Page:The secret play (1915).djvu/234

 "Carter," began Bingham, "says somebody is to blame for the way things have been going and that we ought to find out who it is. Seems to me it isn't very hard to find out. We've got as good a lot of players as we've ever had, I guess. You all saw what they did to Highland Hall, the first of the season, before there was any interference. The team was all right then. Then they went and got a coach, and what happened?" Bingham paused impressively.

"Tell us, little one, what did happen," pleaded a falsetto voice from the far side of the hall. Bingham frowned at the unseemly mirth which ensued at this witticism and hastened to forestall further interruptions.

"Since we have had our coach—" and his emphasis on the word was unpleasantly sarcastic—"we've played five games against weak teams and been beaten in three of them! I guess we ought to be thankful we haven't got two coaches. If we had we might have been beaten in all of them!" The effort at humor aroused a few uncertain chuckles. "I say it isn't hard to place the blame for the punk condition of our team, and it isn't, either. The fellows are all right. They do as they are told.