con would go into the game with Hammond. Roy was not
greatly disappointed, for he had scarcely dared hope to make the first
team that Fall. Next year Bacon would be gone from school, and then,
barring accidents, the place would be his. Meanwhile, ever mindful of
his promise to Jack Rogers, Roy worked like a Trojan on the second and
ran that team in such a way that a score against the first at least
every other day of practice became something to expect. Had Roy been
able to work with Horace as he did with Forrest, Bacon's position would
not have been so secure. Roy was like a streak of lightning when he once
got away for a run, and, like a streak of lightning, was mighty hard to
catch. At this he quite outplayed Bacon. The latter seldom managed to
make his quarter-back runs tell, but he knew his men from long
experience and used them like a general.

Chub Eaton, inspired by his friendship for Roy, became a regular
attendant at practice and even travelled on more than one occasion to a
neighboring town with the team. Chub, however, didn't approve of Roy's
presence on the second.

"It's all poppycock," he declared warmly. "You can play all around Bacon
and I don't understand why Cobb and Jack don't see it. You're too
easy-going, Roy. You ought to make a kick; tell 'em you want what's
coming to you; make 'em give you a fair try-out on the first. I tell
you, my young friend, you don't gain anything in this world by being
over-modest. Get out and flap your wings and crow a few times till they
take notice of you!"

At all of which Roy smiled calmly.

The two had become inseparable. Whenever it was possible they were
together. In the evening they sat side by side in the study room and
afterwards Roy spent his time on the edge of Chub's bed in the Junior
Dormitory until the bell rang. There were many stolen hours in the
canoe and always, rain or shine, Sunday afternoon found them on the
river, floating down with the stream or paddling about the shores
engaged in wonderful explorations.

Roy had recovered from his first nervousness regarding studies and was
getting on fairly well. He was never likely to astonish any of the
instructors with his brilliancy, but what he once learned he remembered
and he was conscientious where studies were concerned. His mother
mentioned the scholarship less frequently nowadays in her letters and
his father asked sarcastically whether they taught anything besides
football at Ferry Hill, but w