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_erack that afternoon.
~- strong, isn’t ite” - '
8 cs FRANK MANLEY’S GREAT LINE-UP.
from. placement by taking. only two or three quick steps | .
forward.” -
-Hal threw himself down as holder, while Manley ordered
the aiming of the ball ‘carefully. Then, with two swift steps
forward, Manley caught the ball with his foot dust as Hal
_let it touch the ground.
Away sailed ‘the ball, straight and- true, and would have
made a goal had it been aimed over the cross-bar.
~ “Get after that, now, those of you who like fine swork ”
laughed Frank, “You'll find that a kick from placement
_ Will he all the better, the more brains you put into it.”
It turned out to be the hardest nut he had given them to
‘CHAPTER V.
cAUGHT ON THE JUMP, *
“Well, Wallie, how are you coming on?”
Frank Manley put the question to the youngest member
of the club as. the latter came out of the locker house after
a rubdown and dressing. °
“Wouldn’t want to come on faster,” replied young Eg-
bert, whose cheeks were glowing with the. good color of
health. °
'¢ ~~. Wallie was a sort of honorary member of the club.
At the beginning of the summer season Wallie had been
~ such a weakling that there didn’t appear to he much chance
of his living long. .
But his father, a wealthy man, had heard of the train-
ing work of the Woodstock Junior Athletic Club.
More than that, Mr. Egbert had seen the Up and At
’Em Boys themselves.
They were such a fine lot of sturdy , active, healthy boys
that he had longed to sce his own son in their class.
So he had induced Manley to take Wallie into the club
during the summer encampment.
In return for this the club had received a fine, large
fee that had materially aided the club’s treasury.
.. So much stronger and happier had Wallie grown during
that summer’s training under Frank Manley that Mr. Eg-
bert had eagerly offered another large fee to have his boy
keep on with the club through the fall and winter seasons.
Now Wallic was busy and enthusiastic over the football
practice, though he did not hope to secure a place even
on the second eleven.
There were too many stronger boys ahead of him.
“You're going to be a young Samson one of these days,
Wallie,” smiled Frank.
“Y’m sure of it. Look at the weight I’ve put on in the
Jast few months. And sce the muscle I’ve got. And the
wind!” |
“You're on the straight and right path,” replied Frank,
. earnestly, and Jaying a friendly hand on the youngster’s
shoulder. - “It’s worth taking the trouble to be healthy and
“It isn’t trouble,” retorted young Egbert.
the best sport I ever had. I wish every thirteen-year-old
youngster in the country could have the chance that: I’m
having.- Frank, I shall never be willing to leave Wood-
stock and its great club.”
Just here Jack Winston happened along and linked his
arm through: Wallie’s.
Jackets was another weakling whom - Manley had made
strong.
But Jackets had now reached the grade of first-class ath-
lete for his age of fourteen.
He was one of the fastest sprinters in the club, and ex-
celled in many other sports, notably swimming. oo
As a distance runner young Winston was tireless. It
was a general belief that he could keep going as long over
cross-country as Manley himself could do. ’
Being a sympathetic little chap, Winston always took
an eager interest in the later weakling.
“How are you now, Wallie?” queried J: ackets.
“All right, except a little stiff in some of my muscles
after the practice,” replied Egbert.
“Know what’s good for that?”
“What?”
. “A long walk,” said Jackets, decisively.
“How long ?”
“Oh, five miles before supper.”
“Are you game to go with me?”
“Sure!” retorted Winston, cheerfully.
Wallie looked at Manley. The little fellow seldom made
a move before consulting his trainer.
“Shall I go?”
“Tt will be all right,” nodded Manley. “You can cut the
walk down a bit if you find it tiring you. Jackets is a mer-
ciful boy.”
“Come on, then!” cried J ackets, and the pair went briskly
away together. an
“Wallie is going to be the real thing j in a boy in time,
isn’t he?” queried Hal, who had been standing close by.
“He certainly is,” affirmed Manley.
that now. Already he’s tougher, a good deal tougher, than
the average boy of his age. Think of a youngster at that
age starting off on a five-miler after hard work at football.”
“His nerves are a good deal steadier,” commented Spof-
ford.
“They ought to be. Wallie assures me that he has parted
altogether with cigarettes, and I believe him.”
“What j is he shy on especially?” asked Hal,
“Not really shy on anything: physically just now, al-
though, of course, his condition will be vastly improved by.
spring. But I don’t know yct how he is on grit.”
“Why should he be shy on grit?” queried Hal.
“Cigarettes!” answered Frank, drily. “Those infernal
things always seem to take a.growing boy’s grit from him.
That’s one reason why athletics and cigarettes are so op-
posed to each other. The natural tendency of athletics is
to put one’s grit up a few notches.”
“I don’t believe Wallie is exactly a coward, ”” said Hal,
thon ngntfully.
“He’s pretty. near.
“Tm having :