"Aw, Ronnie," the kid said, embarrassed, "I'm not good like you-I just play at the game."

Ronnie threw his arm around the kid's shoulders and started to the locker room with him. "You never can tell, kid. Maybe if you grow enough and work hard enough, you'll be good-a lot better than I can ever hope to be. If not, it doesn't make a lot of difference. It's a lot of fun to be good at the game, but that's all it is just a game. Always remember that."

"Sure, Ronnie," said the kid, pretending to understand. He wondered, though, what could be finer or more important in life than to be the best left halfback in the state and have all the popularity that goes with it and hear the crowd shouting your name every Saturday.

As they reached the door to the locker room, Ronnie stopped a moment. "Say, what's your name, kid? I can't keep running into you all over school without having a name for you," he said.

"I'd rather you call me Kid," the kid said wistfully, "my real name's Abner Dillard."

"Yeah, I like Kid better, too. Then it's Kid Dillard. Right?" "Right."

"What dorm you on?"

"I room up on North-Three."

"Oh, Jim Wilks your monitor?"

"That's right."

"Well-I might drop in on you some night when I come up to see Jim, if you'd like me to."

"Gee, I'd like that a lot-if you only would.”

"Okay, Kid, then I'll drop up to see you one of these first nights. See you around."

"Okay, Ronnie. See you."

The next couple of days, the kid didn't get a chance to talk to Ronnie. He waited at football practice and saw him when he came in, but Ronnie only smiled and waved at him and walked in with the other guys on the varsity.

Then came Saturday and the second home game. Once more Ronnie was the whole offensive show for the home team as he ran and passed them to a 26-12 win. After the game, the kid ran to the bench to carry the hero's helmet. "Gosh, Ronnie, you were great!” the kid said.

"Thanks, Kid. Hey! I thought you would have forgotten about the helmet. Glad you didn't, though."

"I couldn't ever forget that," the kid said simply. Then he was lost in the crowd of shouting back-slappers that surrounded the star.

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