them immediately."

Harry was still silent, but his head was lower and he was biting his
lips. The cigarette in his fingers had quite gone out.

"Come now, Harry," came earnestly from Frank. "Just cut clear from the
things. They never did any man any good, and they have taken the wind
and nerve out of hundreds. You don't want me to keep you on the crew and
lose the race by doing so. You don't want it said that I have been
partial to you because you are my roommate and particular friend.
That's what will be said if things go wrong. The fellows will declare I
was prejudiced against Gordon, and they will not be to blame unless you
can prove yourself the best man. I have nothing against Gordon, and I am
bound to use him as white as I can. I have explained why I don't want
him on the crew, and I have tried to make it clear why I'll have to let
him come on at once, unless you drop cigarettes. How is it, my boy? What
do you say?"

Harry got up and went into the bedroom. A moment later he came out with
a big package of cigarettes in his hands. He opened the window and flung
them as far as possible.

"There!" he cried. "By the mumping Joses--I mean the jumping Moses! I'm
done with 'em. I'm not going to smoke them any more!"

"Good boy!" laughed Frank, his face full of satisfaction. "Shake!"

They clasped hands.

Rat-tat-tat! A knock at the door.

"Come in."

The door opened and Dismal Jones, his face longer and sadder than usual,
came slouching into the room.

"Hello, Jones, old boy!" cried Frank, cheerfully. "What is troubling you
now? You look like a funeral."

"I'm mad," said Dismal in a spiritless way.

"Is that what ails you? I'd never suspected it from your appearance."

"Appearances are oftentimes deceitful," croaked Jones. "Whosoever is
deceived thereby is not wise."

"Well, sit down and tell us all about it," invited Frank, offering a
chair. "My boy, it must be that you are studying too hard. You have the
outward appearance of a greasy grind."

"What's that I just told you about appearances? You are too hasty in
your judgments. The trouble with me this evening is that I have found
out something."

"I never supposed it would trouble you like this."

"Wait. You do not know what it is."

"That's right. What is it?"

Frank was familiar with Dismal's queer ways, and he knew it was not easy
to tell when this son of a "shouting Methodist" was jollying and when he
was in earnest; but now he was convinc