A Dollar On Dartmouth

"I won't lose," John said.

The man's eyebrows went up.

"You never can tell," he said.

"I won't lose," John said.

The uninflected certainty in his voice was a little unsettling, as though he had announced that on this day, for reasons that made sense to him but were none of our business, the sun would not set.

"Well," the man said, "I think you better ask your daddy, anyway."

John looked at me. I nodded. After all, it was his own money. John turned back to the man.

"My daddy says it's all right," he said.

"Okay," the man said with a laugh. "Same bet I made with my friend here. I'll spot you 13 points, son, and give you three-to-one."

"No," John said. "I want to bet a dollar."