“I suppose so. Hang it, I didn’t really mean to mess things up so, Mr. Cade. Somehow I got started wrong this season. I—I’m might sorry. I didn’t meant to let you down, sir. Or make things harder for you. I—it’s like Bert says; I got interested in something else.”
“Well, I’m glad to know you didn’t mean it, Burton. I’m glad that this other interest explains it. Personally, I couldn’t find pool of more interest than football, but we’re not all alike.”
Perhaps he saw Chick’s look of surprise, for he went on in explanation. “You see, I’ve got a friend in town who works on the Alton paper. Perhaps you know him; Joe Manter. Joe drops in here quite frequently and he brings me the news. About a month or so ago he asked about you. He had been seeing you in Mooney’s billiard place pretty frequently, and sometimes quite late. Joe thought I ought to know that you weren’t keeping hours. I told him I already knew it, as I did; or, at least, as I suspected. You’ll remember that we met one evening on the street about the time you should have been in bed.”
“Yes, sir,” said Chick. “I’ve been playing pool a good deal at Mooney’s and I’ve been getting back to school pretty late; sometimes nearly eleven. I might as well tell the truth, sir.”
“Eleven!” gasped Bert. “How the dickens did you ever get by Peg?”
“I don’t know. Usually he was half asleep when I passed his door.”
“Well, of course, that sort of thing didn’t help you much to make a showing on the field,” commented the coach. “I considered getting after you once or twice, Burton, but I decided each time to keep my hands off. Now, one more thing. Joe Manter was in to see me this forenoon and he told me that an acquaintance of yours, a fellow named Devore, is getting some of his friends around town to put money up to bet on the game next week. Have you heard anything about that?”
“No, sir. That is, he did say something to me a week or more ago about betting on the game. Advised me to get hold of some money and bet it on Kenly. He said Kenly was certain to win this year and that he could get me odds when the time came. But that was all that was said. He hasn’t mentioned it to me lately.”
“Did you give him any money to bet?”