"He's talking about the dieting racket for athletes. By Jove, he had a crowd lined up in the gym this morning, talking bigger'n any M. D. you ever listened to--fact." A chorus of groans greeted this announcement. "Pies and doughnuts barred out, I s'pose?" exclaimed Ted Pollock. "I believe if he even saw one in a window he'd cross over to the other side of the street." "Ah! That's right, Terry." Nat Wingate was speaking. "Crickets--here come the doughnuts!" Mr. Guffin had placed before the captain of the Stars and Owen Lawrence as fine specimens of pies as the "Retreat" had ever turned out. An assistant deposited a big plateful of doughnuts in the center of the table. "We won't be able to eat much supper after this," ventured Owen. "You only say that because you're not used to Guffin's," chuckled Nat. "These are regular appetizers. What was I saying?" "Nothing," said Benny. "How did you happen to think of it?" "What kind of work are you doing, Nat?" asked Owen. "I'm secretary to my uncle, Mr. Parsons Wingate," answered Nat. "I can take dictation in shorthand and bang on the typewriter with all ten fingers." "And find time to play ball besides?" "You bet! I get practice enough to keep on edge. The Stars can trim a lot of would-be big leaguers." "You're going to play the school team, aren't you?" "Yes! And we expect to give 'em an awful drubbing, too." "Get out your note-book, Wilkins. I'm going to ask a question," said Brown, banging the table sharply. "All right," assented Benny. "Five fifteen P. M. 'Crackers' asks a question." "It is this," said Brown, staring solemnly over the rim of his glasses: "he who dares to venture within this 'Retreat' must be more than a Pie-eater; he must have the--the--how does that go? Oh, yes--the courage of his convictions--it has to be perfectly straight talk." "The question--the question!" demanded Benny. "You must excuse him, Lawrence. When he starts out to ask anything he generally forgets what it is before he reaches the point." "You have been at the Kingswood High one week," said "Crackers," with a stern glare at the grinning Wilkins, "and in that time have seen and heard a lot. Where do you stand on this baseball situation?" Owen Lawrence pondered a moment. The tongues of the boys were silent. "Well," he said, slowly, "I'm not one of those chaps who is afraid to tell what he thinks." He beat a tattoo on the plate with his fork. "No, sir. I don't mind saying that from what I've seen of the Somers crowd my sympathies are beginning to be with the opposition." "Hooray!" cried John Hackett. "We are all for the good of the school. Do you play ball?" "Of course. I was on a scrub team for two years." He paused. "Fellows, I'm going to try for the Kingswood team myself." "Great--great!" cried Benny, gleefully. "I'll make an entry of that." "Think you stand any show of getting on?" inquired Nat. "Yes. Why not? Hasn't any chap who can make good a chance?"