Left End Edwards Part 36

Two tries by the Blue netted little and she again punted and the ball was Brimfield's on her own forty-seven yards. Harris failed to gain through Claflin's left tackle and Brimfield was penalised fifteen yards for holding. On a criss-cross against left tackle Harris was tackled for a loss and Norton then punted to Whittemore and the latter ran the ball back fifteen yards before he was stopped. On a try through Hall the Blue's full-back failed to gain. But on a second attempt at the other side of centre he smashed through for seven yards. A delayed pa.s.s by the Claflin quarter gave his side first down on Brimfield's thirty-five-yard line. Atkinson again tried Hall and gained less than a yard. Ainsmith attempted the Brimfield left end and was thrown by Harris for a five-yard loss. Captain Burrage tried Brimfield's right end and failed.

With one down left and fifteen yards to gain Burrage tried a forward pa.s.s. It was successfully captured, but the distance was short and the pigskin went to Brimfield on her thirty-eight yards.

Norton punted on first down and Claflin returned it. Kendall misjudged the ball and it rolled to the Maroon's twelve yards. Milton fell on it there. Kendall and Norton gained two yards each through centre, and Norton punted to Brimfield's forty-five yard line, where Burrage made a fair catch.

The stands grew very quiet while the Claflin quarter-back poised the ball. Then Burrage stepped forward and sent it speeding away. But the kick was short and Norton caught the ball on his five-yard line and, behind excellent interference, ran it back to the thirty-yard line before he was thrown by Chester. From there Norton punted to the Blue's thirty and Claflin returned the punt on first down to her adversary's forty yards. Harris caught it, but was nailed in his tracks by Mumford, who made a spectacular tackle which won applause from friend and foe alike. Time was called for an injury to Mumford, but he was soon on his feet again.

Claflin was penalised for off-side on the next play. Norton went through right guard for first down and Brimfield shouted joyously. Kendall failed to gain. Norton made a yard and then dropped back to kick formation. The play, however, proved to be a forward pa.s.s to Roberts.

Roberts was out of position and the pigskin was intercepted by the Claflin quarter. It was then the Blue's ball on her forty-five yards.

Hall let the runner through for a yard and Claflin pulled off a successful forward pa.s.s to her left end on Brimfield's thirty-nine-yard line. The Blue's full-back was stopped in an attempt on the opposite right tackle and a penalty for off-side brought the ball to near the middle of the field. Claflin then punted to Brimfield's seven yards and the whistle sounded the end of the first quarter.

The stand cheered while the players traversed the field to line up under the shadow of the west goal.

Brimfield thrust Norton at the Claflin centre when the play began again and the big full-back made three yards. Then he dropped behind his goal-line and punted, the ball going out of bounds at the twenty-four yards. Claflin cheered loudly as the teams lined up.

Claflin's full-back made a yard through the centre, but lost the distance when, on the next down, he went against Lacey. Captain Burrage dropped back to kicking position on the thirty-five-yard line and once more Brimfield's goal was in danger. The pa.s.s was straight and true.

Burrage dropped the ball and swung his foot. But two Brimfield forwards had broken through and as the ball left the ground Andy Miller blocked it. There was a mad scramble for the pigskin, Williams at last falling on it on his twenty-five yards. Norton punted poorly, the ball going diagonally across the gridiron, and it was Claflin's first down on Brimfield's twenty-eight yards. Atkinson came through centre for a yard, and then Burrage once more dropped back for a try at goal. The attempt looked rather desperate, for the kicker was standing almost on the forty-yard line, but Brimfield's supporters held their breaths until the Claflin half-back had swung his long leg. Then a vast shout of relief went up from where the maroon-and-grey megaphones waved tumultuously, for Burrage had made a bad mess of the drop-kick and the ball rolled along the ground and was captured by a Brimfield back.

Still went in for Harris, who had been hurt in the scramble. On the second down, with seven to go, Norton received the ball at full speed from Milton, broke through the Claflin line and, pursued by the wild cheers of the Brimfield spectators, made fifty-five yards through a broken field, at last landing the ball on Claflin's twenty-yard line.

It looked as though Brimfield's moment of victory was at hand. Time was taken out for a Claflin injury and eventually Atkinson was replaced by a subst.i.tute. Brimfield made two tries at the enemy's right end and gained four yards. Williams dropped out of the line and retreated to Claflin's twenty-five-yard line. The ball was almost opposite the middle of the cross-bar when it went back to him on the pa.s.s from centre, but Innes had thrown it low and Williams was hurried by the Blue's forwards, who came cras.h.i.+ng through. The ball went three yards wide of the left-hand upright and Brimfield in the stand groaned.

