“Dana:—Try and drop in to see me for a few minutes between seven and eight this evening. I am asking Dorr also.

“Yours,

“Ames.”

Hansel found this note in the rack the next forenoon. Coming out of Academy Three after a geometry recitation at twelve, he ran into Phin and the two walked over to Hansel’s room together and discussed the events of the evening before and the meaning of Mr. Ames’s summons.

“He probably sent my note to the house,” said Phin thoughtfully. “I wonder whether he’s for or against us. Perhaps Bert and his crowd have asked him to call us down. Well——”

[132]

“O Phin!” called a fellow across the campus. “Folsom asked me to tell you he wanted you to come up to his room this afternoon.”

“All right, Billy; much obliged. Harry’s probably a bit excited,” continued Phin grimly. “I hope it won’t make him worse.”

Hansel was inclined to be elated over last evening’s skirmish, but Phin rather discouraged him.

“I don’t believe a fourth of the fellows cared a rap for the principle of the thing,” he said. “But they liked to see a fuss and were glad of an excuse for not pledging money.”

“But there was only about four hundred dollars pledged,” answered Hansel. “Surely that won’t be enough to pay the expenses of the team and Cameron’s tuition for the rest of the year.”

“No, it won’t, I guess; I don’t believe they’ll be able to afford to hand over ninety dollars of it to him. But it doesn’t help us much just at present, for Cameron’s tuition is paid up to Christmas; even if he has to get out then, he can play football all he wants to meanwhile.”

[133]

“That’s so,” said Hansel ruefully. “I had forgotten that.”

“It may keep him from coming back next year, though. And that’s what I had in mind when I decided to start things going last night. It didn’t enter my head until after the meeting had been called to order. Then it dawned on me that here was a chance too good to waste. I was afraid you wouldn’t understand what was wanted, though, when I’d read that ‘team expense’ item. But you did. By the way, we’ve got one new convert, anyway. Spring was down to see me this morning before I was through breakfast. You know he’s editor of The Record, and he says he’s going to write a hot editorial for the next issue, which comes out next week. I told him to go ahead, but I don’t believe it will amount to much.”

“But he seemed earnest enough last night?”

“Oh, Spring’s earnest enough, but you see The Record’s censored by the faculty, and if they don’t want a thing to appear, it doesn’t. And I don’t believe they’d let anything very vigorous get in for fear it would hurt the reputation of the school.”

[134]

“Oh, I see. Well, say, you stop here to-night and we’ll go over to see Ames together. I’ll be ready at seven, if you like.”

“All right. And I mustn’t forget to call on Harry this afternoon. I dare say he’s wild about it.”

But Phin found when he made his visit that he hadn’t done justice to the manager’s sense of humor. Harry seemed to think that it was a pretty good joke, and wasn’t satisfied until Phin had told his story of the mass meeting.

“Bert was up here this forenoon,” said Harry with a chuckle. “He’s red-headed, frothing at the mouth. Says it was all my fault; that I shouldn’t have given you the statement, that I had no business being sick, and a lot more poppycock. But, thunder! how was I to know you were going to read that statement? I thought you just wanted to have it in case somebody began asking questions. I wish I could have been there—in the back of the hall, I mean—and heard it all. Billy Cutler says Field looked just as though he was sitting on a hot stove!”

“I’m sorry if I’ve got you into trouble,[135] Harry, but the chance was too good a one to let go by. And Hansel Dana——”

“Hansel Dana!” interrupted Harry with a grin. “There it is! He’s at the bottom of the whole shindy. Say, that fellow’s playing hob, isn’t he? He’ll have the whole school topsy-turvy if he keeps on! He’s woozy on the subject of ‘clean athletics,’ ‘school honor,’ and all the rest of it. He’s a perfect idiot, but you can’t help liking him.”

“You don’t think that, Harry,” said Phin gravely. “You know well enough that he’s right.”

