Tom gave up trying to undo an obdurate knot and faced his recent antagonist. “Says I’m a trouble-maker. I had a bit of a rumpus with a guy over in Greenville the day we played there, and Steve got onto it and was mighty decent. Then, to-day――oh, I suppose he couldn’t help thinking I was a rough-neck. Said fighting was a habit with me and he didn’t want any of my kind on the team.” Another silence broken finally with: “That’s not fair, Tom. It was my fault. You didn’t want to fight me then. I made you.” “Oh, well.” Tom shrugged. “I didn’t have to, I guess.” “Sure, you had to! Say, you needn’t believe it if you don’t want to, but I’m mighty sorry. Tell you what I’ll do――” “You’ll do nothing,” replied Tom emphatically. “One of us is enough. Oh, heck, I guess I deserve what I got. It was a fool stunt!” “Sure was,” agreed Wink sadly. “Well, what in time did you go and start it for?” demanded Tom with pardonable asperity. “I don’t see yet what you had to get so blamed nasty about!” “I know,” acknowledged Wink humbly. “It was pretty rotten. I was sore, that’s all. About losing my place on the team, and not getting better marks after I’d worked like the dickens all spring; and you being so thundering pleased with yourself and――and everything! I sort of went flooey. I’m awfully sorry, Tom. Honest!” “All right,” answered the other hurriedly. “Guess I know how you felt. Just rotten luck, that’s all. Forget it, Wink.” “I wish you’d let me tell Steve just what happened; how it started and all.” “Swell scheme!” jeered Tom. “Tell him you said he was playing favorites, eh? You’d make a hit with him!” “I wouldn’t care,” muttered Wink. “Besides, I was only talking. I know Steve’s square just as well as you do.” “You do!” Tom stared in amazement. “Well, I’ll be switched! Then why――what――” Wink shrugged disconsolately. “I just wanted to make you mad, I suppose.” “Huh! Well, you did it! But you keep away from Steve!” CHAPTER XX CLIF GETS AN ERROR The gathering of the Triumvirate in Loring’s room that Monday evening was rather gloomy for awhile. Tom’s news affected them all. Loring was so disturbed by it that presently Tom was forced to assume a cheerfulness he was far from feeling in order to rescue the other from the dumps. “Oh, well,” said Tom, grinning heroically, “I did better than I expected to, anyway. When I started out in February I didn’t really have any hope of making the first team, but I did make it and I played in several games, and so it isn’t so bad, eh?” “Where you made your big mistake,” said Clif, “was in going over to the field after that scrap. Why didn’t you send word that you were sick or something and ask for a cut?”