Claflin put the ball in play on her twenty-five yards and Whittemore punted to Milton on Brimfield's forty-five. Milton plunged back some twelve yards before he was brought down. Norton punted on second down to the Blue's ten yards and the ball was run back ten by the Claflin quarter. The game then became a punting duel and after three exchanges Kendall, getting the ball on his own thirty-five-yard line, ran it back to the opponent's forty, dodging beautifully through a broken field and throwing off at least a half-dozen tacklers. Brimfield tried Claflin's left tackle twice and totalled five yards. A penalty, however, set her back ten yards, and Norton punted again to Claflin's twenty yards.

Gleason was sent in by Coach Robey in place of Lacey. Claflin failed to gain and Whittemore punted to Still on the Maroon's forty-four yards.

Norton tried the enemy's centre and failed of a gain and then punted out of bounds at Claflin's fifteen. Claflin sent in a subst.i.tute right end and Coach Robey put Corcoran in for Kendall. Claflin punted to midfield and Corcoran made one yard through the enemy's centre. An off-side play by the Blue gave Brimfield five yards and took the ball to the Blue's forty. Still gained two at left tackle and the half ended with the pigskin on Claflin's thirty-eight yards, the score 0 to 0.

The teams trotted off, blanket-draped, toward the gymnasium, the subst.i.tutes trailing along behind, and the stand broke into excited discussion of the game. So far the honours had been fairly even, although toward the end of the second period the ball had remained in Claflin territory most of the time. In fact, after Williams' try for goal, the pigskin had never been nearer to Brimfield's last white mark than her thirty-five-yard line. Claflin averaged some four and a half pounds more than the home team, but in spite of that an unbiased critic would have given Brimfield the honours in the attacking game. Her play seemed smoother, her men better drilled. Neither team had shown great ability at line-plunging, although Norton's fine rush of fifty-five yards and Kendall's run of twenty-five gave Brimfield the benefit of the ground-gained figures. Each side had good reason to claim the ultimate victory, and each did so, meanwhile cheering and singing and working the enthusiasm up to a fine pitch.

CHAPTER XXVII

STEVE SMILES

Steve caught up with Tom on the way to the gymnasium. Tom was a disreputable looking object. His upper lip had been cut and had swollen to almost twice its normal size, and he had lost half an inch of skin from one cheek. When he smiled, which he did as Steve grabbed him by the arm, the effect was absolutely diabolical.

"You're the goods, Tommikins!" exclaimed Steve, squeezing the arm he held. "They didn't make an inch through you. You were great!"

"They got through once or twice," mumbled Tom.

"Oh, for a yard or so," scoffed Steve. "Who gave you that peach of a mouth, Tom?"

"Johnson, I think." He touched it gingerly. "It feels as big as a house."

"You're a blooming hero, Tom. Say, Marvin told me the New York papers have got all about that business at Oakdale yesterday. He didn't see it, but someone told him. Wouldn't you love to read what they say? I'm going to get the papers as soon as the game's over."

"Silly rot," mumbled Tom. They were waiting for the throng ahead to get through the doorway. When they followed Tom paused a moment in the hallway, his gaze following the striped legs of the Claflin players as they went up the stairs. Steve tugged at his arm.

"Come on, slow-poke! What's the matter?"

"Nothing. That is, I was just thinking how rotten those fellows will feel if they get beaten."

"Maybe they won't," said Steve soberly. "If they don't, think how rotten we'll feel!"

Tom smiled, wincing with the twinge from his swollen lip. "I suppose someone's got to feel bad. Come on."

In the locker room and in the rubbing room beyond all was bustle. The rubber was hard at work over the table and Danny Moore was already busy with surgeon's plaster and medicated gauze and nasty smelling lotion.

There was very little talk as yet. Fellows sank on to benches and wearily relaxed their tired muscles. Mr. Robey and "Boots" were consulting in low tones by one of the grated windows. Tom eased himself to a seat and began to strip down one torn woollen stocking, displaying an abrasion along the s.h.i.+n bone that brought an exclamation from Steve.

"Shut up," said Tom. "Swipe a bunch of that absorbent cotton from Danny for me, will you? If he sees this he will make a fuss about it. I don't want it to get stiff on me. Hi, Fowler, how is it?"

"All right," replied the left-guard, working a bunch of bleeding knuckles experimentally. "It was hot work, though. Can we hold them next half, Hall?"

"Sure! They're as tired as we are, I guess. Besides, we had them on the run there toward the last."

Tom dragged himself off to the wash-room to bathe his leg with the cotton Steve had brought.

