the other side someone threw a stone into the lake and raised
a succession of ripples, which rocked the canoe a bit. So---well,
you've all heard of sea sickness, haven't you?"

"We might feel worse than sea sick," Dick went on, "if we had
raced, and then suddenly remembered that we have no authorization
from Gridley High School to represent the school in sporting events."

Tom's face fell instantly. Dave Darrin, too, looked suddenly
very serious.

"What's the matter?" asked Laura anxiously.

"Why, you see," Dick went on, "although we are sure enough Gridley
High School boys, we haven't gone through the simple little formality
of getting our canoe club recognized by the High School Athletic
Council."

"You can race just the same, can't you?" asked Susie Sharp, looking
much concerned.

"We may race all we wish, and no one will stop us-----"

"Then it's all right," said Susie, with an air of conviction.

"But we simply cannot race in the name of Gridley High School."

"Oh, but that's too bad!" cried Clara.

"You can write to someone in the Council and secure the necessary
authorization, can't you?" asked Laura.

"Yes, we can write; but it's another matter to get action by the
Council in time," Dick responded. "You see, it's the vacation
season. There are seven members of the Athletic Council and I
believe that all seven of the members are at present away from
Gridley. Likely as not they are in seven different states, and
the secretary may not even know where most of them are."

Eight Gridley High School girls suddenly looked anxious. They
had been rejoicing in the prospect of "rooting" for a victorious
Gridley crew here at Lake Pleasant. Now the whole thing seemed
to have fallen flat.

"The thing to do---though it doesn't look very promising---is
to-----" began Tom Reade, then came to dead stop.

"How provoking you can be, when you want to, Tom," pouted Clara.
"Why don't you go on?"

"Because I found myself stuck fast in a new quagmire of thought,"
Reade confessed humbly. "What I was about to say is that the
first thing to do is to write to Mr. William Howgate, secretary
of the Gridley High School Athletic Council of the Alumni Association.
But that was where the thought came in and stabbed me with a
question mark. Mr. Howgate is out of town. Does anyone here
know his address?"

Fourteen Gridley faces looked blank until Dick at last remarked:

"I suppose a letter sent to his address in Grid