ale at New Haven the following Saturday. Two of
the coaches were also of the party, and all were eager to get an inkling
of the plays that Robinson was going to spring on Erskine. But Robinson
was reticent. Perhaps her coaches discovered the presence of the Erskine
emissaries. However that may have been, her team used ordinary
formations instead of tackle-back, and displayed none of the tricks
which rumor credited her with having up her sleeve. But the Erskine
party saw enough, nevertheless, to persuade them one and all that the
Purple need only expect defeat, unless some way of breaking up the
tackle-back play was speedily discovered. Robinson's line was heavy, and
composed almost altogether of last year material. Artmouth found it
well-nigh impregnable, and Artmouth's backs were reckoned good men.

"If we had three more men in our line as heavy and steady as Browning,
Cowan, and Carey," said Devoe, "we might hope to get our backs through;
but, as it is, they'll get the jump on us, I fear, and tear up our
offense before it gets agoing."

"The only course," answered one of the coaches, "is to get to work and
put starch into the line as well as we can, and to perfect the backs at
kicking and running. Luckily that close-formation has the merit of
concealing the point of attack until it's under way, and it's just
possible that we'll manage to fool them."

And so Jones and Mills went to work with renewed vigor the next day. But
the second team, playing tackle-back after the style of Robinson's
warriors, was too much for any defense that the varsity could put up,
and got its distance time after time. The coaches evolved and tried
several plays designed to stop it, but none proved really successful.

Neil returned to practise that afternoon, his right shoulder protected
by a wonderful leather contrivance which was the cause of much
good-natured fun. He didn't get near the line-up, however, but was
allowed to take part in signal practise, and was then set to kicking
goals from placement. If the reader will button his right arm inside his
coat and try to kick a ball with accuracy he will gain some slight idea
of the difficulty which embarrassed Neil. When work was over he felt as
though he had been trying, he declared, to kick left-handed. But he met
with enough success to demonstrate that, given opportunity for practise,
one may eventually learn to kick goals minus anything except feet.

That happened to be one of Paul's "