ered voice gasped "Down!"
the whistle shrilled.

"Varsity's ball!" said the referee. "First down!"

The coaches began their tirades anew. Mills spoke to Foster aside. Then
the lines again faced each other. Foster glanced back toward Neil.

"_14--12--34--9!_" he sang. It was a kick from close formation. Neil
changed places with full-back. He had forgotten for the moment the role
he had set himself to play, and only thought of the ball that was flying
toward him from center. He would do his best. The pigskin settled into
his hands and he dropped it quickly, kicking it fairly on the rebound.
But the second was through, and the ball banged against an upstretched
hand and was lost amidst a struggling group of players. In a moment it
came to light tightly clutched by Brown of the second eleven.

"I don't have to make believe," groaned Neil. "Fate's playing squarely
into my hands."

Five minutes later the leather went to him for a run outside of left
tackle. He never knew whether he tried to do it or really stumbled, but
he fell before the line was reached, and in a twinkling three of the
second eleven were pushing his face into the muddy turf. The play had
lost the varsity four yards. Mills glared at Neil, but said not a word.
Neil smiled weakly as he went back to his place.

"I needn't try any more," he thought wearily. "He's made up his mind to
put me off."

A minute later the half ended. When the next one began Paul Gale went in
at left half-back on the varsity. And Neil, trotting to the
locker-house, told himself that he was glad, awfully glad, and wished
the tears wouldn't come into his eyes.

CHAPTER XIX

ON THE EVE OF BATTLE

Neil was duly pronounced "fine" by the trainer, dosed by the doctor, and
disregarded by the coaches. Mills, having finally concluded that he was
too risky a person for the line-up on Saturday, figuratively labeled him
"declined" and passed him over to Tassel, head coach of the second
eleven. Tassel displayed no enthusiasm, for a good player gone "fine" is
at best a poor acquisition, and of far less practical value than a poor
player in good condition. It made little difference to Neil what team he
belonged to, for he was prohibited from playing on Wednesday, and on
Thursday the last practise took place and he was in the line-up but five
minutes. On that day the students again marched to the field and
practised their songs and cheers. Despite the loss of Cowan and the
lessening the