off you," said Putnam. "How did you happen to get fat so suddenly,
Browning, old man?"

"Oh, he fell off the roof one day and came down plump," chuckled
Griswold, mischievously.

"Here! here! here!" exclaimed Rattleton, making a grab at Danny, who
dodged and slipped out of the way. "You want to let up on that, young
fellow."

"I have tried to reduce my weight by dieting," said Bruce, with apparent
seriousness. "I've been in the habit of eating a juicy tenderloin steak
twice a day, but I gave that up and tried cheap fifteen-cent steaks
instead."

"How did you find it?" asked Little.

"Oh, pretty tough," answered Browning, with a sly wink.

"This isn't what we were talking about," broke in Walter Gordan,
impatiently. "If those Harvard Willies win from us this spring, it will
be a frightful blow for Old Eli."

"If they win it will come from Collingwood's shallying about," asserted
"Deacon" Dunning, who had just joined the group. "Merriwell's ideas may
be all right, but it is too late to adopt them this season. I am
Merriwell's friend, but I believe Fred Flemming should have been
retained on the crew. By taking in Merriwell it may upset everything.
Flemming is a good man, and Merriwell already has more than he can
properly attend to."

"Now you are getting me cot under the hollar--I mean hot under the
collar!" exclaimed Rattleton, his eyes snapping. "I want to ask you a
question, Mr. Dunning. When have you known Frank Merriwell to make a
failure of anything he has attempted?"

"Oh, he has been wonderfully successful, I grant that; and I do not
doubt but he would have made a good man had he been taken on the crew
last fall."

"He will make a good man anyway, and you can bet on that!" cried Harry.
"It is not necessary that there shall be a change of methods because
Merry has been taken on the crew. Although he believes in the
superiority of the Oxford oar and stroke, he may not think it good
policy to attempt to make a change now. But that is not all. Merry
makes a good leader, but he is also a good follower, and it is his
theory that utter obedience is due superiors. I'll wager that he will
not intrude his ideas on Collingwood. If he does not regulate his stroke
with that of the rest of the crew he will soon be dropped, and Flemming
or some other fellow will have his oar. All this talk you are making is
mere speculation, and I advise you to wait a while till you know what
you are talking about."

Having thus