CHAPTER XV--DETERMINED DICK
The first half of the game was over. The score at the end of the halfstood U. A. A., 18; Fardale, 6.
Fardale's one touch-down and goal had been made on a fluke.
The teams had lined up as follows:
-------------------------------------- FARDALE SPRINGVALE -------------------------------------- Jolliby Right end McElroy -------------------------------------- Hoyt Right tackle Kerns -------------------------------------- Gardner Right guard Seaton -------------------------------------- Tubbs Center Redmond -------------------------------------- Shannock Left guard Hicks -------------------------------------- Bradley Left tackle Clack -------------------------------------- Lewis Left end Iott -------------------------------------- Smart Quarter-back Loppinger -------------------------------------- Merriwell Right Waldron half-back -------------------------------------- Buckhart Left Chase half-back -------------------------------------- Singleton Full-back Durkee --------------------------------------
This was a great change about on the home team from the regular order.Buckhart had been taken off left end and given Darrell's position athalf-back, while Darrell was dropped entirely. Lewis, a plebe, had beensubstituted for Buckhart. Merriwell, Singleton, Smart, and Tubbs werethe only men who held their positions. Bradley had been shifted fromright guard to left tackle, Shannock had been removed from right end toleft guard, Jolliby had moved over from right tackle to right end, EarlGardner had been given Bradley's position as right guard, and thesethings had served to break the team up completely, quite taking theconfidence out of it.
Gardner had made the run with the ball, which he secured on a bad passand a fumble, and his had been the glory of Fardale's only touch-down.It seemed that Uniontown had the game "on ice."
The visitors had played a rushing, thumping, rough-house game. At firstthe cadets had met them in this business, but they lost spirit whenUniontown kept the ball in the territory of the home team nearly all thetime, seeming altogether too heavy and strong.
Dick was desperate. He was determined to do something to bring about achange. With the team as it was, he had small hopes of winning.Strangely enough, all through the first half, for all of the roughtactics of the visitors, no man was knocked out so that he was forced toretire from the game.
Brad walked off the field by Dick's side when the half was over. The gymwas near enough for the men to run over to it, and this they did.
"The jig is up, pard," said Buckhart. "They've got us! And it is all thework of that dirty dog Arlington! He has ruined the team! I swear itwould have been better if I had cheated and kept him from getting on thecommittee!"
Dick did not seem to hear Buckhart's words. He was thinking swiftly justabout then.
"We must win this game! I am determined to do it!" he muttered.
"No matter how determined you are," said Brad, "you can't do it withthis team as it stands."
Dick heard this, for he nodded. Reaching the gym, Dick found two fellowsready to give him a rubbing if he wished it.
"We'll cut it out," he said. "You fellows go for Hal Darrell. Bring himhere."
Then he turned to Brad, asking:
"Dare, Kent, and Bradley are with the substitutes, are they not?"
"Sure."
Darrell was found in a minute or so, and brought into the gym.
"Hal," said Dick, "do you want us to win this game?"
"Sure thing," said Hal.
"Well, I want you to know that I did not drop you from the team. I wasgiven orders by the committee to play the team just as it lined upto-day. Arlington is the man who did this."
Hal shrugged his shoulders.
"I want you to get into your rig," said Dick. "Will you do it?"
"Are you going to play me?"
"Yes."
"In defiance of the committee?"
"Yes!"
"I'll be on hand."
Dick sent for Bradley, Dare, and Kent, with all of whom he talked.
Just as the team was leaving the gym for the field, Arlington and Warnecame hurriedly into the place.
"Just in time!" exclaimed Warne.
"Go on, fellows," said Dick. "I will be with you in a moment."
At the same time he made a gesture to Buckhart. Brad was surprised. Hedid not quite understand, but he hurried the others out and followedthem.
"In this final half," said Warne, "there is one thing we want you to do,Merriwell. Of course, you can't expect to win, as that team is mucholder and heavier, but----"
"I must have dropped it in the shower-room," said Dick, pretending to besearching for something. "I've got to have it. And I must be out on thefield in two minutes. If you fellows have anything to say, come on andsay it while I'm searching."
He ran into the room where the boys took their shower-baths. There was aplunge in the same room.
Warne and Arlington followed. Dick seemed to be searching, lookingswiftly about, his eyes on the floor.
"As I was saying----" resumed Warne.
He got no further. Out of the room darted Dick, and the heavy doorbanged, shutting in Chester Arlington and the chairman of the athleticcommittee. Outside there was a heavy bolt, which Dick shot into place.
"Say on, Warne!" he exclaimed exultantly and defiantly; "but I can'tstop to listen. I can't afford to be bothered by this committee duringthe last half of the game."
He hurried from the now deserted gymnasium. As he was leaving he heardhis astonished captives banging on the door of the bathroom and shoutingfor him to open it.
"Pound away! Yell away!" he said. "I think there will be sufficientnoise on the field so that your cries will not be heard for a time, atleast."
He ran from the gym toward the field, and was just in time to go outwith the team.
When the disappointed cadets saw the team go on the field for the secondhalf they started up and showed interest, for there had been a bigchange. With a single exception, the old players were back in theirregular positions.
Kent, who had not entirely recovered from injuries received in aprevious game, was not at left tackle, although he was waiting among thesubstitutes. Gardner filled his place. Gardner was not quite largeenough for guard, but he was so very fast that Dick had decided toretain him in the line. Shannock and Buckhart were again on the ends.Dare and Bradley were the guards, Jolliby was at right tackle, andDarrell assumed his old position at left half-back. Three members of theathletic committee stared and wondered.
