At dinner Stuart broached the matter to Leo Burns and Harry Beeman, the only members of the squad at his table, and was pained, even disgusted, to discover that they were heartily in favor of the change. Beeman, who, as a first-string man and a veteran, should have had more sense, was eloquent on the merits of the new plan, and Stuart retired disgruntledly from the subject. The left guard made himself more obnoxious by taking it for granted that his views were the captain’s.
Stuart’s hike to Coach Haynes’ quarters in the village after dinner produced no satisfaction, for the coach wasn’t there. He waited awhile, but Mr. Haynes didn’t come. Having to hurry back to school under an ardent September sun so as not to be late for a half-past-one recitation didn’t improve Stuart’s temper any. It was in the gymnasium at three-thirty that he finally unburdened his mind. His arraignment wasn’t nearly so harsh as he had intended it should be, for Mr. Haynes was so palpably sincere in his regrets that Stuart had to pull in his horns at the very beginning.
“I wouldn’t have had it happen for anything,” declared the coach earnestly. “I was certain that I had spoken of the matter to you, Captain Harven. I surely intended to. I went into it with quite a number of the fellows, I know. So many things have come up the past week, though, I’ve been so rushed and confused, that probably I failed to consult you.”
“You certainly did,” replied Stuart stiffly. “And, naturally, I was rather surprised this morning to learn that the matter had come up and been decided.”
“I should say so!” Mr. Haynes was evidently grieved. “Of course you should have been consulted, and I can’t see how I failed to bring it up to you. You’re quite sure it wasn’t mentioned? There was that long talk we had in your room one night——”
“It wasn’t mentioned then, sir, nor at any other time. Perhaps I wouldn’t mind so much if—if I approved, but I don’t, Mr. Haynes.”
“Really? By jove, I’m sorry to hear that! So many of the fellows favored it, you see, Harven. No one I spoke to was against giving the plan a trial. It isn’t an experiment, Harven, although it is new here. We tried it out my last two years at Fisherville and it worked splendidly. You couldn’t get one person there to-day to speak in favor of the training table. We got far better results without it. We didn’t lose a single game last year, and only one the year before. Three years ago we lost four out of eight. That tells the story, doesn’t it?”
Stuart frowned, unconvinced. “How can you tell it was that, Mr. Haynes? You might have done just the same with a training table, I’d say.”
“The condition of the fellows was better, Harven; thirty per cent better at least. It isn’t rare beefsteak and thick cream and the rest of the stereotyped training table diet that produces the best results. I’ve seen teams spoiled by overeating time and again. Loading your stomach with rich, heavy food is simply folly. It doesn’t make for strength and energy, Harven. Plain food, plenty of it, but never too much, is my belief.”
“If the fellows eat around at different tables, how are you going to see that they eat what they should?”