As for the "soreheads" themselves, there weren"t any more meetings.
As soon as they actually began to realize how much amused contempt many of the Gridley, people felt for them, these young men began to feel rather disgusted with themselves.
Across the street, and not far from the gymnasium building, was an apartment house in which two apartments were vacant. Being well acquainted with the agent, Bayliss borrowed the key to one of the apartments. Before half past two that afternoon, Bayliss and Dodge were in hiding, where they could look out through a movable shutter at the gymnasium building.
"There go Prescott, Darrin and Reade," Bayliss soon reported.
"Oh, of course; they"ll answer the football call," sniffed Dodge.
"It was over fellows just like them that the whole trouble started."
"And there"s Dalzell, Hazelton and Hanshew. Griffith is just behind them."
"Yes; all muckers," nodded Dodge.
"There"s Coach Morton."
"Of course; he has to attend," replied Dodge, coming toward the shuttered window. "But I"ll wager old Morton isn"t feeling over-happy this afternoon."
"I don"t know," grumbled Bayliss. "There he is at the gym. door, shaking hands with d.i.c.k Prescott and Dave Darrin, and laughing pretty heartily."
"Laughing to keep his courage up, I reckon," clicked Bert Dodge dryly. "Morton knows he"s going to miss a lot of faces that he"d like to see there this year."
Then Dodge took up post at the peephole, while Bayliss stepped back, yawning.
Several more football aspirants neared and entered the gym. The name of each was called off by Bert.
"This is the first year," chuckled Bayliss, "when Gridley hasn"t had a chance for a star eleven."
"I"ll miss the game, myself, like fury," commented Dodge. "All through last season, when I played on the second eleven, I was looking forward to this year."
"Now, don"t you go to getting that streak, and quit us," warned Bayliss quickly. "Our set is going to get up its own eleven; don"t forget that! And we"re going to play some famous games."
"Sure!" admitted Dodge. But there was a choke in his throat.
Just a few moments later Bert Dodge gave a violent start, then cried out, in a voice husky with emotion:
"Oh, I say, Bayliss, look-----"
"What-----"
"_Hudson_!"
"What about him?"
"Quick!"
"Well, you ninny,"
"Hudson is going in the-----"
With a cry partly of doubting, partly of rage, Bayliss leaped forward, crowding out Dodge in order to get a better view.
Hudson was actually ascending the gym. steps, and going up as though he meant business.
"He"s gone over to---to---them!" gasped Bert Dodge.
"The mean _traitor_!" hissed Bayliss.
Hudson did, indeed, brave it out by going straight on into the gym. As he entered some of the fellows already there glared at him dubiously. But Hudson met the look bravely.
"Hullo!" cried d.i.c.k. "There"s Hudson!"
Coach Morton heard, from another part of the gym. Turning around, the coach greeted tile reformed "sorehead" with a nod and a smile.
Then some of the fellows spoke to Hudson as that young man moved by them. In a few moments more, Hudson began to feel almost at home among his own High School comrades.
Then Drayne, another "sorehead," showed up. He, too, was treated as though nothing had happened. When Trenholm, still another of the "soreheads," looked in at the gym., he appeared very close to being afraid. When he saw Hudson and Drayne there he hastened forward. By and by Grayson came in. At the window across the street Bayliss and Dodge had checked off all four of these "deserters"
and "traitors."
"Well, they"ll play, anyway---either on school or on second,"
muttered Bert, to himself. "Oh, dear! Just think the way things have turned out."
These four deserters from the "soreheads" were all out of that very select crowd who did respond to the football call.
Promptly at three o"clock Coach Morton called for order. Then, after a very few remarks, he called for the names of all who intended to enter the football training squad for this season.
"And let every fellow who thinks he"s lazy, or who doesn"t like to train hard and obey promptly, keep his name off the list,"
warned the coach dryly. "I"ve come to the conclusion that what we need in this squad is Army discipline. We"re going to have it this year! Now, young gentlemen, come along with your names---those of you who really believe you can stand Spartan training."
"I think I might draw the line at having the fox---or was it a wolf---gnawing at my entrails, as one Spartan had to take it,"
laughed one youngster.
"Guess again, or you"d better stay off the squad this year," laughed the coach. "This is going to be a genuinely rough season for all weaklings."
There was a quick making up of the roll.
"Tomorrow afternoon, at three sharp, you"ll all report on the athletic field," announced Coach Morton, when he had finished writing down the names. "Any man who fails to show up tomorrow afternoon will have his name promptly expunged from the squad rolls. No excuses will be accepted for failure tomorrow."
There was a crispness about that which some of the fellows didn"t like.
"Won"t a doctor"s certificate of illness go?" asked one fellow laughingly.
"It will go---not," retorted coach. "Pill-takers and fellows liable to chills aren"t wanted on this year"s team, anyway. Now, young gentlemen, I"m going to give you a brief talk on the general art of taking care of yourselves, and the art of keeping yourselves in condition."
The talk that followed seemed to d.i.c.k Prescott very much like a repet.i.tion of what Coach Luce had said to them the winter before, at the commencement of indoor training for baseball.
As he finished talking on health and condition Mr. Morton drew from one of his pockets a bunch of folded papers.
"I am now," he continued, "going to present to each one of you a set of rules, principles, guides---call them what you will.
On this paper each one of you will find laid down rules that should be burned into the memories of all young men who aspire to play football. Do not lose your copies of these rules. Read the rules over again and again. Memorize them! Above all, put every rule into absolute practice."