Inasmuch as Fred's father was a prominent railway official he had obtained
for the boys certain privileges which otherwise they might not have had.
Fred himself was the most enthusiastic member of the party. Shorter than
any of his comrades his weight was still nearly as great as any of the
four. His solid, sturdy little frame was capable of great endurance and
there were few experiences he enjoyed more than tiring his long, lanky
comrade John, who as one of his friends brutally expressed it was as much
too tall as Fred was too short.
Out of consideration for Fred's physique, among his friends he was known
as Pigmy and Pee Wee, the former title sometimes being shortened into Pyg.
John, however, rejoiced in his name, or if he did not rejoice, at least
was accustomed to respond to the appellation, String.
The remaining members of the little band were George Washington Sanders,
one of the most popular boys in the school in which all four were
students. Frequently he was referred to as Pop, a distinction by which his
friends indirectly expressed their admiration for one who was laughingly
referred to as the "Papa of his Land," just as the great man for whom he
was named was the "Father of his Country.
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