“And so I told him I’d go back to work to-morrow,” ended Hansel somewhat sheepishly. Mr. Ames smiled.

“And all those noble resolutions of yours, Dana?” he asked with mock reproachfulness.

“I can’t help it,” muttered Hansel. “I—I just had to give in. If you’d seen Bert’s face you’d have done the same.”

“I dare say I should,” answered the other seriously. “I don’t blame you, Dana; and perhaps it’s just as well, anyhow. From what you’ve told me of Dr. Lambert’s remarks the other night, I gather that he has something on his mind; I wouldn’t be surprised if——”

“What, sir?” asked Phin.

“Er—nothing; it was just an idea of mine. We’ll wait and see. Well, two weeks from now we’ll be a very jubilant or a very depressed lot here at Beechcroft.”

[192]

“Who do you think will win, sir?” asked Phin.

“‘Who do you think will win, sir?’ asked Phin.”

“With Dana and Cameron both in the game I think we should. But Fairview has got a pretty heavy lot of men, and they’re fast, too, I understand. But I’m going over there Saturday to see them play, and when I get back I’ll know more about them. Of course, they won’t show any more than they have to, and I dare say they’ll play a lot of subs, but just the same there’ll be plenty to see. Look here, Dorr, why don’t you come along with me? You haven’t got anything special to do, have you, on Saturday? It won’t cost you anything, because I’ve got mileage.”

“I’d like to,” answered Phin wistfully, “but I guess I ought to stay here and study. I’ve got a good deal to make up.”

“Well, I need company, and I tell you what we’ll do. You come along and take your books, and I’ll hear you in German on the way over. And I’ll hear your French that night, if you like. What do you say?”

“It’s very kind of you, sir, and if they don’t need me here that afternoon, I’ll be glad to go.”

[193]

“They won’t need you. I’ll tell Folsom to get along without you. The game with Parksboro won’t amount to much. We’re going to play second string men almost altogether, and send the first out in the country for a walk.”

“Then we won’t see the game?” asked Hansel.

“You can see the first half; then I want the lot of you, the ones that don’t play, to mosey over to Brookfield and back, if it’s a decent day. By the way, Phin, you can set your mind at rest about your studies; the doctor tells me you are to be allowed every facility for making up lost recitations. But I forget; you know about that, don’t you?”

“Yes, sir, Hansel said John—I mean Dr. Lambert—was very kind, sir.”

Mr. Ames grinned.

“Funny how the fellows like to call us by diminutive forms of our first names here, isn’t it?” he asked. “Last year—you remember, Dorr, I guess?—Putnam, who graduated last spring, blurted out my pet name in class room. I had called him down for not knowing his lesson.[194] ‘Mr. Bobby,’ he said earnestly, ‘I studied two hours on that last night, sir!’”

The boys laughed.

“It’s only the ones the fellows like,” said Phin, “that get pet names.”

“Thank you,” laughed Mr. Ames. “I feel better.”

“It’s so, sir,” protested Phin earnestly. “You never heard any of us call Mr. Foote ‘Sammy,’ sir.”

“Come, come, Dorr, that’s treason,” said the instructor, shaking his head smilingly. “You’re a bit hard, you chaps, on Mr. Foote.” Phin made no answer.

“By the way,” asked Mr. Ames, “I meant to ask after your—after Mrs. Freer. How is she getting along?”

“Very nicely, sir, thank you. It isn’t a secret any longer; about her being my mother, I mean. It was her idea, sir; she got it into her head that the fellows would think it funny if they knew she earned money by dressmaking.”

“She was mistaken,” answered Mr. Ames quietly. “I don’t think we have many snobs here, do you, Dana?”

[195]

“No, sir,” Hansel replied. “Although some of the fellows who come from a few of the prominent schools seem inclined to look down a bit on the fellows who don’t.”

“Yes, that’s so, I guess. Well, you’re showing them that their schools haven’t a mortgage on football, eh?”

“That’s what he is,” answered Phin heartily.

The next afternoon witnessed Hansel’s return to his old place on the first team. He was doubtful as to the attitude the other members would show toward him, but as it turned out his doubts were unnecessary. Most of them seemed glad to see him back again, and big Royle absolutely slapped him on the back, a token of friendliness which, because of its vigorousness, was quite as disconcerting as it was unexpected. Chastened by Saturday’s defeat by Warren, the team buckled down to work in a manner that was highly encouraging, and pushed the second all over the field.

The next day Hansel stole an hour between recitations, and walked to the village and paid a visit to the little book store where the students bought their stationery. As the proprietor[196] wrapped up the half dozen blue books and the two scratch pads which had been purchased, he remarked casually:

“Well, maybe the next time you call you’ll find us in our new quarters.”

“Oh,” said Hansel, “are you going to move?”

“Yes, they’re going to tear this place down and put up a big four-story block here. My lease is up next week, and I’m going up the street to the store just this side of Perry’s drug store. I expect I’ll get back here when the new building’s done. Well, it’s time it was torn down,” he added disgustedly. “The place is almost ready to fall to pieces. I haven’t been able to get them to make any repairs for over a year.”

Hansel paid for his purchases and went out. On the sidewalk, from sheer curiosity, he paused and examined the building that was to disappear. It was a small affair, two stories and a half high. The ground floor was taken up by the book store, and by the entrance to a stairway leading to the upper floors, the first of which was occupied by a tailor. From his windows Hansel’s gaze[197] roamed higher to the single casement under the peak of the roof, and a spot of color caught his eyes. He moved to the curb and looked up again. Yes, it was undoubtedly a light blue Beechcroft flag which he saw. Evidently, then, one of the students had quarters up there. Well, whoever he was, he’d have to move out and find a new room very shortly. Hansel started up the street, paused and turned back, struck by a thought. After a moment of indecision he returned to the store.

