ented Hendricks, flicking
the ash from his cigar. "I haven't seen such plunging and line bucking
since the days of Heffelfinger. You could no more stop him than you
could a runaway horse."

"He's all there, full sixteen ounces to the pound," was Reddy's emphatic
endorsement. "I've seen some crack fullbacks in my time, but none to top
him. He's got the weight, he's got the speed, and as for nerve, begorra!
Did ye note the way he toyed with that big rhinoceros, McAlpin?"

"What he did to him was plenty," laughed Hendricks. "I guess that's one
position we don't need to worry about any longer. And I'm feeling pretty
good, too, about Trent and Henderson. They worked together at quarter
and center like a pair of shears. Axtell tackled like a tiger, and if he
keeps it up, we can count on him as a fixture. And Drake, too, did some
dandy work at end. Did you see the way he got down under Wilson's punts?
Johnny-on-the-spot, every time the ball came down."

"For them five positions there's nothing better in sight," said Reddy.

"I rather think so," acquiesced the coach. "There's only one weak spot
in the back field, and that's at left half. Martin, for some reason,
isn't playing his game. He's too slow in starting, and he doesn't tackle
as hard and fast as he ought to. Then, too, he's a little bit thick when
it comes to the signals. He got mixed up twice to-day, and he was all at
sea on that 'fake' pass in the second quarter. He needs more blackboard
work, and I'm going to see that he gets it.

"But it's in the line that we've got to make some changes. Most of the
forwards to-day would have been 'pie' for the 'Greys' or 'Maroons.' I
can excuse Caldwell for not playing his best, since he broke his finger
in the beginning of the game and nobody knew it until twenty minutes
later. Plucky of the youngster, but he ought to have told us. Ellis is
all right, but that's the second time his bum ankle has given way, and I
don't know whether he can stand the strain of a big game. Hodge has got
the weight and the strength, but he leaves too much of the work to
Trent. As for Boyd, I'm afraid he lacks sand."

"I saw him flinch to-day, when McAlpin piled into him," mused Reddy.

"I'm going to try out Warren a little longer," went on Hendricks.
"There's good stuff in that boy, but I'm afraid there's hardly enough
beef. But he's trying all the time, and never lets up till the whistle
blows. Perhaps I'll let him change places with Martin and