outh closed. Do you mind?"

"Not a bit," declared Amy heartily. "I'm mighty glad you did tell. I
wanted to, but Penny wouldn't hear of it. He said it would be sneaky, or
something like that. What--what did Mr. Fernald say, sir?"

"I haven't heard. I hope, though, he will see that your friend Durkin
couldn't very well avoid that row on Sunday. It seemed to me rather too
bad that he should lose his chance at the scholarship. That is why I
'butted in,' Byrd."

"I'm very glad you did, Mr. Detweiler. I'll find Penny and see if he's
heard anything."

Penny, however, was very elusive, and it was not until a few minutes
before the game started that Amy finally located him in the top row of
the temporary grand-stand. Even then Amy could only get within shouting
distance, but shouting distance sufficed.

"Penny!" called Amy. "Hi, Penny!"

Penny smiled and waved.

"Had any news?" asked Amy in a confidential shout.

Penny looked blank for an instant. Then a slow smile lighted his face
and he nodded vehemently.

"Yes," he called. "This morning, Byrd! It's all right about--you know!"

"Awfully glad," replied Amy. "Mr. Detweiler just told me! See you after
the game."

"Sit down, Amy!" said a friend in the stand.

"Yes, clear the aisle, please, Byrd," called another.

Amy smiled and hurried back to his seat next to Bob Chase just as the
two teams, having warmed up and experimented with what little breeze was
cutting across the gridiron, withdrew to their respective sides of the
field. A final long-drawn cheer for Brimfield issued from the south
stand, was answered by a more thunderous one from the opposite seats,
the teams lined up, the captains waved their hands to the referee and
Claflin's left guard sent the nice new yellow ball arching away
against the sky.

It is to be presumed that more than one heart under a canvas jacket was
thumping loudly at that moment, but I doubt if any was trying harder to
turn somersaults than Clint Thayer's as he hustled across to where
Kendall was gathering the pigskin in his arms. But in the next moment
Clint forgot all about his heart, forgot he even had one, for Kendall
was plunging forward through the fast-gathering Claflin warriors and his
work was cut out for him. Back to the fifteen-yard line went the pigskin
before the referee called it down, and Brimfield's supporters cheered.

It is always something of a shock to realise that an event which has
been dreaded for days has at