“But you haven’t tried me. You don’t know whether I can do it or not. I don’t know myself――――” “I do,” said Walter. Dan shook his head as he said quietly, “Walter is not the best judge.” “I’m captain of the second-form nine,” said Ned. “I’ll give you a chance to make good. If you don’t――――” “What then?” inquired Dan. “Why, you’ll retire in favor of your successor, that’s all.” “You must see what my work is first,” said Dan firmly. “Just what I intend to do. It’ll be clear to-morrow and we will get up a scrub game on the campus at two-thirty. We’ll have the diamond all to ourselves, for most of the fellows will want to see what the prospects for the eleven are. They’ll be down watching the football practice and we’ll have the field to ourselves.” “How about Gus Kiggins? Will he come out?” inquired Walter. “No. He’s out for half-back on the eleven this fall. I guess he’ll make it too,” replied Ned. “All the better if he doesn’t show up.” “He’ll pitch for the first form, won’t he?” “You can rest easy about that,” laughed Ned. “Gus will be on deck then. He loves the spotlight.” “He is all right too,” said Walter. “Yes, he can play ball. He’ll be the pitcher of the school nine, unless Dan goes him one better.” “Dan will do it all right,” asserted Walter, although even Dan somehow felt there was a slight note of anxiety in his roommate’s apparent confidence. Promptly at half past two the following afternoon Dan and Walter went to the field. Ned had had his difficulties in securing sufficient players to make up two nines, so keen was the interest of the school in learning what the outlook for the eleven was likely to be. However, after a time, two nines were obtained and preparations for the scrub game were completed. “Dan, you can’t pitch in those clothes!” protested Walter as his roommate seated himself on the bench. “Where’s your uniform?” “What uniform?” “Why, the one you used in Rodman.” “I left that with that study gown you didn’t like.” Walter’s face flushed slightly as he said: “But Dan, you don’t understand how much depends on the impression you make on Ned and the other fellows to-day. Let me get you――――” Walter rose abruptly to go to the dressing-room of the club-house, but as he did so Dan said quietly, “No frills to-day, Walter. This is only a scrub game anyway.” “No, it isn’t, at least as far as you are concerned!” “I’m going into the game just as I am,” said Dan in a low voice. “I notice that some of the boys are not wearing uniforms.” “They don’t need to. They can’t play ball. But it’s different with you, Dan. I’ve been backing you up――――” “Never mind, Walter. If I don’t show any signs of greatness it will be all right, however it comes out. If I don’t show that I can do anything I’ll feel better――――” “All right. Have it your own way,” retorted Walter sulkily. “I can’t do anything more. You’d do better if you had the shoes――――”