“Yes, sir.  And you’ll have just as many, I’ll bet, as there are men!”

Mills smiled.

“Well, it’s a desperate remedy, but I believe it’s the only one, and we’ll see what can be done.  By the way, I observe that you’ve taken left half for the victim?”

“Yes, sir; that’s Neil Fletcher.  He’s the fellow for it, I think.”

“But I thought he was a friend of yours,” laughed Mills.

“So he is; that’s why I want him to get it; he won’t ask anything better.  And he’s got the weight and the speed.  The fellow that undertakes it has got to be mighty quick, and he’s got to have weight and plenty of grit.  And that’s Neil.”

“Yes, I think so too.  But I don’t want him to get used up and not be able to kick, for we’ll need a field-goal before the game is over, if I’m not greatly mistaken.  However, we can find a man for that place, I’ve no doubt.  For that matter, we must find two at least, for one will never last the game through.”

“I suppose not.  I—­I wish I had a chance at it,” said Sydney longingly.

“I wish you had,” said Mills.  “I think you’d stand all the punishment Robinson would give you.  But don’t feel badly that you can’t play; as long as you can teach the rest of us the game you’ve got honor enough.”

Sydney flushed with pleasure, and Mills took up the diagram again.

“Guard and tackle will have their work cut out for them,” he said.  “And I’m not sure that left end can’t be brought into it, too.  There’s one good feature about Robinson’s formation, and that is we can imagine where it’s coming as long as it’s a tandem.  If we stop them they’ll have to try the ends, and I don’t think they’ll make much there.  Well, we’ll give this a try to-morrow, and see how it works.  By the way, Burr,” he went on, “you can get about pretty well on your crutches, can’t you?”

“Yes,” Sydney answered.

“Good.  Then what’s to prevent you from coming out to the field in the afternoons and giving us a hand with this?  Do you think you could afford the time?”

Sydney’s eyes dropped; he didn’t want Mills to see how near the tears were to his eyes.

“I can afford the time all right,” he answered in a voice that, despite his efforts, was not quite steady, “if you really think I can be of any use.”

Perhaps Mills guessed the other’s pleasure, for he smiled gently as he answered: 

“I don’t think; I’m certain.  You know this play better than I do; it’s yours; you know how you want it to go.  You come out and look after the play; we’ll attend to the players.  And then, if we find a weak place in it, we can all get together and remedy it.  But you oughtn’t to try and wheel yourself out there and back every day.  You tell me what time you can be ready each afternoon and I’ll see that there’s a buggy waiting for you.”

“Oh, no, really!” Sydney protested.  “I’d rather not!  I can get to the field and back easily, without getting at all tired; in fact, I need the exercise.”