“I’m not saying there haven’t been some or won’t be more,” replied Loring pleasantly. “But they’re the exceptions. A fellow only has one brain and it will hold only so much. When he tries to get too much into it he crowds it. If he has too much on his mind he’s bound to trip up now and then, and now and then is far too often. To-day Stoddard wouldn’t have made three or four glaring mistakes in judgment if he’d had only the running of the team to think about. I’ve never played the game, Tom, but you can’t make me believe that a fellow, the average fellow, anyhow, can take the ball, run thirty yards with it, dodging three or four tacklers, be thrown hard and sat on and then get up with a clear head and know almost instantly what the next play ought to be!” “He surely can’t,” agreed Clif. “I think you’re dead right, Loring.” “Heck, might as well let the quarter sit on the bench alongside the coach, then,” grumbled Tom. “Nothing to do but call his signals!” “Why not do away with the quarter entirely?” asked Loring, laughing. “Let the coach run the team from the side-line by radio!” “Fine,” applauded Clif. “Then, if he lost his game, he could blame it on static!” “Well, we’ve got a quarter who knows both branches of his trade pretty well,” said Clif. “Sim’s a mighty fine player, I think.” “That’s Jackson?” asked Loring. “He’s the dark-haired chap, isn’t he? Well, have you ever noticed how seldom he takes the ball himself?” Tom blinked. “I guess we haven’t got many plays for quarterback,” he answered. Then he caught an amused twinkle in Loring’s eyes. “Oh, come on and let’s play,” he laughed. CHAPTER XIII THE CONSULTING COACH Clif’s father was to have visited him Sunday, but the morning brought a telegram stating that a sudden journey to Boston necessitated a postponement of the Freeburg trip to the following Sunday. Clif’s disappointment was not lasting. In the afternoon he and Tom and Loring went for a walk. That is, he and Tom walked and took turns pushing Loring’s chair, long since mended by the local carpenter. Wattles was left behind, delighted by the prospect of two hours of browsing in the school library but uneasy at intrusting his charge to the two boys.