“Of course. The chap I room with. Why not?”
“Why――why, no reason at all, except――why, somehow he seems so――so sort of quiet and――――”
“Oh, he doesn’t talk much, but he can _think_ like――like a judge! Jack says we have a well balanced room; says all the talking’s done on one side and all the thinking on the other!” Tad laughed. “But Stacey is a wonder at football. You wait till you see him drive the team some day. I guess it’s just because he doesn’t talk much that fellows listen when he does.” Tad was silent a brief moment. Then, “Guess I’ll try that myself,” he added thoughtfully.
The candidates, who had gathered around the coach, were now dispersing in squads to different parts of the field. In all there seemed fully sixty of them, and Rodney expressed his surprise.
“Oh, most of them don’t last long,” replied Tad carelessly. “After three or four days Cotting will make a cut, and then a lot of them will retire to private life. Finally he gets down to about thirty-two or three. Then he divides that bunch into two teams, a first and a second. Watch Tyson punt. He’s got the ball now. He’s a daisy at it. Look at that! The chap running to catch it is Wynant. He didn’t get it though. Gordon cut in on him.”
“No, Jack’s baseball captain this year. He’s a dandy fellow. Don’t you like him?”
“Immensely. He gave me a lecture this noon.”
“Oh, about not disliking fellows at first, till you get to know all about them. Other things, too.”
“Oh, yes, Pete was telling me about Watson ragging you before morning school. Watson’s like that. Still――” Tad thought a moment. “Jack’s right though. Watson isn’t a bad sort after all. I’ll tell you something――――”
But Rodney didn’t hear it just then for Tad’s voice died away. A few feet distant Cotting, Captain Doyle, and Guy Watson were standing just inside the side line. “There he is now,” murmured Tad.
“And he looks as though he wanted to jump on me again,” added Rodney. “Come on. I promised Billings I’d keep away from him.”
Rodney turned to stroll away, Tad following, when a voice called:
The boys turned. Captain Doyle was coming toward them, followed by the coach and Guy Watson. “Wait a minute, Tad,” said Doyle.
“Want me to take your place to-day, Terry?” asked Tad.
