“He has a rotten temper. Gets over it quick, though. I thought at one time Bonner was going to fire him from the squad. He will have to brace up and get onto himself or he will find that Siedhof has his place. Bonner isn’t the sort you can fool with much.” “I wish he wouldn’t flare up the way he does,” said Hugh. “He says perfectly rotten things when he’s waxy.” Pop nodded. “He’s as mean as a little yellow pup when he gets started. Come on over a while, Duke, and tell me how you’re getting on. What’s Crowley going to do with you, by the way? The end positions are settled, aren’t they?” “Yes, but Bert thinks I might beat out that chap Forbes. I dare say I’ll sit on the bench a good deal, though. What sort of a team has Rotan College, Pop?” “‘Rotten’ College? Oh, good enough to lay us out, I guess. They’ll win about twelve to nothing. Still, it’ll be a good game. There’s a big mucker named Lambert who plays left guard for them. Lambert and I had quite a merry little party last year and I’m honest enough to own up that he got the best of it. I’m looking forward with much pleasure to meeting him again on Saturday.” Pop smiled grimly. “If he tries what he tried last year he won’t play more than a couple of periods, I guess.” “Pop, you must control that horrid temper of yours,” said Hugh gravely. Pop grinned. “I will. I’m not going to start anything, Duke, but if Lambert gets gay he will run against something hard this time. Last year I stood a lot of jolts from him, and Bonner saw it, and after the game――they beat us seven to three――he said, ‘If I had caught you slugging back at that fellow I’d have pulled you out, Pop.’ ‘Sure, I knew that,’ I told him. ‘That’s the only reason he got away with it.’ So the other day Bonner said, ‘You’ll play against Lambert again next Saturday.’ And I said, yes, I was expecting to. And Bonner said, looking away off into the distance, ‘He used you sort of roughly last year, didn’t he?’ ‘He sure did,’ said I. ‘Well, we mustn’t have any rough stuff, Pop, you know. If I catch you at it you’ll come out.’ ‘All right,’ said I. ‘Are you likely to be looking?’ ‘Well, I’m not going to keep my eyes on you all the time,’ he said, ‘and my sight isn’t what it was when I was younger, but if the umpire should call my attention to anything you’d have to come out, Pop. So if I were you I’d be a bit careful!’ And I’m going to be.” Hugh laughed as Pop pushed him through the doorway of Number 20. “I’m not going to miss that game, whatever happens,” he declared. “And if they send me out to carry you off, Pop, I’ll be very gentle with you.” “Huh!” growled the other. “Carry _me_ off, eh? If Lambert doesn’t act like a perfect gentleman he will be smiling in his sleep and listening to the birdies singing about the middle of the second quarter!” CHAPTER XIV BERT CONFIDES