The afternoon wore on, and the boys were at length forced to call an end to the practice. As they reluctantly dispersed to their homes Garry carefully deposited his precious football in the barn "gym" and entered the house. There he found that his mother had an errand for him that must be attended to at once. Garry was muddy and hot and needed a bath badly. Nevertheless, he started off without protest, thinking that perhaps he could work in a shower when he returned. At the first corner, as luck would have it, he ran into his sister Ella with two of her girl chums. One was Jane Danter, Nick Danter's pretty sister, and the other an out-of-town girl whom Garry did not know. Since Ella rarely missed an opportunity to tease her brother, she could not resist the opportunity his rather unkempt appearance gave her. "Garry Grayson! who's been throwing mud at you? Or have you been making mud pies? Of all things! I shouldn't have recognized you if it weren't for your walk. You look like something the cat dragged in." "Is zat so?" was the only retort Garry in his confusion was capable of making. He felt it was not a very effective one, and his peace of mind was not increased by the sound of the girls' giggles as he passed on with what dignity he could muster. He realized ruefully that he ought to have taken a moment to wash himself and brush off his clothes. Handling a muddy football during an afternoon of hard practice was not conducive to a good appearance. "I sure look like a tramp," he thought to himself. "I suppose I'll run into every one I know just because I've got mud all over me." The first person he saw when he entered the store on his mother's errand was Sandy Podder, who looked Garry over disdainfully from head to foot. After the first look that passed between them, Garry ignored Sandy and stood with his back toward him while he waited for his order to be filled. But Sandy was evidently in no mood to be ignored. He started a conversation with the storekeeper in a loud tone that was clearly intended to reach Garry's ears. "Lot of fellows I know entering Lenox High this fall," remarked Sandy. "That so?" inquired the storekeeper, without a great deal of interest. "Sure," continued Sandy. "Some crack football players too, from Webster and Cherry Street schools." "Some from Hill Street too, if what I hear is true," remarked the man, giving Garry a friendly wink. "Oh, that bunch! They think they're players, of course." Sandy Podder's scorn was immense. "But they won't have a chance against such fellows as Pete Maddern and Tom Allison. Those two are what I call real football players." Thinking that Sandy had not recognized Garry as the former captain of the Hill Street team, the well disposed storekeeper tried to give him a hint. He pointed towards Garry's still averted back and said in a low tone: "Gently! Gently! That's Garry Grayson himself."