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ALL-SPORTS - LIBRARY. |
dent of the rescue of Billy Chubb from the wheels of
the trolley-car, . ~
Yet he saw that even that would: not save him, if by .
lies this charge were sustained against him, even though
by his -heroism on that occasion he had done much to
raise himself in Professor Chubb’s estimation.
Chubb believed in discipline, and not even his grati-
tude could make him deviate from what he might con-
sider-at the moment his duty.
_ CHAPTER X.
‘THE CHALLENGE.
Jack went down to the lake after school hours. Tom
was with him, and so were Lafe and Jubal. . Little Nat
had taken the train back to: Cranford, regretting his
inability to stay. longer, but declaring ‘that he would
not have misssed that “masquerade” on the lake for
anything.
Lee Willis joined Jack’s crowd at the edge of the
campus, and walked along with them. :
“It is hardly necessary to state that the subject of
their. conversation was the mysterious assault on Kid
Kennedy, together with the fight which had preceded .
it. Willis’ head and face were skinned, and showed
big patches of court-plaster, He had not attended lec-
tures or classes‘that day, and a part of the time he had .
remained in bed. Chubb had questioned him, -and so
had Lazenby.
“If I had struck him, I wouldn’t have denied it,” he |
said stoutly.
“He doesn’t charge you with it!” objected Tom.
“No; but if I had done it I shouldn’t deny it. He
-whipped me last night—or, rather, he pounded me up
pretty badly—but Vl fight him again, rather ‘than take
his insults,”
When they reached the lake they found some mem-
bers of Kid Kennedy’s crowd there, though Kid was
not present himself, being in bed in his room. Ken-
nedy’s friends were practising ice hockey.
Lafe Lampton took out an apple and began to nibble
-it, as he came upon the ice.
“You fellows are hot stuff!” he observed, as Julian
Glaze made a swift drive at the puck.
, ye:
“Well, we think we can play some,”
was the sharp _
answer.
“If we had some Cranford fellows here that I could
name, we could wax you,” said Lafe lazily.
He dropped down on the edge of the ice, and seemed
- too indolent to take-much interest in the subject, even
though he had made that bold statement.
“Oh, I don’t doubt they can do any old thing up at
Cranford!” sneered Miles Long.
~ He.was a tall, awkward fellow, fair of. face, with
broad shoulders showing tremendous strength. “They
grow big men out where I come from!” was one of his
. boasts. \
“Cranford, I’m told, is the one place in the country
where they know everything, and do everything,” re-
- marked Jim Bolt.
Bolt, who was a Canadian, was really a fine skater
and a great hockey player.
“They do a few things, and know a few. things,”
said Lafe, undisturbed.
"Tom and Jack stood by, with Jubal, watching the .
skating and the hockey Practise, b but taking no part in
this talk,
But now Jubal fired up, for he did not like , Bolt s
words and tone.
“By gravy, we've got-a hockey team up there that
could daown anything yeou could.put on this ice!” he
shouted.
“Oh, have you?” said Bolt skeptically.
“Yeou don’t believe that?”
“Of course I don’t.”
“Well, by gum, I jest wish they was here tew show
»
“T’ve heard braggarts before,” said Bolt coolly, in a
way. to make Jubal’s face very red.
The hockey practise went on, with the Cranford boys :
and a number of others watching it.
The puck came skipping toward Lafe, and Jim Bolt’
plunged after it.
“T think I heard you say something to the effect that
at hockey you fellows could down about anything that
’ Lafe remarked serenely.
” said Bolt. .
could be put on this ice,’
“We've done it so far,
“Ts your team here?”
iz