He
had, however, scarcely got into a story before Harry appeared.

"Hello," greeted the latter. "Sorry I was late. Had to stop at the
library for a book." In proof of it he tossed a volume to the table. "I
asked you to come up here, Gilbert, because I have a proposition to make
and I thought you wouldn't want anyone around." Harry seated himself,
took one knee into his clasped hands and smiled at the visitor. It was a
peculiarly unattractive smile, Don decided.

"Proposition?" Don frowned perplexedly. "What sort of a proposition,
Walton?"

"Well, I'll tell you. It's like this, Gilbert. You see, old man, you and
I are fighting like the mischief for the left guard position and so far
it's about nip-and-tuck, isn't it?"

Don viewed the speaker with some surprise. "Is it?" he asked. "I thought
I had rather the best of it, Walton."

Harry smiled and shrugged. "That's only Robey's foxiness. I'm not saying
he might not pick you for the place in the end, of course, but I stand
just as good a show. Robey doesn't like to show his hand. He likes to
keep you guessing. I'm willing to bet that if nothing happened he'd drop
you next week and stick me in there. Of course you might get in for
awhile in the Claflin game, if I got hurt, but I wouldn't advise you to
bank much on that because I'm rather lucky about not getting hurt.
Honestly, Gilbert, I don't really think you've got much of a chance of
final selection."

Don observed his host's countenance with some bewilderment. "Well," he
said at last, "that may be so or not. What is it you want me to do?"

"I'll tell you." Harry tried hard to look ingenuous, but only succeeded
in grinning like a catfish. "It's this way. My folks are coming up for
the Claflin game; father and mother and kid brother, you know. Well,
naturally, I'd like to have them see me play. They think I'm going to,
of course, because I've mentioned it once or twice in my letters. I'd
feel pretty cheap if they came up here and watched me sitting on the
bench all through the game. See what I mean, old man?"

Don nodded and waited.

"Well, so I thought that as your chance is pretty slim anyway maybe you
wouldn't mind dropping out. I wouldn't ask you to if I really thought
you had much chance, you know, Gilbert."

"Oh! That's it? Well, I'm sorry if you're folks are going to be
disappointed, Walton, but I don't feel quite like playing the goat on
that account. You might just write them and sort of prepare them