Most
gamblers die poor."

"It's logic, begobs!" put in Mulloy.

"You both know," pursued Frank, "that the loss of a few hundred dollars
on a baseball game would not mean a great deal to me. I might have made
a wager with Casper Silence. Had I lost the bet, it would not have
brought immediate hardship or deprivation on any one. It was not the
mere loss of a hundred or a thousand dollars that restrained me. It was
the principle of the thing--I looked at that. I figured this thing out
years ago, and that's why I've been opposed to gambling. More than once
I've been tempted to set aside my scruples when some blatant,
loud-mouthed chap has challenged me and shook his money in my face. Such
a thing stirs my blood. It's mighty unpleasant to have one of these
chaps accuse me of lacking nerve. I have one consolation, however. It's
not a sign of nerve or courage to be led into anything wrong through the
taunts of another. Usually it's a sign of cowardice. The boy who does a
hazardous and unwise thing simply because a companion dares him to do it
is the one who lacks nerve. He lacks nerve to say, 'No, I won't.'"

"I guess yeou're right, Frank," confessed Gallup dolefully. "By hemlock!
I've been dared into a lot of tomfool things in my day. Next time
anybody tries it on me I'm goin' to remember what yeou've jest said.
I'll say no, by thutteration, and I'll say it mighty laoud, too!"

CHAPTER XXXVI.

A FRIEND WORTH HAVING.

They arrived at Merry Home in time to wash up and sit down to dinner
with the rest of Frank's jolly house party.

"It peen some red-hot paseball practice we put into us this afternoon,
Frankie," said Dunnerwurst. "Py Chorge! Der game vill play us to-morrow
on."

"We'll have to play the game to win, boys," said Merry. "This Rover
baseball team is no ordinary wandering aggregation. It's composed of
professionals with records."

He then told them about the players who made up the Rovers. There were
many exclamations of surprise, for these men were known by reputation to
nearly all of Frank's friends.

"Waugh!" cried Badger. "It's a whole lot plain We're going to have a hot
rustle to-morrow. I'm seething to get into that game. That's whatever!"

"It'll seem like old times," rumbled Browning.

"I hope you're not worried about the game, Frank?" questioned Diamond.
"We've been practicing team work for a week, and we ought to do a good
turn at it."

"Oh, I'm not worrying," smiled Merry. "We can't