ugh,
was made of different stuff and wouldn't give up. He kept on kicking
until he had churned the milk into butter. Then he climbed on top of it,
made a flying leap for the edge of the bucket and got away. You see, he
was a kicker from Kickersville and his motto was 'Never say die'."

They looked at him reproachfully, but Tom never "batted an eye."

"That mouse was a smooth proposition," murmured Dick softly.

"A slippery customer," echoed Bert. "But, Tom," he asked, in mock
innocence, "is that story true?"

"True?" snorted Tom, "you'd butter believe that it's true. Why----"

But this crowning outrage on the English language was too much, and he
took to his heels, barely escaping a flying tackle as they launched
themselves toward him.

CHAPTER II

RAKED, FORE AND AFT

IN the training quarters, "Bull" Hendricks paced to and fro, his
forehead creased by deep lines as he wrestled with the problems that
beset him.

Six feet two inches in height and built in proportion, he was a fine
figure of a man. Despite his weight and bulk, there was nothing ungainly
or awkward about him. If he had not the grace of an Apollo, he had what
was better--the mighty thews and sinews of a twentieth century Hercules.
His massive chest and broad shoulders were capped by a leonine head,
from which looked the imperious eyes of a born leader of men. Few men
cared to encounter those eyes when their owner was angered. He was a
good man to have as an ally, but a bad one to have as an antagonist.

How he had obtained his nickname was a disputed question in college
tradition. Some maintained that it was due to a habit of plunging
through the opposing lines with the power and momentum of an enraged
buffalo. Others with equal likelihood held that it was an abbreviation
of "bulldog," and had been won by the grit and grip that never let go
when he had closed with an enemy. But whatever the origin of the term,
all agreed that either definition was good enough to express the courage
and power and tenacity of the man. Force--physical force, mental force,
moral force--was the supreme characteristic that summed him up.

In his college days, ten years earlier, he had been a tower of strength
on the greatest football team that had ever worn the Blue, and the part
he played in its triumphs was still a matter of college song and story.
It was the day when mass play counted heavily, when the "guards back"
and the "flying wedge" were the favorite