a bit of general expert advice from me," said
Dink defiantly. "I've promised to help out."

The squad, dividing, practiced starts. Stover held his own, being
naturally quick; and though Flash Condit and Charlie DeSoto distanced
him, still he earned a good word for his performances.

Presently Mr. Ware came up with a ball and, with a few words of
introduction, started them to falling on it as it bounded grotesquely
over the ground, calling them from the ranks by name.

"Hard at it, Stevens."

"Dive at it."

"Don't stop till you get it."

"Oh, squeeze the ball!"

Stover, moving up, caught the eye of Mr. Ware intently on him, and
rose on his toes with the muscles in his arms strained and eager.

"Now, Stover, hard!"

The ball with just an extra impetus left the hand of Mr. Ware. Stover
went at it like a terrier, dove and came up glorious and muddy with
the pigskin hugged in his arms. It was the extent of his football
knowledge, but that branch he had mastered on the soft summer turf.

Mr. Ware gave a grunt of approval and sent him plunging after another.
This time as he dove the ball took a tricky bounce and slipped through
his arms. Quick as a flash Dink, rolling over, recovered himself and
flung himself on it.

"That's the way!" said Mr. Ware. "Follow it up. Can't always get it
the first time. Come on, Baxter."

The real test came with the tackling. He waited his turn, all eyes,
trying to catch the trick, as boy after boy in front of him went
cleanly or awkwardly out to down the man who came plunging at him.
Some tackled sharply and artistically, their feet leaving the ground
and taking the runner off his legs as though a scythe had passed under
him; but most of the tackling was crude, and often the runner slipped
through the arms and left the tackler prone on the ground to rise amid
the jeers of his fellows.

"Your turn, Stover," said the voice of the captain. "Wait a minute."
He looked over the squad and selected McCarty, saying: "Here, Tough,
come out here. Here's a fellow thinks all you need in this game is
nerve. Let's see what he's got."

Dink stood out, neither hearing nor caring for the laugh that went up.
He glanced up fifteen yards away where Tough McCarty stood waiting the
starting signal. He was not afraid, he was angry clean through, ready
to tackle the whole squad, one after another.

"Shall I take it sideways?" said Tough, expecting to be tackled from
the side as the others had been.