CHAPTER IV FOOTBALL PRACTICE For a few seconds no one spoke after Dick Hamilton had mentioned his plan for improving the Kentfield eleven. But at length, with a long-drawn sigh of satisfaction, Innis remarked: "Dick; you're a trump!--a brick!--an ice-cream brick on a hot day!--you're all to the mustard!--a----" "Cut it out!" cried our hero, "can't you see how I'm blushing? But seriously, fellows, is my plan all right?" "I should say it was!" exclaimed Paul Drew. "But look at what it's going to cost," objected George Hall. "Those Yale and Princeton coaches are high-fliers--that is, if you can get them to come--and then besides their salary, we'll have to board 'em. Though I s'pose we could put 'em up at the Pig, provided they won't scrap all the while over different training plans." "Oh, I fancy that part will be all right," remarked Teddy Naylor. "But do you think you can get any Yale or Princeton coaches to come here--to Kentfield--with her poor, old, broken-down team--that is according to Anderson," spoke Frank Rutley. "Well, of course we'll have to take a chance on that," replied Dick. "If we can't get men from those two colleges we can try some others. But dad is an old Princeton grad. and I have sort of a distant forty-second cousin who was once a star half-back at Yale. I might get them to put in a good word for us." "Hurray!" cried Innis in the excitement and exuberance of the moment. "That's the stuff! Now we'll wipe up the ground with those Blue Hill snobs! Whoop-la!" He shot out a sturdy fist, and squarely hit a football that Teddy Naylor was balancing on his hand. The spheroid flew straight and true across the room, and caught John Stiver on the chin. Stiver at that moment happened to be looking at the sporting page of a paper and did not see the ball coming. Consequently it was quite a surprise, and he went over backward against Paul Drew, both going down in a heap. "I say, who did that?" cried John, as he arose with the symptoms of wrath in his eyes. "I did, old chap!" confessed Innis contritely. "You see I felt so good I wanted to start something. I beg your pardon." "Granted. But you certainly started something all right," remarked John grimly. "There goes Drew's nose bleeding. You sure started something all right." "Oh, I don't mind," responded Dick's roommate, as he went to a toilet room to staunch the flow of blood. "If we get a good team and play some stiff games I'll probably have worse than this before the season is over." Innis went out with Paul to assist in attending to the bleeding member, and the others resumed their football talk. There was but one opinion about Dick's plan--everybody said it was just what was needed, and to all suggestions that it would cost a mint of money, the young millionaire declared that it would be worth all it cost him.