"I guess not," answered Bob, making a dive for the right hand of his
comrade, which happened to be free of bundles, and which he squeezed
most heartily. "Thank you a thousand times for giving me so much fresh
hope, Jack. I'm going to try once more to believe that the whole nasty
business will come out right. See you when we start across for
Marshall this afternoon. I've laid out not to eat more than half a
ration this noon, because I want to be in fighting trim."

So they parted, with a wave of the hand; and at least Big Bob did have
a more contented look on his face than when he first called out to
Jack across the main street of Chester, to ask for a little of his
time.

Of course there was no attempt made to restrain the members of the
team from eating any reasonable amount of food. They did not go in
training for days and weeks before a gridiron battle, as is done in
all colleges, their diet restricted to certain lines of food best
calculated to add to their vigor, without making them loggy. But Joe
Hooker had impressed it on their minds that it would be well for them
to avoid certain things that might upset their stomachs; and all had
bound themselves not to attend any parties, or stay out of bed later
than ten o'clock on any night.

Small things like this often have a tremendous influence in deciding a
fiercely contested battle on the gridiron. If one man has been
indulging in too rich food, so that his digestion is impaired in the
least, he has weakened his system; and in case the crisis of the fight
chances to fall upon his shoulders, he will possibly be unable to bear
the strain as he might had he been in perfect physical shape.