r hired
girl and she got it from Mrs. Sharp's maid. So, there you have it!"

"But you didn't tell us what the old Prof was saying to you about
camping," reminded Chet, when the general laugh was over.

"Why! that's so. And it was odd, too, that he should take any interest
in what we fellows were going to do this summer."

"What about it?" Jess asked.

"He wanted to know if we were going to pitch our camp, too, on Acorn
Island? He seemed to know you girls were going there."

"How odd!" murmured Laura and Jess, together. And the latter added:
"Bobby said he seemed mad when he found out _we_ were going to Acorn
Island."

"Well," drawled Lance, "he seemed sort of relieved when I told him we
fellows were going to camp on the mainland."

"Funny he should trouble his head about us out of school hours at
all," Chet said again.

His sister made no further comment upon the professor's queer actions.
Nevertheless her curiosity was aroused regarding the old instructor's
sudden interest in anything beside Latin exercises and Greek roots.

CHAPTER III

VISITORS' DAY

The afternoon preceding the closing exercises of Central High was
Visitors' Day at the girls' gymnasium. This was an entirely different
affair from the recent Field Day when Laura Belding and her particular
friends had so well distinguished themselves.

On _that_ occasion the general public had been invited. Visitors' Day
might better have been called "Mothers' Day." Mrs. Case personally
invited all those mothers who had shown little interest, or positive
objection, to their daughters' athletic activities.

For to the Centerport ladies the fact that their daughters were being
trained "like prize-ring fighters," as one good but misled mother had
said in a letter to the newspaper, was not only a novel course but was
considered of doubtful value.

"And you must come, Mother," begged Laura, when Mrs. Belding seemed
inclined to make excuses. Mrs. Belding was one of the mothers who
could not approve of her daughter's interest in athletics.

"Really, Laura, I am not sure that I should enjoy myself seeing you
crawl about those ladders like a spider--or climbing ropes like a
sailor--or turning on a trapeze like a monkey--or otherwise making
yourself ridiculous."

"Oh, Mother!" half-laughed Laura. Yet she was a little hurt, too.

"Aw, Mother, don't sidestep your plain duty," said Chet, his eyes
twinkling.

"Chetwood! You know very well that I do not