CHAPTER VI

Getting into Swing

"I probably looked lots funnier than I felt," replied Garry Grayson to his sister, reddening sheepishly.

"You were having some trouble with that awful Fish man, weren't you?" asked Jane Danter, as the three walked down the street together.

"Trouble's no name for it!" answered Garry. "It looked for a while as though I were treed for fair. And all for the sake of this pigskin!"

"What had the football to do with it?" asked Ella. "Do tell us about it, Garry. We're awfully curious to know how you got in that tree! Aren't we, Jane?"

Jane nodded.

"Well, you see," began Garry gravely, "I rather felt the need of some setting up exercises--"

"Yes, you did, after having an airplane fall on you yesterday!" scoffed his twin.

"Nick was telling me about that," put in Jane. "It must have been thrilling."

"Well, it might have been," responded Garry doubtfully; "only we didn't happen to think of it that way--"

"But what happened just now in Mr. Fish's cedar tree?" Ella broke in impatiently. "That's what I'm waiting to know."

"Patience, little one," soothed Garry. "I was trying to tell you. I wanted some exercise. My daily dozen isn't enough for me. So first of all, I kicked the football to the top of old Fish's chimney--"

"Garry Grayson! You never!" cried both girls together.

"Sure! It was easy. Some time I'll show you how I did it. And of course then I had to go for it. So we fellows dragged a ladder to the back of the Fish house--"

"How did you dare?" cried Jane. "I'd have been afraid of that awful dog."

"I'll tell you about him later," chuckled Garry. "Anyway, I got up the ladder and on to the roof and was just pushing the football off the chimney when old Fish yelled at me--"

"And you jumped!" gasped Ella.

"No," corrected Garry. "I rolled--right off the roof and into the branches of the cedar tree."

"Garry! You never!"

"I did," insisted Garry, as though the feat were something to be proud of. "I couldn't do it again if I tried. But this time I did. I don't know whether a branch caught my hand or my hand caught a branch, but, anyway, there I was, swinging in the air right over old Jacob's head." He then gave the particulars of what had followed.

The picture of the malevolent old fellow's thwarted rage provoked the girls to glee, but Ella had a word of warning for her brother, nevertheless.

"Roy may not bite you, but old Fish will if he gets a chance," she said, as she turned into her gate with Jane. "Next time you want exercise, you'd better kick your old football on some one else's chimney."

Garry privately thought this was very good advice, though he outwardly scoffed at it. Jacob Fish, as hard as granite and already disliking boys in general, would have a private grudge against him especially and would do him mischief if he could.

Garry's chums had been hovering around, waiting for him to get free from the girls, and now they descended upon him.

"You're a fine bunch of quitters, you are!" Garry accosted them with mock indignation. "Take to your heels at the first sign of trouble! What kind of a way is that to treat a pal, I'd like to know!"

"You were up a tree anyway, Garry," was Rooster's defense. "We knew you were safe."

"I was up a tree, all right," conceded Garry.

"Old Fish sure looked dangerous," put in Ted Dillingham.

"And so did his dog," laughed Bill. "We took one look at that canine's face and judged it was time for us to do the vanishing act."

They decided that discretion was the better part of valor and that practice near the house of Jacob Fish had better be relinquished for a time. The next time, Roy might not prove to be so amenable to friendly advances.

"Suppose we run up to the house where Ross Yates is staying and see how he is getting along," suggested Garry, when the boys came together again the next day.

"Good idea," pronounced Bill, and as the others were of the same mind the lads started at once.

Naturally the subject of their conversation was their adventure of the previous afternoon, and Garry was compelled to tell in more detail how he had wheedled Roy and outwitted Roy's master. The story was told to the accompaniment of boisterous laughter, and it was only when their mirth was exhausted that a more serious aspect of the case appealed to them.

"You made him look foolish, Garry, and a man like Fish will never forgive that," said Rooster. "You've made an enemy for life."

"Well, you can bet that I'm not going to lie awake at night worrying about it," laughed Garry.

On reaching their destination the chums were told that Ross Yates was getting along as well as could be expected. His left leg had been badly twisted and several of the tendons torn, so that when he recovered he might have a slight limp. He was suffering also from some minor internal injuries and from shock. In a week's time it would probably be possible for him to see visitors. Cal, they found, was out somewhere in his car.

The boys promised to call again about a week later, and left the house, much relieved to find that nothing serious was wrong with the man for whom they had conceived a great respect and liking.

"I wonder if Cal Yates found Sandy Podder and gave him the thrashing he promised," remarked Bill, as they were on their way back to town.

"I'd like to have been on the spot if he did," laughed Rooster. "And I'd have liked to hand that bird a few wallops on my own account."

"We all have a score to settle with him," affirmed Garry. "They say everything comes to him who waits, and perhaps our chance will come."

As the time drew nearer for the fall opening of the Lenox schools, the football enthusiasts in the high school speculated with increasing eagerness upon the probable choice of boys to fill the vacancies on the first eleven.

Garry Grayson thought of little else, and Ella more than once complained that their house was being changed into a gridiron.

"It's a wonder he doesn't ask you to pass the pigskin instead of the pork," she said aggrievedly to her father, as he was carving a fresh ham. "The other night he did ask for dummies instead of dumplings. His case is getting serious, Dad. I think you ought to have him consult a specialist."

"I'm not worrying very much," responded Mr. Grayson, with a smile. "It's only a pronounced case of footballitis, and that seldom has fatal results."

The opening day of school came at last, and the other boys were in high spirits as they stopped on their way for Garry, who was already waiting for them at the gate. There was a tang in the air that suggested football weather, and as they swung along the street they felt in fine fettle.

"I wonder when we'll get the first football call," conjectured Rooster Long. "Ought to be pretty soon, I should think. The game with Pawling comes early in the season, and it will take considerable whipping into shape to get the team ready for it. Those fellows are hard nuts to crack."

"Can't come too soon to suit me," replied Garry, as he tossed his books into the air and caught them by the strap as they came down. "I never felt in better shape at the opening of the season. I'm just crazy to get out on the field."

When they reached the high school they found the campus already thronged with students. From several groups friendly greetings were shouted to the newcomers, and they responded in kind.

Two of the first they ran up against were Tom Allison and Pete Maddern.

"Great to see you back, fellows!" exclaimed Tom heartily. "It will be fine to round up the old gang and get out on the field. Make believe we won't make the other teams in the league sit up and take notice this year!"

"We'll run rings around every bunch in it," declared Rooster without regard to modesty. "The rest of those poor misguided guys won't even have a look in."

"Probably that's just what they're saying about us," laughed Garry. "If we win the championship again this year, we'll have to work hard for it."

As Garry spoke, Sandy Podder and Lent Stewart happened to be passing. They eyed the group of friends malevolently, and then looked at each other with a grin.

"There are those fake heroes spouting again," growled Sandy, in a voice designedly loud enough to reach those for whom it was intended. "To hear them talk you'd think they were the whole cheese."

"Ain't it the truth!" drawled Lent. "Lenox never knew anything about football until they came here."

"Say, listen, Sandy Podder! And you, Lent Stewart!" Garry whirled on his heel and regarded the two contemptuously. "Whenever either of you two fellows makes the Lenox team or does anything worth while for the school, it will be time for you to talk. Until then you'd better sing small. Get me?"