t you from coming out to the field in the
afternoons and giving us a hand with this? Do you think you could afford
the time?"

Sydney's eyes dropped; he didn't want Mills to see how near the tears
were to his eyes.

"I can afford the time all right," he answered in a voice that, despite
his efforts, was not quite steady, "if you really think I can be of
any use."

Perhaps Mills guessed the other's pleasure, for he smiled gently as he
answered:

"I don't think; I'm certain. You know this play better than I do; it's
yours; you know how you want it to go. You come out and look after the
play; we'll attend to the players. And then, if we find a weak place in
it, we can all get together and remedy it. But you oughtn't to try and
wheel yourself out there and back every day. You tell me what time you
can be ready each afternoon and I'll see that there's a buggy
waiting for you."

"Oh, no, really!" Sydney protested. "I'd rather not! I can get to the
field and back easily, without getting at all tired; in fact, I need the
exercise."

"Well, if you're certain of that," answered the coach. "But any time
you change your mind, or the weather's bad, let me know. If you can, I'd
like you to come around here again this evening. I'll have Devoe and the
coaches here, and we'll talk this--this 'antidote' over again.
Well, good-by."

Sydney swung himself to the door, followed by Mills, and got into his
tricycle.

"About eight this evening, if you can make it, Burr," said Mills.
"Good-by." He stood at the door and watched the other as he trundled
slowly down the street.

"Poor chap!" he muttered. And then: "Still, I'm not so sure that he's an
object of pity. If he hasn't any legs worth mentioning, the Almighty
made it up to him by giving him a whole lot of brains. If he can't get
about like the rest of us he's a great deal more contented, I believe,
and if he can't play football he can show others how to. And," he added,
as he returned to his desk, "unless I'm mistaken, he's done it to-day.
Now to mail this list and then for the 'antidote'!"

That night in Mills's room the assembled coaches and captain talked over
Sydney's play, discussed it from start to finish, objected, explained,
argued, tore it to pieces and put it together again, and in the end
indorsed it. And Sydney, silent save when called on for an explanation
of some feature of his discovery, sat with his crutches beside his chair
and listened to many complimentary