"We'll not let study worry us, no matter what happens, until after the game!" cried Grasshopper Backus. "Wow! But what a celebration there'll be if we win! The baseball championship, and then the football on top of it! Wow!" and Grasshopper gave a leap into the air to show how exuberant he felt. But Dutch Housenlager slyly put out his foot, and Grasshopper went down in a heap. "I'll punch your head for that, Dutch!" he cried, springing up; but Dutch, in spite of his bulk, was a good runner, and got away. "Well, I suppose you gladiators are all ready for the fray," spoke Sid that evening, when Phil and Tom were in the room, one on the sofa and the other curled up in the easy chair. Sid was stretched out on his bed. "Ready to do or die," answered Tom. "I hope it's a nice day." "Why, you don't mind playing in the rain, do you?" asked Sid. "I thought you chaps were regular mudlarks." "So we are," went on Tom. "Only I want to see a good crowd out. It's more enthusiastic." "I know what you want," declared Sid. "You want a lot of girls from Fairview Institute to be on hand. And, what's more, you want some particular girl to see you make a star play. So does Phil, I'll wager." "Well, from what I hear there will be a good crowd of Fairview girls to see the game," said Phil. "Fairview is sore at being walloped twice by Boxer Hall, and the co-eds want to see us put it all over that crowd. So they'll be on hand to cheer us." "Are you sure?" asked Tom. "Sure--Ruth told me," went on Phil. "Oh, it will be a glorious occasion! Don't you wish you were playing, Sid?" "Not for a minute! Baseball for mine! When I want to wallow in the mud and get my mouth and ears full of it, I know an easier way than playing football." "Yes; go out with a camera and get stuck in the swamp!" cried Tom, and he got up, ready to dodge any missile which Sid might heave at him in revenge for having his misadventure recalled. But the naturalist only answered: "That's all right. I got the best picture of a fox you ever saw. The mud will come off." "Oh, you're a hopeless case!" exclaimed Phil as he got up and began to change his clothes, laying out a particularly "sporty" necktie. "Hello!" exclaimed Tom in some surprise. "Where are you going?" "Out," replied his chum noncommittally. "I thought you were told to stay in and take it easy to-night," said Sid. "Well, I'm not going to any exciting place," came from Phil as he struggled with a stiff collar. "I'll be in early." "Going to town?" asked Tom. "Not Haddonfield." "Where?" "I'll bet he's going to see some girl!" exclaimed Sid. "He's got perfume on his handkerchief, and he never wears that tie unless there's a damsel in the offing." "Well, I don't mind admitting that there is a young lady in the case," spoke Phil. "I'm going to call on my sister, and you can put that in your pipe and smoke it, you hard-shelled old misogynist!"