id not hide the general air of suppressed gratification. After
dinner Worry called them all together in the reading-room.

"Well, boys, here we are together like one big family, and we're shut
in for two months. Now, I know you've all been fightin' for places on
the team, and have had no chance to be friendly. It's always that way
in the beginnin', and I dare say there'll be some scraps among you
before things straighten out. We'll have more to say about that later.
The thing now is you're all varsity men, and I'm puttin' you on your
word of honor. Your word is good enough for me. Here's my rules, and
I'm more than usually particular this year, for reasons I'll tell later.

"You're not to break trainin'. You're not to eat anything anywhere but
here. You're to cut out cigarettes and drinks. You're to be in bed at
ten o'clock. And I advise, although I ain't insistin', that if you have
any leisure time you'll spend most of it here. That's all."

For Ken the three days following passed as so many hours. He did not in
the least dread the approaching game with State University, but his mind
held scarcely anything outside of Arthurs' coaching. The practice of the
players had been wholly different. It was as if they had been freed from
some binding spell. Worry kept them at fielding and batting for four full
hours every afternoon. Ken, after pitching to Dean for a while, batted
to the infield and so had opportunity to see the improvement. Graves was
brilliant at third, Weir was steady and sure at short, Raymond seemed
to have springs in his legs and pounced upon the ball with wonderful
quickness, and McCord fielded all his chances successfully.

On the afternoon of the game Worry waited at the training-house until
all the players came down-stairs in uniform.

"Boys, what's happened in the past doesn't count. We start over to-day.
I'm not goin' to say much or confuse you with complex team coachin'.
But I'm hopeful. I sort of think there's a nigger in the woodpile. I'll
tell you to-night if I'm right. Think of how you have been roasted by
the students. Play like tigers. Put out of your mind everything but
tryin'. Nothin' counts for you, boys. Errors are nothin'; mistakes
are nothin'. Play the game as one man. Don't think of yourselves. You
all know when you ought to hit or bunt or run. I'm trustin' you. I won't
say a word from the bench. And don't underrate our chances. Remember
that I think it's possible we may have somethin'