One week more dragged slowly by; dragged because Cateye and Judd had been suspended for their antics in regard to the drowning incident. Benz escaped with only a severe reprimand. Cateye assumed the entire blame for the affair and sought to have his room-mate released, but President Windell declared: "One is as guilty as the other," and forced both boys to do penance.

The intended cure for Benz had been a splendid failure in more ways than one. True, Benz felt highly elated to know that Judd was not drowned but he also was indignant because Judd allowed the students to think him dead and let the affair gain such prominence. Since the incident Benz's popularity had decreased fully fifty percent. He was greeted with taunts and jeers and nicknamed, "The Impractical Joker." Life had grown exceedingly unpleasant. Benz avoided everyone that he could, imagining that the whole college was turned against him. He remained close within the seclusion of his room during idle moments; practiced football somewhat indifferently; scarcely ever opened his mouth except when it came time to eat; and above all things he kept out of Judd's sight. He was very thankful that Judd had been suspended. This kept the rube from football practice and Benz could again star against the seconds.

Poor, mis-used second team! The week following their disastrous celebration on the bank of the Pretty Falls River had been a trying one for them. Minus their best player, the varsity had gone at them with a vengeance, piling up top heavy scores in every scrimmage, until McCabe remarked one night after an unusually crushing defeat: "Fellows, I feel like Napoleon after the battle of Waterloo."

Cateye had hoped that this joke might prove an ending of hostilities between Benz and Judd but he now realized the foolhardiness of his plan and wished many times that he had never suggested it to Judd. The return joke on Benz had produced exactly the opposite effect than that desired. Besides, Judd had lost an entire week of valuable football practice and one week from tomorrow, upon Thanksgiving day, came the great game with Pennington!

The contest this year meant more than formerly. The two colleges were not only intense rivals but neither had been defeated throughout the present season. Reports from Pennington claimed the strongest eleven in the history of the college. Why, Pennington had defeated the State University, 9 to 0, a short time ago, which victory rightfully gave her the title of State Champion!

Bartlett supporters in turn, heralded their eleven as the greatest bunch of warriors ever gotten together. But, although the students were loyal to the core, deep down in their hearts they doubted whether Bartlett even so much as had a chance against Pennington this year. Pennington, claimants of the State Championship by virtue of their victory over the State University, a heretofore unheard of exploit! Pennington, the rival college, which had not only defeated some of the same teams played by Bartlett but had even doubled and in one case tripled the scores! On paper the Pennington team seemed much the stronger eleven but despite this fact everyone at Bartlett was looking eagerly forward to the day when the unbeaten colleges would clash.

Thursday morning, one week before the big game, Pole rushed jubilantly into Cateye's room.

"Hurrah! Your suspensions are raised!" he cried.

"What's that?" Cateye and Judd shouted, jumping to their feet.

"That's what!" rejoiced Pole. "Gee, that's great news! I just heard about it a minute ago."

"You bet it's great news! Whoopee, Judd, that means football practice again to-night!"

Cateye began to dance a Highland fling of his own invention. "And my injured knee is practically well now. Maybe I won't be able to hit that old line, huh?"

Judd and Pole winked at each other.

"The silly boy," grinned Judd.

"The news has upset him," laughed Pole.

The appearance of Judd and Cateye upon the gridiron that afternoon was the signal for a great ovation. The members of the second team crowded about their idol, Judd, and immediately began plotting the destruction of the "beloved" varsity. Cateye, meanwhile, was kept busy answering greetings from his old team-mates.

"Hello, Cateye, how's that knee of yours?" It was Neil, quarterback, speaking.

"Fine!" responded Cateye, adjusting his shoulder pads.

"That's good. I sure am glad to see you back. Between you and me, Cateye, left guard has been the weak spot on our team since you were laid up. Besides, Benz hasn't been playing up to standard and although we've been trimming the seconds we haven't got that old fighting spirit. The boys are due to recover their form to-day."

"Everybody out!" ordered Coach Phillips. The players trotted from the locker room onto the field.

"Billings, you take right guard on the seconds and Cateye, your old position at left guard on the varsity. We'll have fifteen minutes of signal practice and a thirty minute's scrimmage. Lively now!"

Practice that afternoon did go off better. Benz played with a vengeance, eager to out do any play that Judd might make, and he was successful in tearing off several long gains; through Judd's position too! Benz was elated.

The explanation was quite simple. Judd, assigned the position of right guard found that he was pitted directly against Cateye who played left guard for the varsity. Rather than show up his room-mate Judd made half-hearted attempts to stem the varsity's advance, and the seconds, losing some of their confidence in Judd's stonewall defence, allowed the varsity to score almost at will.

