e crew who pulls a prettier stroke than I? Just
answer me that, Burn Putnam?"

"You do pull a pretty stroke, but I have been convinced that the men on
the crew now will hold out, and it is not best to take you in place of
any of them."

"Who convinced you? I know! It was Merriwell! He is holding Rattleton on
the crew simply because they are chums, and you are letting him twist
you around his finger! Ha! ha! ha!"

Gordon's laugh was sarcastic and cutting and it brought a hot flush to
the face of Old Put.

"You are insolent, Gordon!" he said. "This is an open insult!"

"Is it? Well, I notice you do not deny that Merriwell has held Rattleton
on the crew in my place."

"I deny that he has held any one on the crew that is not fully capable
of remaining there on his own merit."

"That sounds first rate! Oh, well, I don't care, anyway! Your crew is
bound to make a show of itself, and it will be beaten hands down by the
sophs."

"So that is the opinion you hold, is it?"

"It is."

"And I suppose you have held it all along?"

"I have."

"Then I have made no mistake in dropping you from the crew. You have
quite satisfied me on that point, Gordon. No man is suitable to hold a
place on any kind of a crew or team if he holds it in contempt and has
no confidence in it. He will not work, and his feeling of contempt will
communicate itself to others, thus demoralizing the whole lot of them.
Even if he kept his contempt to himself, he is not the man to work his
heart out in the effort to win. He thinks it is no use to kill himself,
and he will not make his best effort at any time. It is my policy to
drop such a man, in case I find him out, and drop him hard. Yes, I am
quite satisfied, Gordon."

Walter bit his tongue to keep back the fierce words which arose to his
lips. He felt himself quivering with anger.

"All right! all right!" he said, his voice unsteady. "I am glad you are
satisfied! But wait till the race is over. Rattleton's glory will be
gone then. Don't think that he will pull his heart out. A man who smokes
as much as he does can't pull."

"Smokes! Rattleton does not smoke at all. I observed him at the turkey
roast. He absolutely refused to smoke."

"Because you were present; but I know for a fact that he smokes behind
your back, and he smokes almost constantly."

"I cannot believe it. Merriwell would tell me."

"Would he? Ha! ha! ha! You don't know Frank Merriwell yet, but you will
find him out. That