BEFORE THE GAME.
The game of lacrosse between Hopkins and Merriwell’s team was arranged,
no objection being raised to it by the committee of athletics at the
college.
This was the way the two teams lined up on the field at Oriole Park:
THE MERRIES. JOHNS HOPKINS.
Wilkins, In home. Brisbane, Goal Guard.
Morgan, Out Delano, Point.
Onslaw, 1st attack. Fillmore, Cover point.
Thatcher, 2d attack. Lowe, 1st defense.
Merriwell, 3d attack. Kellogg, 2d defense.
Vernell, Centre. Mowry, 3d defense.
Gamp, 3d defense. Hackett, Centre.
Hunter, 2d defense. Woodin, 3d attack.
Wilson, 1st defense. Grimes, 2d attack.
Starbright, Cover point. Whisper, 1st attack.
Ready, Point. Pierce, Out home.
Hodge, Goal Guard. Zanger, In home.
Merry got his team altogether and put in some earnest practice before
appearing in Baltimore. As he had expected, he was able to get five
Harvard men to play with him. Vernell, his centre, was from Yale.
The day of the game in Baltimore was cloudy in the morning, but toward
noon it cleared up and the sun shone forth from a blue sky. There was a
light breeze blowing, and this promised to be most refreshing, as hot
weather had prevailed for more than two weeks.
The Baltimore baseball team was playing away from home, so it was an
easy matter to secure the park.
The great surprise of the day was the crowd that turned out to witness
the contest. Never before in the history of lacrosse at Baltimore had
there been such a gathering at a game. The stand was well filled, and
the bleachers to the right, which happened to be near one of the goals,
were packed.
Not all the spectators were from Baltimore, however. On the bleachers
there was a gathering of Yale and Harvard men, who for once mingled
like fellows of the same college. Such a game was destined to do more
to promote good-fellowship between the two universities than many
anonymous ten-thousand-dollar contributions for that purpose.
The leader of the team opposed to Hopkins was a Yale grad. With him
were Morgan, Gamp, Starbright, Ready, and Hodge, all former Yale men.
Vernell, who played centre for him, was still in Yale and on the Yale
lacrosse team. The other players were Harvard men.
So Yale and Harvard met on the bleachers. They sat side by side and
locked arms. They laughed and joked and cheered together. They united
in singing the songs of the two colleges. First it was “Boola,” then
“Up the Street.” “Bingo” was followed by “Fair Harvard.”
The people in the stand clapped their hands and showed their delight
over the singing. A little bunch of Hopkins men cheered repeatedly,
but their cheering was weak and almost ludicrous in comparison to the
cheering for a Yale or Harvard team on their home fields.
In the stand sat Elsie Bellwood and Inza Burrage, both thrilled by the
joy of it.
“Oh, Inza!” breathed Elsie; “isn’t it grand! Isn’t it just splendid to
be at a game like this and see Frank and Bart on the field once more!”
Inza was no less moved.
“It’s like old times,” she answered. “Oh, the sweet, old days!”
Then she softly hummed:
“Oh, the days that have vanished forever—
The sweet, sunny days of the past!
They’ll come again back to us never,
They were happy—too happy to last!”
“But there are happier days in store for us all, Inza,” said Elsie. “I
feel it—I know it!”
“I believe that, also,” nodded Inza. “Still, I often think of the days
when we first met. I think of Fardale, and it seems so far—so very far
away! I think of our visits to Yale, and somehow that seems long, long
ago.”
“What a splendid-looking lot of fellows!” exclaimed Elsie. “Aren’t
they, Inza?”
“Yes; but I see one who looks finer in my eyes than a thousand like the
others on the field.”
“Oh, fie! I don’t believe you’re looking at the one I see.”
“I don’t believe so, either.”
“I hope not.”
“So do I. There, Elsie, we’re both satisfied. Hear the Harvard cheer.
Isn’t it a splendid sound?”
“I like the Yale cheer better.”
“I love them both. Look, there go the two captains—there goes Frank!”
The captains and some of the officials were holding a consultation near
the centre of the field. It was soon over, and the referee placed the
ball in the centre of the circle.
The two teams spread out and lined up in regular order. The game was
about to begin.
Vernell was a clever man at centre. He waited until Hackett placed his
stick, after which he quickly placed his in such a position as to balk
the effort he fancied the Hopkins man intended to make.
The whistle sounded.
Hackett attempted to draw the ball, but with a snap Vernell defeated
him and obtained it, quickly passing it to Merry, who was in position
to take it.
Merry scooped it as Mowry came in on him.
Mowry tried a “check up,” but was a second too late, and Frank got away
with the ball, although the Hopkins player was right on him.
Merry was forced to pass, and he sent the ball to Onslaw with a quick
“tip.”
Lowe attempted a check with his stick, but Onslaw turned in such a way
that the move to balk him failed.
Wilkins was in position to try for a goal, but Delano was clinging to
him like a leech.
Onslaw found himself pocketed between two of the Hopkins men, and he
ventured a pass to Wilkins.
