wn the street. Some of these boys had light
twigs or sticks; others stood ready to use their hands.

"Start 'em!" yelled Spoff. Some one did start the pair. Bert
and Fred sullenly refused to run, but quickly changed their minds.
Down the street they raced, Ripley in advance, between two parallel
lines of Grammar School boys. Sticks were laid over them, or
hands reached out and administered cuffings. It was a grotesque
sight. Long before they reached the end of the double line Bert
and Fred yelled for mercy, but got none. With final blows they
were turned loose and vanished into the night. Within a few minutes
the pepper in the bonfire had burned out. Then the revelers drew
nearer, piling on other combustible stuff.

Thus was fittingly observed the victory of Dick Prescott's nine
in winning the local Grammar School championship.

Chapter XVIII

HI'S SWIMMING CHALLENGE

The reader may be sure that the members of his baseball squad
had reminded him of his promise to tell them what the man on the
clubhouse steps said.

"I promised I'd tell you, if you won that game," Dick admitted.

"Yes, yes!" the other boys pressed.

"But I didn't say _when_ I'd tell you, did I?"

"You're not going to try to sneak out of it that way, are you,
Dick?" Dave Darrin demanded, as the boys met on Main Street the
following morning, Saturday.

"I'm not going to sneak out of it at all, as you fellows ought
to know," Dick replied. "I'm going to tell you---when the proper
time comes."

"When will that be?" asked Greg. "And that's all we'll get out
of him, no matter how how much we talk!" muttered Tom Reade.

"Here comes Hi Martin," announced Greg. "He has Bill Rodgers
with him."

"It can't be about baseball, anyway," said Dick. "I think Hi
has his fill of that game."

"Good morning," was Martin's greeting, as he and Rodgers approached.
"I have a message for you from North Grammar."

"Deliver it, and we'll sign on the book for it," retorted Reade.

"We're not satisfied to rest the claims of the North Grammar on
baseball alone," Hi went on.

"I shouldn't imagine you would be," Dick smiled.

"Therefore we are going to challenge you to another form of contest."

"A talking match?" Tom wanted to know.

"No, sir. I bear from the North Grammar boys a challenge to Central
Grammar to meet us in swimming matches in the river. The contests
must be so arranged as to show which school may hold the championship
in swimming. Are