“What did I tell you?” remarked Lanky, in an aside to his chum, as they discovered a big bunch of high-school fellows, with blue bands around their hats, coming from the direction of the trolley, and talking boisterously.
“Some of the Bellport fellows, sure enough,” Frank replied; for he recognized several familiar faces; and the blue ribbon told the story by itself.
“Yes, and if you tried to pick out the loudest talkers in all Bellport you’d be apt to find them in that crowd,” Lanky went on. “Honest Injun, now, Frank, I wouldn’t be surprised if they had come over here to-day just to josh our boys, and make trouble. Why, there might be a fight before the day is done.”
“That would be too bad,” Frank said, looking serious at the very thought. “We’ve always been on mighty good terms with Bellport, and for one I’d hate to see any bad blood between the two schools. We’ll try and warn our fellows not to pay too much attention to what they may say. It takes two to make a quarrel, you know.”
CHAPTER XI
ALMOST A RIOT
The scene was a lively one. Scores of high school boys, all of them belonging in Columbia, were working out their various theories for succeeding in the trials which were scheduled to come off on the following Saturday. Each fellow seemed to have his own particular way of trying to excel; and some of these were really remarkable, affording plenty of amusement to the good-natured crowd of young people, boys and girls combined, coming from town to watch operations.
When Saturday night came around it was expected that the programme would have been carried out, and the selections for the grand meet concluded. The very best in every class would have been chosen; and after that Columbia could settle down to wait for the day when the question of supremacy between the rival schools was once more to be tested in open and square sport, without fear or favor.
A number of the more stocky boys were engaged in putting the shot, and throwing the discus or hammer. Jack Comfort seemed to be by all odds the favorite in these events, though there were several who believed they had a chance.
Even fat Buster Billings was seen in light attire, and perspiring freely as he hopped around, and finally sent out the weight with about the grace of a waddling duck. Once he even fell headlong after letting go, and rolled like a barrel, to the intense delight of the spectators.
Others were practising the broad and standing jump; and close by the apparatus used for the high jump was in constant use, the crossbar falling from the uprights again and again, as some aspirant’s foot caught in going over.