Full-Back Foster

  CHAPTER XVI

  CONSPIRACY

  "Full-back!" exclaimed Myron. "Why, I never played it! I don't know it!I----"

  "Piffle! What's the difference? Any chap who can play half well can playfull-back decently. Besides, I've got a strong hunch that you'd make agood one, Foster. You aren't as heavy as I'd like you, but you're fastand you start quick and you hit 'em hard. When it comes right down toit, I'm not sure I wouldn't as soon have a lighter man who can jumpoff quick as a heavier one who gets going slow. But the big idea aboutturning you into a full-back is that you'll have a fair show for thatposition. I like Steve Kearns, but he ought never to have been takenback from the line. He was a mighty promising tackle last year untilDesmond got damaged and we had to have a full-back in a hurry. As forWilliams and Bob Houghton, they aren't more than fair. There's a nicejob waiting for a smart, steady full-back who'll live on the premisesand be kind to the dogs, Foster. And I nominate you."

  Myron made no answer for a moment. This thing of having some one elsearrange his affairs was a bit startling. Finally he said, doubtfully:"Aren't we forgetting that Driscoll and Mellen have something to say,Cummins?"

  "Not a bit of it. What we've got to do is show them that you are thefellow they want there. Then they'll simply have to have you."

  "It would be learning a new game, though."

  "Rot! The positions aren't very different. Just think a minute." Myronthought. Then:

  "How about punting?" he asked dubiously.

  "I've seen you do thirty," answered Chas.

  "You seem to have made a life study of me," laughed Myron. "Yes, I cando thirty, and better, too, I guess, but I've never had much of it todo and I don't believe that I can place my kicks, and I don't know howI'd get along if a bunch of wild Indians was tearing down on me. I'dprobably get frightfully rattled and try to put the ball down my neck,or something."

  "You'd need practice, of course," Chas granted. "I could show you a fewthings myself, and if you went after the position Driscoll would seethat you got plenty of punting work. Don't let that worry you. The thingto do, and it may not be so easy, is to persuade Driscoll that you havethe making of a good full-back."

  "Ye-es." Myron was silent a minute. "I'd like to ask you something,Cummins," he said at last.

  "Shoot!"

  "What other changes are you considering on the team?"

  Chas chuckled. "None, just now. I had thought--but never mind that.You see, what I want to do, Foster, is to fix things so that when nextSeptember rolls around I'll have the making of a good team. A lot ofthis year's bunch will graduate, you know. I've got to make sure thatthere'll be other chaps to take their places. For instance, SteveKearns, even if he was a corking good full-back, wouldn't do me any goodnext fall because he won't be here. Don't get it into your bean that I'mqueering this year's team for the sake of next year's, though, becausethat's not the idea. I wouldn't do that if I could."

  "I begin to believe you could, all right," said Myron. "I have a notionthat if you thought it would be better to have some one else captainyou'd talk Mellen into resigning!"

  "Well, I dare say I'd try it," laughed Chas. "Now what do you say?"

  "About this full-back business? Why, I'm willing, Cummins. I'm notgetting anywhere as a half-back, and I guess I wouldn't do much worse atthe other stunt. But what I don't see is how I'm to persuade the coachto let me change."

  "I know. I haven't got that quite doped out yet. I don't believe justasking for a chance to play full-back would do. He might fall for it,and he might not. You let me mull that over until tomorrow and I'll seeif I can't hit on some scheme. Meanwhile, if I were you I'd sort ofput myself through an exam and see how much I knew about playing full.You might take a book that I have along with you and read what it saysabout it. It's not a very new book, but it's the best that's ever beenwritten, and there isn't much difference in a full-back's job then andnow. I'll see you at the field tomorrow. By the way, are you going withthe team Saturday?"

  "To North Lebron? I don't know. I don't suppose Driscoll will take mewith the squad, but I might go along and see the game."

  "You'd better. It doesn't hurt a fellow to see all the football he can,even if he sees it from the stand. Got to beat it? Well, here's thebook, old chap. And mind, not a word to any one about this business.It's between you and me, Foster."

