Freeland tribune. (Freeland, Pa.) 1888-1921, 1890-10-09
"LOVE---FIFTEEN."
A STORY FOR GIRLS.


way to the pretty little village of Ashton
and, of course, ''The 1nseparables, as
DIadge Hoston, Neil Glynn and Elsa
Trent were universally dubbed, vel
coined it with open arms and henceforth
became its devoted followers.
They had been very enthusiastic over
croquet two years before, but now Gro
auet seemed too tame, and the croquet
set had been left to the tender mercies of
little Bobby Trent, who scattered the
mallets and balls over the premises and
set UP his wickets in the most unexpect-
ed places, so that the members of the
family were liable at all times of the day
to find themselves reversed, so to speak
their noseI in violent contact with
mother earth and their heels waving in
the air.
The summer before Nell Glynn had
gone to New York for weeks visit, and
had come home with glowing accounts
of the new game. Why, girlsw she
exclaimed, while her black eyes shone
and her closely cropped head bowed eX
citedly, "croquet is nothing to it. You
don't know how jolly it is. 1 saw it
played in the Park"
"Why can't we play it?' queried Elsa
in her slow way. "What must we
haveW
''Ever so many things and they cost so
muchl We must have balls, racket for
each one of us and net. Then, if you
want to be very high-toned you have
tennis shoes, a cap or Tam O Shanter and
a blazer and a blouse and other things"
All this sounded delightful and they
entered into discussion of the subject
with all the interest which fifteen-ye
old girls usually have in anything prom
Using fun.
''Your lawn would be Just the place
for the court" said Madge as she twist
ed Elsa's long yellow curls around her
fingers. They were on Mrs. Trent's
piazza, Elsa and Madge sitting on the
top step, while Nell was perchcd on the
railing, looking like a gypsy in her red
dress, with her straight black hair falling
all about her shoulders.
"Girls, I'll tell you plan, ,"and Nells
tan shoes swung vigorously back and
forth as she spoke. 'Let's earn it. It's
too late to play this fall, so we will have
all winter to work in"
''Ycs,n rejoiued Madge, tsbut how in
ooh, if we keep on the watch we shal
find ever so many chances to earn little
Why, only yesterday Tom offered me ter
cents if | would go down to the post
office for him. wish l had known OF
this; I'd have gone"
eyes and we might 90 without some
thing and save money instead" put il
Elsa.
"I'll save what Ispcnd for candy, and
that will help some," said Madge, who
had a sweet tooth.
"Young ladies, I'll donate the net if
by spIingtime you have raised enough
money for the rackets and balls, came
in deep tones from the window, where
Uncle John, who was always sure to fa-
vor any plan for giving the children a
good time, sat reading.
Nell in her joy sprang to the ground
and was executing an Indian dance upon
the lawn, when suddenly she plunged in
to a clump of rose bushes and disap-
peared from view.
ats that horrid Bobby's wickets, "
cried Elsa as she and Madge rushed to
the rescue, and at length, amid much
laughter, they succeeded in pnlling Nell
out.
All through the Winter months the
girls seized every opportunity of adding
to their fund and the result was that one
warm Spring day Uncle John brought
home large package from New York
containing the rackets, net, balls and a
book of directions. With his help the
court was marked off and the net put up,
and from that time forth at all hours of
the day could be heard the sounds of
laughter, mingled with phrases unintel-
lgible to the looker-on, such as Glove
fifteen" "pick up" deuce" "thirty-
all, " " double " and Others equally mys'
terious. The vigorous exercise did the
girls good and the faint color in Elsa's
pale checks and her improved appetite
delighted her parents and Uncle John.
Nell and Elsa had each made "Tam, y
Nell's of palepink worsted and Elsa's
of blue, while Madge's mother had
given her red and white tennis cap, and
now the three girls were each trying to
save money enough to get one of the
pretty striped blazers they had seen dis
played in the store windows in the town
Elsa's elder sister Helen had played
several times the previous summer while
on visit to friend, at which time she
had bought racket, so that now she
sometimes made fourth in the game,
and was considered an authority when
disputed points arose. OF course, with
so much practice the girls soon became
quite good players, and seemed about
equally matched, though each had her
strong points.
The lawn where they played was
bordercd by a thick, closely-trimmed
hedge, on the other side of which was a
tiny brown house. About year before
middle-aged woman named Bassett had
come to the village and rented this cot
tage, and, though she appeared to have
some means of her own, she increased
her income by doing fine washing and
ironing for two or three of the wcalthiest
families in the place. Occasionally one
of the tennis players would make wild
hit at the ball and it would go flying
over the hedge and lie snugly hidden
under Mrs. Bassett's squash-vines or in
her strawberry bed. This was always
considered great misfortune, as it gen
orally nocessitatcd long search.
One day towards the beginning of Au-
gust Nell, in reaching upward for ball,
gave it such vigorous side-knock that
away it went over the hedge. A groan
went up from the three and Nell was