"Ten minutes more," announced Lawrence.

"Hurry in to the table, you fellows," called Danny. "Williams, come here and let me see that knee of yours."

"It's all right now, Danny," said Williams. But he limped across and was freshly bandaged. Mr. Robey left the window and sought Captain Miller, while "Boots," consulting the scribbled notes in his little book, went from player to player, criticising and advising.

"Five minutes!" called Lawrence.

"Hurry up, fellows," said Coach Robey. "Don't let's keep them waiting.

Everyone all right? Just a word then. You fellows played well, and I want to tell you so. You made mistakes; everyone does. Never mind that now. You've got another chance. That's the main thing. We're going to win this game. We're going to score two touchdowns and we're going to hold them off, fellows. You can do it if you make up your minds to. I want every one of you to go back on the field looking as though you'd just come out of a Turkish bath and hadn't done a lick of work. I want every mother's son of you to smile from the time you leave this building until the last whistle blows. If I see one of you who isn't smiling I'll pull him out! We want to make those fellows understand right away that we're going to win, that we _know_ we're going to win and that we can't help being happy about it! But you've got to do more than smile. You've got to work like the d.i.c.kens! You've got to work just about twice as hard as you've been working. Any one of you who thinks he can't do that say so now." Mr. Robey's eyes searched the earnest, attentive faces around him. "All right. Now, there's just one important criticism I've got to make. You fellows were slow. Milton was slow in getting his signals off and the rest of you were slow in starting. If you'll speed up you'll get the jump on those fellows every time. I want to see you do it. I want to see you _jump_! I'll pull out the first man of you who doesn't start the instant the play begins. Understand that, please. I'll forgive mistakes, but I won't stand for slowness. All right. Here's the line-up: Edwards, Gleason, Fowler, Thursby, Hall, Williams, Miller, Milton, Still, Kendall, Norton. How much time is there, Joe?"

"About three minutes," answered Lawrence.

"All right. On the trot now!"

The cheer leaders leaped to their places as the teams came hustling back to the field and waved their megaphones and dropped them and beat time with clenched hands as the cheers burst forth.

"_Rah, rah, Brimfield! Rah, rah, Brimfield! Rah, rah, Brimfi-e-ld!_"

"_Claflin! Claflin! Claflin! Rah, rah, rah, Claflin! Claflin! Claflin!_"

And then Fowler had thudded the ball away with a long swing of his foot and the last half had begun.

The Claflin full-back pulled the ball out of the air, quick interference formed about him and he came charging back up the field.

Five--ten--fifteen yards! Then Miller pulled him down with a savage tackle and the two teams faced each other. Umpire and referee dodged out of the way, Ainsmith called his signals and a back tore at Williams. The secondary defence sprang to the point of attack. There was an instant of confused heaving and swaying. Then the whistle sounded and the lines straightened again.

"Second down! Seven to gain!"

Steve, profiting by Miller's advice, kept his gaze fixed on the face of the opposing end who was edging out into the field. Then the ball was in play and the Claflin end came tearing down upon him, dodged to the right and then strove to slip past him inside. But Steve met him squarely with his shoulder and sent him sprawling. Behind him the teams were off under a punt and he recovered himself and raced along. It was Milton's ball on his thirty-yard line. Brimfield punted on first down and Claflin tore off three yards through centre and then kicked. Neither team was able to gain consistently through the line and each punted on second or third down. Brimfield had a trifle the better of the exchanges, aided a little by the breeze which had freshened since the beginning of the game. With the ball on Claflin's forty-two yards a fumble was recovered by Ainsmith for a loss of seven yards, and on third down Claflin attempted a forward pa.s.s which was intercepted by Captain Miller and carried to Claflin's thirty-yard mark. Brimfield cheered encouragingly and Norton smashed through left tackle for four. Kendall added two more and on a wing s.h.i.+ft Still made the distance and the ball was down on the Blue's twenty yards. Two yards through centre by Norton was followed by a wide end run and the loss of four yards, Still being captured by Captain Burrage. Norton failed to gain at the line and Williams dropped back to kick.

Milton followed to hold the ball for him and Brimfield held her breath.

Thursby pa.s.sed low to the quarter and when the ball arose it bounded away from a charging Claflin forward and went dancing and rolling back up the field. It was finally secured by Gleason on Claflin's thirty-three yards. Three tries by the Maroon netted but six and again Williams went back. This time the kick was short and Claflin secured the ball on her five-yard line and ran it in to the thirteen. Claflin made four around Steve's end and three through Williams. Then Whittemore punted to midfield.