  Myron found Joe and Andrew Merriman in the room when he got back, andhe took his part in the talk for a half-hour or so. When Andrew went hepushed his school books aside and opened the little blue-bound volumethat Cummins had loaned him. Joe, across the table, half-hidden by thedrop-light, knotted his fingers in his hair and groaned at intervals. Atten both boys yawned and went to bed. Myron was not a sparkling successin Latin class the next forenoon.

  A three o'clock recitation made him somewhat late for practice andCummins was trotting about the gridiron in signal work when he arrivedat the field. Mr. Driscoll sent him over to the second team gridiron tojoin the third squad and so, after all, he didn't learn from Cumminswhether the latter had found a solution to their problem. Nor did he runacross Cummins again that day. The first team was let off early, allsave the punters and goal-kickers, and Cummins had left the gymnasiumwhen Myron got there at half-past five. He considered looking him up athis room after supper, but he had rather more than half promised Joe togo over to Merriman's and so decided not to.

  There was no practice for the first the next afternoon, but the othersquads were put through a full day's work. To Myron's surprise, Cumminstook command when scrimmage time came, Coach Driscoll disappearing fromthe field. Myron found himself at left half on the second squad, withHoughton at full-back. In that position he played for five minutes. ThenCummins, who was evidently very hard to please today, called a halt.

  "That'll do, Bob," he told Houghton. "O Billy! Got a full-back there?"

  "I have not," answered the trainer. "I've got a half here. Want him?"

  "Wait a minute." Cummins ran his eye over the second squad backs."Foster, have you ever played full?" he growled.

  "No," answered Myron.

  "Want to try it? All right, fall back here. Send your half in, Billy."

  Myron heartily wished that Cummins hadn't shifted him, for while he hada very fair notion of a full-back's duties, he wasn't at all keen aboutdisplaying his knowledge under those circumstances. He was, he felt,bound to make a hash of the job, and there were several fellows within afew yards who would be tickled to death to have him do so. He was gladhe had discounted his failure by acknowledging his inexperience. WhenCummins had asked him, he hadn't known whether the temporary coach hadexpected him to say yes or no. He didn't know yet, but he felt that hisreply had certainly been the better one.

  Cummins wasn't gentle with him. Every mistake he made, and he made many,was pointed out to him in emphatic language. Myron wanted to pinchhimself to make certain that he wasn't dreaming. Cummins had conspiredwith him to get him into the position of full-back and now he wassnarling and growling at him quite as though Myron had forced himselfinto the place on false pretences. Myron thought that in considerationof the circumstances Cummins might have dealt a little less harshlywith his shortcomings. But, on the whole, Myron didn't do so badly.He honestly believed that he was playing as well as the deposedHoughton. Cummins didn't let him punt, for which he was grateful, and heencouraged Warren, who was playing at quarter, to use many end plays.Outside of tackle, Myron was usually successful whenever he receivedthe pigskin, and he once or twice made good on plunges at the centreof the line. There, however, his lack of weight told somewhat. In thefirst twelve-minute period the second squad got one touchdown and goaland might have had a second score if Cummins had not put them back fromthe eight yards to the eighteen on some whim of his own. Third got theball on downs six inches from the last white streak and punted out ofdanger, and the second was mad enough to rend Cummins limb from limb!When a five-minute rest came Cummins called Myron from the bench and ledhim into the field. To those watching it was perfec
tly evident that Chaswas telling the green full-back how absolutely rotten he was. They wouldhave been surprised had they heard the conversation out there.

  "You weren't half bad, old chap," said Chas eagerly, yet scowlingferociously still. "You slowed up once or twice when you hit the line,though. Try to keep going hard. A good way to do is to think of theother fellow's goal line instead of his players. Sort of make yourselfthink that's where you're going. You'll get farther before you'restopped, if you are stopped. How do you like it?"

