“I can’t, no, but Hop Haynes can. Hop’s the Moses that’s going to lead us through the Red Sea of dish gravy into the Pruneless Land. Say, that’s good, what? Have to send that to the ‘Bull’!”
(He did, and The Bulletin printed it, slightly elaborated, in the Caught on the Campus column.)
Stuart reiterated his doubt of Wallace’s sanity and took himself into Latin class, Wallace, still chuckling over his bon mot, following. Stuart wasn’t easy in his mind, though, in spite of his expressed contempt for Wallace’s information, and added nothing to his laurels as a Latin scholar that morning. Oddly enough, Judson McColl was the first fellow Stuart’s eyes fell on when the class was over. McColl was Prominence personified. He was President of the recently formed Student Council, President of Manning Society, Captain of the Hockey Team and, with Stearns Wilson, represented the student body on the Athletic Faculty. In spite of all these honors, however, McColl was simple, likable and approachable. He expressed regretful surprise that Stuart had been unaware of the proposed abolition of the training table.
“I supposed of course you knew, Stuart,” he said. “Mr. Haynes introduced the proposal several days ago.”
McColl looked so puzzled that Stuart fancied his dignity in danger. “Of course I heard something about it,” he replied defensively, “but I didn’t know it had been brought up. Personally, I think it’s a crazy scheme, Jud.”
“We-ell, I don’t know.” McColl pursed his lips. “Haynes made out a strong case, Stuart. Of course, if it doesn’t work we’ll go back to the old way. We thought there’d be no harm in giving it a trial, eh?”
Stuart shrugged. “Seems to me it would have been fairer to give the players a voice in the matter,” he said.
“Don’t agree with you there,” replied McColl. “Things like that are up to the Committee. Anyway, about all the football fellows I’ve talked with are in favor of it.”
Stuart looked incredulous, but, having no data to base a contrary assertion on, he let the statement pass unchallenged. Parting from McColl, he went over to Meigs to unburden his mind to Jack. Jack, of course would share his indignation. But neither Jack nor Stearns Wilson, his roommate, was in, and Stuart went across to Lacey and spent the period before dinner nursing his sense of injury. Neil had a class and didn’t show up before the midday meal, and Stuart had sufficient time and solitude to work up a very fair case against Coach Haynes and the Athletic Faculty. Thinking things over, it struck him as peculiar, if not suspicious, that Jack, who, since he roomed with Stearns Wilson, must have known about the training table matter, hadn’t spoken of it to him. Stuart uneasily wondered if Jack favored the absurd change. McColl had said that many of the players did. Perhaps Jack was one of them and, knowing Stuart’s position in the matter, had purposely avoided the subject. Jack became grouped in Stuart’s mind with those others who had conspired to bring about an iniquitous change by underhand methods. He decided to see Coach Haynes immediately after dinner and speak his mind. After all, Haynes was the chief culprit.