hipple departed for Jefferson School and at the same time most of the
other vacationers in the Pocassett settlement went their various ways.
Neil Durant and Ted Norris, however, insisted on staying until
Teeny-bits was entirely recovered. A part of each day they sat about the
cabin talking over school and college life.

"If you fellows would only wait a year I might go to college with you,"
Teeny-bits said one day, half jokingly.

"I might do it at that," said Neil Durant. "Father has been talking to
me about staying out a year and working before I start in."

"That's not a bad idea," said Wolcott Norris. "Most of the fellows
to-day enter college with a pretty vague notion of what they're going to
do and it might help a lot to get out and work for a year or so before
you continue your education. I think it would be time well spent."

The conversation was brief, but it began something which was destined to
come to pass.

During these days while he was recovering, Teeny-bits had the
opportunity to accomplish the thing for which he had envied Neil Durant
on the night of the accident,--to become better acquainted with Wolcott
Norris. While Ted and Neil, who had recovered from his sprained ankle,
were out on snowshoes and skis, the mining engineer and the new captain
of the Ridgley team spent many hours together. The admiration that
Teeny-bits had felt for this man with the straight figure and the keen
eyes steadily increased. Here, he said to himself, was a man whose
character showed in his face and whose life any one would do well to
imitate. There was something about Wolcott Norris that inspired
Teeny-bits with a feeling of confidence, and somewhat to his surprise he
found himself telling the mining engineer things that he had never told
even to such good friends as Neil Durant or Snubby Turner,--confidences
about his own feeling toward the other members of the school, hopes for
the future and something of the ambitions for the attainment of which he
meant to strive. For some reason which he could not analyze it seemed
entirely natural to be conversing intimately--even after such a short
acquaintance--with Wolcott Norris.

"You two fellows seem to be getting pretty chummy," said Ted Norris one
afternoon when he and Neil came in and found Teeny-bits and the mining
engineer engaged in conversation. "What's all the deep talk about?"

"Why don't you pull up some chairs and sit down?" asked Wolcott Norris.

It was just