"What does it mean?" asked Anson Day. "Why, I thought Merriwell had beengiven orders to----"
"Where's Warne?" asked Oliver Stone excitedly.
"Where's Arlington?" exclaimed Hadley Burrows. "We must see about this!"
But they looked in vain for either Warne or Arlington.
The cadets were cheering with new life now. Everywhere the red and blackwas waving. What a difference there was! Confidence seemed restored.
There was a lull as the spread-out teams waited for the kick-off. Inthat hush and pause Dick Merriwell's keen ears seemed to catch the soundof faint, muffled shouts coming from the direction of the gymnasium, andhe smiled grimly.
Fardale went into the game with a whirl and a rush that almost sweptUniontown off her feet. The home team had snap, ginger, vim, and go toit. Every man was in the game. They played together, and they were outfor victory. Getting the ball, Fardale began hammering against theenemy, at their thirty-yard line. The funnel-play was tried, andSingleton hit the left wi
ng of the enemy, going through for five yards.
The same play was repeated, the funnel seeming pointed in the samedirection. Singleton rushed ahead until near what seemed the point ofassault, then suddenly darted out through the side of the funnel, wherean opening had been made for him, and went through the left wing of theenemy for seven yards. Well, this was the kind of stuff! This wasplaying football!
A third time the ball was given to big Bob. And now he went forwardprotected by a wedge that hit the line in the center. The wedge pressedon steadily until the opposing team began to tear it to pieces. Bob sawa tackler coming through, and, with a deft movement, he tossed the ballout to Dick Merriwell, who had been keeping just back of him on theoutside of the edge.
The next moment Singleton was dragged down. But the ball was gone, Dickhad it, and he was away like a flash. To the right ran Dick, dartingpast Iott, who tried in vain to reach him. He circled the end andstarted down the field.
When Chase brought him down he had made full fifteen yards, and thecadets on the seats were mad with delight.
The Uniontown team was startled and not a little dismayed. Instead ofcoming out weak in the second half, the cadets were stronger and fasterthan they had been at the beginning of the game.
The ball was carried into Uniontown's territory and steadily driven downtoward the goal-line of the visiting team. Fardale hammered into theenemy with a dogged persistency that was admirable and told of the sandpossessed by the academy lads.
Several times through the game Uniontown had resorted to slugging, andnow she tried it again. Jolliby was thumped and Dare was kicked in thestomach. The umpire detected the fellow in the act of kicking and gavehim a warning, but the kicker said he had not meant to violate therules.
Still Fardale would not be stopped. Time after time she made herdistance, and the ball was forced down to within ten yards of the goalof the visiting team. Then the cadets were set back for holding, and anoff-side play lost them the ball when they had the taste of success ontheir lips. It was hard, but Dick stiffened up his team, and theyprepared to hold the enemy.
Uniontown seemed to prepare for a kick. Instead of kicking, however,Uniontown gave the ball to Waldron, while her line buckled down to holdFardale. Waldron shot forward, rose into the air, hurdled the linehandsomely, and made six good yards before Darrell pulled him down. Itwas a very handsome play, and the visiting crowd had good cause tocheer.
Now Uniontown began to push Fardale back steadily. Now and then, when itwas necessary to make a yard or two without fail and Fardale seemed tohold fast, Waldron hurdled. Repeatedly he was successful, and Fardalewas driven back to her forty-yard line.
Dick saw that the hurdling was counting against them, and he determinedto stop it. He watched closely, and the next time Waldron came flying atthe line, the captain of the cadets charged from the opposite side.
With a flying leap, Dick shot upward and met the hurdler in the airabove the line. Waldron had not expected this, and he was flung backwardfor a loss, Dick coming down upon him. The cadets roared their delightat this.
Twice after that Waldron was stopped in the same manner by Dick, whocompletely ruined the success of his hurdling.
When Fardale got the ball again she marched straight down the field andpushed it over for a touchdown without being checked at any point.
A goal was easily made.
Dick had a word to say to his men as they spread out for the nextkick-off. He was determined to waste no time. Thus it happened thatFardale did not return the kick. Darrell caught the ball and ran sixteenyards with it before being grassed.
The signal was given for the center-back play. The Uniontown playerswere surprised to see little Smart take the place of the ponderousTubbs, while Tubbs retired to full-back and Singleton became temporaryquarter-back.
When they started to walk over Smart, however, Singleton backed Ted up,and then Tubbs, with the ball, came smashing into the line and bored hisway along. They seized him and tried to drag him down, but he kept onfor full ten yards before they could stop him.
"Great work!" laughed Dick. "On the jump now, fellows!"
"On the jump!" cried Ted Smart.
It was the signal for the old "ends-around" play. Fardale had never metUniontown on the gridiron before, therefore the visitors were not on tothe cadets' little play of the previous year.
When the ball was snapped the ends and sides of the line seemed to meltbackward before the assault of the enemy. The center held fast, whilethe ends swung round, followed by the opposing men, who were pushing. Asthey swung round they came in behind the man who had the ball, and hewas thrust forward, a portion of the visitors working against themselveswithout knowing they did so.
Dick kept this play up, working it once or twice by pulling Tubbs backand letting him slam into the line, until the ball was driven down towithin six yards of the goal-line. There Uniontown made a stand and heldfor three downs. But Dick himself went through on the last trial, and hemanaged to squirm forward after being dragged down so that the ball wassix inches over the line when the piled-up men untangled.
Dick was pretty badly hurt, but he succeeded in getting on his feet,turning the ball over to Singleton. Darrell held the ball, and big Bobkicked the goal, tieing the score.