cond, had relinquished hope of getting
on the 'varsity. A month ago he would have scornfully refused to
consider anything less than a position on the first team, but Steve had
had his eyes opened not a little. There _was_ a difference between the
sort of football played by Brimfield and the kind played by the
Tannersville High School team, and Steve now recognised the fact.
Perhaps he secretly still thought himself deserving of a place on the
'varsity--frankly, I think he did--but whereas a month ago he would not
have hesitated to make the fact known, he had since learned that at
Brimfield it was not considered good form to blow your own horn, as the
saying is.

But if he was disappointed at falling short of the final goal of his
ambition, he was nevertheless having a very good time on the second.
There was a lot of fine fellows there and the spirit of camaraderie was
strong, and grew stronger as the season progressed. The second was
perhaps almost as proud of their organisation as was the 'varsity of
theirs, and when, the week after the Benton game, they once defeated and
twice tied the other team, you might have thought they had vanquished
Claflin, so haughty and stuck-up did they become!

Steve played under a severe handicap that week, for once more he and
"Uncle Sim" were at outs. With Mr. Daley's assistance and encouragement,
and by a really earnest period of application on his own part, he had
successfully weathered the previous storm and had even been taken into
Mr. Simkins' good graces. But football is a severe taskmaster, if one
allows it to become such, and what with a strong desire to distinguish
himself on the second--animated to some extent by the wish to show Mr.
Robey what he had missed for the 'varsity--and a commendable effort to
profit by Marvin's teaching, he had soon begun to ease up on his Greek
and Latin, which were for him the most difficult of his courses. And now
"Uncle Sim" was down on him again, as Steve put it, and on the eve of
the Cherry Valley contest he was in a fair way to have trouble with the
Office. Mr. Simkins' patience, perhaps never very long, was about
exhausted. He had reason on his side, however, for Steve was by no means
the only student who was in difficulties at that time. On Friday morning
Mr. Simkins had indulged in sarcasm.

"Well, well," he said, leaning back in his chair and folding his hands,
"I dare say it is too much to require you young gentlemen to study when
it