As he finished talking on health and condition Mr. Morton drew from one of his pockets a bunch of folded papers.
"I am now," he continued, "going to present to each one of you a set of rules, principles, guides—-call them what you will. On this paper each one of you will find laid down rules that should be burned into the memories of all young men who aspire to play football. Do not lose your copies of these rules. Read the rules over again and again. Memorize them! Above all, put every rule into absolute practice."
Then, at a sign, the young men passed before the coach to receive their printed instructions.
"Something new you've gotten up, Mr. Morton?" inquired one of the fellows.
"No," the coach admitted promptly. "These rules aren't original with me. I ran across 'em, and I've had them printed, by authority from the Athletics Committee. I wish I had thought up a set of rules as good."
As fast as they received their copies each member of the squad darted away to read the rules through. This is what each man found on the printed sheet:
"1. Work hard and be alive.
2. Work hard and learn the rules.
3. Work hard and learn the signals.
4. Work hard and keep on the jump.
5. Work hard and have a nose for the ball.
6. Work hard all the time. Be on speaking terms with the ball
every minute.
7. Work hard and control your temper and tongue.
8. Work hard and don't quit when you're tackled. Hang onto the ball.
9. Work hard and get your man before he gets started. Get him
before the going gets good.
10. Work hard and keep your speed. If you're falling behind
your condition is to blame.
11. Work hard and be on the job all the time, a little faster, a
little sandier, a little more rugged than the day before.
12. Work hard and keep your eyes and ears open and your head up.
13. Work hard and pull alone the man with the ball. This isn't a
game of solitaire.
14. Work hard and be on time at practice every day. Train faithfully.
Get your lessons. Aim to do your part and to make yourself a
perfect part of the machine. Be a gentleman. If the combination
is too much for you, turn in your togs and call around during
croquet season."
"What do you think of that, as expounding the law of football?" smiled coach, looking down over Dave Darrin's shoulder.
"It doesn't take long to read, Mr. Morton And it ought not to take long to memorize these fourteen rules. But to live them, through and through, and up and down—-that's going to take a lot of thought and attention."
To the four ex-"soreheads" not a word had been said about the late unpleasantness, nor was this quartette any longer in Coventry.