BURT L. STANDISH Ultimate Collection: 24 Action Thrillers in One Volume (Illustrated) - Burt L. Standish

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on the crew in my place."

      "I deny that he has held any one on the crew that is not fully capable of remaining there on his own merit."

      "That sounds first rate! Oh, well, I don't care, anyway! Your crew is bound to make a show of itself, and it will be beaten hands down by the sophs."

      "So that is the opinion you hold, is it?"

      "It is."

      "And I suppose you have held it all along?"

      "I have."

      "Then I have made no mistake in dropping you from the crew. You have quite satisfied me on that point, Gordon. No man is suitable to hold a place on any kind of a crew or team if he holds it in contempt and has no confidence in it. He will not work, and his feeling of contempt will communicate itself to others, thus demoralizing the whole lot of them. Even if he kept his contempt to himself, he is not the man to work his heart out in the effort to win. He thinks it is no use to kill himself, and he will not make his best effort at any time. It is my policy to drop such a man, in case I find him out, and drop him hard. Yes, I am quite satisfied, Gordon."

      Walter bit his tongue to keep back the fierce words which arose to his lips. He felt himself quivering with anger.

      "All right! all right!" he said, his voice unsteady. "I am glad you are satisfied! But wait till the race is over. Rattleton's glory will be gone then. Don't think that he will pull his heart out. A man who smokes as much as he does can't pull."

      "Smokes! Rattleton does not smoke at all. I observed him at the turkey roast. He absolutely refused to smoke."

      "Because you were present; but I know for a fact that he smokes behind your back, and he smokes almost constantly."

      "I cannot believe it. Merriwell would tell me."

      "Would he? Ha! ha! ha! You don't know Frank Merriwell yet, but you will find him out. That fellow will go to any extreme to injure me, and so it is not likely he would tell anything on his chum that would cause you to give me his place."

      "I am sure you do Merriwell an injustice. He is a man who does not smoke himself, and he would not allow his roommate to injure himself smoking. However, I will find out about this."

      "Do so; but I have found out about it already. I have certain means of obtaining information."

      "So have the sophs, and they have obtained a great deal," Putnam shot at Walter as he turned away.

      Putnam collared Merriwell at the first opportunity and demanded to know the truth about Rattleton's smoking.

      "I know you will tell me the truth, Merry," said Burnham, "and it is important that you should."

      "Some one has been telling you he is smoking?"

      "Yes."

      "Well, he is not smoking now. I had a talk with him and he swore off. He is not touching tobacco in any form, and I give you my word on that."

      "That's all I want," said Putnam, quite satisfied.

      After this the freshman crew took to practicing nights, and it was said that they worked as no crew of freshies every worked before. One night they ran up against the regular 'Varsity crew, and gave it a hot pull, but finally seemed to be beaten.

      The report of this brush spread abroad, and the men on the regular crew were rather complimentary toward the freshmen. They said the youngsters worked together in a most surprising way, and it was predicted that they would give their rivals a hard pull.

      The sophs were inclined to regard this as a jolly, and they continued confident of winning over the freshmen with the greatest ease.

      CHAPTER XXV.

       THE TRAITOR DISCOVERED.

       Table of Contents

      "I say, Merry," said Rattleton, the day before the race was to come off, "you can't guess who Gordon is chumming with lately."

      "I don't know as I can. Who is it?"

      "Ditson."

      "Get out!"

      "That's on the level."

      "But Ditson the same as suggested outright that Gordon was the traitor who had told the sophs so much."

      "That is true, but Gordon doesn't know it."

      "Well, he ought to. What do you think Ditson is doing?"

      "Oh, he is working Gordon, who has been drinking like a fish since Old Put dropped him."

      Frank was troubled. He did not approve of Ditson, and he feared that Gordon had a weak nature, so that he could be easily influenced. Walter had greatly taken to heart being dropped by Putnam, and he seemed utterly reckless and careless about himself. If he did not look out, he was almost sure to get into trouble and find himself "rusticated" or sent home for good.

      Merriwell could not help thinking it possible that Gordon had been innocent and that a mistake had been made in dropping him, as it might discourage him so that he would go to the bad. This worried Frank not a little.

      "I'll have to make Ditson call a halt," he said to Harry. "He must be told to let up on Gordon."

      "Now, that is dead right," nodded Harry, who was inclined to be generous and kindly toward the fellow who might have filled his place on the freshman crew. "I tell you that Ditson is a bad man, and I would not trust him as far as I can fling a cow by the tail."

      "I'll get after him at the first opportunity," promised Frank.

      Harry went out and had a talk with Bandy Robinson about the matter. Robinson admitted that he did not have much use for either Gordon or Ditson, but he was inclined to think Gordon the better fellow of the two.

      That night Merriwell and Rattleton retired early, but they were not allowed to go to sleep. Barely were they in bed before there was a knock on the door, and they found Robinson and one of the fellows who lived in the house were there.

      "Say," said Bandy, "Ditson and Gordon are down at Billy's, and Gordon has a great load on. I have told Ditson to let him alone, but was advised to mind my own business. Ditson is deliberately getting Gordon stiff."

      "Is that so?" cried Frank as he made a jump for his clothes. "Well, I think I will have a talk with Mr. Ditson."

      Frank and Harry dressed quickly, and away they went with Robinson and his companion toward Billy's.

      On arriving at Billy's they were told that Ditson and Gordon were in the little corner behind the screen. Gordon was opening champagne, and both fellows were pretty well intoxicated.

      Harry slipped up behind the screen, stood on a chair, and peered over. As he did so he heard Ditson say:

      "That's right, Walter. Merriwell rubbed dirt all over you. He is trying to become another king, like Browning, but you can bet I don't lose any opportunity to throw him down."

      "Throw him down! throw him down!" echoed Gordon, thickly. "That's right; but you can't throw him down hard enough to keep him down."

      "I don't know about that," declared Roll, with drunken sobriety. "If we were to work together, Gordon, old man, we could hurt him. As it is, you've helped me out wonderfully in what I've done."

      "Have I? How?"

      Harry looked around and saw Merriwell preparing to go into the corner behind the screen. Then Rattleton made a few violent gestures, which plainly told his roommate to refrain.

      Frank looked astonished. What could Harry be up to that he appeared so excited? He was motioning for Frank to come forward cautiously and join him.

      Now, Merriwell did not believe in playing the eavesdropper on any one, but he fancied Harry saw something he wished to show him, so he went forward lightly, placed another chair, got upon it, and looked over the screen.

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