“Pass them!” Marjorie and Lily both cried in one breath. “You mean that you can answer all the questions?” the former demanded.
“But—I thought—that Mr. Richards was coming to give them next week.”
She looked at the girls inquiringly. His name had not been mentioned before, nor did she know whether he had been present the preceding week.
“He came and taught us last week,” Queenie faltered. “And believe me, we worked. He’s a live one!”
“I’m awfully glad, girls—I congratulate you! Then we may as well proceed to the tests.”
The prospective members went through with them with such facility that the young captain’s delight increased with every successive girl. When they had finished, all but Gertie Reed and Mame Collins had passed to her satisfaction. Then, with the regular investiture ceremony, she presented them with their pins.
The meeting was just about to break up, when Lily came forward with another surprise for the girls, as well as Marjorie.
“I hope,” she began, “that the new scouts will accept a present which has been offered by a friend of the troop. My mother has asked for the privilege of giving each girl her uniform as she passes the tenderfoot test. These are to be made by her tailor, and are to include riding-breeches, which we can adopt as our basket-ball costume.”
Wild cries of joy came from all the girls at once. Secretly they had all been dreading the ready-made suits that the scouts wore, but this offer would make their troop the smartest in the city. Before they could even express their thanks, Lily took out six order blanks, signed by her mother, and gave them to the girls. Even Gertie and Mame, who had heretofore shown little interest in the proceedings, looked on in frank envy.
Then, while the excitement was still high, they adjourned to the gymnasium, to receive their first instructions in basket-ball.
Marjorie and Lily did not go back to college after the meeting. Instead they boarded the train for New York, and were met at the terminal by Mr. Andrews and Dick Roberts.
“My, it’s good to see you, dear!” exclaimed the former, kissing his daughter affectionately, while the poor young man had to be content to let his sentiments go unuttered. Marjorie, who shared the secret of their engagement, smiled at the feeling which he could not suppress in his eyes.