Phillipsburg came and went, defeated easily enough, 12 points to 3, and Warne High School followed a week later. High School always put up a good fight against Parkinson, and she made no exception this year. Coach Driscoll used many substitutes that afternoon and so High School found her work easier. Myron had his baptism by fire in the second period and lasted until the end of the third. He was taken out then because High School had tied the score and it was necessary to add another touchdown or field-goal to the home team's side of the ledger. So Kearns, who was still the most dependable full-back in sight, took Myron's place. Kearns gained and lost in his usual way, and had no great part in the securing of the third Parkinson score. Katie was mainly responsible for that, for he sneaked away from the opponent's thirty-two yards and landed the ball on her eight, from whence it was carried over on the fourth down by Brounker. That made the figures 20 to 14, and there they remained for the rest of the contest.
Myron was huffy about being removed and every one who spoke to him discovered the fact. Of course, he was huffy in a perfectly gentlemanly way. He didn't scold and he didn't sneer, but he indulged in irony and intimated that if football affairs continued to be managed as they had been that afternoon he would refuse to be held responsible if the season ended in defeat. Oddly enough, no one appeared panic-stricken at the veiled threat. Joe grinned, until Myron looked haughty and insulted, and then became grave and spoke his mind. He had an annoying way of doing that, to Myron's way of thinking.
"Kiddo," said Joe, on this occasion, "if I was you I'd let Driscoll and Mellen run things their own way. Maybe their way don't always look good to you, but you aren't in possession of all the--the facts, so to speak. When they put in Kearns today they had a reason, believe me, Brother. You attend to your knitting and let theirs alone. If they drop a stitch, it's their funeral, not yours. You've got just about all you can do to beat Kearns and Williams for full-back's position----"
"I'm ahead of Williams right now," said Myron with asperity.
"All right, kiddo; you stay there. Don't get highfaluting and swell-headed. Just as soon as you do you'll quit playing your best and Williams'll slip past you. Take an old man's advice, Brother."