After all, it turned out a perfectly glorious winter’s day, the air being keen, but with little wind to mar the work of the contenders on the icy rink.

Along about nine in the morning people began to gather at the park, paying for seats in the grandstand.  Everybody was as warmly clad as possible, since it is no joke to sit for an hour or two, with the thermometer registering half-way down to zero.

As before, one-half of the enclosed area was shut off from the general public, in order to afford the | hockey players the benefit of the new ice.  Of course, it had been flooded on the preceding night, after the last skater had left, and this caused a splendid surface to congeal.

Boys and girls came flocking to the place.  Many bore skates, but there were others who only wished to witness the contest between the two rival high-school teams, as scheduled for that morning.  There were hosts of other people present also; and already cars and conveyances of every description were arriving from Keyport, Allandale, Belleville, and such places, filled with eager enthusiasts, who loved a good hockey game above all sports, and would journey far afield in order to be present when one was to be played.

Shortly afterwards some of the Scranton players appeared on the enclosed area.  Their coming was greeted with all sorts of cries, meant, for the most part, as encouragement, and expressing a firm belief in their ability to win out.

“We’re pinning our faith on you boys.  Dugdale, remember!” cried one fellow.

“Don’t let them get too big a start on you, because they’re terrible fighters, once they get a lead!” came from another, who, having lived in Keyport, was supposed to know the characteristics of the boys on that team.

“And, Hobson, always remember that it’s the longest pole that knocks the persimmons!” whooped a third fellow student.

Thad and Hugh were sitting on a low bench, adjusting their skates leisurely, and listening in an amused way to much of this friendly badinage.

“The boys are certainly wanting to win this game, Hugh,” chuckled Thad.  “Makes me think of some of the warm sessions we had last summer in baseball contests with Allandale and Belleville. ["The Chums of Scranton High in the Three-Town League.”]

“It seems as if Scranton boys and girls have developed a voracious appetite for every kind of out-door sport lately,” Hugh went on to say.  “Did you hear what the committee in charge of the grounds here intends to do next week?”

“Haven’t heard a whisper so far, Hugh; so give me the news,” pleaded the other.

“Why, you know the fellows have been building bonfires here at night-times when skating.  It was all very fine, but there seemed to be considerable worry about the new high fence taking fire and burning during the night.  So they’ve concluded to run wires across from side to side, and string electric lights for use on dark nights, but only when the skating is good.”