"Which is," said Mr. Sharp, "a mystery no longer. As I said when first the matter was brought to my attention, no pupil of Central High, either male or female, could be guilty of such an abominable crime.
Such a malicious piece of mischief had to be originated in a perverted mind; and we have no such minds at Central High."
"But it has furnished excitement enough for us all to last for the rest of the winter," said Laura, later, to her immediate friends. "I"m so glad for Hester! But we"ve all been stirred up enough about it, I guess. No more excitement this term, girls!"
Whether Laura"s wish came true, or not, the reader will be able to find out for herself in the perusal of the next volume of this series, ent.i.tled "The Girls of Central High on the Stage; Or, The Play That Took the Prize."
None of them looked forward to a really "tame" winter, however. There would be other basketball games, and plenty of out-of-door sports as well. As Bobby Hargrew said:
"It"s all right to say that school takes up all our time; but it"s the fun we get out of school that makes Latin, and French, and mathematics, and--and--Gee Gee bearable! My! suppose we didn"t have athletics at all?"
"That would certainly be a state of existence perfectly unbearable--for you, Bobby," Nellie Agnew said, gravely. "You"d burst, wouldn"t you?"
"Into flinders!" agreed Bobby. "Athletics is the "scape-valve for me--and I guess it is for some of the rest of you. Now, tell the truth!"
And her friends had to admit the truth of her declaration.
THE END