[Sidenote: Bluffing on Scholarship]
“I just want to say in closing that there is some doubt about two of the
boys getting to play on the football team next week—their grades are
very low, and in fact as matters stand now they would be shut
out.”—(Superintendent’s announcement in the assembly room.)
“He’s bluffing. If our team doesn’t win he’ll be cut up as bad as any of
us.”—(First pupil.)
“His voice was weak when he made that speech. He won’t carry out his
threat.”—(Second pupil.)
“If, after all our team has done, he pulls Tom and the Giant off the
team, he’s a goner and he knows it. He might as well save all this
talk.”—(Third pupil.)
“Just lie low, my boy. We’ve got him fixed. He’ll jump a hundred feet in
the air, if he falls into our trap. Every man of us is out if one drops
out, no more games this year. No, he doesn’t know. But it’ll get to
him.”—(Member of the football team.)
“I thought I’d best tell you so you could be prepared for it. The boys
have it all made up that they’ll strike and call all the games off if
you keep any one or more of them from playing. They may be bluffin’ you;
but I rather think not, for they don’t believe they can beat Upper
Kensington unless they can have the boys they want to play on the team.
Do as you think best.”—(Citizen.)
“Seems as though things are going a little crooked some way. I wonder
where I blundered. I didn’t expect to set them going this way. Why don’t
they get to their books; they might know I’m going to do the square
thing by them. Probably I’ll have to ease up their minds some
way.”—(Worried superintendent.)