y as he held open the door
at Torrence, "but he hasn't discovered yet that there's someone else to
think of besides Steve. If he doesn't want to do a thing he
won't--unless he's made to. Look at the way he played to-day! Just
because he felt lumpy he didn't think it was worth while to do anything
but scrap with that other chap. Folks won't stand for that very long and
some day Steve will wake up with a bang!"

"You going over to swim?" asked Harry when they had reached their room.

Roy shook his head gently. "Not this afternoon, I think, thanking you
just the same. I'd be afraid Steve would pull me under water and drown
me!" Roy chuckled as he seated himself and, thrusting his hands in his
trousers pockets, surveyed his shoes smilingly. "Poor old Steve! He's in
for a heap of trouble, I guess, before he gets ready to settle down as
a useful member of our charming little community."

"Seems to me," said Harry, "about the best thing you do to-day is
predict trouble for folks. You're as bad as What's-his-name's raven; you
croak."

"The gentleman's name was Poe," returned Roy sweetly. "But perhaps
you've never studied American literature."

"I thought Poe was a football hero at Princeton or somewhere," laughed
Harry. "What did he ever do for American literature?"

"American history was more in his line," replied Roy. "Football history.
Find your ball and let's go down and pass. I won't croak a single,
solitary croak, old thing."

CHAPTER XVI

MR. DALEY IS OUT

The reason for Steve's ill-temper was the receipt that morning of a
letter from his father. Mr. Edwards wrote that he had just been informed
by the principal that Steve's work was far from satisfactory. "He tells
me," wrote Mr. Edwards, "that your general attitude toward your studies
is careless and that in Latin especially you are not keeping up with
your class. Now I can't be worried by this sort of thing. I give you
fair warning that if you don't mend your ways you'll be taken out of
school and put to work here in the office, and there won't be any more
talk about college. If Mr. Fernald had said you were not able to do the
work, that would be another thing, but he distinctly accuses you of not
trying and not caring. I suppose the whole amount of the matter is that
you're paying too much attention to football. If I get another complaint
about you this year I shall write Mr. Fernald to forbid you to play
football or any other game until you show th