“And, from what I’ve heard Mr. Pollock say at ‘The Blade’ office,” Dick threw in, “the fathers of one or two of the other soreheads got their money in devious ways.”

“Why, there’s Whitney’s father,” laughed Dan Dalzell.  “Did you ever hear how he got his start thirty years ago?  Whitney’s brother-in-law got into financial difficulties, and transferred to the elder Whitney property worth a hundred and twenty-five thousand dollars.  When the financial storm blew over the brother-in-law wanted the property transferred back again, but the elder Whitney didn’t see it that way.  The elder Whitney kept the transferred property, and has since increased it to a half million or more.”

“Oh, well,” Dick interrupted, “let us admit that some of the fellows on the sorehead list have never been in jail, and have never been threatened with it.  But I am sure that Dave has guessed my meaning right.  The soreheads, who number a dozen of rather valuable pigskin men, are on strike just because some of us poorer fellows are in it.”

“What nonsense!” ejaculated Greg Holmes disgustedly.  “Why, Purcell isn’t in any such crowd.  Of course, Purcell’s father isn’t rich beyond the dreams of avarice, but the Purcells, as far as blood goes, are head and shoulders above the families of any of the fellows on Dick’s little list.”

“If that’s really what the disagreement is over,” drawled Dan, “I see an easy way out of it.”

“Go ahead,” nodded Dick.

“Let the ‘soreheads’ form the Sons of Tax-payers Eleven, and we’ll organize a Sons of poor but Honest Parents Eleven.  Then we’ll play them the best two out of three games for the honor of representing Gridley High School this year.”

“Bright, but not practicable,” objected Dick patiently.  “The trouble is that, if two such teams were formed and matched, neither team, in the event of its victory, would have all of the best gridiron stuff that the High School contains.  No, no; what we want, if possible, is some plan that will bring the whole student body together, all differences forgotten and with the sole purpose of getting up the best eleven that Gridley can possibly send out against the world.”

“Well, we are willing,” remarked Darrin grimly.

“No!  No, we’re not,” objected Hazelton fiercely.  “If the snobs don’t want to play with any of us on the team, then we don’t want to play if they come in.”

“Gently, gently!” urged Dick.  “Think of the honor of your school before you tie your hands up with any of your own mean, small pride.  Our whole idea must be that Gridley High School is to go on winning, as it has always done before.  For myself, I had hoped to be on the eleven this year.  Yet, if my staying off the list will put Gridley in the winning set, I’m willing to give up my own ambitions.  I’m going to put the honor of the school first, and myself somewhere along about fourteenth.”