Sympathizers with the cadets crowded about the gate as they passed out
to trot over to the gym.
"Too bad, fellows!"
"Go for them next half!"
"Don't give up!"
Some of them shook hands with the players as the latter passed out.
"You're all right, Captain Merriwell!"
"We're betting on you yet!"
Dick laughed. His hand was grasped once or twice. He felt something left
in his palm. Looking down, he discovered a folded bit of paper.
As he trotted toward the gymnasium Dick unfolded the paper. On it he
read, written with a lead-pencil:
"To solve the mystery of the spook, look at Chester Arlington's
watch. Ask him to let you see it. Ask Abe Gorman has he seen it
before. --_A Friend._"
Dick thrust the paper into a safe place and kept on to the gym. Chester
Arlington was there. He had his coat and vest off, his sleeves rolled
up, and he was ready to give attention to any one who needed it.
Dick seized Elmer Dow at the door of the gymnasium and said something to
him in a low tone.
"Have to go to the village for the stuff," said Elmer.
"No," declared Dick. "I bought a lot to use on rainy days when we had to
play ball."
Then he told Elmer where to find whatever it was that he wanted, and Dow
hurried away.
Bradley's shoulder had been twisted again, and Arlington was at work on
him.
Abe Gorman was once more taking interest in the eleven, and, as he had
managed the team, he was present in the gym.
"What time is it, Arlington?" asked Dick of Chester.
"Don't know. There's my coat and vest on that peg. Look at my watch."
Chester seemed so busy that he scarcely realized who had asked to know
the time.
Dick stepped over to the wall and took a watch from Chester's pocket. He
had noted that Gorman was close at hand. In a low tone, he said:
"Look here, Gorman; do you know this watch?"
Abe looked at it, started, gave a jump and grabbed it.
"Do I know it?" he cried excitedly. "It's mine! Why, where did you----"
He stopped short, seeing that the watch was attached to a chain that was
hooked into the vest hanging on the wall.
"Whose coat and vest are these?" he asked harshly.
Chester had been attracted by Abe's words. He left Bradley and stepped
over.
"What's the matter?" he asked.
"Does this coat and vest belong to you?" demanded Gorman.
"Sure thing," nodded Arlington.
"Well, will you explain how you happened to have my watch in your
pocket?"
"Your watch?"
"Yes."
"Why----"
"Here it is! I saw Merriwell take it from your pocket. It's attached to
this chain."
Arlington seemed thunderstruck. Dick was watching Chester closely, and
he thought:
"The fellow is amazed, or he's an excellent actor."
"What sort of a joke is this?" Arlington demanded. "Where is my watch?"
"I don't know about your watch," said Gorman coldly; "but I do know that
this watch, found in your pocket, is my watch. I wish you to explain how
its came there!"
Chester had turned pale.
"Why, confound it! I hope you don't think I stole your old watch,
Gorman?" he said hotly.
"I have not stopped to think much about it. I know it was stolen from my
room, and I know it was found in your pocket."
Other fellows were gathering around, and Arlington grew indignant.
"I'd have you understand," he said fiercely, "that my father is D.
Roscoe Arlington, and I do not have to become a petty thief! I can have
a dozen watches, if I need them. Somebody put that watch there to injure
me! Merriwell, you--you asked what time it was! I told you to look at my
watch. You--you are the one who took it out of that pocket! You," he
almost shouted--"you have put up this job on me!"
In his great excitement, Chester seemed almost ready to hurl himself at
Dick.
"Steady!" flung back the captain of the eleven. "No fellow ever knew me
to put up a dirty job on another. I found that watch in your pocket,
Arlington."
"Ready for the field!" cried the timekeeper. "Everybody hustle! Just
time to get back."
The football-players hurried toward the door. Dick, with the others,
leaving Gorman and Arlington to settle the matter.
Elmer Dow came panting into the gym.
"Got it?" asked Dick anxiously.
For reply Dow thrust into Dick's hands a large paper bag. Dick opened it
quickly and peered within.
The bag contained a glistening white powder.
"That's the stuff!" exclaimed the captain of the eleven exultantly. "Now
we'll see if there is no way of holding on to those greased New Era
chaps!"
And he hurried to overtake his men.
When the Fardale team went on the field for the second half it was
observed that across the breast of each man was a strange broad white
streak. From a distance it looked like a broad chalk-mark, somewhat
wider than a man's hand.
New Era was confident. She expected to use Fardale worse in the second
half than she did in the first. The shiny suits of the New Era men
looked shinier and more slippery than ever.
The rain had stopped, but the field was a muddy spectacle.
After the kick-off the two teams went at each other in earnest. As they
lined up for the scrimmage, the Fardale men were seen to rub their hands
across their chests where the white streak could be seen.
When the crash came Fardale went into the enemy with ginger, and New Era
found difficulty in slipping through after the fashion set earlier in
the game. Somehow, for all of the greased suits, the Fardale lads were
able to grasp the enemy and cling to them. New Era was surprised by her
first repulse.
The two teams lined up again. Signal. Back went the ball to Sampson. He
was the man to make a gain in an emergency.
A revolving formation smashed into Fardale's right wing. Sampson was
shot out of it with the ball. But not until the cadets had begun in the
most surprising manner to yank the formation to pieces.
