played a game. Why, we know absolutely nothing about tennis.”

“What? You—you mean to say—you mean you are in earnest—you aren’t joking with me?”

“I was never more serious in my life, George,” replied Harriet gravely.

Captain George Baker looked as he felt—thunderstruck—while his companions’ faces reflected his consternation. George groaned dismally.

“But we’ve entered you. You must go through with it,” he expostulated.

Harriet shook her head.

“It is out of the question, George. Miss Elting plays, I believe. Let her take the entry for us.”

“She isn’t eligible,” objected George. “This entry is for girls not more than eighteen years old. Of course you will play,” he added with a more hopeful note in his tone. “I know well enough that you play, and play superbly. No girls who are such clever girls, out-of-doors as well as in, could help playing tennis. Besides, you will have to do it now. I tell you I’ve entered you.”

“No, George. I am sorry, but you will have to withdraw our entry, explaining to Mr. Herrington that we don’t play and that you were led into the making of the entry by his urging.”

“The papers have printed the entries,” shouted George. “And they’ve told all about you,” he added in a tone of misery.

“Show them what the papers printed, George,” urged Dill.

Captain George drew a wrinkled piece of newspaper from his blouse pocket and flattened it out on one knee with the palms of his hands. He regarded the paper ruefully, then handed it to Dodd.

“You read it, Dill. My voice is going back on me. I must have yelled myself hoarse this morning. It’s all about you, girls. You will see that you’ve got to go through with this business, no matter what happens.”

“Ahem!” exclaimed Dodd. “Are you ready for the question? The question is to play or not to play. This is an item in the ‘Newtown Register’ and, as you will observe, was written with a complete knowledge of all the facts.”

“Read it. Don’t waste so much time talking,” cried Sam.

“The item is as follows,” said Dill. “That is, I shall read only that part relating to you girls and your entry. What it says about the other entries, of course, will be of no interest to you just now. Later on it may. I quote from the ‘Register’: ‘Not the least interesting among the entries for the Atlantic Coast Tennis Tournament is that of the Meadow-Brook Girls of Meadow-Brook, New Hampshire. This is not, strictly speaking, a tennis club. The young women who form this organization have become known to the public by reason of numerous vacation tours which they have made on foot and by automobile throughout the State. Their thorough athletic training, coupled with their proficiency in outdoor sports, will make them formidable contestants. We shall welcome them to the Coast Tournament and hope to have them with us as long as they remain eligible for the classes offered here.’ Then follows the family history of each of you girls,” added Dill mischievously.

“My grathiouth, you don’t thay tho!” exclaimed Tommy. “Won’t my father be ath mad ath a hatter! He thayth young girlth thhould be theen but not heard.”

“Here’s another from the ‘Gazette,’” announced George, passing a second slip to his companion.

“‘Great interest is being manifested in the entry of the well known organization who call themselves the Meadow-Brook Girls,’” read Dill. “‘Their coming is awaited with deep interest by the summer visitors as well as the regular residents of Newtown, who are justly proud of old New Hampshire’s girls.’”

“I fear you have involved yourself and us in a scrape, Captain George,” said Miss Elting. “I know something about tennis, and have played a few games. I know, too, that long practice is necessary even to play an ordinary game of it. But even in my case, I can’t say that I know enough about the game to instruct any one else. You must go to Mr. Herrington and tell him frankly that the entry was made under a misapprehension, and that it must be withdrawn.”

“What, after all thothe complimentth?” demanded Tommy. “Never! I’ll play the whole tournament mythelf firtht.”

“No, George,” insisted the guardian, “it isn’t possible. You must cancel the entry. My girls do not play tennis, and that is all there is about it. I am, of course, ineligible, much as I should like to keep up the reputation of the Meadow-Brook Girls. We are very sorry to disappoint you.”

“George will have to go to Newtown and tell Herrington all about it,” declared Dill. “We have made fools of ourselves, but through no fault of the girls. We should have found out whether or not they played the game before entering them in the tournament.”

“I didn’t think for a minute that it could be possible they didn’t play. I didn’t suppose there was anything they couldn’t do, and I’m half inclined to believe they are fooling us now,” declared George. “I——”

His voice trailed off into an unintelligible mumble as he observed the troubled eyes of Harriet Burrell fixed upon him. “Oh, shoot the whole business!” he exploded.

Billy Burgess had in the meantime beckoned to Sam. The two boys slunk out of camp and a few moments later were observed staggering back, bearing some heavy burden between them. The girls could not imagine what the boys were bringing into camp. George knew, however. He started up, his face flushing angrily.

“Take it away!” he yelled. “We don’t want it. What are you fellows trying to do, make a bigger fool of me than I am already?” he demanded.

“That would be impossible,” laughed Sam.

“For mercy’s sake, what have you there?” cried Miss Elting.

“The makings,” answered Dill. “And it was an unlucky day for us, when we bought them, wasn’t it, Captain George Baker?”

“You’d better drag that thing out of here,” roared George, now thoroughly angry. “Am I the captain of this club or not?”

“Don’t take it away, boys. We want to know what it is. Is this bundle a mystery, another of your great surprises?” demanded Jane McCarthy.

“This is the treat that was to be,” Dill informed them. “Of course, it isn’t a treat now, it’s just a sad reminder of what might have been, but we thought you might like to have a look. You’ll see what you have missed and we shall shed tears, George shedding crocodile tears. If you wish to know how a crocodile weeps, just observe the eyes of our noble captain. George, prepare to weep.”

“Oh, keep quiet!” growled George Baker. “I’ll trounce you if you keep on. Are you going to take that thing away?”

“Not until our very good friends, the Meadow-Brook Girls, have had an opportunity to see it and learn what a chance to distinguish themselves they have missed.”

“You have aroused our curiosity,” said the guardian laughingly. “You simply must let us into this new secret. Such boys! I never saw your like! I’ll confess that I am as curious as any of my girls. What have you there?”

“The makings, I said,” answered Dill Dodd—“the making of world champions and championesses.”

“I don’t understand,” answered Miss Elting, glancing from one to another of the boys. The latter were now smiling broadly, all save Captain Baker himself, whose face was gloomy, his gaze fixed morosely on the ground.

Sam Crocker drew a knife from his pocket, opened it and felt the edge of the blade with aggravating deliberateness, then suddenly cut the heavy