“A good showing isn’t possible unless we beat Springdale,” replied Dick emphatically, “and that’s what we’re working for. I don’t much care if we lose every game from now till then, if we win that one. Now let’s get at those plays. This No. 3 won’t work out, I guess. We’re taking too many men from the right of the line and we’re giving the play away from the start. There’s one thing we’ve got to keep in mind, fellows, and that is that the simpler our plays are the better they’ll work. If we decide on that formation we’ve talked of our plays have got to be simple. I don’t mind trying this No. 6 out in practice if you like, but I don’t cheer for it much.” “Just the same, if it did fool them,” suggested George, “it would fool them badly and we’d make yards on it.” “But I don’t think it would fool them,” said Dick. “Not more than once, anyhow. And there’s no use learning a play that can be used no more than once in a game. Frankly, fellows, I don’t set much score on fancy formations and funny shifts and trick plays. They don’t pan out well. Of course, if your opponent is weak you can make anything go, but we’re planning for Springdale, and Springdale isn’t weak. She knows a lot of football. Why, that No. 6 would be smeared to the hilt the second time we tried it, if not the first. With all due regard to you, Lanny, I’m going to forget that play.” And Dick rolled the sheet of paper up and tossed it into the waste-basket. “Alas, poor child of my brain!” murmured George. “Was that yours?” asked Dick. “I thought Lanny did that.” “No, mine was that quarterback-run play,” said Lanny. “Oh! Well, I’m sorry, George. If you want me to I’ll try it out.” “No, don’t bother. I dare say you’re quite right about it. It _is_ a bit involved.” “All right. Try again, George. Only keep them simple. Plays that use only two men are a heap better than those requiring half a dozen to mess around and get in each other’s way. Now, here’s this No. 8. I like that, Lanny. Was that yours?” Lanny shook his head regretfully. “No, that’s one that Corwin sprang on us last Fall. I changed it a bit, that’s all. They pulled it off from a forward-pass formation, but that seemed to me to limit it a good deal. I thought it would be a good play to work from regular formation.” “I think it would. And if we can get that formation of ours to working right it would be a good play to add to that 4 and 5 sequence. We’ll lay it aside for now, though. What we want for the next fortnight is about three more plays outside of tackle. Now let’s get busy.” The Twenty-fifth of October Fund Committee met as arranged on Wednesday night, all members present save Grace Lovering, whose regrets were formally expressed by Dick. “She isn’t sick, is she?” asked Louise concernedly. “Not at all,” replied Dick gravely. “She is in most robust health. To relieve your kind anxiety, Louise, I’ll state that to-night is bread-making night at our house.”