A hundred or so onlookers, enthused by the varsity's exceptional showing, shouted, "Oh you Pennington!" until their voices were hoarse.

It was a badly bruised and dejected second team that crawled off the field after scrimmage was over following one of the worst trouncings that they had ever experienced. The varsity, upon the other hand, was bubbling over with pep and renewed confidence.

"Guess we've found our stride again!" cried Benz, almost the first cheerful words he had uttered in a week.

"Found our stride!" ejaculated Pole, "Why man, we're away ahead of our stride."

"Don't get too cocky over that showing," warned Bartz, inclined to be cautious. "Even the best of 'em fall, you know."

"Bartz is right," spoke up Neil, "In order to keep our record clean up to the Pennington game we've got to wallop Paulson this coming Saturday. And that'll be a hard game too. We can't expect to loaf and win. We've got to be in the fight every minute!"

"We'll be there, kid!" grunted the big Oole.

Judd and Cateye walked back to the dormitory together. Cateye, for some reason that Judd could not understand, was not very talkative.

"The varsity sure did rip us seconds up to-day," began Judd, for the nth time, trying to get an answer from his room-mate.

Cateye unlocked the door to his room, stepped in, and swung about, facing Judd.

"Judd, what did you do that for?" he questioned, softly.

"Do what?" rejoined Judd, evasively.

"True, you didn't do anything in scrimmage to-day," admitted Cateye,
"But I know the reason why."

"That's easy, I haven't played for over a week," retorted Judd, "I'll tell you it takes practice to—."

"Nonsense, Judd! A kid could have played as well as you did this afternoon. Don't try to bluff me; I know you too well. If you'd have played any other position on that team you'd have been a living cyclone, but just because Coach Phillips put you in against me you laid down!"

"It isn't so!" protested Judd, weakly.

"It is so!" persisted Cateye, "And what's more, if we have the same positions to-morrow and you play that way I'll go to the coach about it!"

"Well,—s'pose it is so," surrendered Judd, "No man on earth can make me go back on my room-mate—."

"Judd, you don't look at things in the right light," argued Cateye. "I know that you're true blue to me and all that but you're not true to your college,—your team."

"Why not?" demanded Judd, kicking at a rug.

"Because, you are not giving your team the best that is in you! Some time ago you sacrificed a chance to play on the first team because you would not accept my position. To-day, by your miserable playing, you lowered yourself in the coach's estimation and undoubtedly made me look good. But you know, and I know, Judd that there are few football men who could hold that line against you if you cared to get through. It is your duty to play your best regardless of circumstances."

"I think more of my friends than any old football team in the country," mumbled Judd, stubbornly. "There's no use talking, Cateye, I'll lay down, every time he pits me against you."

Luckily Judd was shifted to right tackle the following afternoon and a chance for further trouble was averted. The varsity was not quite as successful as on the previous day and it took a hard fight to drub the seconds in a short scrimmage.

The next day, Saturday, Bartlett met and defeated Paulson, 20 to 7, thus keeping her record clean for the entire season up to the final game. The high class of football that the little college displayed in besting Paulson, a team touted to be her equal, gladdened the hearts of every Bartlett rooter. The spirits of all were now fairly on edge for the coming contest with Pennington, just five days away. Some even conceded Bartlett an equal chance but when respective records were compared the skeptics shook their heads. Although both teams had clean slates as to victories, Pennington had played against some stronger teams than Bartlett and seemed to possess a much greater scoring machine.

Cateye had only played in one quarter of the Paulson game. Coach Phillips was saving him for the big fray and taking no risks of his knee giving out. Judd watched the game from the bench.

Monday afternoon marked the last day of scrimmage for the varsity. Coach Phillips had decided to spend the remaining two days at secret signal practice. Consequently the college turned out almost to a man to watch their idol pigskin chasers maul the scrubs as a final demonstration of their ability to whip Pennington. Inspired by the wild cheers of the student body and the realization that the season's biggest game was only two days distant, the varsity fairly outdid itself.

But the faithful second team was resolved to make the varsity earn every touchdown that they secured and fought fiercely to stop each play. For fifteen minutes the battered seconds withstood the onslaught and actually succeeded in pushing across a touchdown themselves. After this the game became a rout and finally ended in a 56 to 7 score. Both elevens left the field, physically fit and in good spirits, but dead tired.

"Whew!" gasped Benz, throwing a shoe the length of the locker room, "Talk about marathon races! I'll bet I ran ten or twenty miles up and down the field scoring touchdowns."

"Great snakes! Did you hear that, guys?" broke in Knox, a second string man, "The swelled head only scored two touchdowns himself and yet he runs ten or twenty miles! What were you doing, Benz, playing solitaire?"

