The High School Freshmen | Page 5

Had it not been for her energy and judgment the pair would
have found it difficult to rear even their one child properly. The family
lived in five rooms over the bookstore.
From the time he first began to go to school it had been plain that Dick
Prescott inherited his mother's energy, plus some of his own. He had
been one of the leaders in study, work and mischief, at the Central
Grammar School. It was while in the grammar school that a band of
boys had been formed who were popularly known as "Dick & Co."
Dick was naturally the head. The other members of the company were
Tom Reade, Dan Dalzell, Harry Hazelton, Greg Holmes and Dave
Darrin. These were the same now all High School freshmen who had
stepped forward and offered to take Dick's place in fighting Fred
Ripley.
Dick was now fourteen, and so were all his partners, except Tom Reade,
who was a year older. All of Dick's chums were boys belonging to
families of average means. This is but another way of saying that, as a
usual thing, Dick and all his partners would have been unable to fish up
a whole dollar among them all.
Fred Ripley, on the other hand, usually carried considerable money
with him. Lawyer Ripley usually allowed Fred much more money than

that snobbish young man knew how to make good use of.
Fred and Clara Deane were undoubtedly the best-dressed pair in the
High School, and the two best supplied with spending money. There
were a few other sons or daughters of well-to-do people in Gridley
High School, but the average attendance came from families that were
only just about well enough off to be able to maintain their youngsters
at higher studies.
Fred Ripley, despite his mean nature, was not wholly without friends in
the High School. Some of his pocket money he spent on his closest
intimates. Then, too, Fred had rather a shrewd idea as to those on
whom it was safe or best to vent his snobbishness.
From the start of the school year, Ripley had picked out young
Freshman Prescott as a boy he did not like. Dick's place in the moneyed
scale of life was so lowly that Fred did not hesitate about treating the
other boy in a disagreeable manner.
A week after the meeting between Fred and Dick the High School
atmosphere had suddenly become charged with intense excitement. The
school eleven had come out of training, had played almost its last
match with the "scrub" team and was now close to the time for its first
regular match. Oakdale H.S. was to be the first opponent, and Oakdale
was just good enough a team to make the Gridley boys a bit uneasy
over the outcome.
"My remarks this morning," announced Dr. Thornton, on opening
school on Monday, "are not so much directed at the young ladies. But
to the young gentlemen I will say that, when the football season opens,
we usually notice a great falling off in the recitation marks. This year I
hope will be an exception. It has always been part of my policy to
encourage school athletics, but I do not mind telling you that some
members of the Board of Education notice that school percentages fall
off in October and November. This, I trust, will not be the case this
year. If it is I fear that the Board of Education may take some steps that
will result in making athletics less of a feature among our young men. I
hope that it is not necessary to add anything to this plain appeal to your

good judgment, young gentlemen."
It _wasn't_. Dr. Thornton was a man of so few and direct words that the
boys gathered on the male side of the big assembly room looked around
at each other in plain dismay.
"That miserable old Board of Education is equal to shutting down on us
right in the middle of the season," whispered Frank Thompson to Dent,
who sat next him.
"You know the answer?" Dent whispered back.
"What?"
"Give the board no excuse for any such action. Keep up to the academ.
grind."
"But how do that and train-----"
A general buzz was going around on the boys' side of the room. Several
of the girls, too, were whispering in some excitement, for most of the
girls were enthusiastic "fans" at all of the High School games.
Whispering, provided it was "necessary" and did not disturb others,
was not against the rules. These were no longer school children, but
"young gentlemen" and "young ladies," and allowed more freedom than
in the lower schools. For a few moments Dr. Thornton tolerated
patiently the excited buzz in the big assembly room. Then, at last,