ractice. Then the coach's expenses are heavy.
Now, the Alumni Association owns our athletic field, but a lot
of lumber and carpenter work is needed there every year, making
repairs and putting in improvements. Then, when we play high
school teams at a distance from here the railroad expenses eat
up enormously."

"And we have to play mostly teams at a good distance from here,"
laughed Ben Badger, "for we've played the nearby elevens time
and again, and Gridley has eaten up the other fellows in such
big gulps that we have to get on dates, these days, with teams
so far away that they don't know much about us."

"But there's plenty of money in the town," replied Dick. "The
business men have some of it. The wealthy people have a lot of
it, too. It is a Gridley brag that the people of this city are
public spirited to the last gasp. Now, if you can get public
spirit and money on good speaking terms there wouldn't need to
be any lack of funds for High School athletics."

"All right," nodded Edgeworth, trying to conceal a slight impatience
"But how are you going to introduce public spirit effectively
to money?"

"That's what we freshmen have been wondering," Dick replied.
"Now, every student in the Gridley H.S.---boy students and girl
students---gets a share of the reflected glory that comes from
the work of one of the best high school elevens in the United
States. So, as we see it, the whole student body should get together
in the raising of funds. And when I say 'funds,' I don't mean
pennies or dimes."

"This is becoming interesting," called out Ben Badger.

"That my chums and I would suggest," Dick continued, "is that
the whole student body of Gridley H.S. be enlisted, and sent out
to scour the town, holding, out a subscription paper that is properly
worded at the top."

"How worded?" demanded Ted Butler.

"My freshmen chums and I have prepared a draft of the paper.
May I read what we suggest as a heading for the paper?"

"Hear! Hear!" cried a dozen.

"Thank you," Prescott acknowledged, gratefully. Then, drawing
a paper from his pocket, he read as follows:

_"'Gridley is justly proud of its public spirit, and rejoices
in having the best in several lines. Few if any cities in the
United States possess a High School football team that can down
the eleven from Gridley H.S. We are proud of our High School,
and as proud of its reputation in athletics. We believe that
Gridley prominence in athletics sh