“You don’t.” Mr. Haynes smiled. “They see to that themselves. It doesn’t take them long to learn the lesson. Those who prefer to eat what isn’t good for them to playing football are no loss to us. But you’ll find there aren’t many such: perhaps one or two in a squad of forty. It isn’t just a case of being put on honor, Harven; it’s a case of using your common sense. If you don’t eat wisely you don’t keep in condition, and if you aren’t in condition you don’t play on the team. Just as soon as the fellows get that into their heads there’s no trouble. The fare here is good enough and sufficient enough and varied enough for any fellow to train on, Harven, and I’ll guarantee to show you a better-conditioned squad by the first of November than Manning ever saw here when training tables were used.”
“You couldn’t spoil the crowd we’ve got here this year no matter what you fed them!” replied Stuart stubbornly.
“Oh, yes, you could! You’d only have to feed them on underdone beef twice a day, and fill them with rich cream, and encourage them to eat all they’d hold. I’ve seen it tried pretty often. I went through it myself, too. I’ve been so logy after a dinner of that sort that it was an effort to stretch my arms! Look here, Captain Harven, keep an open mind on this question, won’t you? Just sit back and see how it turns out. We both want to secure the best possible results this year, and I think this is one way to do it. Don’t think that I’m simply experimenting with the team, for I’m not. I’m convinced that this way is the best. If I weren’t I wouldn’t consider it for a moment. I’m mighty sorry that the thing went through without your cognizance, and I certainly apologize for my share of the blame. But it has gone through, and so, even if you don’t feel like giving it your full approval yet, you’ll help me to make it go, won’t you?”
Stuart shrugged. “I don’t see how I could do anything else,” he answered. “Only—well, I’ll wait and see. I’ve got to be shown, sir.”
“Quite right! We’ll leave it so. Now we’d better get out, eh?”
All during practice the conviction persisted in Stuart’s mind that, in spite of Mr. Haynes’ smooth words something, as he phrased it to himself, had been put over on him. He felt aggrieved, even humiliated, and regretted that he hadn’t talked up to the coach harder than he had. The trouble was, he reflected, that Mr. Haynes was so blamed polite and plausible that you couldn’t talk the way you wanted to! Instead of interfering with his work, however, Stuart’s grievance that afternoon induced redoubled exertion, and he drove A squad so hard and put so much vim and snap into his work that, in the twenty minutes of scrimmaging, the veterans twice carried the ball nearly the length of the field for a score. The Laird, hovering up and down the side line, frowned dubiously. Such speed had no place on a gridiron where a thermometer, had there been such a thing, would have registered around seventy!
Going back to the gymnasium afterward, Stuart charged Jack with black treachery. “You knew what was going on, didn’t you?” he demanded. “Stearns must have talked about it. Why didn’t you say something to me?”
“Why, I thought you knew!” expostulated Jack. “Of course Stearns mentioned it, but there wasn’t much talk. I knew you didn’t like the scheme and I supposed you were putting up a fight.”
“It’s mighty funny,” growled the other. “Every fellow in school seems to have known all about it except me! It’s the silliest stunt I ever heard of! First thing we know Haynes’ll be springing a scheme to cut out practice!”