Crowell hurried away and Toby gazed about him. Many of those present he knew by sight, but only a very few were speaking acquaintances. Among the latter were Grover Beech, Frank Lamson, Jim Rose and Ted Halliday. There were others who had sought Toby’s services in the matter of pressing their clothes but who never seemed to recall him when they met in public. Arnold had wandered away to speak to Frank Lamson and Toby found himself embarrassingly alone until a somewhat stout youth with a pink-and-white countenance ranged alongside and remarked: “Quite a mob, isn’t it? Must be fifty, I guess. So many criminal looking countenances, too! Your name’s Tucker, isn’t it?”
Toby acknowledged it and the pink-faced youth went on cheerfully: “I suppose you’re out for the second. So’m I. Trying for goal. What’s your line?”
“Line? Oh, goal, too, I think. Crowell seemed to think I’d better try that.”
“Hah! Me hated rival!” exclaimed the other beamingly. “‘Tucker versus Creel, or The Struggle for Goal!’ Sounds exciting, doesn’t it? Know what Crowell’s going to spring on us in a minute?”
Toby shook his head, smiling. He found Creel amusing.
“Well, he’s going to inform us that to-morrow afternoon we’re expected to go down and build the rink. Last winter I was horribly ill that day.” Sid Creel winked knowingly. “Had a beastly cold. If I was you I’d sneeze a few times and blow my nose. That gives you a chance of coming down with grippe before to-morrow.”
“Oh, I guess I shan’t mind helping,” laughed Toby. “How do we do it?”
“You lug a lot of planks from under the grand-stand and nail ’em together and drive posts into the ground, which is always frozen solid, and then you shovel dirt up outside the planks. It’s all right if you’re strong and healthy, but to one of my weak constitution it’s fierce. After you get the dirt shoveled up—Did you ever shovel frozen dirt? No? Well, it’s no fun. Last year they had to pick it first. You’d think they’d make the rink before it gets cold, wouldn’t you?”
“Why, yes, I should,” agreed Toby. “Why don’t they?”