At last Coach Garwin straightened up, uncrossed his legs, and regarded the boys intently. "I'll have to ask you to answer to your names," he said. "I want to get a good look at you fellows." Something in his voice told the boys that he was interested. Each one asked himself if the interest related to him. The prospect of action made them eagerly alert. As the coach called them each by name the boys stepped forward, answering the brisk, keen questions fired at them as clearly as they could. Bill Sherwood was called and stood modestly before the coach, face red, as Mr. Garwin looked him over. "You played center on the Hill Street team," remarked the coach, referring to his list. "I attended a couple of those games and noted your work, Sherwood. You certainly have the beef. All right. I've got my eye on you." Rooster was also given a word of commendation for his record on the gridiron, and Nick and Ted were each commended for his work on the Hill Street eleven. Tom Allison and Pete Maddern were each given a word of approbation. "It's part of my work to keep my eye on the up and coming grammar school elevens," Al Garwin drawled; "especially those that are apt to graduate their members into Lenox High. It isn't often," he added with a smile, "that we enter three ex-captains of grammar school teams at the same time." By this remark Garry knew that his own name and record had not been overlooked. This was made a certainty a moment later when the coach called his name and looked him over with quizzically uplifted eyebrows. "Rather a swift worker, aren't you, Grayson?" he asked. "Worked your raw team up to winning pitch in a single season. Not such a bad record." "We had mighty good material to work with," said Garry loyally. "And if anybody deserves credit for the work of our team, it's Mr. Phillips, our teacher in English. He coached us and taught us all we knew." "Which seems to be considerable," soliloquized the coach, looking Garry over with more minute attention. His glance wandered to Tom Allison and Pete Maddern and then back again to Garry. "You three boys good friends?" Garwin asked. "I hope so!" Garry's reply was instant and hearty. "Off the gridiron you can bet we are!" exclaimed Pete, and Tom Allison added a hearty assent. "That's lucky. Because you'll probably have some work to do together. But this time you'll be fighting alongside and not against each other." As the coach bent frowningly over his list the three ex-captains exchanged elated glances. "Looks like business," Garry telegraphed in dumb show, and the others nodded. Mr. Garwin made some hurried notations on his paper and then rose purposefully from his seat, calling the boys around him.