The High School Captain of the Team | Page 6

found herself under the
reproving glances of Laura and Belle.
Dick glanced at one of the girls in turn, his glance beginning to show
curiosity.
Laura bit her lip; Belle locked highly indignant.
Prescott opened his month as though to ask a question, them closed his

lips.
"I guess you might as well tell them, Laura," hinted Faith Kendall.
"Oh, nonsense." retorted Miss Bentley, flushing. "It's nothing at all,
especially coming from such a source."
"Then some one has been giving me the roasting that I plainly
deserve?" laughed Captain Prescott.
"It's all foolish talk, and I'm sorry the girls couldn't hold their tongues,"
cried Laura impatiently.
"Then I won't ask you what it was," suggested Dick, "since you don't
like to tell me voluntarily."
"You might as well, Laura," urged Faith.
"It's that Phin-----" began Jessie.
"Do be quiet, Jess," urged Belle.
"Why," explained Laura Bentley, "Phin Drayne just passed us, and
stopped to chat when Jessie spoke to him-----"
"I didn't," objected Miss Vance indignantly. "I only said good afternoon,
and---"
"I asked Drayne if he had been out to the field for practice," continued
Laura. "He grunted, and said he'd been out to see how badly things
were going."
"Then, of course, Laura flared up and asked what he meant by such
talk," broke in the irrepressible Jessie. "Then---ouch!"
For Belle had slyly pinched the talkative one's arm.
"Mr. Drayne had a great string to offer us," resumed Laura. "He said
football affairs had never been in as bad shape before, and he predicted

that the team would go to pieces in all the strong games this year."
"We have a rule of unswerving loyalty in the history of our eleven,"
said Prescott, smiling, though a grim light lurked in his eyes. "I guess
Phin was merely practicing some of that loyalty."
"None of us care what Drayne thinks, anyway," broke in Dave Darrin
contemptuously. "He wants to play as a regular, and he's slated only as
a possible sub. So I suppose he simply can't see how the eleven is to
win without him. But, making allowances for human nature, I don't
believe we need to roast him for his grouch."
"I didn't think his talk was worth paying any attention to," added Laura.
"I wouldn't have said anything about it, if it hadn't leaked out."
Jessie took this rebuke to herself, and flushed, as she rattled on:
"I guess it was no more than mere 'sorehead' talk on Phin Drayne's part,
anyway. Mr. Drayne said he had saved a good deal of his pocket money,
lately, and that he was going to win more money by betting on
Gridley's more classy opponents this season."
"There's a fine and loyal High School fellow for you!" muttered Greg.
"Suppose we all change the subject," proposed Dick good-humoredly.
Two or three minutes later Dick & Co. again lifted their caps, then
continued on their way.
"Dick," whispered Dave, "on the whole, I'm glad that was repeated to
us."
"Why?"
"It ought to put us on our guard?"
"Guard? Against whom?"
"I should say against Phin Drayne."

"But he's merely offering to bet that we can't win our biggest games
this year," smiled Prescott. "That doesn't prove that we can't win, does
it?"
"Oh, of course not."
"Any fellow that will lower himself enough to make wagers on sporting
events shows too little judgment to be entitled to have any spending
money," pursued Prescott. "But, if Drayne has money, and is going to
bet, he won't be entitled to any sympathy when he loses, will he?"
"Humph!" grunted Dave. "I'd like to have this matter followed up. Any
fellow who is betting against us ought not to be allowed to play at all."
"Oh, it was just the talk of a silly, disappointed fellow," argued Dick. "I
suppose a boy is a good deal like a man, always. There are some men
who imagine that it lends importance to themselves when they talk
loudly and offer to wager money. I'm not going to offer any bets, Dave,
but I feel pretty certain that Drayne is just talking for effect."
"His offering to bet against his own crowd would be enough to justify
you in dropping Drayne from the squad altogether," hinted Greg
Holmes.
"Yes, of course," admitted Dick. "But we had enough of football
soreheads last year. Now, wouldn't it make us look like soreheads if we
took any malicious delight in dropping Drayne from the squad just
because he has been blowing off some steam?"
"But I wouldn't trust him on the job," snapped Dan Dalzell. "I believe
Phin Drayne would sell out any crowd for sheer spite."
"Even his country?" asked Dick quietly.
And there the matter dropped, for the time. Had Dick & Co. and some
other High School