“I thought likely you had something up your sleeve when you challenged me this morning,” Dashleigh chattered, as they were on their homeward way. “I thought if you were with me, though, it would be hard for you to duplicate any such trick as you sophs played on Starbright the other day. Say, that was too bad, billing him as the ‘Giant of the Wheel,’ when he made his bicycle trip to Guilford!”
“A freshman has no right to presume to criticize a sophomore,” said Ready.
But Ready was not like most of the sophomores. He was so different from the other members of his class that, in spite of the fact that he was an inveterate practical joker, so far as the freshmen were concerned, the harassed freshmen liked him surprisingly well. In their eyes he stood among the sophomores pretty much as Frank Merriwell stood among the seniors, though the two were as unlike as is imaginable.
There was only one incident on the trip that seemed worthy of an afterthought, and it was after-events that caused it to be remembered. Not far from the suburbs, as they were ski-ing slowly in, being somewhat tired, a slightly built young man, with a handsome face and dark eyes, approached them and asked about the ice-hockey game which was to be played on Lake Whitney soon.
“Oh, that’s the match Merriwell is getting up!” said Ready.
Then he gave the desired information, and the fellows on skies continued on their way.
“Had a great time!” Bert declared, when he invaded the rooms and found there his chum, Starbright. “Ought to have been along. Ready is a corker!”
“No freshman tricks, then?”
“Not a trick!”
He threw himself down on the lounge.