xamined a cut on his hand. Then,

"Beg pardon, sir," he said. "This way, fellows! A cheer for Hammond--and
make it good!"

Well, it wasn't very good. But then you can scarcely blame them when
another second would perhaps have tied the score. But they cheered, and
Hammond answered it; and the hockey season had ended with a defeat for
Ferry Hill. Schonberg skated over to Roy and held out his hand.

"You had us on the run, Porter," he said. "If we'd played five minutes
longer you'd have won. You've got a slick team, all right! How about
next year? You're going to keep the team up, aren't you?"

"Sure," answered Roy. "And we're going to lick the stuffing out of you!"

The rival captain laughed good-naturedly.

"That's right. We've had a dandy time playing you chaps and we'll be
ready again next year. Good-bye."

"Good-bye," answered Roy as graciously as he could. "Glad you fellows
came over."

He turned and found Jack beside him.

"Say, Jack," he asked, "what's the longest period of time you can think
of?"

"I don't know," answered Jack soberly. "What's the answer?"

"One year," was the glum reply.

CHAPTER XVIII

ON FOX ISLAND

Spring came suddenly that year. They woke up one morning to find the
river flowing warmly blue and free of ice, the walks running with
crystal water and the bricks steaming in the fervid sunshine. Winter had
disappeared over night and Spring had come to its own again. With the
awakening of the new season came the awakening of new interests. The
crew candidates, who for weeks past had been toiling ingloriously at the
rowing machines in the basement of the gymnasium, went trooping down the
path to the river and launched their shells. The baseball candidates who
had been throwing and batting in the cage and sliding to bases over the
hard floor trotted out to the field in search of a dry spot whereon to
hold their first outdoor practice. With the former went Horace Burlen,
free at last, in spite of his enemies' croakings, of all conditions, and
Hadden and Gallup and Whitcomb and Otto Ferris and others. With the
baseball candidates went Chub, Roy, Bacon, Kirby, Post and many more.
And--oh, yes--Sid Welch! Sid had entertained hopes of making the second
crew, but such hopes had been sadly shattered. And as Sid had to be
trying for something to be content he naturally went in for the only
first-class sport left.

"I think," he confided to Chub, "I think I'd like to play shortstop.