CHAPTER XI

THE PROFESSOR’S DILEMMA

Slowly Ned, Bob and Jerry returned to their rooms. They did not speak for a moment, but sat down and looked at one another. Then Ned burst out with:

“Well, what do you know about that?”

“I hope all the fellows at Boxwood won’t be like those in there,” added Bob.

“I can’t understand it,” remarked Jerry. “We didn’t do or say anything out of the way; did we?”

“I can’t see how we did,” returned Ned. “I guess they’re plain snobs, that’s all, and the less we have to do with them the better.”

“They don’t seem to _want_ us to have anything to do with them,” came from Bob.

“The idea of not even opening the door,” went on Jerry. “I should think the older students ought to make the new ones feel at home.”

“Let’s go out for a walk,” proposed Bob. “It’s early yet and the rules say we don’t have to be in until eleven,” and he glanced at the card on the back of the door.

“Yes, let’s take a walk,” agreed Jerry. “We can fix up our rooms to-morrow.”

They strolled across the campus, noting the various groups of college buildings, where the other dormitories were located, the different “schools” where various specialties were taught, the gymnasium, and the president’s house, which was rather a pretentious one.

“Yes, it sure is a nice place--but I don’t like the only specimens of students we’ve yet come in contact with,” remarked Ned.

“There’s the diamond over there,” said Bob, after a pause, as he indicated the baseball field. “Let’s go and take a look at it.”

“The football gridiron would be more in keeping now,” suggested Jerry.

As they were walking along a path that led between two of the buildings, a voice hailed them:

“Hello there, freshies! What do you mean by trespassing on the sophs’ walk. Get off there!”

The three chums stopped, and looked around. In the light of a lamp, one of many that glowed on the college grounds, they saw a lad hastening toward them.

“What’s the matter with you fellows?” he demanded. “Don’t you know no freshies are allowed here?”

“No, we didn’t know it,” said Jerry. “We’ve just arrived, and we’re not on to all the rules yet.”

“We tried to get some one to put us wise,” put in Ned, “but we got snubbed for our pains.”

“Is that so?” asked the other, in some surprise. “That doesn’t sound like the Boxwood Hall spirit.”

“It’s so all the same,” added Bob.

“Who was it?” asked the lad who had hailed the three.

Our heroes paused for a moment.

“Excuse me,” the other continued quickly. “I shouldn’t have asked you that. But I’m telling you no freshmen are allowed on this walk. College custom, you know.”

“Oh, that’s all right,” Jerry said, good-naturedly. “We’ll move on.”

“My name’s Newton,” said the lad who had made the objection. “Edward Newton--but they all call me Ted. Shake!”

He extended his hand and while this form of welcome was being gone through with Ned, Bob and Jerry introduced themselves.

“Oh, I know your names all right,” declared Ted. “We’ve heard about you.”

“Nothing out of the way, I hope?” came from Bob.

“No,” was the rather hesitating answer. “You’ve been pretty well discussed by a certain crowd on account of some of the things the professor said you fellows had done. Did you really do all that?”

“We’d have to know what Professor Snodgrass said about us,” remarked Jerry.

“I’ll tell you some time. But this is what I want to know. I’m captain of the eleven, and I want to know if you play football?”

“We haven’t in some time,” admitted Ned.

Ted Newton shook his head.

“Then there’s no use putting you in at this stage,” he said. “I’m sorry, too, for you look husky. I need some experienced players. I’ve got enough candidates in the beginner’s class. Well, it can’t be helped. You know here we let freshmen play on the varsity.”

“So we’ve heard,” replied Jerry.

“We play baseball,” said Bob.

“That’s out of my line,” Ted replied. “I play a little, but Frank Watson is captain of the nine.”

“Frank Watson!” exclaimed Jerry. “He rooms across the hall from us in Borton.”

“Then you have good rooms, for that dormitory is the newest and best at Boxwood Hall.”

“What sort of fellow is this Watson?” asked Ned, who, in common with his chums, had taken a sudden liking to genial Ted Newton. “The reason I ask is,” went on Ned, “that a little while ago we went across to his room to ask him to put us wise to the ropes, but he didn’t even open his door. Told us to call later, though he, or some of the fellows with him called to us when our trunks were being put in. What sort of boy is he?”

“Well, he’s a queer sort of chap at times,” was the slow answer from the football captain. “He’s quite an athlete, and a good baseball player. Only he’s rather headstrong, and I’m not telling tales out of school, for he admits it himself. Yes, Frank has a will of his own, and it isn’t altogether his fault, either.”

“How’s that?” inquired Bob.

“Well, Frank’s father died when he was a small chap, and his mother was too indulgent with him. I know his folks. His family and mine are distantly related, and we come from the same town. Frank’s mother let him have his own way too much, and as he got older and found out he could have what he wanted by insisting on it, why he insisted, and it wasn’t altogether good for him.

“He got into bad company and was on the road that doesn’t lead to any particular good, though I won’t say that Frank was actually bad. Then his mother married again, and it made all the difference in the world to Frank.”

“How was that?” Jerry inquired.

