yes, I know! You're likely to! What I'll get will be that fellow
Crewe. I don't want him, understand? I wouldn't have him on my team.
Look here, if you only want a tackle for a week or so, why don't you
take Robbins? He's a good man, Robbins."

"Is he? Which is Robbins?" Mr. Boutelle pointed him out. Detweiler shook
his head.

"Too straggly, 'Boots.' Try again. Either Cupples or Thayer, I guess it
will have to be. Sorry, you know."

"Oh, yes, you're plumb broken-hearted, aren't you?" asked "Boots" with
bitter sarcasm. As a relief to his feelings, he shouted pungent
criticism at Quarter-back Hinton. "Well," he said finally, "which do
you want and when do you want him?"

"I guess we'll take Thayer," was the answer, "Tell him to report
tomorrow, will you? Much obliged, old man."

"You're not welcome, confound you! Now get out of here! And tell George
this is the last player he gets from me this Fall!"

Detweiler departed, grinning, and "Boots" returned, grumbling, to his
charges and was so cross-grained for the rest of the practice that the
team wondered. Later, in the gymnasium, "Boots" approached Clint.

"Thayer, they want you on the 'varsity," he announced shortly. "Report
to Coach Robey tomorrow. And for goodness' sake show them that we know
football over here. You'll do well enough to hold your job over there, I
guess, if you'll just remember a few of the things I've tried to hammer
into you. If you don't you'll be dumped back on my hands again, and I
don't want you. I warn you right now that if you come back to me this
season you'll go on the bench. I won't have any castaways from the
'varsity working for me!"

"Yes, sir; thank you, Mr. Boutelle. I'll try my best, sir."

Mr. Boutelle's frowns diminished. "Well, that's all you can do, Thayer.
I'm sorry to lose you, and that's a fact. And I hope you'll make good."
Then he scowled again. "It means learning a new set of signals,
confound them!"

He went off, still grumbling, leaving Clint, attired principally in a
towel, a prey to very varied emotions.

Chapter XIX

Mr. Detweiler Instructs

"It isn't that I'm not tickled to death about getting on the 'varsity,"
explained Clint to Amy later, "but I'm mighty sorry to leave the second.
You see, a fellow gets sort of fond of the team."

"Fond!" jeered Amy. "You're positively foolish! It's a wonder you
wouldn't go into mourning!"

"And then, too," continued Clint, analysing his emotions for his own
sa