vening, as they were preparing their lessons for the
following day.

"What is it?" they cried in chorus.

"Axtell and Hodge have been conditioned and forbidden to play until they
get up with the rest of the class," was the answer.

"No," said Bert incredulously.

"Sure thing," affirmed Drake. "I had it straight from the boys
themselves not five minutes ago. They sure are in the doleful dumps."

The three friends looked at each other in a perplexity and anxiety that
they made no effort to conceal.

"But it will break up the team," cried Dick. "They're two of our very
best men."

"You're right there," gloomed Drake. "There isn't a fiercer tackler than
Axtell on the eleven, and Hodge is the heaviest man in the line. We
haven't any too much beef at best, and man for man, the 'Greys' average
five pounds heavier."

"Just when we were getting into such dandy shape, too," groaned Dick.

"Why in thunder didn't they keep up in their work," demanded Drake
fiercely. "They must have known they were falling behind, and there's
too much at stake for them to take any risk."

"There, there," soothed Bert. "Don't you suppose they're feeling worse
about it than any one else?"

Just then there was a knock at the door and Axtell and Hodge themselves
stalked in.

"I see you've heard about it," said Hodge, falling heavily into a chair.
"I wish you fellows would take me out and kick me around the campus."

"Same here," echoed Axtell despondently. "I'll pay for all the shoe
leather you wear out doing it."

"O, brace up, fellows," said Bert cheerily. "Things will come out all
right yet. How bad is it anyway?"

"It isn't so bad with Axtell," replied Hodge. "He's only got a condition
in Latin, and he can probably work that off in a week. But I'm stuck on
mathematics and Greek both, and I've got about as much chance as a
snowfall in June of making them up before the big games."

"I wonder if there's no chance of getting the faculty to let you put off
making them up until after the games," pondered Bert thoughtfully.

"Such a chance," said Drake sardonically. "That stony-hearted crew
hasn't any sporting blood. They'll insist that every t must be crossed
and every i dotted before they'll take off the conditions."

"I'm not so sure of that," replied Bert. "There's Benton. He used to be
a star at left end, and I don't think he's forgotten how he used to feel
about such things. I can't any more than fail anyway, and I'm going to
t