“I expected it,” said he; then he stopped laughing and scowled fiercely. His merriment was forced, and he was as angry as he ever got to be.
“Are you willing that Prime and his crowd should lay out a programme for the races without saying a word to us about it?” demanded Ralph, who forgot that that was just the way in which he and his two companions had treated Prime.
“And did you really ask Wayring to propose our names at the club’s next meeting?” chimed in Loren.
“No, to both your questions,” replied Tom, emphatically. “They must be a bright set of boys if they think we are going to let them rule us. Why, that was the reason we decided that we did not want any thing to do with Wayring and his followers. But I have thought better of that resolution, and I’m going to make friends with Joe if I can.”
“And cut Prime and the rest?” exclaimed Ralph.
“Not directly. Look here,” said Tom, suddenly stopping in the middle of the sidewalk and facing his cousins. “We’ve got our choice between two cliques, both of which have showed a disposition to make us do as they say. Now which one shall we take up with? I prefer Joe’s. He and his friends are in the majority, and they are not one bit more overbearing than Prime and his friends. Besides, they will let us win a race if we can do it fairly, but the crowd we have just left want all the honors themselves.”
“If you try to carry water on both shoulders you will be sure to spill some of it,” observed Loren.
“I’ll risk that,” replied Tom, confidently. “I didn’t ask Joe to take our names in to the club, but I’m going to before I am ten minutes older.”
“Why didn’t you ask Prime or Noble to take them in?” inquired Ralph.
“Because I didn’t want Joe to know that we had become intimate enough with those two boys to ask favors of them. Now, then, here we are. You know Joe invited us to call as often as we could, so we are sure of a welcome if he is at home. Stand ready to back me, if you think circumstances require it, but don’t be surprised at any thing I say.”