Page:The Winning Touchdown.djvu/188

174 "Whew! You fellows are going some!" commented Tom. "You can smell that all the way up to our room."

"No! Can you really?" asked Bascome, in some alarm. "We opened all the windows, and we fan the smoke out regularly every ten minutes; don't we, fellows?"

"Sure," replied Merkle, one of the sportiest of sporty seniors. "It's regular bore to think we have to sneak around this way when we want to smoke. Why, in some big colleges, I understand, they allow the undergraduates to smoke in their rooms, and even the tutors have a pipe with them."

"Pity this isn't a big college," remarked Bascome, as he lighted another cigarette. "I suppose I oughtn't to do this when I'm in training," he went on easily, "but you won't squeal, will you, Parsons? Have a cig. yourself?"

"No, thank you. May I see you just a moment, Bascome?"

Tom had not thought to find anyone in the room save the left tackle, and he hardly knew how, under the circumstances, to put his question.

"Sure," answered Bascome. "Anything about football? Because if it is"

"It isn't," answered Tom, quickly.

"Oh, then, come on out. Excuse me just a moment, fellows," he said to his guests, as he