Page:The fighting scrub, (IA fightingscrub00barb).pdf/115

 *passes, seized the Scrub by the nape of its neck and fairly wiped up the gridiron with it. Smarting under the defeat of the day before, and the gibes of its school-*mates, it sought vengeance and obtained it in hand-*fulls. It scored two touchdowns and followed the second with a goal, and later, in the gymnasium, held up thirteen points for the infuriation of the Scrub. The Scrub, which had "rubbed it in" good and hard yesterday, tried its best to grin and found the effort painful.

That evening twenty youths crowded into Clem Henning's room, which he shared with Jimmy Ames, and, occupying practically every horizontal surface therein, set about the election of a captain. A week before the undertaking had not seemed important. Any fellow would do; especially Clem, who was already holding down the job temporarily. But since a week ago the lowly Scrub had become the Fighting Scrub. It had seen service, acquired traditions, and won honor. If was no longer merely twenty youths brought together by chance. It was a fellowship, a fraternity, a shoulder-to-shoulder clan. It was—well, it was the Fighting Scrub! And so the election of a leader had suddenly become a matter of vast importance, something to be done carefully, and only after much thought.

A good deal of the thinking had been done by Tom, and he had shared some of his thoughts with Clif. But not all, as it turned out. "I was talking with Clem Henning this afternoon," Tom announced on Wed