CHAPTER XVIII.
HI'S SWIMMING CHALLENGE The reader may be sure that the members of his baseball squad had reminded him of his promise to tell them what the man on the clubhouse steps said.
"I promised I'd tell you, if you won that game," Dick admitted.
"Yes, yes!" the other boys pressed.
"But I didn't say _when_ I'd tell you, did I ?" "You're not going to try to sneak out of it that way, are you, Dick ?" Dave Darrin demanded, as the boys met on Main Street the following morning, Saturday.
"I'm not going to sneak out of it at all, as you fellows ought to know," Dick replied.

"I'm going to tell you---when the proper time comes." "When will that be ?" asked Greg.

"And that's all we'll get out of him, no matter how how much we talk!" muttered Tom Reade.
"Here comes Hi Martin," announced Greg.

"He has Bill Rodgers with him." "It can't be about baseball, anyway," said Dick.

"I think Hi has his fill of that game." "Good morning," was Martin's greeting, as he and Rodgers approached.
"I have a message for you from North Grammar." "Deliver it, and we'll sign on the book for it," retorted Reade.
"We're not satisfied to rest the claims of the North Grammar on baseball alone," Hi went on.
"I shouldn't imagine you would be," Dick smiled.
"Therefore we are going to challenge you to another form of contest." "A talking match ?" Tom wanted to know.
"No, sir.