ng as life lasts, be permitted
to lose sight of the patent fact that I _am_ a 'dub'! So help
me _Bob_!"

A roar of laughter and approval went up from all who heard. Coach
Morton tried hard to preserve his gravity, but his sides shook,
and his face reddened from the effort. At last he broke loose.
When he could control his voice Mr. Morton demanded:

"What genius of the first class invented the 'oath of the dub'?"

"It wasn't a senior, sir," Thomp confessed.

"What junior, then?"

"Not a junior, either."

"_Who_, then?" insisted the submaster.

"Tell him, Sam."

"That oath, Mr. Morton, required and received the concerted brainpower
of-----"

"Dick & Co.!" shouted the football squad in chorus.

A good-natured riot followed.

"Dick & Co. will soon get the notion that they're the whole High
School," growled Fred Ripley to Purcell.

"They are a big feature of the school," laughed Purcell. "You're
about the only one, Fred, who hasn't discovered it. Rub your
eyes, man, and take another look."

"Bah!" muttered Ripley, turning away. Just then the gong clanged
the end of recess.

"Now, that 'the oath of the dub' has been given out," suggested
Dick Prescott to his chums, after school, "we ought to find Len
Spencer and give it to him. He'll print it in tomorrow's 'Blade'
and that will send local pride soaring. That'll help a whole
lot to success with the subscription papers."

After the papers had been in circulation a week the Athletics
Committee held an evening session, in the room of the Superintendent
of Schools, in the H.S. building.

By eight o'clock nearly a hundred and fifty of the boys and girls
had assembled. More came in later.

The subscription papers, and the amounts for which they called,
were turned in to Coach Morton. It was soon noticed that many
of the subscriptions had been paid by check.

Laura Bentley was the first to turn in a paper.

"Twenty dollars," she announced, quietly, though with evident pride.

"Eleven dollars," announced Belle Meade.

After a good many of the girls had made accounting they boys had
a brief chance.

When it came Dick Prescott's turn he spoke so quietly that those
nearest him thought he said six dollars.

_"Sixty dollars?"_ repeated Mr. Morton, more distinctly. "The
best offering yet."

"I've one more," added Prescott, in the same low voice.

"Then speak up more loudly," directed the submaster. "There are
a lot of young people here who wa