthusiastically.
“Yeth, Harriet knowth what to do,” said Tommy, nodding her tow-head rapidly. “Thhe alwayth knowth everything.”
“First, we shall place it on exhibition in that jewelry store on Sycamore Street at home. We shall want everybody to see it, and we shall be very proud.”
“Yeth, and we’ll thtand inthide the thtore and lithten to what they thay about uth, won’t we?” bubbled Tommy.
“Then, after a day or two, we shall draw lots to see who has it in her home first. In the beginning each shall keep it for a day until it goes the rounds of all our homes. On the next round each shall keep it for two days and so on, every round adding a day up to a month. A month will be long enough for any girl to have it in her home at a stretch. I’ll tell you what we will do, we will each put in a little money that we shall earn, and buy one of those black marble pedestals that are used to hold statues. Then we can stand the precious cup in the window so people passing may see it.”
“And, of course, we must write to our friends and announce the good news,” reminded Hazel Holland.
“I know one person, at least, who will be glad to hear of our triumph,” declared Harriet. “Grace Harlowe will be delighted to learn that we’ve qualified as champion tennis players.”
“And so will her friends, Nora O’Malley and Anne Pierson and Jessica Bright,” chimed in Marjory. “We never dreamed, when we met those nice girls on our return from the mountains that we’d all become such friends, did we?”