There seemed an opening between Bradley and Jolliby, and through this
Sampson tried to plunge.
Dick Merriwell met him. Dick's hands fell on him. Sampson gave a
wrenching twist and sought to slip away, but he did not slip.
Dick held the fellow fast and flung him backward. Fardale closed in, and
the rush was stopped. Still New Era was not satisfied. What had happened
that she could not slip through the Fardale line after the same fashion
as before?
Another line-up was followed by an attack on the left wing of Fardale's
line. Kinter and Sheehan sought to force Dare and Gardner apart. But
Dare and Gardner had rubbed their hands across that magic belt of white
on their breasts, and they gripped Kinter and Sheehan with hands that
did not slip. The others who sought to aid Kinter and Sheehan were
baffled, and when Nelson took the ball through the line he was grabbed
and held.
Down! The cadets were roaring. They knew something had happened. They
realized that the "greased pigs" were not having a snap, after the way
of the first half.
New Era was held for downs. The ball went to Fardale. How the cadets on
the seats did cheer!
Fardale had new life. She went into New Era smashingly. The ball was
advanced--three yards, five yards, nine yards!
New Era was amazed. They saw the cadets rub their hands across their
bosoms and then tackle surely and firmly. What sort of magic was this?
Fardale did not give up the ball. She walked steadily along the muddy
field with it, playing hard, swift and handsomely.
Not until Fardale had advanced to within five yards of the goal did she
lose the ball. Then it was lost on a fumble by Darrell, Sheehan coming
through and falling on it. But now New Era was rattled. The visitors
realized now that without the advantage of the greased suits they would
not stand much show in the game, and something had happened which seemed
to rob those greased suits of their effectiveness.
The muddy hands of the Fardale lads soon destroyed the whiteness of the
line across their breasts; but one or two of them seemed to be carrying
a white powder, which was passed from hand to hand. Each of the cadet
players took a handful of this powder and smeared it across his breast,
partly renewing the white line.
New Era, in her excitement, started with an off-side play that set her
back half the distance to the goal-line. On the very next play there was
holding in the line, and the ball went to Fardale.
The cadets signalized their recovery of the ball by pushing it over for
a touch-down at the very first attempt.
Singleton kicked for a goal, but with the stopping of the rain a wind
had risen, and he did not take it into consideration, with the result
that the ball was deflected so that it struck one of the uprights and
bounded off.
Score: New Era, 16; Fardale, 5.
Fardale's chances looked desperate, but she was right in the game with
vim and ginger at the next kick-off. Plainly she was playing to win, if
such a thing was possible. By this time New Era had fathomed the secret
of Fardale's success in seizing and holding the visiting players in the
greased suits. It was resin--powdered resin!
Dick Merriwell had sent Elmer Dow for a bag of the stuff, which he had
used while pitching to handle a wet and slippery baseball. This powdered
resin had been smeared across the breasts of the Fardale players, who
rubbed their hands in it frequently, and thus were enabled to grasp and
hold the greased visitors.
Somehow Fardale's success in meeting and spoiling the effectiveness of
New Era's trick seemed to take the heart out of the enemy. Seeing this,
the cadets played with renewed energy, and it was not long before the
ball was again carried to New Era's line and pushed over for a
touch-down.
This time Smart held the ball, and Dick did the kicking. Dick waited for
the wind to lull a little, and then he kicked with all the skill and
judgment he could command. The oval sailed straight over the center of
the cross-bar.
Score: New Era, 16; Fardale, 11.
Chester Arlington was shaking with excitement. He had shouted until his
voice was a husky whisper.
"Keep it up!" he croaked. "One more touch-down! One more goal! We'll
win!"
But the time was short, and, for all of her success, Fardale's chances
seemed small. Dick urged his men to do their best, and they responded
after the manner of true Fardale boys.
Getting the ball, New Era attempted to keep it in her possession and
kill time, knowing that would enable her to win. But Fardale was fierce,
and a fumble gave Ted Smart his chance. He dropped on the ball, with six
or seven fellows on top of him.
Fardale had the ball, though Smart was carried from the field for the
first time during the season, being replaced by Toby Kane.
Fardale went into the enemy with such fierce rushes that New Era was
beaten backward yard by yard, fighting every foot of the distance. Every
spectator was standing now, for all understood what might happen.
Fardale could tie the score with a touchdown. With a touch-down and goal
she could win the game.
With less than a minute to play, Fardale was still nine yards from the
goal.
"A kick from the field!" cried somebody. "She's going to try to tie the
score!"
It seemed like a kick for a field-goal, but the movement had been made
to deceive New Era. The ball was passed to Dick, who went into New Era's
center directly behind Obediah Tubbs.
The fat boy walked in with his arms swinging, and he hurled players to
the right and left. Once before he had won a game by tearing a hole
through center at a critical period, and now he repeated the
performance. He ripped up New Era's center in splendid style, and
through the opening went Dick Merriwell. Right over the line shot Dick,
Sampson tackling him and pulling him down a second too late. It was a
touch-down.
The score was tied and time was up!
But a touch-down made under the circumstances gives the team making it
an opportunity to kick for goal, so the ball was brought out. Darrell
held it, and Dick Merriwell drove it over the cross-bar, winning the
game by one point.