mething and
get out of it."

"Tut, tut," remonstrated Tim. "Them's no Christian sentiments."

"I do, though. Or, anyway, I hope something will happen to let me out of
it. Boots said he was afraid Robey would take me on the first, but I
don't see any chance of it."

"I don't see why he doesn't, though," mused Tim. "Your hand's all right
now and you're playing a corking good game. You can work all around any
guard he's got except, maybe, Tom. Tom's rather a bit above the average,
if you ask me. Neither Walton nor Pryme amounts to a whole lot."

"Robey's been playing Walton a good deal lately," said Don. "I wouldn't
be surprised if he put him in ahead of Gafferty before long."

"There isn't a lot to choose between them, I guess," answered Tim.
"Gafferty's no earthly good on offence. Wait till we run up against
Benton tomorrow. Those huskies will show Gafferty up finely. And maybe
some more of us," Tim added with a chuckle.

"Oh, well----" began Don, vaguely, after a minute.

But Tim interrupted. "Know what I think? I think Robey means to take you
on the first later and is letting you stay with Boots just so you'll get
fined down and speeded up a bit. You know you're still a little slow,
Donald."

"I am?" Don asked in genuine surprise. "I didn't know it. How do you
mean, slow, Tim?"

Tim leaned back in his chair and laced his fingers together behind his
head. "Every way, Donald. I'm telling you this for your own good,
dearie. I thought you realised it, though, or I'd have said it before.
You start slow and you don't get up steam until the play's about over.
If it wasn't that you're an indecently strong chap we'd get the jump on
you every time. We do, as it is, only it doesn't do us much good,
because you're a tough chap to move. Now you think it over, Don. See if
you can't ginger up a bit. Bet you anything that when you do Robey'll
have you yanked off that second team in no time at all!"

"I'm glad you told me," said Don, after a moment's consideration. "I
thought I was doing pretty well this fall. I know well enough it was
being all-fired slow that kept me off the first last fall, but I surely
thought I'd picked up a whole lot of speed. I'll have to go back to
practising starts, I guess."

"Oh, never mind the kindergarten stuff, old man. Just put more jump into
it. You'll find you can do it all right, now that you know about it.
Why, I'll bet you'll be performing like a Jack rabbit before the
season's over!"