“Who lives on the top floor here?” he asked.

“Top floor?” answered the bookseller. “A Mrs. Wagner. She’s a German woman, a widow. She works in Barker’s laundry. She has three rooms upstairs, and gets them for almost nothing. Lets the front one to students and makes a pretty good thing out of it, I guess.”

“Who are the students?” Hansel asked. “Do you know their names?”

“Let me see. One of them is named Sankey or Sanger, or something like that. I don’t know his friend’s name.”

“Sanger, I guess,” said Hansel. “I know[198] there is such a chap. They’ll have to move out, too, I suppose.”

“Yes, we’ve all got to go inside of a fortnight. For my part, I’ll be glad to get out of here.”

“You don’t happen to have heard what this Mrs. Wagner is going to do?”

“No, but I guess she’ll be able to find another place, all right. I guess she isn’t very particular.”

“Thank you,” said Hansel. He went back to the street and meditated. Then he passed in at the entrance to the upper stories and mounted the stairs. The first flight was well lighted, but when he came to the second he had to grope his way up, for the place was as dark as Egypt. From the upper corridor four doors opened, one of them, as was evident, to a closet filled with trash, and the others to the three rooms. The only light came from a small and very dusty skylight let into a leaky roof. Hansel went to the door of the room on the front of the building and knocked. There was no answer. As he had presumed, the occupants were at school. On the door were tacked two cards bearing their names.[199] What with the poor writing and the lack of light, it was all Hansel could do to decipher them. But he succeeded at last, and learned that the names of the occupants were John Wild Sanger and Evan Fairman Shill. He had learned all that it was possible to learn at present, and so he made his way cautiously down the stairs and hurried back to the academy.

After football practice that afternoon Hansel walked back to the campus with Harry Folsom. There had been something of a slump in the team, and Harry was looking rather gloomy for him; it took a good deal to ruffle his cheerfulness. After they had discussed the cause of the slump, and had attributed it to a variety of things, and Hansel had predicted a return to form the next day, the latter brought the conversation around to the subject upon which his thoughts had been engaged ever since the forenoon.

“Say, Harry,” he asked, “do you know a fellow named Sanger, who lives in the town?”

“Johnny Sanger? Sure, I do. He lives over Dole’s store; rooms with a fellow named Sill.”

[200]

“Shill; but that’s the chap. Well, what sort of a fellow is he?”

“Sanger? Oh, he’s a sort of a frost. He’s in the second class, I think, and I also think that he was there last year, too. Somebody told me that his folks have lots of money, and give Johnny all he wants, and he doesn’t spend any of it from the time he comes until he goes home in the spring. But I don’t know much about him personally. In fact, he may be a very decent sort, after all; you can’t believe all you hear.”

“And who is Shill?”

“Don’t know him except by sight. He’s a tall and thin youth with an earnest countenance; wears glasses, I think.”

“Are his folks rich, too?”

“Search me, my boy. Say, what the dickens are you after, anyhow? Take me for a city directory, do you? Or a copy of the school catalogue?”

“S-sh, don’t excite yourself,” laughed Hansel. “I’ll tell you all about it. In fact, I want your help. Can I have a few minutes of your valuable time? Or are you going to study?”

“Don’t be silly,” answered Harry, leading[201] the way up to his room. “Who ever studies with exams two months and more away? Take the Morris chair and make yourself ‘ter hum.’ Now, then, unburden your mind. But let me tell you before you start that I’m dead broke. If you are thinking of hiring any more nurses, old son, you mustn’t ask me. And that reminds me that I haven’t collected all that money yet; there are three fellows still owing me. What you ought to do, Hansel, is to start a hospital.”

“It isn’t a nurse this time,” answered the other, “but it’s Mrs. Freer again.”

“The dickens it is! What are you going to do now? Buy her a new silk dress or send her to Europe?”

“Well, you quit being funny and I’ll tell you.”

“Oh, I’m not funny; I can’t be; I try awfully hard, but I can’t make it.”

“Well, stop trying then. And listen here, Harry. You know how Phin and his mother are fixed; they have mighty little money; she’s been trying to make some sort of a living by doing sewing and dressmaking, but Phin says[202] she hasn’t found much to do. I suppose that’s only natural in a town like this. I guess most of the women do their own dressmaking, eh?”

“Can’t say for sure,” answered Harry with a broad smile, “but judging by some of the dresses you see, I dare say you’re right.”

“Well, anyway, they’re having a hard pull of it. You know how Phin works; he gets up before it’s light and he works until long after it’s dark, and I don’t suppose he makes very much, either. It’s a shame!”

“Sure it is! But we can’t support them, Hansel. I like Phin as much as you do, and I’ve got a lot of respect for that mother of his; she’s a dandy sort of a mother to have; but—well, what the dickens can we do?”

“Help them,” answered Hansel promptly.

“Well—but how?” asked Harry dubiously.

“You know they’ve got a room at their house that they want to rent. I’ve seen it, and it’s a dandy. If they had rented that when school began they’d have been all right, Phin says. It’s only three dollars a week, but I suppose that three dollars means a whole lot to them.”

“I suppose so. What then, O Solomon?”

[203]

“Well, I propose to find some one to take it for the rest of the year.”

“Oh! It sounds simple, but can you do it?”

“I think so, if you help me.”

“Here’s where I come in, eh? What do you want me to do? Walk through the town with a placard on my back? Go around with a dinner bell yelling ‘Oyez! Oyez! Oyez! There is a fine room for rent at Mrs. Freer’s, and the price be moderate?’”

“No, I want you to hush up and let me do the talking for a minute,” Hansel ............