I hope so. Well, hurry Gilbert along, will you? If he doesn't get out
here inside of a few days he won't find much of a welcome, I'm afraid.
I'm not going to keep positions open for anyone this year, not with the
first game coming along in four days!"

"Don't you worry, Mr. Robey," replied Tim, with a chuckle and a flash of
white teeth. "I'll have him out here the first day he shows up, even if
I have to lug him all the way. Don't think I'll have to, though, for you
couldn't keep Don from playing football unless you tied him up!"

"Nice chap," commented Morton, nodding at Tim as the latter returned to
his bench. "Awfully clean-cut sort."

"A fine lad," agreed Danny Moore, and Mr. Robey nodded thoughtfully.

"I don't believe we're going to miss Kendall and Freer as much as I
thought," he said after a moment. "Otis looks to me like a fellow who
will stand a lot of work and grow on it. Well, I'm going to get a shower
and get out of this sweat-box. As soon as you get time, Jim, I wish
you'd catalogue the players the way we did last year and let me have
the list. You know how Black did it, don't you?"

"Yes, sir. I'll have the list ready for you tomorrow."

"Good! Got a towel I can use, Dan? I haven't brought any yet. Thanks."
The coach nodded and sought a place to disrobe. The trainer's gaze
followed him until he was lost to sight beyond the throng.

"I wonder will he put it over again this year," he mused.

"Surest thing you know," asserted Morton. "Think I'm going to have the
team licked the year I'm manager, Danny? Not so you'd notice it!"

"Well, between you and him," chuckled Danny, "I've no doubt you'll turn
out a fine team. Say, he's the lad that can do it, though, now ain't he?
Four years he's been at it, and it's fifty-fifty now, ain't it?"

"Yes, we lost the first two years and won last year and the year before.
It was Andy Miller's team that started the ball rolling for us. No one
could have won those first two years, anyhow, Danny. Robey had to start
at the bottom and build up the whole thing. We hadn't been playing
football here for several years before that. It takes a couple of years
at the least to get a foundation laid. If we win this year we'll have
something to boast of. No other team ever beat Claflin three times
running."

"Maybe we won't either. I'm hoping we do, though. Still and all, it
don't do to win too many times. You get to thinking you can't lose, d'ye
see, and the first thing anyone