te to my
brother, and perhaps he can arrange it with the captain and manager."

"I'll talk it over with Collingwood first," said Barclay. "And then
we'll proceed officially; and you can pull any additional wires that are
possible through your brother." He rose to go. "I shouldn't wonder," he
added, "if that brother of yours turned out to be a useful asset for
you here."

"I should prefer to stand on my own legs," said Irving. "I shan't
advertise it round that I have a football brother."

"Oh, it won't be necessary for you to do that; things have a way of
leaking out." Barclay laughed as he took his departure.

As it happened, the next day Louis Collingwood, the captain of the
School eleven, went to Barclay to consult him about the outlook for the
season.

"It seems to me we'll have a good School team," said Collingwood, "but
no second eleven capable of giving them hard practice--the kind they'll
need to beat St. John's. If we could only arrange one or two games with
outside teams, to put us into shape--"

"I was thinking of that," said Barclay. "I wonder if we mightn't get the
Harvard Freshmen up here. They have a good eleven, apparently."

"Yes, awfully good, from all that the papers say. Don't you suppose
their schedule is filled up?"

"It may be--but perhaps they could give us a date. Suppose you come over
to my house this evening and we'll send a letter off to their captain.
And I'm sure"--Barclay threw the remark out in the most casual
manner--"Mr. Upton will be glad to approach them for us through his
brother."

"His brother? Who's that?"

"Why, didn't you know? His brother plays left end on the team--"

"Kiddy Upton's brother on the Harvard Freshmen! No!"

"Whose brother?"

"Mr. Upton's, I meant to say." Louis grinned. "Is he really, Mr.
Barclay?"

"I'm rather surprised you didn't know it. But I guess Mr. Upton is the
kind that doesn't talk much."

"I should think he'd have let that out."

"Well, he let it out to me. I suspect--though he hasn't told me--that he's
helping to put his brother through college. And his success in doing
that will naturally depend largely on his success or failure here as a
master."

"You mean--keeping his job?"

Barclay nodded. "Yes. Oh, I don't suppose there's any real doubt about
that. He's a perfectly competent teacher, isn't he? You know; you have a
class with him."

"Ye-es," said Louis, slowly. "The trouble has been, the fellows horse
him a good deal--th