t at both Oak Hall and
Rockville. Nat Poole had little difficulty in organizing a team, he
being the captain and playing rover. The others on his team were made up
of those who had played with him on the football eleven and some new
students at the Hall.

Dave had studied the play and the players with care, and he finally made
up a team as follows:

_Goal_, Sam Day.
_Point_, Dave Porter, _captain_.
_Cover Point_, Phil Lawrence.
_Center_, Roger Morr.
_Rover_, Gus Plum.
_Left Wing_, Maurice Hamilton.
_Right Wing_, Ben Basswood.
_Substitutes_: Tom Atwood, Luke Watson, and Henry Babcock.

"You have got to play as if you meant it, if you want to win any games,"
said Dave to his fellow-players, and so much in earnest did he become
that, between ice hockey and his studies, he completely forgot about the
adventure which had followed his visit to Doctor Montgomery.

Nat Poole could not help but boast of what his team could do, and when a
challenge came to Oak Hall from Rockville to play a game he wanted to
accept it without delay. But before he could do so, Mr. Dodsworth
interfered.

"We have two hockey teams in this school," said the instructor. "Your
seven, and that of which Dave Porter is captain. I think it would be no
more than fair that you play a game between you, and that the winner be
permitted to accept the Rockville challenge."

This did not suit Nat at all, as he wanted matters entirely his own way.
But nearly every boy in the school sided with Mr. Dodsworth, so at last
the money-lender's son had to agree to play the game with Dave's team,
and it was decided that this game should take place, weather permitting,
the following Saturday, and that the game with Rockville should come off
one week later.

"To hear Nat Poole talk you would think he had won the game already,"
said Roger, to the others on Dave's seven. "He makes me sick!"

"Speaking of having it won already, puts me in mind of a story," came
from Shadow. "A little girl went in the pantry and stayed quite a while.
When she came out she asked her mother: 'Ma, can I have a cruller?'
'Yes, my dear,' answered ma. Then she saw that the little girl wasn't
eating anything, so she asked: 'Why don't you take a cruller, Alice?'
'Oh,' says Alice; 'I had that when I first went to the pantry!'"

"Wow!" murmured Sam. "That joke came from the ark!"

"It was told to Pharaoh by Napoleon, when they were hunting for the
North Pole,