far be it from
me to try to urge you against your judgment. I hope, though, that there
won't be as much time between our next meeting as there was between the
last, old fellow."

"So do I," responded Hendricks heartily as they shook hands, "but so
long till then, anyway."

"Good-by," said Mr. Melton, and then shook hands with the boys. "I'm
afraid I won't see you fellows again this trip, although I'm going to
make a desperate effort to stay East until the big game comes off," he
said. "I've got to get a very early train for New York to-morrow, so I
guess we'd better say good-by now until the next time."

The boys shook hands with him warmly, and then started downstairs. Mr.
Melton followed them to the door, and the last thing they saw as they
looked back was his sturdy bulk outlined in the square of light formed
by the open doorway.

CHAPTER XIV

A PLOT THAT FAILED

ALTHOUGH Reddy, in common with everyone else in the college, felt
jubilant over the gallant victory of the Blues, he relaxed not one jot
of his vigilance. Two days' rest was all that he allowed. By that time
Boyd had recovered from the injury to his knee, the strain of the
contest had largely abated, and the team was once more in a condition to
face the final test--the battle with the redoubtable "Greys" in New York
on Thanksgiving Day.

But other and more baleful eyes were fixed on the condition of the team.

Football is one of the cleanest games in existence, and few sports are
more free of gambling of every kind. Nevertheless, it is impossible to
control the actions of a few professional gamblers who grasp eagerly at
every chance to ply their trade. Naturally, the conditions of the
different teams are of vital importance to them, and they make it their
business, through spies and in every possible way, to be well informed
on the subject. And the big football games of this season were no
exception to the rule. The condition of every player was carefully
noted and kept track of, and it is safe to say that the gambling clique
had almost as accurate a line on these points as the different trainers
themselves.

During the practice games in the earlier part of the season the "Greys"
had seemed to have the "edge" on the other members of the "Big Three."
Consequently, they were picked by the poolmakers as the eventual
winners, and large bets, amounting in some cases to practically the
entire "bank roll" of the plungers, were placed on them to