THE SECRET PLAY By Ralph Henry Barbour THE PURPLE PENNANT SERIES The Purple Pennant (_in prep._) The Secret Play The Lucky Seventh YARDLEY HALL SERIES Winning his “Y” For Yardley Around the End Double Play Change Signals Forward Pass MAPLE HILL SERIES The Brother of a Hero Finkler’s Field THE BIG FOUR SERIES Four Afloat Four Afoot Four in Camp The Half Back For the Honor of the School The Captain of the Crew Behind the Line Weatherby’s Inning The Spirit of the School The New Boy at Hill Top The Junior Trophy Benton’s Venture On Your Mark! D. APPLETON AND COMPANY ═ Publishers ═ New York [Illustration: “Ecstatic youths ... were capturing the players and raising them shoulder-high.”] THE SECRET PLAY BY RALPH HENRY BARBOUR AUTHOR OF “THE LUCKY SEVENTH,” “AROUND THE END,” ETC. [Illustration] Illustrated by NORMAN P. ROCKWELL NEW YORK AND LONDON D. APPLETON AND COMPANY 1915 Copyright, 1915, by D. APPLETON AND COMPANY Printed in the United States of America CONTENTS CHAPTER PAGE I. “THE COACHLESS WONDERS” 1 II. DICK RECEIVES AN INVITATION 18 III. A DISCOURAGED CAPTAIN 28 IV. LOUISE HAS AN IDEA 39 V. DICK CONSENTS 58 VI. THE NEW COACH TAKES HOLD 69 VII. CLEARFIELD MEETS DEFEAT 81 VIII. THE COMMITTEE IN SESSION 100 IX. LANNY EXPLAINS 107 X. FOOTBALL PROBLEMS 124 XI. “SPY!” 134 XII. THE BOARD OF STRATEGY 152 XIII. A TRIP TO THE CITY 166 XIV. AN UNWILLING HERO 177 XV. CORWIN WINS 190 XVI. LANNY VISITS THE OFFICE 201 XVII. THE INDIGNATION MEETING 213 XVIII. MR. GRAYSON IS SURPRISED 224 XIX. ATTACK AND DEFENSE 241 XX. MORRIS CALLS IN THE DOCTOR 253 XXI. THE NEW PLAYS ARE TRIED 269 XXII. CHEERS, SONGS AND SPEECHES 283 XXIII. CABLE KICKS OFF 293 XXIV. BETWEEN THE HALVES 303 XXV. THE SECRET PLAY 319 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS FACING PAGE “Ecstatic youths ... were capturing the players and raising them shoulder-high” _Frontispiece_ “‘Too bad, Dick,’ he said. ‘Still we did score on ’em’” 84