pportunity to watch the
actions of every aspirant, and get pointers as to his capacity for
filling a gap.

The boys appeared in all sorts of suits, some even hunting up football
togs because they had no others handy, and felt that they must make
some sort of a show at appearing in uniform.

But the suits would be ready on time, for a local tailor had agreed to
make as many as were needed of various sizes, and to have them done
with a rush. Already Mr. Leonard, being furnished with ample funds,
had ordered bats and balls, bases, and all manner of necessary adjuncts
that go with a well-organized baseball team. Meanwhile, they must make
a virtue of necessity, and do the best they could with the stock in
hand.

After some knocking of balls, and catching of flies, the boys were
tooled off in two fairly matched nines, and a game was started. They
had just got well along in this, when Thad, who was sitting on a bench
alongside Hugh, it being their turn at bat, suddenly remarked:

"Hello! we're going to be spied on, it seems, Hugh; for notice that
chap coming along on his motorcycle, will you? Don't you know who he
is, just because he's wearing a pair of big goggles, and has his cap
pulled down over his forehead? Why, that's a Belleville boy named
Oliver Kramer. They call him O. K. for short; and I kind of guess it
stands for his character pretty well, because he's straight. I'm a
little surprised to see _him_ nosing around here today, trying to find
out what sort of crowd Scranton High can put in the field."

"Oh! there's nothing queer about that, Thad," Hugh remonstrated,
quickly. "You can easily see it stands to reason those fellows over in
Belleville are anxious to get a line on what we expect to do, so as to
know just how much push they ought to put in their own work. He isn't
trying to spy things out, or he wouldn't come up so boldly. See,
there, he's starting to speak to Mr. Leonard now, and the old Princeton
athlete is shaking hands with him. Like as not O. K. has a dad who
used to be a college-mate of Mr. Leonard."

Hugh himself, followed by Thad, walked that way. Hugh had been told by
Mr. Leonard that he was to be the field captain of the Scranton High
team. In fact, that seemed to be taken for granted by all the boys,
who were very well satisfied to have such a general favorite and
all-round good athlete for a leader. Consequently, Mr. Leonard had
caught Hugh's eye, and made a beckoning motion wi