led to his feet again.

"That was a lot better. Once get the idea fixed in your head, Edwards,
and it'll come easy. You'll do it without a thought. Once more now, and
put some ginger into it. Here I come!"

Marvin walked a couple of steps forward, Steve dropped and gripped his
knees, heaved and over went the quarter. A dozen times Marvin made him
practise it, and then,

"All right," he said. "Now I'm going to run toward you, Edwards. I'm
going to get by you if I can, too. You've got to do your best to stop
me. Don't try any flying tackles, and remember that you've got to have
one foot on the ground when you get me. All right now!"

Steve was glad they had the gridiron practically to themselves, for he
cut a poor figure the first three times that he tried to reach the
elusive quarter-back. Once Marvin caught him with a straight arm and
sent him toppling out of his path, once Marvin dodged him completely,
twirling on one heel and darting past him beyond reach, and once the
little quarter-back wrenched himself loose after being tackled. But the
fourth time Steve was more successful, and after that he reached the
runner every time even if he didn't always stop him short. Even when
Steve had his arms gripped tightly about Marvin's knees, the latter was
almost always able to somehow make another yard or two before he was
willing to call "Down!" But Steve learned more in that half-hour than he
had learned all the season, and when, after awhile, the two boys,
panting and perspiring but satisfied with themselves, walked back to the
gymnasium, Steve had the grace to thank Marvin.

"That's all right," replied the other. "I knew you could play the game,
Edwards, if you could once get the hang of making a decent tackle. And I
knew, too, that the trouble with you was that you'd just sort of made up
your mind that you couldn't learn, that you didn't understand what I've
been trying to show you. There won't be any third squad after the middle
of the week, Edwards, and if you hadn't shown something more than
you've been showing in the tackling line I couldn't conscientiously have
sent you up to the second."

"That was mighty decent," muttered Steve.

"Well, you mustn't take it as a personal favour, Edwards," answered
Marvin with a smile, "although I'm glad to do it for you. You see, I
don't want to let any good material get away. And I think you are good
material, and if there was any possibility of your being of use to the
seco