“Privileged?  Welcome?” gasped Ripley, in a tone of huge disgust.  “What on earth is the High School coming to these days?”

“If you don’t like to see them here, Ripley,” broke in Thompson,
“you know-----”

“Oh, well!” growled Fred, with a shrug of his shoulders.  Then, disdaining to look at Dick & Co., this stickler for upper class exclusiveness turned and stalked out of the store, closing the door after him with a bang.

For some minutes Dick and his chums stood quietly against the wall at one side of the big, almost bare room.  Then Edgeworth called out: 

“Now, fellows, we’ve had enough of indoor work.  We’ll take a brief rest.  After that we’ll go over to the field and practice tackles and formations until dark.”

Released from the drills Thomp came over to shake hands with the freshmen visitors.  Edgeworth presently strolled over, and a few others.

“By the way, captain,” spoke up Thompson, finally, “I think Prescott told us that the mighty freshmen intellects of Dick & Co. had been trying out their brains in the effort to get up some new football stunts.”

“That’s so,” nodded Sam.

“Have we time to listen to them?”

“Yes,” decided the football captain; “if it doesn’t take them too long to explain.”

Ben Badger kicked forward an empty packing case.

“Here’s a platform, Prescott.  Get up and orate!” he called.

Dick laughingly held back from the packing case until Badger and Thomp lifted him bodily and stood him on top of the box.

“And cut it short, and make it practical,” admonished Ted Butler, “or take the dire consequences!”

“Why, I don’t know, gentlemen of the football team, that it’s much of an idea,” Dick began, “but my chums and I have been thinking over the complaint of the Athletics Committee that you haven’t as much money, this season, as you’d like.”

“Money?” echoed one.  “Now, you’re whispering.  Whoop!”

“Money—–­the root of all evil!” shouted another.

“Get wicked!” adjured a third.

“What my friends and I had to suggest,” Dick went on, “was that, as we understand it, the folks of the town don’t contribute much cash for upholding the fame of High School athletics.”

“The School Alumni Association does pretty well in that line,” replied Edgeworth.  “The public in general do pretty well by buying tickets rather liberally to our games.  It’s the expenses that are the great trouble.  You see, Prescott, instead of maintaining one team, we really have to support two, for the subs are necessary in order to give us practice.  Then the coach’s expenses are heavy.  Now, the Alumni Association owns our athletic field, but a lot of lumber and carpenter work is needed there every year, making repairs and putting in improvements.  Then, when we play high school teams at a distance from here the railroad expenses eat up enormously.”