  "All right," answered Myron, a bit grumpily. "But considering that I'venever played it before it seems to me you might let up on me a bit. Yougo on as if I'd murdered my grandmother!"

  "Why, sure," chuckled Chas. "You don't want those fellows to think I'mpulling for you, do you? It's got to look like an accident, don't yousee? I want to be able to tell Driscoll tonight that you went in atfull in an emergency and played a corking good game. Then, if he hashalf the sense I think he has, he will put you in there himself thefirst of the week and look you over. By the way, want to try a littlepunting in the next period?"

  "I don't believe I'd better," answer Myron. "I guess I'd rather not."

  "Maybe you're right. If you made a mess of a punt it would sort of takeoff a few good marks. All right. Now see if you can do a little betterstill this half. And don't mind my growls, old chap. You're getting noworse than any other fellow would get."

  Twelve more minutes of hard playing followed in which the third turnedthe tables with a long run that netted a touchdown. But the try-at-goalfailed and, after the second had battered its way to the enemy's twelveyards, Warren's attempt at a drop-kick went wide and the referee, theassistant manager, blew his whistle. In that second period Myron did alittle better because he was learning his duties, but it would be anexaggeration to say that he showed phenomenal ability as a full-back.He made several good games, gains, was strong in defensive play and gotoff one very pretty forward pass to Mistley that netted twenty yards.In short, Chas had to show a little more enthusiasm than he actuallyfelt when he spoke to Coach Driscoll that evening. There had been afinal conference in the coach's room at half-past seven attended by thetrainer, the managers and seven of the players, and the last problemof the morrow's game had been solved more or less satisfactorily.Afterwards, Chas remained behind with Jud Mellen and Farnsworth andHarry Cater for a sociable chat. None of them meant to talk football,and none of them did for a full quarter of an hour, but it is difficultto keep the subject uppermost in the mind out of the conversation, andpresently Jud said thoughtfully:

  "I wish we had about three more good plays, Coach."

  "We've got enough, Cap," was the confident reply. "No use trying toremember too many at this time of the season. Better know ten or twelvewell than half know twenty. It isn't lack of plays that will beat ustomorrow, if we _are_ beaten----"

  "Sure to be," interpolated Katie cheerfully.

  "Well, it'll be because we haven't got our attack working, then. MusketHill is well ahead of us in development, and that's going to count,fellows. However, we may show them something, at that."

  "By the way, Coach," said Chas, "I ran out of full-backs this afternoonand used that fellow Foster through most of two periods. He wasn't halfrotten, if you ask me. He'd never played it in his life, either."

  "Foster? What happened to Houghton?"

  "It wasn't his day," said Chas. "So I had to find some one else for thesecond squad."

  "Houghton hasn't had a day for a good while," murmured Farnsworth drily.

  "For the love of Mike," exclaimed Jud Mellen, "if we can make afull-back of Foster, let's do it, Coach! It's the weakest position onthe team right now."

  "I've been thinking that Kearns would come on," said Mr. Driscoll, "buthe doesn't seem to get the hang of it."

  "He works hard enough," said Katie.

  "How did you happen to choose Foster?" asked the Coach of Chas. "You hadWiborg. He's played full."

  "Don't think he was there. I asked Billy and Billy only offered me ahalf."

  "Wiborg wasn't out today," explained the manager. "He's been having sometrouble with the Office. Nothing serious, I believe, but he asked for acut."

  "You say Foster showed up pretty well, Cummins?"

  "He really did, Coach. Of course, I don't know how he'd be at punting,but he made some mighty good gains from kicking formation and went intothe third pretty hard from close in."

  "He could be taught enough punting to get by with," suggested CaptainMellen. "Maybe he'll be a find, Coach. I've said right along that helooked good."

  "No harm in trying him," mused Mr. Driscoll. "If Kearns doesn't showsomething tomorrow we'll need a good full-back. Much obliged for thetip, Cummins. Well, good night, fellows. Get a good sleep and be readywith the punch tomorrow. We want that game if we can get it!"