Sterndale nodded. “Bentley is not a first-class man,” he said, “but he would be an improvement on Boland. Then, if we could put Smith on the end again, with Carter in Bubble’s position, we’d be all right as far as the line is concerned.”
“But without a right half,” said Renwood. “Now, if Scott——”
“It’s no use to talk of him!” exclaimed Dick, quickly. “We don’t want that kind of a fellow on the team. Isn’t that your opinion, Dolph?”
Renwood did not answer at once. He was aware that the others were watching him closely and waiting with interest for him to express himself on that point. At last, he slowly said:
“It would be better to play with almost anybody than to be badly beaten just because there was one weak point in the team, you know. If Scott didn’t have such a beastly temper——”
“That’s not the worst thing,” the captain grimly asserted. “A fellow who will do what he did is too nasty to be on the team. And you seem to forget that he tried to lay it on to you, Dolph.”
“No, I don’t forget; but I was thinking of the eleven, not of myself.”
“You’re altogether too generous, old man. But we won’t talk about Scott; he’s out of the question. However, I’ll see Bentley and tell him he can come back into his old place. That will set Linton over to right tackle, which will strengthen that end of the line some. If it had not been for Dummy and Murphy, who could not get along with Boland, I should not have shifted Linton into Bentley’s place.”
“Are you sure Leon will come back?” asked John Smith. “You know he’s friendly with Scott now, and he’s been saying all kinds of hard things about you and the rest of us. Won’t he stick by Scott?”
“Stick by nothing!” exclaimed Dick, with a laugh. “I’ll get him back on to the team easy enough. He isn’t the kind of a chap to stick by anybody.”