“Well, Frank’s stepfather proved to be just the right kind of man to take Frank in charge. And he did it, too, just in time. The best part of it is that Frank really loves his new parent.

“When his stepfather saw which way Frank was drifting, he took him away from his companions, and sent him here. It has been the making of Frank, headstrong as he is. He’s getting some of it taken out of him here, but he can stand the loss of more,” went on Ted. “He came here as a freshman and was well hazed. Now he’s a soph, and he has a lot of friends.”

“But is that any reason why he should turn the cold shoulder to us?” asked Ned. “Just because we’re freshmen?”

“No,” admitted Ted slowly. “It isn’t. Frank ought to have had the decency to put you wise to what you wanted to know, even if he didn’t care to make friends.”

“Is there any reason why he shouldn’t care to make friends?” asked Bob. “Not that we want to force ourselves on him,” he added.

“Well, I did hear a little talk about him and his crowd saying they were afraid you fellows might come here with--well, if you’ll excuse me for mentioning it--with swelled heads, is about the best way I can put it.”

“Swelled heads!” cried Jerry. “What in the world have we to puff out our chests over?”

“Well, it’s those things you did--having so many adventures you know. Did you really go up in an airship and down in a submarine, the way Professor Snodgrass tells?”

“Why, yes, we did,” said Ned. “But that’s nothing. Any one could have done the same things we did.”

“Say, you sure have seen life!” exclaimed Ted admiringly. “But I guess that’s all that ails Frank. He thought you might try to lord it over us here, I guess.”

“He’s away off!” declared Jerry.

“I can see he is,” admitted Ted. “But, as I told you, Frank is headstrong. Once he gets a notion it’s hard to get it out of him.”

“I don’t know that we shall take the trouble to make him change his mind,” remarked Jerry. “If he wants to think that way about us, let him. We can get along without him.”

“Sure you can!” agreed Ted. “Don’t let it worry you any. There are plenty of other fellows in Boxwood Hall. Are you all settled?”

“No, we haven’t put up any of our stuff,” said Ned.

“Are you in our dormitory?” Bob inquired.

“No, I live at the Bull--that’s the junior frat house you know. Drop over and see me some time.”

“We will,” promised the three, and then, as Ted hurried on, explaining that he was due at a class meeting, Ned remarked:

“Well, _he’s_ some sort of a chap, _he_ is! I like _him_!”

“So do I!” added Bob.

“Quite a contrast to Frank Watson,” added Jerry.

After strolling about the college grounds a little longer our friends went back to their rooms. The door of the apartment across the hall, which had the three names on it, was closed, but from within came the sounds of talk and laughter.

“They seem to be having a good time,” observed Bob, rather wistfully.

“Yes,” agreed Ned. “I meant to ask Newton about those other two--Bart Haley and Will Hamilton. I wonder if they’re like Frank Watson?”

“Most likely,” argued Jerry. “They’re roommates all right, and they must be congenial or they wouldn’t be together. Well, we don’t need to worry.”

They sat down to talk matters over, but soon the talk was punctuated with yawns, for the day had been a wearying one with the long automobile trip.

“I vote for bed!” suddenly cried Jerry, and his motion was seconded twice.

Coming out of their rooms the next morning to go to chapel, Ned, Bob and Jerry saw Frank Watson and his two chums leaving their apartment across the hall. Our three heroes bowed, having agreed to give the others every chance to make advances. But only by the merest of cold nods did Frank and his friends acknowledge the salute.

“I guess he doesn’t want to be friends,” said Jerry, a little later. “Well, I guess we can make out all right without him.”

Being assigned to classes, making out their lecture schedules and attending to other details, pretty well occupied the time of the three chums until late afternoon. And then, having nothing else to do, they walked down to the lake. Several of the students were out on it in rowboats, and there was one motor craft.

“We’ll certainly have to send for the _Neboje_,” said Bob.

“That’s right,” agreed Jerry. “I’ll write to-day.”

“What do you say to a row,” asked Ned. “There’s a place where we can hire a boat.”

A man had a concession from the college to let out boats, though many of the students owned their own craft, and Ned, Bob and Jerry were soon sculling over the lake. In one boat they saw Ted Newton and some friends, and the football captain nodded in a friendly way.

“Football practice in an hour,” he called. “Come over and watch.”

“We will,” promised Jerry.

They rowed some distance down the lake and went ashore in a wooded tract.

“I wish we’d bought some candy back there at the boathouse,” remarked Bob.

“Oh, chew on some bark,” advised Jerry with a laugh.

The three boys strolled on through the woods, until, coming to a little clearing, they heard cries.

“What’s that?” asked Ned.

“Sounds like some one shouting for help,” remarked Jerry.

“That’s what it is!” declared Bob. “It’s over this way. Come on!”

They ran in the direction of the sound, and a moment later came upon a queer sight.

Professor Snodgrass was partly on one side and partly on the other of a heavy barbed-wire fence. His clothing was caught in several places on the sharp points, and it was he who was calling, while he waved his butterfly net at the boys to attract their attention.

“Come and get me loose!” he cried.