ly one thing I'm not glad about," responded Tom
thoughtfully, beginning to squirm into his shirt. "I'm not glad we
missed that goal. I wanted that extra point."

"How could we help missing it? Andy isn't any goal kicker, and all the
others were afraid to try, I suppose. What's the odds, though! We won,
and six to nothing is good enough, isn't it?"

"Mm--yes; seven to nothing would have looked better, though."

"And you're the fellow," scoffed Steve, "who was almost crying awhile
back because Claflin would feel bad if we licked her!"

Tom only grunted. Steve went into a daydream with one leg in his
trousers until, presently, Tom laughed softly.

"What are you choking about?" asked Steve.

"Just thinking. Remember, Steve, coming on in the train how we were
talking about what--what it would be like here?"

"N--no," answered Steve. "Were we?"

"Yes. I remember you said that in the stories the hero was always
suspected of something he hadn't done and you said you'd bet that if
anyone tried that on you you'd make a kick."

"Well, what of it?"

"You didn't, though. Some of the fellows thought you'd swiped that
blue-book that time and you didn't make a murmur."

"Because----"

"Because you thought I'd done it and was trying to shield me. I know.
Then you said that in the stories the hero saves someone from drowning
and the football captain puts him into the big game and he wins it by a
wonderful run the length of the field."

"That's right, isn't it? All the school stories have it like that, don't
they?"

"I know."

"Well, then----"

"The funny thing is that it happened like that to us, Steve, or pretty
nearly. I don't mean that I--I actually saved you from drowning,
but----"

"You sure did, though!"

"Anyway, it was something like that, wasn't it? And then you went and
won the game in the last minute of play, just as they do in the
stories."

"I didn't make any run the length of the field," denied Steve. "All I
did was catch the ball and go ten yards with it. Nothing wonderful about
that."

"Still, it's all pretty much like the story-writers tell it, after all,
eh? That's what struck me as funny."

"Huh! It doesn't seem to me much like it is in the stories. Say, we
forgot about the papers, Tom!"

"What papers?"

"The New York papers, with the account of the thrilling rescue at
Oakdale, with your picture----"

"He didn't get any picture of me," said Tom grimly.

"He made you talk, though," la