it great, though? And all these months you've been going around
with a cheery smile on your face, Fred, when you carried a heavy load of
worry. You don't care if I mention these things to my folks; do you?"

"Not a bit of it," answered the other, briskly. "We've had to keep
things quiet long enough; and now that the tide's turned our way we want
everybody to know the facts. Tell it as often as you please; only don't
be too personal about the share Squire Lemington had in the carrying off
of Hiram. We've got no actual proof, you know, about that."

"There goes our Dave at it again, throwing the discus," remarked
Bristles; "it's a dead sure thing we win this event. And if I hadn't
fallen down in my turn, Riverport would be just two points more ahead
of her closest rivals. But I'm going to take up training next time. I've
learned my weak point, and I hope to cure it."

"There's a happy boy, if there's one here," said Fred, nodding his head
in the direction of a rather sturdily-set young chap, who stood watching
the throwing of the weight; and whose presence in running trunks and
sleeveless shirt announced that he expected to make one of the races.

"Why, it's Gabe Larkins, for a fact; I didn't know he was in this thing
at all," Bristles ventured.

"Yes, you may remember that he used to say he was fond of all outdoor
sports; but never had time to take part in them," Fred went on to
remark. "Well, Brad found that he was a clever runner, and he coaxed him
to practice a little on the sly. He used to be a Riverport schoolboy,
you see, before he was taken out to go to work; so he was eligible for
entry. And I really believe he's going to prove a valuable find yet."

"Talking about training, I heard Mr. De Camp say he didn't believe in
too much of that sort of thing for boys," Bristles volunteered.

"Yes, I heard him say that, and he explained it too," Fred went on with.
"You see, a boy is in the process of the making. He can stand just so
much, and if he exceeds his powers he may work irreparable ruin to his
system. He said that a boy ought never to be trained as grown athletes
are. His training ought to be just play. He must be shown how to do
things properly, and then allowed to go about it in his own way. Give
him an example of how the thing should be done, and then let him play
his own game."

A wild burst of cheering stopped their conference, and Bristles jumped
up to ascertain what caused it.

"Of course Dave just