“It wouldn’t have hurt anything if they’d taken that old game,” said Guy bitterly. “They had two more to play.”
“Seems to me,” said Sears, “it would be a good plan to keep quiet about Lanny’s trouble. There’s no use in letting Springdale know he can’t run, is there?”
“I don’t see that it matters much whether they know or don’t know,” said Guy. “They’ll find it out Saturday.”
“No, Sears is right,” said Skeet thoughtfully. “We’ll keep it dark. It may disarrange their plans if they find at the last moment that he isn’t entered. Did their ball-players know he was hurt badly?”
“No,” answered Beaton, “I don’t think so. Lanny walked to the bench pretty well. A lot of fellows were with him and I don’t believe Springdale noticed anything.”
“Then we’ll say nothing about it,” said Skeet. “The doctor told me he’d be around in a couple of days and Lanny says he’ll come out and do all he can for us in the way of coaching. I’m going to get him to take the hurdlers in hand.”
“How does Lanny take it?” asked Harry Partridge.
“Not very well just yet. Rather broken-up about it. He told me he would rather have won the sprints than played ball. I wish he’d thought of that before. Still, I don’t suppose we can expect the ball team to give up the only first-class catcher they’ve got to oblige us.”
“Maybe,” observed Toby Sears, “it’s a waste of time, fellows, but let’s go over the list again and see if we can figure out a win.”
“Figure all you like,” said the coach as he got up. “I’ve got to be going, fellows. But when you’re through figuring just remember that no meet was ever won with a lead pencil. If you want to win Saturday just make up your minds that you’re going to go out there and do about twenty per cent. better than you ever have done. That’s the only way you’ll win. See you later.”