Confidence is a fine thing. The only danger of it is that it is likely
to get too ripe; in which case it becomes overconfidence and loses
battles. And in spite of the late-season loss of Parrett and the
eleventh-hour loss of Danforth, Barnstead went on to the field that
Saturday afternoon overconfident. Why, it would be difficult to say.
There seemed no really good reason for it, for it was well known that
St. Matthew’s had more than an average team this year, with, besides,
the prestige of more victories than defeats to her credit. Facts are
facts, however, explainable or not, and the fact in this case is that
the Brown faced its opponent at the kick-off with far too good an idea
of its own ability. And when the awakening came it left Barnstead for
the moment dismayed and disorganized.
Perhaps it was lucky that the awakening arrived early, in short at the
end of the third minute of the play. Bob Peel had taken the kick-off
and had run it in fifteen yards. Then two plunges at the Blue line and
a dash around the left end had netted but seven yards and Carstairs
had punted well into St. Matthew’s territory. Treat, the Brown’s left
end, was on the back the moment the ball fell into the latter’s arm and
tackled so hard that a fumble resulted. Norman picked up the pigskin on
the run and was not stopped until the Blue’s quarterback brought him to
earth near the twenty-yard line.
There was great rejoicing on the Barnstead stand and Bob Peel hurried
his men into place and threw Carstairs at the middle of the Blue line.
But although the fullback gained three yards then and two more on
left tackle, it was plain that the St. Matthew’s line was stronger on
defense than it had been credited with being. A forward pass failed and
Peel chose to kick from the seventeen yards. What happened then was one
of those sudden reversals of fortune that make football the uncertain
and exciting game it is.
Surber passed low, Carstairs was consequently slow in getting the ball
away and half the Blue line came charging through. The ball struck
someone and bounded back up the field. A blue-legged forward took it
on the bound, eluded the frantic tackle of Dyker, and tore off up
the gridiron. For the first twenty or thirty yards it seemed certain
that he would be pulled down from behind, for at least four Barnstead
players were hot upon his heels. But when he had passed the middle of
the field he was virtually alone, and although friend and foe alike
trailed after him over one white line after another, he was never
headed and so went stumbling, breathless and tuckered, between the
Brown’s goal posts for a touchdown.
It had all happened so quickly, so unexpectedly that for a moment
Barnstead supporters merely stared at each other, while from across the
field came wild pæans of joy from where blue flags waved and tossed
ecstatically. St. Matthew’s could hardly fail of kicking the goal and
in another minute the scoreboard proclaimed: Barnstead, 0; Visitor, 7.
If the effect on the Brown’s supporters was numbing the effect on the
home team itself was, for a few minutes, paralyzing. Surber messed
the kick-off and the ball went to the Blue on her thirty-eight yards,
from where, playing like streaks of lightning, and using a quick
shift that left Barnstead hopelessly at a loss how to meet it, she
tore off gain after gain until suddenly the Brown was well back in
her own territory, literally digging her toes in the turf in a vain
endeavor to stop the triumphant rush of the oncoming adversary. Down
near the twenty-five-yard line Barnstead did finally find herself long
enough to momentarily stay the Blue. But, finding the opposing line
strengthening, St. Matthew’s swept past Shallcross’s end and made its
first down on the twenty yards. Three plunges netted short gains and
then a long forward pass across the field gave the Blue the rest of her
distance. Barnstead made her final stand on her twelve-yard line. The
fight she put up then brought back hope to the breasts of her friends.
Thrice the Blue was hurled back for less than two yards of total gain
and St. Matthew’s was forced to try a field goal. Her kicker went back
to the twenty-five yards and dropped the ball easily over the cross-bar
for another three points. And the scoreboard changed its legend to
Barnstead, 0; Visitor, 10.
On the kick-off Surber sent a long one that let the Brown’s ends down
the field, and when St. Matthew’s lined up it was on her twenty-two
yards. The stand she had made almost under the shadow of her goal had
given the Brown courage again, and now the Blue’s efforts were less
availing. But nevertheless the battle swayed back up the field, even if
slowly. It was taking St. Matthew’s the full four downs now to make her
distance, and she was using every play she had, every ounce of strength
and every bit of cunning in the endeavor to strike again while her
adversary was weak, arguing, no doubt, that with a sixteen or seventeen
point lead she would not have to do much later but play on the
defensive. But the quarter ended with the ball near the middle of the
field and gave the demoralized Brown warriors a few moments in which to
confer and get their bearings. Coach Worden sped in a substitute for
Shallcross, who was having very much of an off-day, and the substitute
doubtless bore instructions from the general on the side line, for the
blanketed team crowded around him when he came on.
