As they filed into the little building two other school lads passed by.

“What’s going on?” asked Bruce Bennington, one of the twain.

“Oh, it’s Tom Fairfield and some of his chums,” answered Morse Denton.  “I don’t know just what the row is, but I heard that Sam Heller and Nick Johnson played some kind of a mean trick on Tom and Bert and Jack this summer.  I don’t just know the particulars.”

“That’s so,” agreed Bruce.  “I did hear something about it.  Feel like having some pop?”

“Not now, and if any of those fellows expect to make the eleven this fall I’ll have to make them cut it out.”

“Right!  How’s football coming on?”

“Oh, I’ve got some good material, and I expect more when the new fellows begin to arrive.”

“Going to play Tom Fairfield?”

“I sure am, if he’ll train properly, and I think he will.  I want him for one of the backs.  He’s a sure ground gainer, quick on his feet, he holds the ball fast and he can kick well.”

“I hope he makes good,” went on Bruce.  “Well, I’m going to cut away.  I want to see the doctor, and arrange about my studies.”

The two strolled over the green campus, arm in arm, and they had hardly gone a dozen steps before, from the little store of Pop Swab, there come pouring Tom and his friends, all talking at once.

“That’s what we’ll do!”

“A class matter of it—­sure!”

“We’ll work the Coventry game to the limit!”

“And if it comes to a fight——­”

“They’ll get all they want!”

These were only a few of the remarks that came to the ears of Bruce and Morse.

“Something doing back there,” remarked the football captain, nodding his head toward the rear.

“Yes,” agreed Bruce, “and I don’t like it, either.”

“Why not?  It’s only Tom and his chums talking over what they’re going to do to Sam and Nick, I expect.”

“Yes, and that’s why I don’t like it.”

“Why not?” asked Morse.

“It may have a bad effect on the whole school.   Class disputes always
do.   If a class doesn’t hang together------”

“They’ll hang------” began Morse, about to perpetrate the old joke of
“hanging separately,” when Bruce laughingly interrupted with the remark: 

“Now that’ll do you.  There’s a five spot fine for using that classic so early in the season.  But you know what I mean.  It won’t do to have class dissension.”

“No, you’re right.  But maybe it will work itself out.”

While Bruce and Morse went their ways, Tom and his chums, talking excitedly, went to Tom’s room.  He had some new rods and a gun he wanted to exhibit, but, most of all, he wanted to give his friends the whole history of the summer’s adventures.

“Now go ahead,” invited Joe Rooney, when they were all seated, more or less comfortably, on the beds and chairs in the room of the three chums.  “Let’s have the whole yarn.”