augh.

"I wouldn't advise you or any of your players to attempt to thump any
one on Farnham Field," he said. "If you do, you'll precipitate a riot,
and I don't believe you'll like what'll happen. Don't threaten me, Mr.
Silence. I don't like it, and I may take a fancy to cancel the game
anyhow."

"Oh, go ahead!" sneered Silence. "I know you're frightened! Cancel it if
you like, and I'll tell the facts to the Wellsburg _Herald_. I want you
to understand that this game means something to me."

"Indeed! Why, yesterday you entered into an agreement to play in
Bloomfield with the greatest reluctance. You didn't seem to think it
would pay you."

"It won't pay as far as the gate receipts go. Of course we expect to
take the entire gate money, but I'm not fussing about that. I've made a
little wager on this game, and I propose to win it."

"Is it possible you found some one in Wellsburg who was willing to back
us against your professional team?" questioned Merry.

"Oh, yes, I found some one in Wellsburg who was willing to do that,"
answered the man, again glancing toward Gallup.

Ephraim was worried, for he feared that Silence would break his
agreement not to tell about the bet. He frowned and shook his head a
bit, without being observed by Frank.

"I've promised you a square deal, Silence," said Merriwell. "If you'll
take the trouble to inquire, you'll find plenty of people in this little
city who will assure you that I always keep my word. We're due home at
dinner, and we'll have to drive along. Good day, sir."

Toots chirruped to the horses, and they were off.

"I don't fancy going back on an agreement with any one," observed
Merry, "but I'm rather sorry that we made arrangements to play that
team. Those men are professionals, and they're not in our class. It's
evident Silence is a gambler. Gambling ruins any sort of a game. The man
who bets money is liable to take 'most any questionable advantage in
order to win. Betting is bad business anyway you look at it. It ruins a
man's fine principles."

"Yeou don't think that allus happens, do ye, Frank?" asked Gallup.
"Don't yeou believe some decent fellers bet occasionally?"

"Oh, yes, occasionally. But the man who gets into it in a small way is
pretty sure to keep it up. If he wins, it baits him on to repeat. If he
loses, he feels that he must take another chance to get even. I saw many
bad results of gambling both at school and at college. At Yale lots of
young fell