“Gee!” he muttered. “It’s funny how you can get a fellow’s number wrong–it sure is!”
CHAPTER XVI
TREXLER’S TRANSFORMATION
Sanson’s account of his visit to Paul Trexler was received at first with a good deal of incredulity. But when he persisted that he wasn’t trying to play any trick general curiosity was aroused among the fellows, and they began to drop in at the Trexler house to see for themselves the wonderful case of birds and the even more wonderful photographs. Before he knew it Paul became almost a public character.
At first he did not like it at all. Excessively shy by nature, he had gone his solitary way for so long that he didn’t know how to take the jokes and banter and mild horse-play of a crowd of boys. But gradually he grew accustomed to it, and when he found that the fellows weren’t making fun of him, as he at first supposed, but really regarded him with a marked respect for his unusual talents, he began actually to enjoy the situation.
He came to know the boys better, to find pleasure in their companionship. He no longer went off on those solitary tramps, for there was always some one ready and eager to accompany him. And little by little even these excursions began to grow slightly less frequent as he discovered, with a mild surprise, that there was a good deal of fun to be extracted from the regular sports and games and doings of the crowd.
Frank Sanson was mainly responsible for this. Keen, eager, full of enthusiasm about everything, he flung himself into all the school and troop activities with a zest which made him one of the livest boys in Hillsgrove. He could enjoy an occasional tramp in the woods with Trexler because of the novelty and interest of their search; but he could not understand any one wanting to devote himself exclusively to such an occupation.
“You miss half your life in not going more with the fellows, Paul,” he remarked one day in early April. “Why don’t you leave the old camera at home and come on up to the ball-field with me? We’re going to have a great old practice to-day.”
“But I can’t play baseball,” protested Trexler.
“Shucks! How do you know? Did you ever try?”
“N-o, but–”