Page:The fighting scrub, (IA fightingscrub00barb).pdf/244

 Fifth. After that it doesn't appear at all. The Fifth of October was Friday, and Wolcott played Nelson the next day. Wolcott won by 23 to 6, or something like that. It was a slow game and Wolcott used a whole string of substitutes in the last half. But she didn't use Grosfawk. Grosfawk was spoken of in the paper as having taken part in practice on Thursday. Now I think something happened either Thursday or Friday. Either he got hurt or he got in wrong with the faculty over studies. Up to that Fifth of October, the fellow who writes the stuff for the paper was always mentioning him. Once he spoke of him as 'Wolcott's spectacular end,' and another time as 'the speedy runner who grabbed last year's game from Wyndham,' or something like that. Then he drops him entirely!"

"All that is food for thought," replied Mr. Babcock, smiling. "I dare say that you've figured it correctly, Deane, but, just for the sake of argument, what about this theory? Suppose they've kept on using Grosfawk in practice and have carefully kept his name out of the papers with the idea of letting us think he isn't to be bothered about. You know he has played occasionally."

"Mighty little, sir. Maybe five times, and then only for a few minutes, probably."

"Still—"

"Besides, sir," interrupted Loring eagerly, "if Wolcott wanted us to think that Grosfawk was—was eliminated she would have used more certain methods, don't you think? Wouldn't she have let the report get out