noon
The last week of October brought chilling winds and flying clouds . Life at Hillton Academy had gone on serenely since West 's victory on the links . The little pewter tankard reposed proudly upon his mantel beside a bottle of chow-chow , and bore his name as the third winner of the trophy . But West had laid aside his clubs , save for an occasional hour at noon , and , abiding by his promise to Joel , he had taken up his books again with much resolution , if little ardor . Hillton had met and defeated two more football teams , and the first eleven was growing gradually stronger . Remsen was seen to smile now quite frequently during practice , and there was a general air of prosperity about the gridiron . The first had gone to its training table at `` Mother '' Burke 's , in the village , and the second ate its meals in the center of the school dining hall with an illy concealed sense of self-importance .