Jack Vance and Diggory, whose powers of wind and limb had benefited by constant exercise in the football field, were soon at the top; but Mugford, who was not inclined to be athletic, and who had already been pretty nearly pumped in hurrying out of the tunnel; was still slowly dragging himself up the ascent, panting and puffing like a steam-engine, when his comrades reached the summit.

" JOSEPH B. MACCABE, Editor East Boston (Mass.) Argus-Advocate, and ex-President Amateur Athletic Union:"I want to express my gratitude, as a humble follower of manly sport, for the compilation of this historic work.

F. GARCELON, Harvard Athletic Association, Cambridge, Mass.:"I think 'America's National Game' is not only intensely interesting but most valuable, as giving the history of the game.

" GUSTAV T. KIRBY, President of the Amateur Athletic Union:"Not only as a historical sketch of this great national game, but also as a technical dissertation on base ball as it was and is, this book will not only be of interest but of benefit to all of us Americans who are interested in sportand what American is not interested in sport?and being interested in sport, chiefly in base ball.

" EVERETT C. BROWN, Chicago, ex-president of the Amateur Athletic Union of the United States:"It is very seldom that any history of any sport or anything pertaining to athletics approaches the interest with which one reads a popular work of fiction, but I can truthfully say that I have read the story of the great national game with as much interest as I have read any recent work of fiction.

" SPALDING'S OFFICIAL ATHLETIC LIBRARY SPALDING'S OFFICIAL BASE BALL GUIDE Thirty-seventh Year 1913 EDITED BY JOHN B. FOSTER AMERICAN SPORTS PUBLISHING COMPANY 21 Warren Street, New York CONTENTS

Indeed, they have a club in Stockholm and there are more to follow, while the French, who have gradually been awakening to the joys of athletic pastime in which they have hitherto chosen to participate in other ways, hope to have a new league by the expiration of the present summer.

Doubtless this is largely due to the lack of athletic pastime.

Base ball combines running, jumping, throwing and everything that constitutes the athletic events of the Olympian games.

Yes," added Mrs. Pendomer, meditatively, "we derive much the same pleasure from them a cripple does from rearranging the athletic medals he once won, or a starving man from thinking of the many excellent dinners he has eaten; but we can't and we wouldn't part with them, nevertheless.

He waited neither to find his stirrups nor grip the reins firmly, but the same athletic leap which carried him into the saddle set the horse in motion, and from a standing start the animal broke into a headlong gallop.

Certainly his expectations had not been very exalted; but there had run through them a hope of something melodramatic, dreams of May-pole dancing and athletic games, somewhat of village-belle rivalry, of the Corin and Sylvia school; or, failing that, a few Touchstones and Audreys, some genial earnest buffo humour here and there.

Any boy lacking his sense of athletic precision would have scored a dangerous fall.

The chief saw the awkwardness of his own position, measured the bony veteran and the athletic foreigner with his eye, and judged that if the two were convinced that they were dealing with madmen they would make a pretty good fight.

Some of the warriors were fine athletic fellows, of great stature, the lowest I saw being over six feet in height.

Dora was pleased to stand and look at him; his movements struck her as athletic and graceful.

The natives who thronged the beach were of a light tawny colour, mostly fine, athletic men, with an intelligent expression of countenance.

The other man was quite young, not more than five-and-twenty, and was a fine athletic-looking fellow with a healthy, out-of-door complexion and an intelligent and highly prepossessing face.

In the new poetry which we contemplate, athletic young men will set out sturdily to climb up the face of the sea.

Our escort consisted of MacGregor, and five or six of the handsomest, best armed, and most athletic mountaineers of his band, and whom he had generally in immediate attendance upon his own person.

I put my head forward quickly to get a glimpse from the cover of the carriage of so famous a personage, and at the roadside was a fine, tall, athletic person with handsome features.

At the last moment, as I crossed the track and stepped upon the other platform, it occurred to me that while I might have some claim upon the attention of Olivia Gladys Armstrong, a wayward school-girl of athletic tastes, I had none whatever upon a person whom it was proper to address as Miss Armstrong,—who was, I felt sure, quite capable of snubbing me if snubbing fell in with her mood.

" Nothing more clearly expresses the sentiments of Harvard men in seasons of athletic rivalry than the time-honored "To hell with Yale!"

He shook his head, like one who had sufficient reasons for his silence; and, relinquishing the tiller, he quite coolly obliged a gaping countryman, in the centre of the boat, to yield his place, where he laid his own athletic form, at full length, folded his arms on his breast, and shut his eyes.

To prove the truth of their assertions, Wat exhibited his skill in athletic sports, while Horant delighted all the ladies by his proficiency in the art of minstrelsy.