"How?"
"O, kind of naturally doped it out for himself. General bearing I have, I s'pose. Poor Freshman bunch heeling the News now, he told me, and that makes my chances better."
"O, you egotist, you blithering egotist," laughed Jimmy.
"No, no, not egotism, just merely confidence. Now if I were on the Freshman football squad, I'd just simply know I was going to make the team, and that's all there'd be to it. I'd make it. Mind over matter, my boy, mind over matter, as I was telling you."
"And when do you begin?" inquired Frank.
"O, I'll knock off a little something in the morning. I've an hour after ten-thirty recitation. I asked the Assignment Editor to save me a column on the front page, in view of a scoop I contemplate. Hand me that paper, Turner," indicating the evening paper which lay on the floor at Jimmy's feet.
Turner tossed it over to him, and Codfish at once buried himself in its columns. After ten minutes' reading, the Codfish slapped his knee with a resounding slap and gave evidence of excitement.
"What's up, old top?" inquired Frank, looking up from his book.
"Basis for a scoop first lick out of the box," was the answer.