or in the privacy of his own room Phin Drayne shook
his fist at the surrounding air.

"I have one mission in life, now, anyway!" raged the boy. "I've
got some cruel scores to pay. You, Dick Prescott, shall come
in for a large share of the payment! No matter how long I have
to wait and plan, or what I have to risk, you shan't get away
from me!"

CHAPTER VII

Dick Meets the Boy-with-a-Kick

Evil thoughts can never be cherished, day after day, without leading
the more daring or brutal into some form of crime.

Phin, the first three or four times he tried to appear on Main
Street, was "spotted" and hissed by High School boys.

Even the boys of the lower schools heard the news, and took up
the hissing with great zest.

So Phin was forced to remain indoors during the day, which drove
him out by night, instead.

Had he been older, and known more of human nature, he would have
known that the hissing would soon die out, and thereafter he would
meet only cold looks.

At home, be sure Phin was not happy. His mother, a good woman,
suffered in silence, saying little to her son.

Phin's father, a hard-headed and not over scrupulous man of business,
looked upon the incident of expulsion as a mere phase in life.
He thought it "would do the boy good, and teach him to be more
clever."

Gridley met Milton High School and scored another victory, Milton
taking only two points on a safety that Gridley was forced to
make.

And now the game with Chester was looming up ahead. It was due
for the coming Saturday.

Three times a week, Dick Prescott had his squad out for drill
and practice, though he was careful to follow Mr. Morton's suggestion
not to get the young men trained down "too fine."

Early one evening in mid-week, Dick sat at his desk in "The Blade"
office, "grinding out" some local copy. He was in a hurry to
finish, for he was due to be in bed soon. Every member of team
and squad was pledged to keep early hours of retiring on every
night but Saturday.

In another chair, near by, sat Dave Darrin, who dropped in to
speak with his chum, and was now waiting until they could stroll
down Main Street together.

"I've just thought of something I want to do, Dick," muttered
Dave suddenly. "I'll jump out and attend to it, now. Walk down
Main Street, when you're through, and you'll run into me."

Prescott, nodding, went on with his writing, turning out page
after page. Then he rose, placing the sheets