"Well, fellows," remarked Bob Somers, one day, as they lounged about in the grateful shade of the big elm tree on the campus, "it certainly paid us to stand up for ourselves." "Sure as doughnuts, those no-trespassing signs are going to come down," chirped Tom Clifton. "Yesterday, five to three, against the Hilltons! That's not so bad, is it?" Dave Brandon, leaning comfortably against the trunk, and reading a book of Bryant's poems, smiled. "How different the situation is from the time when Brown's friends were gently urging us to leave the ball field," he laughed. "Now everything is lovely." "The Stars far outclass any of the school teams we've met," observed Charlie Blake. "So do the Goose Hill and Willingtons. The fight we had against those clubs must have done us an awful lot of good, eh, Bob?" "You bet it did," responded the captain. "It made most of the other nines seem easy. Now that our batting average is getting higher and higher I guess it's about time to accept Brown's standing defi and play the 'Hopes' a series." "So say we all," remarked Dick Travers. "I certainly laughed when the 'Hopes' played the Stars and Tony Tippen pitched a no-hit game," said "Jack Frost." "It took that fire-eater, Owen Lawrence, down just a trifle, I can tell you. I just couldn't help rubbing it in a little bit." "And I fairly hammered it in," gurgled Tom. "Lawrence will play against us as hard as he ever did in his life. Fired any more of Benny Wilkins' articles, Dave?" "No! I can't understand why he didn't give me a couple this morning," answered the editor. "The thirty-seventh showed a lot of improvement. I suppose I'll have to accept something before long, because he's sold more papers than any other boy in school." "That's a great picture he made of you and Tom," chuckled Sam Randall. "It cost Terry Guffin one ninety-eight to have it framed." "Good for Terry," laughed Dave. "He has the only real art gallery in town." One afternoon about a month later, as school let out, Benny Wilkins, with an enormous bundle of papers under his arm, began yelling: "Get a copy of the high school 'Reflector'! Read B. Franklin Wilkins' great article on the baseball situation. A spicy, up-to-date account, with the opinions of the author added free of charge. Five cents--five cents the copy. Catch the definite article. Well worth a quarter. Who's the lucky buyer of the first copy? Everybody speak at once. Two cents down--the rest in instalments!" Benny's appeal met with instant response. He was besieged, literally hurled off his feet by the onslaught. Aleck Parks did the upsetting part. "Excuse me, Benny," he said, helping the lad to arise; "excuse me. I've got only a cent, but I'll give you my note for the rest." "All right," chuckled Benny. "I'll make a note of it. Say, Parksy, your manners certainly need a bit of floor polish." Benny's stock of "Reflectors" dwindled at an astonishing rate.