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 whether he gets on the eleven next fall or not. That's just guff, of course. If they had spring football practice here he'd behave himself, but they don't. Only trouble with Kewpie is he's lost his ambition."

After that long speech Ned subsided further into the rocker. Mae looked across at him admiringly. "I'm sure Ned's quite right, Polly," she declared.

"Well, I'm glad if he is," said Polly with a sigh of relief. "I was dreadfully afraid that he had some—some secret sorrow in his life, like—like a cruel stepmother or—or a father who drank or something. If it's only what Ned thinks it is, why, everything's quite easy, because getting on the baseball team will be just the thing for him."

"How's he going to get there?" asked Laurie suspiciously.

"Why, I thought you said he wanted you to help him!"

"I did, but what he wants and what I aim to do—"

"Kewpie couldn't play baseball, Polly," said Ned. "Look at him!"

"But I've seen stout boys play baseball plenty