"If I could, I wouldn't take the trouble, Mr. Bloodgood. I think you
have made a mistake in sizing up this crowd."

"Guess I have," sneered the fellow. "You must be members of the
Y.M.C.A."

"Say, Frank!" panted Jack; "open the door and let me----"

But Frank checked the hot-headed youth again.

"Steady, Jack! It is not necessary. He will go directly. Mr. Bloodgood,
you speak as if it were a disgrace to belong to the Y.M.C.A. That shows
your ignorance and narrowness. The Y.M.C.A. is a splendid organization,
and it has proved the anchor that has kept many a young man from dashing
onto the rocks of destruction. Those who sneer at it should be ashamed
of themselves, but, as a rule, they are too bigoted, prejudiced, or
narrow-minded to recognize the fact that some of the most manly young
men to be found belong to the Y.M.C.A."

Bloodgood laughed.

"And I took you for a sport!" he cried. "By Jove! Never made such a
blunder before in all my life! Studying for the ministry, I'll wager!
Ha! ha! ha!"

Frank saw that Diamond could not be held in check much longer.

"One last word to you, Mr. Bloodgood," he spoke. "I am not studying for
the ministry, and I do not even belong to the Y.M.C.A. If I were doing