"Good boy, Rip!"

"You're the winning piece of leather, Rip!"

"Get after him, Dick!"

"Wait till you see Prescott!"

"And don't you forget Dave Darrin, either!" Late in March, it
was the biggest day of Spring out at the High School Athletic
Field.

This field, the fruit of the labors of the Alumni Association
for many years, was a model one even in the best of High School
towns.

The field, some six acres in extent, lay well outside the city
proper. It was a walled field, laid out for football, baseball,
cricket and field and track sports. In order that even the High
School girls might have a strong sense of ownership in it, the
field also contained two croquet grounds, well laid out.

Just now, the whole crowd was gathered at the sides of the diamond.
Hundreds were perched up on one of the stands for spectators.

Down on the diamond stood the members of the baseball squad.
As far as the onlookers could see, every one of the forty-odd
young men was in the pink of physical condition. The indoor training
had been hard from the outset. Weeks of cage work had been gone
through with in the gym. But from this day on, whenever it didn't