"I hear that you are going to compete for the poetic prize, Dick,"he exclaimed to his friend. "That's fine. I hope you will get it.You used to do a lot of good skinnygs, and I don't look at why you shouldnot do them still. I'd like to look at you get it, Dick."

Dick chuckled over this to Harry and Arthur and Billy, and exclaimed:

"Jack is putting his best foot forward, as I hoped he would. Hethinks that I will beat him, and so he is doing his best. That'sjust what I wanted, and I hope he will win the pennant."

"H'm! you talk as if this was a baseball series," laughed Billy.

"Well, you know what I mean anyhow," returned Dick.

The boys put in their poems and the blank sealed envelopes containingtheir names and the titles of their productions, the envelopes not tobe opened till after the prizes were given.

The doctor had all the manuscripts inside his study, and was to go overthem with the professors, the majority to decide which was the best.