"He certainly is a dandy coach, all right," asserted the Marshall boy,
shaking hands cordially. "I wish we had one half as good as old Joe
Hooker. If you fellows make a dent in the game this season you'll owe
it all to him. I've just been watching how he works, and it's simply
grand. I understand that Harmony is putting in extra licks too this
year, being afraid Marshall will down her team. So altogether it looks
as if we'll have a pretty lively session."

"I don't suppose, Bushnell, that either Marshall or Harmony has much
fear of Chester taking their scalps this year?" laughed Jack.

"Well, you never can tell what may happen in football, until you've
tested the mettle of your antagonist," the other sagely replied.
"Anything is liable to come along the pike. But as a rule the veterans
in the business are those who count; and we take it that few of the
Chester fellows have ever been in a real scrimmage; so we expect
they'll have a heap to learn. Still, with that veteran coach drilling
it in day after day wonders may happen. You've got several weeks for
practice before the game with Marshall comes off. If you fellows keep
on improving as you're doing now, I can see a jolly struggle taking
place, and the result may surprise some folks I know."

"It's nice of you being interested enough in our work to drop in and
watch us, and I mean that too, Bushnell," said Jack.

"Well, of course I wouldn't think of coming across later on, when
you'll be practicing your signal stunts, and different mass plays,"
hastily remarked the other, coloring a bit with embarrassment. "If
Marshall does carry off that game I want to see it won on merit, not
trickery. Football isn't a game where such things should be tolerated.