"Never you mind," retorted Benz, amid laughter; then, seeing a way out: "Possibly, Knox, you have never heard of Miles Standish. That's the kind of Miles I run."

"Zowie!"

"Take him out!"

"Stow it!"

"As bright as mud!"

"Call a doctor!"

"A cold shower for that!" shouted Neil, "That stuff is too deep for we'uns!"

A dozen hands seized the unwilling Benz and thrust him cruelly under a cold, cold shower.

"B-r-r-r-r-r! Let me out!" sputtered Benz, making a tremendous struggle. "I don't mind the cold but that water is wet!"

"A double dose for that!" howled Pole, and Benz was forced to submit to another flood of H2O. He was finally released and took his punishment good naturedly. The fun went on, first one, and then the other of the fellows being made the object for humorous attack.

Of a sudden the locker door opened and Coach Phillips stepped in.
Instantly all laughing and talking ceased. Fellows in half-dressed
attitudes hesitated before proceeding. It was evident by the look on
Coach Phillips' face that he had something important to say.

"Any of the fellows left yet?"

"No!"

"Good!" snapped the coach. "I have a little something that I want to say to you all before you go. I—"

"Ouch! Have a heart!" Benz had unwittingly slapped Pole across the small of the back with a wet bath towel. A titter of laughter went up.

"Benz, stop that fooling and pay attention!" Coach Phillips' voice was unusually hard and penetrating.

"Fun is all right in its place," continued the coach, "I'm glad to see you fellows light-hearted and care free. That is usually a good sign before a game. But too much of this sort of business will have a disastrous effect. Such mental attitudes breed self confidence. Self confidence breeds listlessness; and listlessness spells defeat. Now don't misunderstand me. I want you to have a certain amount of confidence, in yourselves, in the team. But beware of over-confidence! Over-confidence will do more than misplays or anything else to bring defeat. Just because we have gone through the season thus far unbeaten, don't for one moment imagine that we are invincible. In order to win Thursday it will take all the skill, strength, and endurance that you fellows have! From now on until the big game is over I want every fellow on the varsity to forget his studies. There is no occasion to look astonished, (as several players gasped). It is a new procedure at Bartlett, I know, but I believe a wise one. You have all worked hard and kept up in your marks throughout the entire season. Now I want complete relaxation. Don't look at a class book. Work hard in football practice and memorize those plays so well that there is not a possibility of mistake. Forget about the game. Get plenty of sleep the next two nights. Take good care of yourselves. When you trot on the field Thanksgiving day I expect to see the best physically and mentally fit team that Bartlett college has ever turned out. Remember, it is not only brawn but brains that wins games now-a-days and you fellows must be in the fight with minds and bodies every minute!"

"Yea!"

"I wish to thank every member of the second team for the loyal manner in which you have come out night after night in order to make a good first team possible," went on Coach Phillips, ignoring the show of enthusiasm. "I am sure that you will all feel amply repaid if your efforts will have made the varsity victorious in the coming big game. Just as a great army depends upon those left behind to properly feed and clothe it, so does a varsity football team depend upon its second team to keep it at its playing strength and build it up through scrimmage. A good first team can hardly ever be attained without a good second team. The fact that we have had an exceptionally fine second team this year has been largely responsible for the success of the varsity.

"I have already talked longer and said more than I at first intended. The second team's work is done for the year but the varsity's hardest work is yet to come. I want all of you varsity men to report for signal practice to-morrow at two P. M. All of you may go now except Judd Billings and McCabe of the seconds."

The fellows filed noisily out of the locker room leaving the wondering
Judd and the elated McCabe to interview Coach Phillips.

"What have I done now?" demanded Judd of McCabe, when he was ordered to remain.

"Don't you know, you rube!" hissed McCabe, joyfully, in his ear.
"We're promoted!"

"Promoted?"

"Yes,—unless I miss my guess he's going to tell us to report for practice with the varsity!"

"That would be kind of nice, wouldn't it?" replied Judd, trying to conceal his joy at the very thought.

Coach Phillips closed the locker door and came up, facing the two eager youths.

"Both of you report for signal practice with the varsity to-morrow. It is possible that you may get into the game Thursday, for a short time at least. Remember what I told the rest about keeping in condition and not studying until the game is over. McCabe, come to my room to-night at seven. I want you to get the signals well in mind and especially some new plays. That is all."

The coach turned abruptly and left the locker room.

McCabe and Judd stood eyeing each other, the news seeming too good to be true. Finally McCabe broke the trance by running across and thumping Judd joyfully.

"What did I tell you?" he shouted, "And it's my first chance in four years!"