The words proved prophetic. A few days later the chums were given a sample of Lottie Sparks' temper that they did not very easily forget.
It happened on the tennis courts. For three days there had been a maddening drizzle of rain, making the courts too wet for tennis practice. The lake, too, was uninviting, and Jo and Sadie, eager to try some work at the oars, gave up all thought of boating until the weather should take a turn for the better.
At last on the fourth day the sun came out, feebly, to be sure, but welcomed joyfully by the watching girls.
After lessons they ran pellmell for the gymnasium where their rackets and balls were kept in individual lockers.
"The court will be pretty wet," Nan said, as she drew her racket from its case.
"We may need skid chains," Sadie agreed, with a chuckle. "But who cares? We can bat the ball about a bit, anyway."
The three chums of Woodford were the first to reach the wet and slippery tennis courts.
Sadie was joyfully trying out her rather uncertain service against Nan's smashing backhand when Kate Speed and Lottie Sparks came along, school books in hand.
They stopped to watch the practice, and perhaps it was this unfriendly inspection that flustered Sadie.
At any rate, she sent the ball spinning across the net in a ludicrously wild serve. It bounded from the muddy ground and caught Lottie Sparks squarely on the ear!