The Chums of Scranton High | Page 2

a
hurry call for an extra meeting of the Board went out, at which their
former ill-advised decision was rescinded.
And so there that fence remained, beloved of every boy in Scranton, the
younger fry only longing for the day to come when passing for the high
school they, too, might have the proud privilege of "roosting" on its
well-worn rails. Possibly it will still be in existence when some of their
sons also reach the dignity of wearing the freshman class colors, and of

battling on gridiron and diamond for the honor of Old Scranton.
As to the identity of the boys in question, from whom those remarks
proceeded, they might just as well be briefly introduced here as later, as
all of them are destined to take part in the lively doings that will be
recorded in this and in other volumes of this series.
Otto was Otto Brand; Eli Griffin came of New England parentage, and
had some of the traits that distinguish Yankees the world over, though a
pretty fine fellow, all told; Andy McGuffey, as his name would indicate,
could look back to a Scotch ancestry, and occasionally a touch of the
brogue might be detected in his speech; Sandy Dowd had red hair, blue
eyes and a host of very noticeable freckles; but could be good-natured
in spite of any drawbacks; while the lad called "K. K." was in reality
Kenneth Kinkaid; but since boys generally have little use for a name
that makes a mouthful, he was known far and wide under that
singularly abbreviated cognomen.
The Committee on Sports connected with Scranton High was a body of
seniors appointed by the students themselves, and given authority to
handle all questions connected with athletics. As a rule, they carried out
their duties in a broad-minded fashion, and not only merited the
confidence of the entire school but also the respect of the faculty as
well.
There was considerable anxiety abroad just at present, because it was
well known that the committee had been discussing the possible
make-up of the baseball team to which would be given the proud
privilege of representing the school that season in the Three-Town
League. No one knew absolutely just who would be selected among the
numerous candidates, though, of course, it was only natural that many
entertained wild hopes, which were only doomed to disappointment.
Two more boys came sauntering along, and found places on the
"roost." One of these was a burly fellow with a pugnacious face and a
bold eye. He seemed to be no favorite among the boys, though they
treated him with a certain amount of respect. Well, there is never a
town or a village but has its particular bully; and for several years now

Nick Lang had ably filled that role in Scranton.
He was a born "scrapper," and never so happy as when annoying others.
A fight appeared to be the acme of pleasure with him, and it was
seldom that he could be seen without some trace of a mix-up on his
face in the shape of scratches, or a suspicious hue about one of his eyes.
The other boy was Leon Disney, the "under-study" of Nick. While just
as tough as the other, Leon never displayed the same amount of
boldness. He would rather attain his revenge through some petty means,
being a born sneak. The boys only tolerated Leon because Nick chose
to stand up for him; and every one disliked to anger the Lang fellow, on
account of his way of making things unpleasant for others.
The general talk continued, with Nick taking part in it, for he at least
was known to be a smart hand at athletics, and had often led in such
things as hammer-throwing and wrestling.
During the course of the conversation, which had become general, Eli
chanced to mention the name of Owen Dugdale.
"Why, they say that even he aspires to get a place on the substitute list,
just to think of his nerve. Perhaps a few other fellows might feel they'd
been slighted if the committee turned them down for Owen Dugdale."
"Hold up there a bit, Eli," said K. K., reprovingly. "If I were you I'd go
a little slow about running a fellow down, just because he happens to be
called Owen Dugdale, and live with a queer old gentleman he calls his
grandfather, but who chooses to keep aloof from Scranton folks as if he
were a hermit. I happen to know that two of our most respected chums,
Hugh Morgan and Thad Stevens, seem to have taken a great liking for
that dark-faced chap. I've seen Owen in their company considerably of
late."
Eli gave a snort of disdain. He was one of those impulsive boys who
often