"Too late to-day for any real practice," he said. "Meet here to-morrow afternoon after classes and have your suits with you. I'll assign each of you a locker then, and we'll get some real practice that will tell me how right or how wrong I've been in picking you out. And you fellows," he called after the group of rejected aspirants who were making their way more or less dejectedly out of the gymnasium, "be on hand too. It's likely enough that I'll want to make some changes after I've seen the teams in action, and that's where your chance will come in. Don't give up too soon. The season's just commenced and anything is liable to happen." "Sounds almost like a threat for the rest of us," remarked Garry, as, with his friends, he made his exit from the gymnasium. "A tip to us to be on our good behavior if we don't want to be bounced," agreed Nick. "I have an idea we'll have to play like all possessed to keep on the right side of Coach Garwin," put in Ted. "He'd just as soon drop a fellow from the team as he would an ash from a cigar." "All the more reason for us to work like beavers," cried Garry, tossing his cap in the air as they reached the street and freedom. "We may not be on the regulars, but that's all the more reason why we've got to make Mr. Garwin sit up and take notice. Say, fellows--" He paused and the others looked at him expectantly. "What's on your mind?" queried Rooster. "Or what you call your mind," chaffed Ted. "I may be a nut, probably I am," said Garry. "But I have an idea that we may get a chance to play on the first team yet." "Come off the perch!" admonished Bill. "How do you get that way?" asked Nick. "Oh, let him rave," counseled Ted. "All right, you gloom hounds," retorted Garry. "Just watch and see who's right. My hunch tells me that I'm going to have the last laugh." It was hardly correct to apply the term "gloom hounds" to Garry's friends, for on the whole they were considerably elated. Though they had had a faint hope that one of them at least might make the first team, their judgment had told them that anything like that was wholly improbable. Then, later, in the gymnasium when they had sensed the possibility that they might not be chosen either for regulars or scrubs, a place even on the second team had seemed highly desirable. This, however, they had achieved. They were in the running. So by the time they had reached home they had practically forgotten their original vaulting ambition and were almost as jubilant as though they had made the regular team. Ella was in the library reading. She looked up as Garry entered, with an expression of lively interest. "I saw the football call on the board," was her greeting to him. "I've been staying at home purposely this afternoon to get the news at first hand. Any luck?" Garry flung his cap on the table and stretched out luxuriously in a deep leather chair. He grinned at Ella. "Made the team," he said. "The first? Why, Garry--"