“Ten dollars for a hair-cut,” mused Arnold, “sounds a bit thick, doesn’t it? Guess I’ll just say that I want to make a loan to a chap. That’s a new one and dad may fall for it.” “Thanks, Arn,” said Toby, finally defeating the temptation to accept the loan, “but I’d rather you didn’t. I’ll make that money up in a week or so and never know I lost it. The trouble about borrowing,” he added wisely, “is that you have to pay up.” “There wouldn’t be any hurry about it. You could pay a dollar now and then, whenever you happened to have it. Better let me do it, Toby.” But Toby was firm and Arnold finally gave up the scheme. “Too bad, too,” he mourned, “because that was a brand-new and original touch, and I’d like to have seen whether it would work!” Hockey practice the next afternoon was more than ordinarily strenuous. Mr. Loring, the volunteer coach, was back again after an absence of a few days, and made things hum. A new combination of forwards was tried out against the second, Crowell going from left center to left wing and Jim Rose taking the captain’s place. But, although that change lasted until Wednesday, it produced no great improvement, and on Wednesday Crowell and Rose returned to their former positions. Toby had his first real dose of goal-tending that Monday afternoon, taking Frank Lamson’s place in the second period. To say that he did better than Frank would be an exaggeration, but it’s fair to say that he did as well, and, since Frank had made several good stops that afternoon and held the second team to two tallies, saying that speaks well for Toby’s progress as a goal-tend. In the last half the second put the puck into the net three times. Simpson, Casement and Fanning had been sent in and the second team found them easier to contend with than the first-choice forwards. During the last five minutes of play Stillwell took Halliday’s place at cover point, and it was during Stillwell’s incumbency that the second scored that third goal. Stillwell took the wrong man, and Fraser, at point, allowed himself to be drawn too far out. A quick and clever pass in front of goal gave a second team forward a pretty chance for a score and, although Toby partly stopped the lifted puck with his hand, it dropped to the ice just inside the cage. Toby felt badly about that tally, but no one else seemed to. The first had a four point lead and another tally for the opponent mattered little. But after practice was over Coach Loring stopped Toby at the bench as he was pulling his coat on. “Let me see those gloves you’re wearing, Tucker,” said Mr. Loring. Toby exhibited them and the coach sniffed his contempt. “No wonder that shot got by you,” he said. “Doesn’t it hurt to stop the puck with those things?” “Er――yes, sir, sometimes it does.” “So I’d think. Why, those aren’t padded at all, Tucker! Where’d you get them? Haven’t you any others?” “No, sir, I haven’t any others. These are some I had. I――I’ve been thinking of getting some heavier ones――”