Page:Dave Porter and his Classmates.djvu/245

Rh right to talk to Vera? I am sure she is a nice girl."

"So she is—a very nice girl—we think so—and so does Roger."

"And do you seriously think that Roger doesn't like it because I made myself agreeable to Vera?"

"I guess he thinks you ought to give him a show. He has never said anything, but I imagine that is what he thinks," concluded Phil; and the conversation came to an end as some of the other students put in an appearance.

This talk set Dave to thinking in more ways than one. He remembered several incidents now concerning Roger and Vera, and he also remembered how Jessie had acted during her visit to the school. Was it possible that Jessie, too, had felt offended over the manner of his friendliness to Vera?

"I treated her only as a friend—and I have a right to do that," Dave reasoned. "Roger has no right to be jealous—nor has Jessie." He felt so hurt that his pride rebelled, and for two days he said hardly a word to the senator's son. The break between the two threatened to become permanent.

But Roger did not resign from the baseball club. He mentioned it to Ben, Shadow, and some of the others, but they protested so strongly he