“Seems to me,” said Dick, “you’ve spent most of your time of late working practical jokes on me. After this I’ll never believe a thing until I’ve made sure you’re not at the bottom of it. Well, I wonder if you know that that tommyrot of yours here about my high school friends coming to see Saturday’s game started something.” “Started something!” Blash asked eagerly. “No. What?” “Five of the fellows read that drivel and decided to follow the suggestion. Blash, I hope you choke!” Blash had gone off into a gale of laughter. Stanley and Sid grinned doubtfully, wanting to laugh, too, but fearful of wounding Dick’s feelings. “O boy!” gasped Blash. “Dick, I guess we’re more than even! I’ve paid in full, eh?” Dick smiled at last. “No, you still owe me some pennies.” “Not a cent! You telephoned me that night at the movie house that I needn’t pay the last seven and a half cents: or, at least, ‘Uncle John’ did!” “That’s so,” acknowledged Dick, laughing. “I’d forgotten.” “When you get back,” said Stanley, “you can read what I wrote on the piece of paper one night. Remember?” Dick nodded. “Better tell me now, though. I never could stand suspense.” “I wrote ‘Blash will chisel a penny in two and send half as the last payment.’ Was I right, Blash?” “Right as rain! Fact is, the two halves are in that top drawer over there this minute. But you’ll never get either of them, Dick. I’ve paid my debts!” “You have,” agreed Dick heartily. “You’ve more than paid them, and I hope I’ll live long enough to hand you back the change!” CHAPTER XXIII KENWOOD SCORES Friday was a hard day to live through. Excitement was in the very air and football tunes assailed one at every turn. For the players the day was a nervous period of suspense. Dick was heartily glad when recitations took his thoughts off the morrow. There was some punting and a light signal drill on the field in the afternoon, but it was all over by half-past four. A final black-board talk was held in the evening and after it most of the players went over to the final mass-meeting and sat on the stage and were wildly cheered. Everyone who could think of anything to say that evening said it: Mr. Morgan, Chairman of the Athletic Committee, Coach Driscoll, Captain Peters, Billy Goode, Manager Whipple and one or two lesser luminaries. And the musical clubs played and the Glee Club sang and everyone joined in, and enthusiasm held sway until late.