“And you will find, to your cost, that my cousins and I will do the same thing,” thought Tom, and it was all he could do to keep from uttering the words aloud. “Things have come to a pretty pass when a lot of Yahoos can make gentlemen knuckle to them. Who is this boy?”
“His name is Prime; but I tell you, as a friend, that you must not have any thing to do with him if you want to get into the company. There are half a dozen of our fellows going away this fall, and then, if you feel like it, you can make a try for membership. Perhaps I shall be able to help you to the extent of one vote, though I can’t promise to do so.”
“How about the yacht and canoe clubs?” said Tom, with something like a sneer in his tones. “No doubt they are full, too.”
“Oh, no, they’re not. Any good fellow who owns a boat or who intends to get one, can come in there. Are you and your cousins good swimmers? Then why don’t you join us and enter for the up-set race that will come off next month.”
“I don’t know what kind of a race that is.”
“It’ll not take long to tell you. You see the contestants come out clad in some light stuff that won’t hold much water, and when they are well started in the race, a signal is given, generally the blast of a bugle, whereupon each fellow must overturn his boat, climb into her again and go ahead as if nothing had happened. The one who crosses the line first, is of course the winner.”
“Who among you is the best at that kind of a race?”
“Well,” replied Arthur, with some hesitation, “it is nip and tuck between Wayring, Sheldon and me.”
“I expected as much,” said Tom, to himself. “Wayring, Sheldon and Hastings are better than the rest at every thing. I shall enter for that or some other race, and if I don’t take the conceit out of all of you, I shall never forgive myself. Then it would not be of any use for me to try to get into the Toxophilites?” he said, aloud.
“Not the slightest. I’ll tip you the wink when there is an opening, and you can apply or not, just as you think best. We never ask any body to join us.”