Center Rush Rowland

s and that he had selected the wrong one. Finally, a boy whom he encountered in the corridor set him right and Number 30 was eventually located on the second floor at the west end of

and all the visitors but one left, nodding carelessly to him from the door on their way out. The fellow who remained was the tall, dark-haired boy who had so kindly and readily interpreted the mystic "R & B" the day of Ira's arrival. He had, however, shown no sign of

ats, Rowland? Hope they're giving

ats?" inquired Fred Lyon

R & B' stood for on the list of rooming houses they give you and Ray told him it stood for 'Rats and Bug

ked Raymond White. "Say you did,

ed Ira. "You all looked so so

White. "I guess you didn'

ked the football captain. "I'd like to have seen that. It wo

outside talent?" He doubled up his fists and frowned formidably until his roommate stirred as thoug

wland," he said. "Hit him any ti

ere and put you over my knee!" Even Ira had to smile at the idea of Gene spanking his chum, w

im some time, Fred? I

ons. Then he turned to Ira and asked: "How are you ge

's sort of strange y

gh, and choose your companions car

ntil he caught the amused look on White's countena

meet you chaps. I might as well explain, Rowland, that you're quite at liberty to cut these fello

u hanging out

on's, on M

you pay your bills. They said last year that faculty was sort of frowning on Maggy's

ne of them gave me a scare last night, though." He told about the boy

id White. "He's been at Magg

xtras last year that he didn't have time for the required studies and flunked in a couple of them. He's

te. "If you ever want to know anything all you

s like the signs you see

all-it War, though," said Fred Lyons. "I

him it was about the time he said, but he

ve to know not only the year but the day of the month

ed White. "He has a library of encycloped

to spell the word," s

ld Earnest' has forgotten more than you ev

ou you don't know who t

habitants of Peloponne

was Pelopon

eplied Lyons without hesitation. "Anybody knows that!

" ask

, I mean. You're

er played football. I'

here was a chap of your build who hadn't showed up he'd be after you with a gun. Seriously, though, Rowland, I wish you'd com

plied White. "What do

for a long time. About a hundre

Lyons. "But you'll drop some of that. You're a bit so

t played but once. I never

of it. I wish you'd promise to report tomorrow, Rowland. I'm not exaggerating a bit

asily be a pessimist on the football situation, Fre

ow they're really needed," said Gene comfor

ering me-or would bother me if I let it-is the indifference. No one, except a dozen o

Gene. "I'll grant that football has rather soured at Parkin

to print tickets for next week's game. We need at least two hundred and fifty dol

k for things until

y dollars in the treasury. We've already spent it and a few dollars more. Lowell is advancing money from his own pocket for next week's tickets. I've dug down once myself. The worst of it was that everything had given out together. Usually we start the season with half a dozen good balls and head harnesses and so on, but this year we were short on every blessed thing. The bal

ts stand a small ass

unk football years running. It's human nature, I suppose, to cheer for a winning team and turn your back on one that loses. Well, we've lost the Kenwood game three years out of four and tied it the other time, which was three seasons ago. Last year we started out nicely and won five or six games without a hitch. After that we had trouble. Our captain couldn't get along with the coach and it came to a show-down a

a team's in trouble is when the

imistically, "and it didn't seem to do much good. There's

eeting come off?

d won a game or two-if we do. I'm glad we've got Mapleto

t we've got a punk schedule this year. W

hey?" asked Gene. "You mea

re fellows to buy them, but I don't believe taking off a half dollar would make much difference. What we've got to do some way or other is get the school warmed up again. Of course one way to do it is to tur

ene sympathetically. "But just

nder where the next batch of tickets is coming from and whether there'll be enough money at the end of the year to pay off the coach. Driscoll, by the way, has been bully about the salary

ts to fuss with a job like this, anyway. He ought to get

a thousand dollars, anyway; and it isn't likely we can pay more. I g

coaches satisfa

the team. You can't expect a man who is getting started in business to throw it up for two months to coach a football team. And you can't expect a man who is getting twenty-five hundred or three thousand coaching some other t

ched itself. I mean, suppose it was agreed that no graduate wa

nded White, "but we'd have just as m

ns. "They'd begin to sneak in fellows who weren't r

e some honest folks in th

ws who wouldn't crib at an exam, will do all sorts of shady tricks to put it over a rival team. I guess it

, "but I'd rather some o

ed to track athletics," said Gene, shaking

the millennium. I guess we've bored Rowland stiff with all this

smiling. "I've been interested. Care t

y,

thinking that you

y! Wh

age to make-what do you say?-turn out a good team and get the school

beam," laughed Gene. "I'll bet you ne

a lot in it, by Jove! Only thing is, you know, you've got to keep that in mind. If you don't yo

ed cheeky," said Ira.

it is a big job and that it's worth doing. And," he added warmly, "I'm mighty glad you s

is

for the team tom

never be any good at football. I guess it takes some quality I haven't got. I don't believe a fellow ever makes

, "you can take my word for it that you will l

come here to learn. I don't expect to go to college and so I want to make the most of this sc

red manages to keep his end up withou

naged to keep up fairly well in my classes, but how it will be this year I don't know. Luckily, I've got a fairly easy term ahead of me. You do just as you think best about trying for the team, old man. We'd like mighty well to have you, and I think you'd make good, but if you think yo

ite, "Rowland is rather losing

ose. "Seems to me my duty is toward my dad, who is paying

said Lyon

llow doesn't look at it tha

uld to help. But I don't. Still, it's all pretty new to me yet and maybe after I've been here another week I'll have a better line on what's going to

's a sorehead. And don't hurry off.

e going. I'm glad to have

e've said bother you. Do as you think best. Only remember there's a trial a

s peevish," he said, holding out his hand. "Forget it, Rowlan