The pastor stood up and came over to J.W.’s chair.  “My boy, I know just what you are facing.  It is a pretty old struggle, and there’s only one way out of it.  God hasn’t any first place and second place for the people that let him guide them.  A man may refuse his call, either to go or to stay, and then no matter what he does it will be a second best.  But you—­wait for your call.  For my part, I think probably you’ve got it, and it’s to a very real life.  If you and those like you should fail, we should soon have no more missionaries.  And if the missionaries should fail, we should soon have no more church.  God has little patience with a church that always stays at home, and I doubt if he has more for a church that doesn’t stand by the men and women it has sent to the outposts.  It is all one job.”

There was much more of the same sort, and when J.W. walked with his pastor to the train the next morning, the only doubt that had ever really disturbed him in college was quieted for good.

Walter Drury went back to Delafield and his work, surer now than ever that the Experiment was going forward.  He knew, certainly, that all this was only the getting ready; that the real tests would come later But he was well content.

* * * * *

It was early football season of the junior year.  The State University took on Cartwright College for the first Saturday’s game, everybody well knowing that it was only a practice romp for the University.  Always a big time for Cartwright, this year it was a day for remembering.  Joe Carbrook, who had been graduated from the University in June, and was now a medical student in the city, drove down to see the game.  For loyalty’s sake he joined the little bunch of University rooters on the east stand.  Otherwise it was Cartwright’s crowd, as well as Cartwright’s day.

To the surprise of everybody, neither side scored until the last quarter, and then both sides made a touchdown, Cartwright first!  A high tricky wind spoiled both attempts to kick goal, and time was called with a score at 6-6.  Cartwright had held State to a tie, for the first time in history!

Joe came from the game with the chums and took supper with them.  The whole town was ablaze with excitement over its team’s great showing against the State, and the talk at table was all of the way Cartwright’s eleven could now go romping down the schedule and take every other college into camp, including, of course, Barton Poly, their dearest foe.

The boys were happy to have Joe with them, he looked so big and fine, and had the same easy, breezy bearing as of old.  Nor had he lost any of that frank attitude toward his own career which never failed to interest everybody he met.  After supper they had an hour together in the room.