he sophomores, but there were a number of sophomores with
whom he could not and would not mix.

His seat was now close to the one occupied by Agnew, though somewhat in
front of it, and he had the unpleasant feeling that a hole was being
bored through the back of his head by Agnew's eyes. When the conductor
of the examination looked down that way Badger could not tell whether
the professor's gaze was fixed on him or on Agnew. Professor Barton had
fiercely penetrating eyes, anyway, and the peculiar manner in which he
looked at students in the classroom had always been especially
irritating to the Kansan.

Printed questions were used, and Badger found some of them pretty hard.

"I wish Barton wouldn't look me through and through!" he muttered,
noticing again and again that the professor's eyes were fixed on him.
"It makes me feel like a cat under the paw of a mouse, or a calf watched
by a coyote. I allow there are things pleasanter than Barton's eyes."

But Barton continued to look down that way.

"Is he watching me, or is he watching Agnew?" Badger grumbled, as he dug
away at the work cut out for him. "Hanged if I can tell. Perhaps it's
just a way he has. Maybe every poor devil in the room is feeling just as
I do. Whoever got up these questions must have lain awake of nights
trying to see how hard he could make them. I reckon the chances are
about two to one that I'll flunk."

In an interval when Barton's attention was turned in another direction,
Morton Agnew crumpled a piece of paper, and, with a deft toss, which he
made sure was not seen by any one, he threw it beneath Badger's desk.
Badger did not know it was there, but the keen eyes of Barton saw it as
soon as they were again turned in that direction.

Now, Barton was really not watching Buck Badger, but he was watching
Morton Agnew. Slips of the printed questions had been stolen by some
member of the sophomore class the day previous, and Agnew was suspected
of the theft. That was why the keen eyes of the professor were so
constantly turned toward that part of the room. He hoped to discover
some evidence of Agnew's guilt, if, indeed, Agnew was guilty, as was
believed.

When his eyes fell on the piece of paper which Morton had tossed so
cleverly beneath Badger's desk, he knew in an instant that it had not
been there a moment before. The natural conclusion was, therefore, that
the Kansan had dropped it.

Its discovery was very suggestive. He began to watch Ba