“All right. See Ryan, get yourself examined by Mr. Bendix, and report to me to-morrow.”
Payson nodded and turned away toward the gymnasium. Dan gave him a start and then followed. Half way up the hill Payson heard the footsteps behind him, turned and waited.
“Know much about this new football?” he asked as Dan joined him.
“We tried it last year, sir, and it went pretty well—sometimes.”
“Sometimes! Yes, I dare say.”
“I think we’d have done pretty well with it,” said Dan, “only we lost our quarter in the middle of the season and I had to break in a new man.”
“Oh, you were captain, were you?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Sorry to hear it,” said Payson. “I never had a captain show up here to me that amounted to a hill of beans. Think you could forget it in time?”
Dan flushed at the note of sarcasm in the coach’s voice.