would as
lief have cut off his hand as break his promise to the coach. Perhaps,
however, he exaggerated his feeling and sense of duty. He remembered the
scene in Dale's room the night he refused to smoke and drink; how Dale
had commended his refusal. Nevertheless, he gathered from Dale's remark
to Worry that breaking training was not unusual or particularly harmful.

"With Dale's team it might not have been so bad," thought Ken. "But it's
different with us. We've got to make up in spirit what we lack in ability."

Weir and McCord occupied the room next to Ken's, and Graves and Trace,
rooming together, were also on that floor. Ken had tried with all his
might to feel friendly toward the third-baseman. He had caught Graves
carrying cake and pie to his room and smoking cigarettes with the window
open. One night Graves took cigarettes from his pocket and offered them
to Kel, Trace, and Ken, who all happened to be in Ken's room at the time.
Trace readily accepted; Kel demurred at first, but finally took one.
Graves then tossed the pack to Ken.

"No, I don't smoke. Besides, it's breaking training," said Ken.

"You make me sick, Ward," retorted Graves. "You're a wet blanket. Do you
think we're going to be as sissy as that? It's hard enough to stand the
grub we get here, without giving up a little smoke."

Ken made no reply, but he found it difficult to smother a hot riot in his
breast. When the other boys had gone to their rooms Ken took Kel to task
about his wrong-doing.

"Do you think that's the right sort of thing? What would Worry say?"

"Ken, I don't care about it, not a bit," replied Kel, flinging his
cigarette out of the window. "But Graves is always asking me to do
things--I hate to refuse. It seems so--"

"Kel, if Worry finds it out you'll lose your place on the team."

"No!" exclaimed Raymond, staring.

"Mark what I say. I wish you'd stop letting Graves coax you into things."

"Ken, he's always smuggling pie and cake and candy into his room. I've
had some of it. Trace said he'd brought in something to drink, too."

"It's a shame," cried Ken, in anger. "I never liked him and I've tried
hard to change it. Now I'm glad I couldn't."

"He doesn't have any use for you," replied Kel. "He's always running
you down to the other boys. What'd you ever do to him, Ken?"

"Oh, it was that potato stunt of mine last fall. He's a Soph, and I hit
him, I guess."

"I think it's more than that," went on Raymond. "Anyway,