They came out. To their credit be it said, they came, heads up, as men. They had made their fight, a foolish fight, for the wrong-doer always pays. But they did not whimper. Such is the stock of the West, whatever the course they may follow, bad or good, they are almost always—men.
To Ted it was a tremendous experience. It gave him an idea as to what length these easy-going men would go. Mack and Smiles were his heroes, the men in turn did not forget to say a good word to him for his part.
Pop had not been with them in the roundup. But when he heard of it, he wanted to know all the details of Ted’s share in it. He got it from both Smiles and Red Mack. Mrs. Dean also wanted to know all about it. She scolded Mack for leading the boy into danger, but she did not altogether regret it. It would harden Ted, she thought.
Several days later the boy left for Wayland.
CHAPTER XI
TED AT WAYLAND
TED had been a member of the student body two weeks and had already made a number of friends. Mr. Oglethorpe, who was the dean of the Academy and a close friend of John Dean, did everything he could for him.
But it was not altogether easy sailing. There was one boy, who, from the first moment when Ted arrived, seemed to take a violent dislike to him. He immediately started in and continued to make things unpleasant for him. Ted wanted no quarrel, he knew that no matter how much in the right he might be, it would count against him, since he was the newcomer. So he grinned good-naturedly at the many attempts of Sydney Graham to make trouble for him. Yet often he wished he could fight things out with his tormentor and be done with it. But better sense always came to the rescue.
The studies took about five hours each day and there was at least two hours of military training. In addition to which Ted had to have some private tutoring to make up some of his studies. So that his days were full and he did not have much time for anything else.
Ted was entered in the Cavalry Division. He rode cowboy fashion, as Mack and Pop and Smiles had taught him to do. The other boys all rode in the way they had been trained, as military men ride. Captain Wilson, in charge of the military and scout training at the school, had decided not to attempt to change Ted’s style of riding. As he explained to Ted and to some of the other boys who were about, the important thing was to sit on a horse as if horse and rider were one.
But Syd Graham sneered at Ted’s way. There were some remarks he made that brought a sharp rebuke from some of the other boys. Then, too, Ted’s good nature seemed to bring out the very worst in Syd.