COPYRIGHT, 1924, BY

D. APPLETON AND COMPANY

PRINTED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

CONTENTS

CHAPTERPAGE
I.[The Rotter]1
II.[Getting Acquainted]12
III.[“Lovey” McKnight]22
IV.[A Boy in a Wheel Chair]35
V.[Out for the Team]48
VI.[Wattles]60
VII.[Mr. Babcock Takes Hold]73
VIII.[Mr. Bingham Pays a Visit]86
IX.[An “Unexpected” Honor]100
X.[Clif Goes for a Paper]114
XI.[Tom Is Bored]129
XII.[Defeat]139
XIII.[The Consulting Coach]150
XIV.[The Fighting Scrub]160
XV.[Tom’s Luck Turns]170
XVI.[Loring Takes Command]183
XVII.[Wattles Uses Coercion]193
XVIII.[A New Play Is Tried Out]205
XIX.[Bad News]215
XX.[“Cocky” Makes a Call]225
XXI.[Scrub vs. Scrub]234
XXII.[The Scrub Disbands]243
XXIII.[Wyndham Plays Wolcott]254
XXIV.[Wattles Agrees]266

THE FIGHTING SCRUB

CHAPTER I
THE ROTTER

“Well, son, I guess I’d better be getting along,” said Mr. Bingham. He glanced frowningly at his watch and then across the driveway at the dusty car awaiting him. He carefully avoided looking at the boy beside him, and for that the boy was very grateful. Now that the moment for saying good-by had come Clif’s spirits, which had been getting lower and lower during the past hour, had reached bottom, and he knew that his face revealed the fact. He was glad when his father went on, speaking with exaggerated cheerfulness which fooled neither of them, for there was a lump in Clif’s throat and he was horribly afraid that it would make his voice sound queer. Being only sixteen years of age, he was far more fearful of displaying emotion than he would have been of facing a firing squad, and not for anything in the world would he have had his father suspect the presence of that lump!