



Produced by Donald Cummings and the Online Distributed
Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net







[Illustration: "Smash and hammer; hammer and smash!"]




 A Quarter-Back's Pluck

 A Story of College Football

 BY
 LESTER CHADWICK

 AUTHOR OF "THE RIVAL PITCHERS," ETC.


 ILLUSTRATED


 NEW YORK
 CUPPLES & LEON COMPANY




 BOOKS BY LESTER CHADWICK

 =THE COLLEGE SPORTS SERIES=

 12mo. Illustrated

 THE RIVAL PITCHERS
 A Story of College Baseball

 A QUARTER-BACK'S PLUCK
 A Story of College Football

 (Other volumes in preparation)

 CUPPLES & LEON COMPANY NEW YORK


 Copyright, 1910, by
 CUPPLES & LEON COMPANY


 A QUARTER-BACK'S PLUCK


 Printed in U. S. A.




CONTENTS


 CHAPTER                                        PAGE
      I  MOVING DAY                                1
     II  LANGRIDGE HAS A TUMBLE                   10
    III  PHIL GETS BAD NEWS                       20
     IV  FOOTBALL PRACTICE                        31
      V  A CLASH                                  43
     VI  PROFESSOR TINES OBJECTS                  52
    VII  THE FIRST LINE-UP                        61
   VIII  LANGRIDGE AND GERHART PLOT               70
     IX  SOME GIRLS                               77
      X  A BOTTLE OF LINIMENT                     91
     XI  IN WHICH SOM EONE BECOMES A VICTIM      100
    XII  THE FIRST GAME                          106
   XIII  SMASHING THE LINE                       117
    XIV  "GIRLS ARE QUEER"                       123
     XV  PHIL SAVES WALLOPS                      131
    XVI  PHIL IS NERVOUS                         138
   XVII  THE SOPHOMORES LOSE                     144
  XVIII  A FIRE ALARM                            155
    XIX  THE FRESHMEN DANCE                      162
     XX  PHIL GETS A TELEGRAM                    172
    XXI  STRANGE BEDFELLOWS                      179
   XXII  A CHANGE IN SIGNALS                     187
  XXIII  BATTERING BOXER HALL                    195
   XXIV  GERHART HAS AN IDEA                     210
    XXV  PHIL GIVES UP                           217
   XXVI  SID IS BOGGED                           224
  XXVII  WOES OF A NATURALIST                    233
 XXVIII  TOM IS JEALOUS                          239
   XXIX  A STRANGE DISCOVERY                     246
    XXX  A BITTER ENEMY                          254
   XXXI  "IT'S TOO LATE TO BACK OUT!"            260
  XXXII  TOM GETS A TIP                          265
 XXXIII  "LINE UP!"                              273
  XXXIV  THE GAME                                280
   XXXV  VICTORY--CONCLUSION                     287




A QUARTER-BACK'S PLUCK




CHAPTER I

MOVING DAY


Phil Clinton looked critically at the rickety old sofa. Then he glanced
at his chum, Tom Parsons. Next he lifted, very cautiously, one end of
the antiquated piece of furniture. The sofa bent in the middle, much as
does a ship with a broken keel.

"It--it looks like a mighty risky job to move it, Tom," said Phil. "It's
broken right through the center."

"I guess it is," admitted Tom sorrowfully. Then he lifted the head of
the sofa, and warned by an ominous creaking, he lowered it gently to the
floor of the college room which he and his chum, Sid Henderson, were
about to leave, with the assistance of Phil Clinton to help them move.
"Poor old sofa," went on Tom. "You've had a hard life. I'm afraid your
days are numbered."

"But you're not going to leave it here, for some measly freshman to lie
on, are you, Tom?" asked Phil anxiously.

"Not much!" was the quick response.

"Nor the old chair?"

"Nope!"

"Nor the alarm clock?"

"Never! Even if it doesn't keep time, and goes off in the middle of the
night. No, Phil, we'll take 'em along to our new room. But,