CHAPTER XVII--LAURIE MAKES A PROTEST
The football team continued to add victories, and as the fateful 20th ofNovember approached enthusiasm grew until, after the Whittier game,which Hillman's won by a field goal in the final hectic two minutes, itbecame more a furore than enthusiasm. Ned, by that time, had settleddown to a realization that, no matter what progress he made this fall,no matter how adept he became at kicking a football down the field orover the cross-bar, he would not make the first team; that, in short, hewas being educated as next year material. There was no injustice inthis, and he realized it; for, aside from his proficiency as a kicker,he was not in the class with the school team backs. He couldn't worm hisway through a hole in the opposing line the way Slavin could, nor smashthrough the defense the way Mason did, nor dodge and side-step in abroken field like Pope. Once going, Ned was rather hard to stop, for hedisplayed some of the slippery qualities of an eel; but it took him tenyards to get his speed up, and the opponents had a discouraging way ofgetting through and flooring him before the tenth yard was won! But hehad grown to love the game, and no one toiled more conscientiously.There were times when Laurie devoutly wished that Ned hadn't taken upthe game, for after a half-hour of Ned's chatter Laurie found thesubject of football a trifle dull.
On the Wednesday before the Farview contest the Orstead High School teamcame over for a practice game. At least, Hillman's called it a practicegame and considered it such; but High School had blood in her eye andwas secretly determined to wreak all the vengeance possible. Once ayear, for the space of some three hours, Orstead High School sworeallegiance to Hillman's and turned out at the field and rooted valiantlyfor the Blue while she battled with Farview. But all the rest of thetime she was frankly hostile and derisive. This Wednesday afternoon thehostility was apparent from the first. More than a hundred boys and ascattering of girls followed their team to the Hillman's field anddemanded revenge for the early-season defeat, while the High Schoolteam, which had passed through a rather successful season and was not atall the aggregation that the Blue had beaten 10 to 7, started right outafter it.
Coach Mulford began with his first-string players, and against them HighSchool was not dangerous, although there were anxious moments. Thesecond period ended with the score 7--0 in Hillman's favor, only afumble by Slavin on High School's eight yards saving the visitor from asecond touch-down. When the third quarter began, Coach Mulford put innearly a new eleven, only Kewpie Proudtree, Farley, Mason, and Poperemaining over. Perhaps the High School coach had talked new strengthand determination into his charges during the intermission, for thevisitors started in on the second half in whirlwind fashion. The Bluekicked off, and High School's quarter got the ball on histwenty-five-yard line and scampered back to the thirty-five before hewas laid low by Farley, the Blue's left end. From there, with fierceslams at Hillman's right and two short forward passes over the center ofthe line, High School reached the opponent's thirty-two. There anoff-side penalty set her back, and, after two attempts at rushing thatproduced but three yards, she kicked to the five-yard line. Kendrickfumbled the catch, but recovered and was downed on his ten. Pope puntedon second down to mid-field, and from there High School started anotherslashing advance that took her to the thirty-four yards before she washalted.
On the side-lines, the High School supporters were shouting andbeseeching and banners were waving deliriously. A tow-haired full-back,who had all along proved the visitor's best ground-gainer, smashedthrough the Hillman's left for two yards; and then, on fourth down,faking a kick, he set off on a romp around the adversary's right.Lightner, the second-string end, was effectually boxed, and the runner,turning wide, was off down the field at top speed. Only Hop Kendrickstood between him and the goal-line, and Hop waited on the fifteenyards, wary and alert. The tow-haired boy's feint to the right didn'tfool him, and when the side-stepping to the left began, Hop was on himwith a clean dive and a hard tackle, and the two rolled to earthtogether. But the ball was on the thirteen yards now, and it was firstdown for High School, and the latter was not to be denied. A plunge offtackle took the pigskin in front of the goal, though there was no gain.Hillman's piled up an attack at right guard. On third down, High Schoolcalled for kick formation, and the tow-haired terror dropped back.
From the side of the gridiron, Hillman's rooters chanted: "Block thatkick! Block that kick!" But there was no kick to block, for thefull-back only backed away a pace or two when the pigskin reached him,and then tossed to the corner of the field and to the eager hands of anuncovered right end who had but to make three strides before he was overthe line. Hop got him then; but the damage was done, and the visitorslining the gridiron were cheering and cavorting wildly. The kick wasfrom a difficult angle, but the tow-haired player made it, and the scorewas tied.
The teams changed fields a minute later. Undismayed, Coach Mulford sentin three new substitutes, one of them in place of Pope. Hillman's gotthe ball in mid-field on a fumble, and set off for the adversary's goal;but the new players were not able to make much headway, and Deering, whohad taken Pope's place, punted. The effort landed the ball on HighSchool's thirty-seven, and her quarter ran it back eight more before hewas stopped. Three tries at the line netted seven yards, and the visitorpunted to Hop Kendrick on his eighteen. This time Hop hugged the ballhard and set off along the far side of the gridiron at a smart pace.Fortunately for him, one High School end overran. The other challenged,but missed his tackle. By that time a hasty interference had formed,and, guarded by Mason and Lightner, Hop reached his forty beforemisfortune overtook him. There a High School tackle crashed through theinterference and nailed him hard.
But that twenty-yard sprint had brought new vim to the Blue's novices,and new confidence, and from their forty yards they began a fast, hardattack that placed High School with her back to the wall almost beforeshe realized it. If the substitutes lacked the experience and brawn ofthe first-choice players, they at least had sand and speed. And they hada quarter-back who was earnest and grim and determined, and who, sensingthat the opponent was weary, realized that speed, and a lot of it, wasthe one thing that could save the day. And so Hop proved his right tohis nickname that afternoon. Hop he did, and so did his team. Signalswere fairly shot into the air, and there was no longer any time betweenplays for High School to recover her breath. Twice, with plunges at theright of the visitor's line and runs outside her tackles, Hillman's madeher distance and the pigskin rested on the thirty-six yards.
