d enough to repeat that remark?" he said, exhaling a
cloud of smoke and holding his roll daintily poised in his fingers.

"I said that you must stop smoking cigarettes."

"Well, what did you mean?"

"I am in the habit of saying what I mean," was the quiet answer as Frank
scanned the paper over which he had been pondering for some time.

Harry got upon his feet, shoved one hand into his trousers pocket, and
stared in silence for some seconds at Merriwell. That stare was most
expressive.

"Well, may I be jotally tiggered--I mean totally jiggered!" he finally
exclaimed.

"You'll be worse than that if you keep on with those things," asserted
Frank. "You'll be totally wrecked."

"This is the first time you have had the crust to deliberately tell me
that I must do anything," growled Harry, resentfully. "And I feel free
to say that I don't like it much. It is carrying the thing altogether
too far. I have never told you that you must do this thing or you
mustn't do that. I should have considered that I was beddling with
something that was none of my misness--er--meddling with something that
was none of my business."

Frank perceived that his roommate was quite heated, so he dropped the
paper and said:

"Don't fly off the handle so quick, old man. I am speaking for your own
good, and you should know it."

"Thank you!" sarcastically.

"But I am in earnest."

"Really?" and Rattleton elevated his eyebrows.

"Come now," said Frank, "sit down and we will talk it over."

"Talk it over, eh? I don't know why we should talk over a matter that
concerns me alone."

"Your dinner did not set well. I never saw you so touchy in all my life.
You know I am your friend, old man, and there is no reason why you
should show such a spirit toward me."

"I don't like to be told what I must do and what I mustn't by anybody.
That's all there is about it."

Harry did sit down, but he lighted a fresh cigarette.

"Well, I suppose you will have your own way, but I want to explain why I
said what I did. You know we are out to beat the sophs in the boat
race."

"Sure."

"Well, in order to do it every man of us must be in the pink of
condition. You are not drinking, and Old Put doesn't know how much you
are smoking. If he did he would call you down or drop you. It is pretty
certain that Gordon would take your place."

"Well, I suppose you are going to tell Old Put all about it? Is that
what you mean?"

"Not exactly. But you know I