“Right? Well, maybe he is right, but, great Scott! what’s the use of raising Cain about it? Why can’t he be satisfied with being right? What is it about virtue being its own reward? Besides, it’s all perfectly useless; Billy Cameron’s tuition is all paid for the term, and nothing on earth can stop him from playing football now!”

“We’re working for next year, Harry.”

“That’s all right then,” said the other heartily. “Go ahead; you have my blessing. I shan’t be here next year. But just at present[136] I’m manager of the old team and I don’t want it beaten.”

“Neither do we,” said Phin quietly; “but we want it to win honestly.”

“You’re getting it, too,” said Harry sadly. “I shall have to stop associating with you chaps; first thing I know I’ll be as crazy as you are!”

“Wish you were,” answered Phin smilingly. “We need help. How are you coming on, by the way?”

“Physically I am doing very well, thank you; recovering strength, appetite, and the use of my limbs; Doc says I can go out to-morrow; but I am troubled in mind, Phin; it worries me to see you becoming a victim to Hanselitis.”

Hansel dropped in just before dinner time, after Phin was gone, and he, too, had to tell of last evening’s proceedings. And he had to listen to very much the same remarks that had been made for Phin’s benefit. But when Harry made the statement that nothing could prevent Cameron from playing football, Hansel took him up.

“You wait and see,” he said oracularly.

“Sure, I’ll wait and see,” answered Harry[137] cheerfully. “Maybe you’d like to bet on it, Hansel.”

“I don’t bet.”

“All right, then I’ll do the betting. If Billy doesn’t play in the Fairview game I’ll give you—what do you want?”

“Well,” said Hansel, looking about the study, “I need a good sweater. I’ll take that white one over there on the couch.”

“Done! The old thing’s got me into trouble enough already, and you can have it if— But I don’t believe you’ll own it.”

“You wait and see.”

“Get out, you old raven!” laughed Harry.

Hansel didn’t much think the white sweater would ever come into his possession, himself, but there’s nothing to be gained by acknowledging defeat beforehand, and, besides, he felt rather hopeful and pleased this evening. In the first place, if Phin and he had accomplished no more they had at least stirred things up, for all day long the chief subject of discussion among the students of Beechcroft Academy had been the mass meeting and the status of the star half back. And, in the second place, Hansel had suffered[138] public martyrdom, and there’s nothing like martyrdom to bolster up one’s self-respect and increase one’s self-importance. When he had reached the green that afternoon he had quickly noticed a difference in the attitude of the other members of the football team. It was not that they showed animosity, but they apparently viewed him distrustfully and seemed to avoid him as though he had suddenly become an outsider.

When the line-up for the short game came, Hansel found himself relegated to the position of right end on the second team. It was evident that Mr. Ames did not approve, and there followed a long discussion between him and Bert. But in the end the coach shrugged his shoulders as though persuaded, but not convinced, and Hansel went on to the second and played there all during the short practice. He was on his mettle, and the way he “made rings around Cutler,” to use the popular expression, was highly pleasing to his adherents, of whom there were not a few among the audience that followed the play. Hansel knew, and every other fellow there knew, that his banishment to the[139] scrub team was in the nature of a public disgrace as punishment for siding against Cameron. If there had been any doubt in his mind on this point, it would have been speedily dispelled when he reached his room after his visit to Harry.

“Well,” asked Bert, who was getting himself ready for supper, “how do you like the scrub?”

“All right,” answered Hansel calmly.

“Glad you like it. For that’s where you’ll probably play. We can’t have fellows on the first eleven who are trying to get us beaten.”

“Don’t you worry about me, Bert,” replied Hansel. “I can take what’s coming to me. You won’t hear any kicking if I stay on the second from now until I leave school.”

“Well, you would stay there if I had my way,” growled Bert angrily.

At a few minutes after seven Phin and Hansel knocked on the door of Mr. Ames’s study on the first floor of Weeks. As soon as they were comfortably seated ............