"Really, it quite pained me. Why are we doing this thing, boys?"
"For the good of the school!" bellowed his team in chorus.
"Exactly! Our proposition for the Ramblers to play us has been turned down. Why?"
"Because they know that you'd lick 'em worse than the Stars have done!" yelled Aleck Parks.
An emphatic roar of approval, mingled with hand-clapping and shrill whistling, brought a gleam of pleasure into Brown's gray eyes.
"That's it! Fellows, I have three propositions to offer. Alone, we count as nothing; but with the school behind us our force would be as irresistible as the—as the——"
"He's stuck!" cried Victor Collins. "He's floundering!"
"As the tides," completed Brown.
"I told you! He's floundering in the tides," giggled Victor.
"The first proposition is this: simply force the regulars to play us, and prove they have the better team—if they can. If the crowd continues to refuse, the second proposition is to demand a thorough reorganization. I have players who ought to be on the school team."