Page:Georgie by Dorothea Deakin, 1906.djvu/229

The Gladiators noticed that his eyes were getting wilder. The Gladiators began to suspect that there was something queer about him. One of their halves was a giddy humorist. I saw him touch his head and say, 'Give me a ha'penny, I'm soft.' I was wild. I told him if he'd come round afterwards and remind me, I'd punch his silly head for him."

"And did he?" I asked with interest.

"Yes," said Georgie, earnestly. "And I did it too. He was too funny to live. There won't be so much sparkling wit sticking out all over him in his next match."

"I can well believe it," said I. "Go on with your story. What happened in the second half?"

"A good deal," said Georgie thoughtfully. "It started much the same as the first though, only this time it was the return from our kick-off that Linwood mulled. I can tell you I did wish then that I'd never thought of putting him on. I was in a blue funk the whole time. But 213