So far the Blue had attempted but three forward passes, of which onlyone had succeeded. Now, from position, Hop threw straight over thecenter, and somehow Lightner was there and pulled it down, although theenemy was clustered around him thick. That seven-yard gain was made tenwhen Deering was poked through the center, ten a little more, for theball was down on High School's twenty-four-yard line. The game that hadbeen proclaimed a practice event for the purpose of seasoning thesubstitutes against Saturday's contest had developed within the lasthalf-hour into a battle to the death. Outside the gridiron the opposingfactions hurled defiant cheers at each other and rooted as they had notrooted all the season. On the field the rivalry was even more intense,and black looks and hard knocks were the order.
High School, sparring for time, administered to a breathless rightguard, and then drew into a bunch for a whispered conference, whileHillman's supporters hooted derisively. Deering gained three and Boesseltwo more. High School ran two substitutes on, and, after the next play,two more. An old-fashioned criss-cross sent Mason around his own rightend for eight yards and planted the ball just short of the ten-yardline. Mason gave place to Beedle. A slide off tackle centered thepigskin and gained a scant yard. Deering struck center for a yard loss,and Lightner was caught off-side. The ball went back to the seventeenyards.
High School was playing desperately and her line had stiffened. Beedlegave way to Ned after that second down, and Ned had his instructions.The ball was in front of High School's goal, and from the seventeenyards a field goal was an easy proposition
if the opponents could beheld away from the kicker. Perhaps Hop Kendrick didn't realize why Nedhad been sent in, or perhaps he thought better of his own judgment.Since by the rules Ned could not communicate the instructions from thecoach until after the following play, he could only look his surprisewhen Hop failed to call him back to kicking position. Farley, captain inStevenson's absence, seemed to be on the point of protesting, and eventook a step toward the quarter-back; but he evidently reconsidered, forhe returned to his position at the end of the line, and the startingsignal followed.
The play was a fake attack on the right, with Boessel carrying the ballto the left inside of tackle, and it worked to perfection. High School,over-anxious, stormed to the defense of her threatened right side, andBoessel, with Ned hanging at his flank as far as the five-yard line,where the earth suddenly rose up and smote him, romped over the line forthe last and deciding touch-down, while the Blue cohorts went fairlywild with delight.
On the side-line, Coach Mulford turned to Joe Stevenson. "What do youthink of Kendrick?" he asked, smiling.
"I'd kiss him if I had him here," answered Joe, grinning joyously. "Icall him one sweet little quarter, Coach!"
"Well, this was his day, all right," mused the other; "I hope he willshow up as well Saturday. Now we'll see whether Turner can kick a goal.He's been doing some good work in practice, but he looks scared to deathand will probably miss it by a mile."
And Ned _was_ scared, too. He tried to steady his nerves by assuringhimself that, whether he made it or missed it, the Blue had won thegame, and that consequently a failure made little difference. But thesilence of his schoolmates and the "booing" of the visiting rootersaffected him badly. To Hop, holding the ball from the turf, it seemedthat Ned would never have done pointing it. And so it seemed to theonlookers. Never was a kicker more deliberate. But at last Hop heard afaint "Down!" and drew his fingers from beneath the oval and waited ananxious moment. Then there was a clean, hard _thud_, and thequarter-back, watching its flight, saw the pigskin rise lazily, end overend, and go straight and high over the bar.
And he might have heard Ned's loud sigh of relief, had not the poundingof the charging enemy and the cries of the Hillman's horde drowned it.
Another kick-off and four plays ended the contest, and High School,after cheering half-heartedly, went off disgruntled and silent.
On his way to the field-house, Ned, trotting along with Hop, encounteredPolly and Mae in the throng, and paused to speak. "Bully game, wasn'tit?" he said. Then, seeing Mae's High School banner, he added: "HighSchool put up a dandy fight, Mae."
"Indeed she did," agreed Mae. "I thought once she was going to win,too."
Polly was laughing. "Poor Mae didn't know which team she wanted to win,"she explained. "When High School gained she waved her flag, and whenHillman's gained she waved it just the same. She was waving it all thetime! That was a lovely goal you made, Nid."
"Thanks. I--well, I was so scared I didn't know whether to kick the ballor bite it! I'm mighty glad it went over, though." He nodded and hurriedon in the wake of Hop, who, being a very earnest young gentleman andcompletely absorbed in the business of football, considered girls faroutside his scheme of things.
Three quarters of an hour later, Laurie arose from his recumbentposition on the window-seat of Number 16 East Hall, and delivered anultimatum in quiet but forceful tones. "Ned," he said, "I saw that gamefrom about the middle of the first quarter to the bitter end. Nothingescaped my eagle gaze. I can even tell you exactly how many times thatHigh School umpire consulted his rules book when he thought no one waslooking. I know how much dirt there was in Frank Brattle's left ear whenthey dragged him out. I know--"
"Well, what of it? What's your chief trouble?" growled Ned.
"Knowing all this and more, much more, Neddie, I refuse to listen anylonger to your reminiscences. You've been through the game three timessince you landed up here, and there's a limit to my endurance. Andyou've reached that limit, Neddie--you really have. I'm going down toGeorge's, where I may hear something besides touch-downs and passes andgoals. When you recover, Neddie, come on down."
"Oh, go to the dickens!" muttered Ned, as the door closed softly.