rison; though you might just as well get it out of
your head now as later that the Manchester fellows will ever let any
crowd come in here and take that dandy flag away. Why, our fellows know
ten times as much about scout tactics as your greenhorns do now."

Claypole did not mean to be overbearing; when he said this he really
believed it to be an actual fact.

"That's very true," said Paul, quietly, as he and his chum prepared to
mount their wheels for the return journey; "but Thanksgiving is still
more than two months off; and Claypole, I give you my word, we've got
some of the smartest tenderfeet in the Stanhope troop you ever heard
of. Ta-ta, boys!"

Of course, when Paul and Jack told what they had seen, every fellow
wanted to make the run over to Manchester to look for himself. And,
just as Paul had expected, they came back home more than ever enthused
with the hope and prospect of winning that royal banner for the Stanhope
troop.

At the next meeting the talk was all about the prize, and a vote was even
taken to ascertain to whom the honor of being the banner bearer might
fall, in case the victory was awarded to Stanhope. Wallace Carberry
turned out to be the lucky standard bearer.

All of which was just what clever Paul wanted. He had infused a new
stimulant into the veins of his comrades. And at their next outdoor
rally, when various contests were undertaken to discover who showed the
most skill, he found that the very atmosphere seemed to be surcharged
with electricity; for the boys labored to excel as they had never done
before; but it was because each one believed that upon his shoulders
alone devolved the duty of bringing that beautiful prize to Stanhope.

Four days later the expected suits arrived, much sooner than even the
most sanguine had anticipated.

Then there _was_ a time.

The usually quiet and peaceful streets of the town were fairly filled
with khaki-clad warriors, strutting up and down, exchanging military
salutes, and arousing the admiration of all the girls, who came forth
to gaze and applaud.

It was a great day for Stanhope. A stranger visiting there for the first
time might think some military academy must have taken up fall quarters
near by, and granted full liberty to its uniformed hosts.

If there were those who had been hesitating about joining either of the
troops, a decision must certainly follow the first glimpse of those
gallant uniforms.

That night many a lad ate suppe