“No, sir. I didn’t have any. I guess I wouldn’t have bet it that way, anyhow!”
“Ever talk football with Devore?”
“Why, yes, sir, quite often.”
“Well, what was said? Was he interested in football?”
“Yes, I’d say he was. He talked about it a good deal when we were playing pool together.”
“Did he seem interested in our plays or our signals?”
“No, sir. I don’t remember that he ever showed much interest in things like plays and signals. We just talked about the game in general, and about last year’s game and all that.”
“I see. You’re certain you didn’t explain anything about this year’s plans or the plays we were using or our signal code?”
“No, sir, I don’t think— Well, maybe I did tell him something about some of the plays. He’d get to boosting Kenly and knocking our team, sir, and saying that we didn’t have any plays that would score. Maybe I did talk a bit too much. Did I do any harm, sir?”
“That’s what I don’t know, Burton. This Devore chap has a bad name, Joe tells me. He got fired from a job in the freight office about a year ago when he was suspected of stealing a small amount of money. Since then he’s been depending on his pool playing and on betting for a living. Joe thinks that Devore has got hold of something regarding our team, plays, signals, something or other, that he can hand on to Kenly. He’s trying to get hold of enough money to bet against Alton to make a killing, it seems. That’s Joe’s notion. But I don’t believe that Kenly would profit in any such way. I know the coach over there, and he’s a square chap. It may be that Devore has wormed something out of you, Burton, or thinks he has, and means to let us know next week, Saturday perhaps, that he has it and try to make us believe that he’s spilled it to Kenly. He probably figures that we’d have to change our plans at the last moment and that if we did we’d lose the game. Joe says he hears from Lakeville that several bets have already been laid over there on Kenly, which makes it look as if Devore was working with some one there. Of course it would help us considerably if you could recall just what you told Devore, Burton; what plays were discussed, for instance.”