ng
you would not be disciplining the rest, nor would it be an equitable
division of punishment. The verdict must stand, my boy."

Amy went sorrowfully forth and announced the result to Clint. "I think
he might have done what I wanted," he complained a trifle resentfully.

"You're an utter ass," said Clint with unflattering conviction. "What
good would it do you to get fired in your last year?"

"None, but if he'd have let the others off----"

"Do you suppose that the others would have agreed to any such bargain?
They're not kids, even if you try to make them out so. They went into
the thing with their eyes open and are just as much to blame as you are.
They wouldn't let you be the goat, you idiot!"

"They needn't have known anything about it, Clint. Oh, well, I suppose
there's no use fussing. I don't care about the others. It's Tom I'm
sorry for. And the team, too. Pryme can't fill Tom's shoes, and we'll
get everlastingly walloped, and it'll be my fault, and----"

"Piffle! Tom's a good player, one of the best, but he isn't the whole
team. Pryme will play the position nearly as well. I'm sorry for Tom,
too, but he's the one who will have to do the worrying, I guess. Now you
buck up and quit looking like a kicked cur."

"If only the fellows didn't have it in for him the way they have,"
mourned Amy. "Everyone's down on him and he knows it and he's worried to
death about it. They're a lot of rotters! After the way Tom's worked on
that team ever since he got on it! Why, he's done enough for the school
if he never played another lick at anything! And I'll tell you another
thing. Someone's going to get licked if I hear any more of this
knocking!"

"You'll have to lick most of the school then," replied Clint calmly.
"Try not to be a bigger chump than nature made you, Amy. You can't blame
the fellows for being a bit sore at Tom. I am myself. Only I realise
that he didn't mean to get into trouble with the office, and the rest of
them don't, I reckon. It'll all blow over in a few days. Cheer up. A
month from now you won't care a whoop."

"If we're beaten by Claflin I'll get out of school," answered Amy
dolefully.

"All right, son, but don't begin to pack your trunk yet. We won't be."

CHAPTER XIII

SOUTHBY YIELDS

THE game with Southby Academy that week was played away from home. As a
general thing Southby was not a formidable opponent and last year's
contest had resulted in a 17 to 3 win for Brimfield. But