at is better than Coach Morton's information
on that very important subjects"

"Oh, come, now; you're a little bit too hard, Prescott," argued
Purcell. "I do about everything just as I'm told."

"You admit Mr. Morton's ability, don't you?"

"Yes, of course."

"Then why don't you stick to every single rule that's laid down
by a man who knows what he is doing? It will be better for your
condition, won't it, Purcell?"

"Yes, without a doubt."

"And what is better for you is better for the team and for the
school, isn't its"

"By Jove, Prescott, you're a stickler for duty, aren't you?" cried
Purcell.

He spoke in a louder tone this time. Two girls who were passing
the street corner where the young men stood heard the query and
glanced over with interest.

Neither young man perceived the girls at that moment.

"Why, yes," Prescott answered slowly. "Duty is the main thing
there is about life, isn't it?"

"Right again," laughed Purcell.

One of the girls looked swiftly at the other. They were Laura
Bentley and Belle Meade, friends of Dick's and Dave's, and also
members of the junior class.

"Well, I'm going to take a leaf out of your book," pursued Purcell.
"I'm really as anxious to see Gridley High School always on top
as you or any other fellow can be."

"Of course you are," nodded Dick. "The way you put our baseball
team through last season proves that."

"I'm going to be a martinet for training, hereafter," Purcell
declared earnestly. "I'm going to be a worse stickler than old
coach himself. And I'm going to exercise my right as a senior
to watch the other fellows and hold their noses to the training
grindstone."

"Then I'm not worried about Gridley having a winning team this
year," Dick answered.

"By Jove, you had a lot to do with that, too, didn't you, Prescott?"
cried Purcell. "You put it over the 'soreheads' so hard that
we never heard from them again after we got started."

"You helped there, also, Purcell. If you and Ripley and a few
others had gone over to the 'soreheads' it would have stiffened
their backbone and nothing could have made it possible, this year,
for Gridley High School to have an eleven that would represent
all the best football that there is in the grand old school."

In the first two years of their school life Dick and Dave had
spent many pleasant hours in the society of Laura and Belle.
So far, during the junior year, the chums had had but little
chance to