The second quarter showed a vast improvement in the Brown. She had
apparently found herself again. The line played lower and closer and,
although bunching the backs up to the line gave St. Matthew’s a better
opportunity for forward passes, that opportunity was taken advantage
of but once. Two minutes after the whistle piped Barnstead had gained
the ball on downs and the brown flags waved triumphantly. Five minutes
later still Barnstead was knocking importunately at St. Matthew’s
portal. But the door didn’t open, and so, to continue the metaphor, the
Brown entered by way of the window, Norman dropping a pretty field goal
from a difficult angle and placing a 3 on the scoreboard where a moment
before an obnoxious 0 had been. But that ended the scoring in that
half for either team. The battle raged fiercely from one thirty-five
yards to another, each team showing the strain, St. Matthew’s punting
on the slightest provocation and Barnstead hurling her backs at the
line in an effort to wear down her adversary. The whistle put an end
to her hopes, however, with the ball in the Brown’s possession on
St. Matthew’s thirty-eight yards. Had the period lasted five minutes
longer the wearied Blue line must have given way. With fifteen minutes
in which to recuperate, however, there was no telling what the final
outcome would be.
It was almost at the instant that the whistle terminated the first half
that the door bell tinkled at the Principal’s house. The Principal,
kept away from the first part of the game by a press of business, was
drawing on his coat in the hallway when the maid opened the door,
revealing two boys.
“Is the Doctor at home, please?” asked a voice.
The maid turned inquiringly and the Principal nodded. “Tell them to
come in,” he said. Discarding his coat, he led the way to his study,
the callers following.
“Sit down, please,” said the Principal. “Now, then―――― Hello, young
gentlemen; what’s this? Has there been an accident?”
“No, sir,” answered the younger, who was by far the more
self-possessed of the two. “I――we――that is, sir, we had――had a slight
misunderstanding and――――” His voice trailed into silence while the
Principal gazed from one disfigured countenance to the other. I think
the Principal’s sense of humor――a sense popularly supposed not to
belong to a Principal――saved the day for the boys. A slight smile
trembled about the Principal’s mouth and he said dryly:
“A _slight_ misunderstanding, eh? How fortunate it was not a serious
one! What is your name, my boy? Vose I have the honor of knowing.”
“Danforth, sir. Could I――would you please let me tell you about it? We
tried to find Mr. Adams, but he was not in, and so we came to you.”
“Explain by all means,” replied the Principal, settling himself in the
big leather chair with a sigh of resignation. “But please be as brief
as possible, Danforth.”
“Yes, sir. Thank you, sir. This is the way it all came about, sir. You
see――――”
“Really, my boy, I’m afraid I haven’t time to hear any family
histories. Suppose you come and see me this evening after supper.”
“But that will be too late, sir! I want to get to the field and――――”
“That’s just what I want,” replied the Principal with a smile. “So――――”
“There isn’t much to tell, sir,” interrupted Perry doggedly. “I threw
that rotten apple at Old――at Mr. Adams, and he thought Danforth did it,
and you put him on pro and he lost his place on the team――――”
“Succinct, indeed, Vose!” said the Principal approvingly. “And now you
come to tell me so I’ll let Danforth get into the game, I presume? But
what about this――this slight misunderstanding? I presume that you are
both of you aware that fighting is not countenanced here?”
“Yes, sir,” replied Harry eagerly, “but there wasn’t anything else to
do! And we thought you’d understand it if we came to you and told you
all about it, sir. He――he didn’t want to own up to it, and so I――we
decided we’d have a――just a small, harmless sort of a scrap, sir, and
if I won it he was to come with me and put me right, sir.”
“Hm; and I presume, although your appearances might leave me in doubt,
that you――er――won, Danforth?”
“Why――why, yes, sir. But he put up a dandy――I mean it was very close.”
“He’s too quick for me,” growled Vose. “He won all right.” And he felt
gingerly of his nose, which had a reddened and swollen look.
The Principal glanced at the clock on his desk. “Well, one thing is
certain, boys. None of us will see that game if we stay here much
longer.” He pressed a button and a bell tinkled somewhere at the back
of the house. “Minnie will take you to the bathroom. I’d advise you to
bathe your faces before returning to society. Here she is. Run along
now.”
“And――and may I play, sir?” asked Harry anxiously.
“I suppose so. You’d both better come back Monday morning and we’ll
look into this a little more closely. For the present the matter
stands. Go ahead and play, Danforth, if they need you. We’ll thresh all
this out another time.”