young feller in your day. You've lived pretty high for a
youngster, and you've had dealings with sportin' people. They tell me
you don't drink, you don't gamble, you don't swear, and you don't do any
of them things; but I fail to understand how any man can associate with
persons who do drink and swear and gamble without acquiring such habits
himself. Now, sir, it's a well-known fact that professional ball players
are generally dissolute and disreputable. These Rovers are
professionals--they claim to be. When you play ball against them you
sort of put yourself in their class."

"Well, not exactly, Mr. Crabtree," denied Frank. "I presume you are
aware that a number of college baseball teams play games early every
season with teams of the National and American Leagues. Yale usually
plays the New York Nationals in New York. The Yale team is made up of
non-professional college men, amateurs in good standing. They do not
become professionals by engaging in a game with the New York Nationals.
I don't care to discuss this matter with you, Mr. Crabtree. I simply
give you my assurance that I know nothing whatever of this
ten-thousand-dollar wager, and I am satisfied that no such wager has
been made. The story is intended to arouse excitement and interest, with
the evident purpose of bringing out a crowd of spectators to witness the
game."

"Then it's a fraud and a deception!" cried Jeremiah, flourishing the
paper in his right hand and shaking his clenched left hand in the air.
"It's a falsehood--a barefaced lie! It's an imposition on the public!
You're concerned in it, sir! You can't get out of it! If you don't know
anything about it, you're concerned just the same."

"I fail to see how you make that out."

"When you make an agreement to play them professionals you knew what
sort of men they were. If they've originated this yarn for the purpose
of deceiving people, you're responsible because you've had dealings with
them."

"That's rather far-fetched, Mr. Crabtree."

"Nothing far-fetched about it."

"If I should purchase a horse of you for a hundred dollars, and, in
order to increase the apparent value of that horse, with the idea of
selling him to some one else, I should go around informing people I had
paid three hundred dollars, would you be responsible in any way? Do you
feel that in any manner you would be party to the falsehood?"

Rufus Applesnack had been listening to the talk, and now he gave
Crabtree a jab in t