ch a strenuous day, "I begin to believe we can get up a squad of
football players here capable of putting up a strong game. One thing in
our favor is the fact that we have an old athlete like Coach Joe Hooker
to show us how to work out greenhorns."

"That's as true as you live," snapped Toby, his face glowing with
eagerness, for one of the ambitions of his life seemed in prospect of
being fulfilled. "I've never really played football, though of course I
can kick, and run, and dodge pretty fairly. But in theory I'm away up in
the game. Other fellows are in the same fix; and we'll need a whole lot
of practice before we feel justified in going up against any older
eleven. Like as not we'll get snowed under; but even if we lose every
game this season, it'll give us what we need in the way of experience,
and another year we'll show the way."

"There are lots of other outdoor games we'll have to take up in season,"
continued Jack, thoughtfully. "Once the spirit of sport has gripped the
boys of Chester, and they'll be hungry to go into anything that means a
test of endurance, skill or pluck."

"I suppose now you've played football before, Jack?" asked the other.

"Well, we had a pretty fair eleven in the city I came from, and I was
lucky enough to belong to them," he said modestly. "I don't know that I
shone as a star very much, but on the whole, we managed to keep up our
end, and last year we pulled off the championship in our section of
country."

"What position did you fill?" queried Toby.

"Our captain made a half-back of me," came the answer. "Somehow he
seemed to believe I was better suited for that position than a tackle,
though I wanted to be in the other place at the start. But it happened
there were two sprinters better fitted than I was to hold down the job.
So unless I run across a man who seems to show signs of being my
superior in the field I've occupied, I suppose I'll continue to play
half-back to the end of the chapter."

"Well," remarked Toby, as Jack made out to pick up his cap with the
intention of leaving, since the hour was getting late, "one more day,
and then what? A whole twenty-four hours for things to happen calculated
to bust up our plans, and knock 'em galley-west. I wish, this was Friday
night, and nothing serious had come about. We need that big game to make
us solid with the people of Chester. It might be hard on poor Harmony,
but it would be the making of our town."

"Hearing you say t