And now you speak of it I remember you saying once that you couldn't--" Joel stopped short and looked at West in wondering amazement.

And West grew red and his eyes sought the floor, and for almost a minute there was silence in the room.

Then Joel arose and stood over the other lad with shining eyes.
"Out," he muttered huskily, "you're a brick!" West made no reply, but his feet shuffled nervously on the hearth.
"To think of you starting out there after me! Why, you're the--the hero, Out; not me at all!" "Oh, shut up!" muttered West.
"I'll not! I'll tell every one in school!" cried Joel.

"I'll--" "If you do, Joel March, I'll thrash you!" cried West.
"You can't!--you can't, Out!" Then he paused and laid a hand affectionately on the other's shoulder as he asked softly: "And it's really so, Out?
You can't--" West shook his head.
"I'm afraid it's so, Joel," he answered apologetically.

"You see out in Iowa there isn't much chance for a chap to learn, and--and so before this afternoon, Joel, I never swam a stroke in my life.".