And so, one cold and bleak Thursday afternoon, Toby found himself practicing with the first, sliding from one side to the other of the south goal while Stillwell and Gladwin and Casement and Rose rushed down upon him, passing the puck from stick to stick, and finally whanged the disk at him. He didn’t make a very brilliant showing that afternoon, although he tried harder than he had ever tried, for the first team substitutes had unusual luck in lifting the puck and time after time it sped past him, knee-high, to nestle in the folds of the net.
But his lack of success didn’t make him downcast, for he had formed a wonderful resolution. It was to play goal better than Frank, so that they would have to keep him on the first. I am afraid that the vision of Frank Lamson being relegated to the scrubs had something to do with Toby’s cheerfulness. But then, Toby didn’t pretend to be fond of Frank, and he was quite human.
CHAPTER XI
TRADE FALLS OFF
The class hockey teams were hard at it by now, for the weather had settled down to a fine imitation of an old-fashioned winter. The baseball candidates and the track and field fellows were, perhaps, not over-enthusiastic about it, and those who played golf made derogatory remarks anent it, but some seventy boys who swung hockey sticks each afternoon asked nothing better. The river was frozen five inches deep and provided even better ice than the first team had on shore. Two rinks were established opposite the boat house and on those the four class teams skated and slashed and shouted every afternoon in preparation for the three or four games which would later decide the school championship. So far snow had been scarce, but what had fallen still lay, crusted and glittering. Indoors the track athletes were awaking from their hibernation and beginning the early drudgery that was to prepare them for outdoor work. Even baseball was talked, although indoor practice for that did not begin for another three weeks. January and February, for those who find no outdoor interests, are dull months at school, and Toby was very thankful that he had gone in for hockey.
Business was none too good just now. It is hard to get one’s clothes soiled when snow covers the world or when one doesn’t get out of doors often. Of course one would suppose that weather or time of year would have no effect on the business of pressing trousers and coats, but it seemed to, and Toby’s trade was almost at a stand-still toward the beginning of February. When Temple came around to solicit a reinsertion of Toby’s modest advertisement in The Scholiast, the school monthly, Toby was of two minds, whether to withdraw his card or make it larger. In the end he decided to offer special prices for February, and Billy Temple, sitting on the edge of the bed, wrote out the advertisement.
CLOTHES CLEANED AND PRESSED
Special Reductions for February