“You’re right we have. I don’t understand why it hasn’t been done long ago. Four schools, St. John’s, the Greystone Military School, the Atlas High School, and the Military Academy at Dundee. Of course, we’ll find some muckers in the high-school nine, but they can play ball. It’ll be a great scheme. Whichever wins the championship of the league has got the State interscholastic championship too, for there isn’t another school in the State that can touch any one of the four. It’s too late to take in football, but we’ll have that next fall. It will bring us right into line for the baseball and track and tennis in the spring. Perhaps we can fix things up in time for hockey and basket-ball this winter――――” “Hold on, Walter,” interrupted Dan. “You go too fast for me. I guess I don’t quite understand.” “Why, you see it’s this way,” explained Ned. “These four schools are near one another and they put up the best article in the way of athletics in the State. We have games every year anyway, but by this new arrangement we have a league, you see. There’ll be regularly scheduled games and the nine or the team that wins out will get a pennant. It will be able to claim too, the championship of the State. It’s a great scheme and there’s only one drawback; I don’t mean a drawback exactly, I mean there’s only one question――――” “What’s that?” demanded Walter. “Why, it’s the question of Dan. If he can make good as the pitcher of the Tait School nine it will be all right――――” “You don’t want to go into the league unless you can get that pennant? Is that it?” asked Dan quietly. “I’d rather go in if we can win,” laughed Ned. “Somebody will have to come out last,” suggested Walter. “‘Strange but true,’” laughed Ned. “I am aware of that marvelous fact, but after Red’s work last year――why, Dan, the Military Academy got only one hit and that was on account of an accident in the ninth inning――――” “So you’ve told us a million times or more,” broke in Walter irritably. “Don’t tell us that old story again. I’ll back Dan. He’ll give you all you want.” “I’m sure, for the sake of the nine, I hope he will,” said Ned good-naturedly. “That’s all I want.” “He’ll do it,” said Walter confidently. “I’ve been talking with Samson,” said Ned, “and he says we can begin the inter-form games next week. The first game will be between the first and second forms, fellows. I’ll tell you, Dan, that Gus Kiggins――he’s the first-form pitcher――will put you on your mettle. He’s been substitute pitcher on the school nine two years, and he’s sore because Red Chandler came in last year and won out as the regular pitcher. He doesn’t know that you are here or that you can pitch――――” “He will at the end of the first inning,” declared Walter. “I hope so, with all my heart.” “Look here,” said Dan in a low voice, “you aren’t going to put me in as the pitcher of the second-form nine, are you?” “Correct,” said Ned.