“I’m fond of them all, but Grace Harlowe is my ideal.” Harriet spoke with deep conviction. She had met Grace Harlowe and her three chums during the preceding summer. When the Meadow-Brook Girls had passed through Oakdale on their way home. They had remained over night with the Wingates, who were relatives of Tommy Thompson’s.
Hippy Wingate, Tommy’s cousin, had risen to the occasion and invited his particular group of friends, known as the Eight Originals, of whom much has been told in the “Grace Harlowe Books,” to meet the Meadow-Brook Girls. These wide-awake young people had spent a most delightful evening together and a firm comradeship had sprung up between the two sets of girls. Harriet and Grace Harlowe had at once established a permanent bond of fellowship, so it was hardly to be wondered at that the former’s first thought was of Grace.
“Of courthe we’ll let the Oakdale girlths know what marvelouth championth we are,” nodded Tommy. “I’ll thend Grathe a telegram mythelf the minute the tournament’th over, thaying we’ve won the cup.”
“Can you beat it?” murmured George, chancing to catch the laughing eyes of the guardian.
“No, George, I confess that I cannot,” answered Miss Elting.
“Maybe you might want to take the cup with you right now?” suggested the captain.
“Could we?” asked Tommy innocently, whereat there was a laugh at her expense.
“No, my dear. There are some little formalities to be gone through with first,” said Harriet. “We first have to win it after battling with some of the best girl players in the State. That done, we shall take the cup and carry out the plans already made. I think we had better attend to our errands now.”
“Oh, don’t go,” begged Tommy. “I could thtand here and look at it all the retht of the day.”
They started back toward the car. At the edge of the sidewalk Tommy turned and ran back to the window. The other girls stepped into the car and there they sat for fully five minutes until Tommy Thompson had impressed every line and curve of the beautiful trophy on her mind.