“And if Langridge didn’t have a hand in it, I’ll eat my hat, saving the presence of you ladies,” declared Tom. “Only I can’t get Sid or Phil to agree with me.”
“What about, eating your hat?” demanded the quarter-back. “Don’t let us interfere with that pleasure. Go ahead. If yours isn’t enough, you may have a couple of bites out of mine.”
“Oh, you know what I mean,” declared Tom, in a little huff.
“If you mean about Langridge, I don’t agree with you,” put in Sid. “He never had his finger in this pie.”
“Right, Oh!” exclaimed Phil, and then the discussion started all over again, and lasted until the girls declared that they must return to Fairview.
“Well, what do you think of it, fellows?” asked Tom, some time later, when the three chums were on their way back to their rooms. “Think Langridge will start anything?”
“No,” was Sid’s opinion. “I guess he’ll be glad to let well enough alone.”
“I suppose you think I didn’t do exactly right to make the break I did,” ventured Phil, “but I couldn’t stand it to see him talking to Ruth.”
“Me, either!” declared Tom, so heartily that the other two laughed, and the little strained feeling that had manifested itself passed away.
As they strolled down the corridor the three lads nearly ran into a youth who turned the corner of the hall suddenly.