“Isn’t she wonderfully athletic?” pointed out Lida. She meant Barbara and she meant the remark to be a compliment.
“Oh, yes.” Esther’s eyebrows went up quizzically.
“Whew!” whistled Ruth Harrison. “Look at that jump! And we sit here like bumps on logs. Say girls, if we’re not going to ‘bust’ our new clothes doing that, we had better find something else to do. As a grandstand this bench isn’t big enough,” and she tried to push Louise off at the other end.
It was presently agreed that the non-players should go down to the lake. The lake was accessible from one end of the grounds, and when Ruth called out the glad news to Cara, she, Cara, insisted upon going too.
That her other guests were missing her while she batted balls with Barbara, Cara easily guessed, but as they planned a boat ride Barbara hesitated.
“I just love this exercise and really need it,” she demurred. “Let me play around here and you go along for your sail,” she entreated Cara.
“And leave you all alone?” sang out little Lida.
“All by my loney,” laughed Barbara. “Don’t worry about me, I’m all right,” and she continued to bat balls against the high wire net that served to keep them within bounds.
“OH!” GASPED BARBARA. “IT’S NICKY! AND HE’S HURT!”