of rest and deep breathing between sprints.
Usually, a two-bag sprint is all you need. Now, some more of
you get out and try it."

Rapidly coach called off the names of those he wanted to try out.
Some of these young men did better than the starters, for they
had learned from the criticisms, and from the showing of Luce's
standard form.

Presently the young men were standing about in various parts of
the field, for none came in until called.

"Ripley," said Mr. Luce, turning to that young man, "you have
the build and the lines of a good sprinter."

"Thank you, sir," nodded Fred.

"And yet your performance falls off. Your lung capacity ought
to be all right from your appearance. What is the trouble? Honestly,
have you been smoking any cigarettes?"

"Not one," Fred declared promptly.

Mr. Luce lifted the boy's right hand, scanning it.

"If I were going to make such a denial," remarked coach coolly,
"I'd be sure to have a piece of pumice stone, and I'd use it often
to take away those yellowish stains."

The light-brownish stains were faint on Fred's first and second
fingers. Yet, under careful scrutiny, they could be made out.

Ripley colored uncomfortably, jerking his hand away.

"Better cut out the paper pests," advised coach quietly.

"Only one, once in a while," murmured the boy. "I won't have
even that many after this."

"I should hope not," replied Mr. Luce. "You're under training
pledge, you know."

All Fred meant by his promise was that he would use pumice stone
painstakingly on his finger tips hereafter.

Within the next few days, Dick and Darrin made about the best
showing as to sprinting form, though many of the others did remarkably
well.

"Ripley isn't cutting out the cigarettes," decided Mr. Luce, watching
the running of the lawyer's son. "He proves it by his lack of
improvement. His respiration is all to the bad."

Mr. Luce was shrewd enough to know that, in Fred Ripley, he had
a liar to deal with, and that neither repeated warnings nor renewed
promises were worth much. So he held his peace.

In a few days more, all the members of the Athletics Committee
who could attend went to the field. A practice match between
the first and second teams had been ordered. Ripley consented
to pitch for second, while Dick pitched for the school nine.
The latter nine won by a score of eleven to two, but that had
been expected. It was for another purpose that the members of
the Athletics