It was plain that by "good" family was meant one of wealth. These young men had little else in the way of a standard.
"It makes me cranky," observed Whitney, "to see the way a lot of the girls seem to notice just such fellows as Prescott, Darrin, Reade, Dalzell—-fellows who, by rights, ought to be through with their schooling and earning wages as respectful grocery clerks or decent shoe salesmen."
"But this talk isn't carrying us anywhere," objected Bayliss. "The question is, what are we going to do with the football problem this year? We don't want to play in the same eleven with the cheap muckers, and have 'em think they're the whole eleven. The call for the football training squad is due to go up some time next week."
"Bert Dodge says——-" interrupted Paulson.
"Yes, Dodge is the fellow I wish we had here with us today," interposed
Bayliss. "Dodge is the one we ought to listen to."
"Poor Dodge has his own troubles today," murmured Hudson.
"Yes; I know—-poor fellow," nodded Bayliss. "I wish we fellows could help him, but we can't."
"I was talking with Dodge yesterday, before his own troubles broke loose," went on Hudson. "Dodge's idea is that we ought all to keep away when the football squad is called. Then Coach Morton may get an idea of how things are going, and he may see just what he ought to do."
"But suppose the muckers all answer the call in force?" inquired
Trenholm. "What are we to do then?"
"We're to keep out of the squad this year," responded Bayliss promptly. "See here, either we fellows organize the Gridley High School eleven ourselves, and decide who shall play in it, or else we stay out and let the muckers go ahead and pile up a record of lost games this year."