Delano darted in and knocked the ball out of Wilkins’ stick.
It went to Fillmore.
The Hopkins captain was on the alert. Like a cat he scooted the ball
from the ground, avoiding Morgan, and darted out to one side, where he
made a long pass to Woodin.
Woodin went flying toward the Merries’ goal, running like a deer and
managing to keep clear of Gamp.
Starbright left his man and darted across to intercept Woodin before
the Hopkins third attack should reach a dangerous position.
Woodin passed to Pierce, but Pierce failed to take the ball in the air.
It bounded away with him after it and Ready pressing him.
Pierce managed to scoop it up, but Ready pressed him so hard that he
could not turn toward the goal. In this predicament Pierce made a throw
over his head. Either by rare judgment or accident, he sent the ball
into Zanger’s stick, and Zanger made a quick snap for goal.
Hodge blocked the ball, but Zanger followed up and drove it in again.
“Goal!” was the cry.
In truth, Hopkins had made a goal in astonishingly quick time, and
there was cause for the Baltimore students on the bleachers to cheer
with delight.
“Oh, wasn’t that terrible!” breathed Elsie Bellwood. “Why did they let
them do it?”
“Because they couldn’t help it, I think,” answered Inza, as she watched
the players of the two teams changing sides.
“I’m afraid these Hopkins men are going to win with ease,” said the
girl with golden hair.
“I’m not afraid of it,” retorted Inza. “One goal will not win this
game.”
“But, you know, Fred Fillmore has told us right along that no picked-up
team in the country could defeat Hopkins.”
“Which he believes,” nodded Inza. “But you mustn’t think Frank is
foolish enough to bring a weak team here to meet the champions of the
United States. Don’t worry, Elsie. You’ll see something different
before the game is finished.”
In spite of Inza’s confidence, it was not long before the situation
began to assume a graver aspect, for, although Vernell again got the
ball, which was carried down to Hopkins’ goal, Brisbane barely stopping
a score, the Baltimore players got in and carried the sphere up the
field, kept it in the vicinity of the Merries’ net for fully three
minutes and finally drove it in.
The Hopkins cheer sounded louder and more exultant than ever.
“It’s just as I feared!” exclaimed Elsie.
“Wait, wait,” repeated Inza.
As the players were shifting sides Hackett spoke to Fillmore:
“A regular snap,” he laughed.
“I’m afraid it’s too easy,” retorted the Hopkins captain.
Fillmore was watching for his chance to get at Onslaw or Merriwell. He
felt that such a chance would come in a scrimmage before the game was
over, and he hoped Merriwell would be the man he could land on. He was
satisfied that the game would give him opportunities to show Frank up
as a very ordinary lacrosse player.
On the next face off Hackett baffled Vernell and secured the ball for
his own side.
Then it seemed as if the locals were going to add another tally right
away. Woodin himself carried the ball through, avoiding man after man,
and sent it whizzing waist-high at the net.
It was one of the most difficult throws for a goal guard to stop, but
Hodge managed to check it and send the ball off to one side, where he
hoped Ready or Starbright would secure it.
Ready tried, but Pierce’s body checked him, while Whisper came in and
scooped the ball.
Right up to the net dashed Whisper. He fancied he would make a goal
without trouble; but Hodge was there again. The ball fell in front of
the net not ten feet away.
An instant later there was a general mix-up of the players of both
sides, all scrambling for the ball. Hodge himself secured it, detecting
the opportunity and leaving the net to do so. He could not carry it
far, but he sent it up the field to Merry.
Merriwell caught the ball handsomely and was off like a deer.
Mowry tried to close in on him, but Frank actually ran right round the
Hopkins man, holding his stick so the ball could not be knocked out of
it.
He found Kellogg ready for him. Apparently, Kellogg would force him to
make a pass.
In some manner, Frank turned aside and went round Kellogg.
Lowe missed him by yards.
Fillmore saw his opening. He was swift on his feet, and he did not
believe any one could carry a ball round him as Frank had carried it
round Mowry and Kellogg. He came in to stop the captain of the opposing
team.
Apparently, Frank was intending to dodge to the left, although he made
a bluff of bearing to the right. Fillmore smiled a bit to think the man
should fancy he could be deceived in such a manner. Then Merry turned
quickly to the left; he leaped to check him.
But, to his dismay, the turn was only a feint on Merry’s part, for he
shifted and went leaping to the right, passing round the captain of the
local team with the same ease that he had passed the others.
He was now in position to try for goal, and he sent the ball whizzing
into the upper left-hand corner of the net.
“Goal!” was the cry that went up.
The Yale and Harvard men on the bleachers united in a cheer for
Merriwell.
Fred Fillmore was astonished and enraged. He realized that Frank had
made a sorry spectacle of him at a time when he had hoped it would be
the other way. He knew two girls in the stand were rejoicing, and he
ground his fine, white teeth together in impotent rage.
“Next time I’ll break his head with my stick rather than let him dodge
me that way!” he muttered.
Almost instantly he decided that it would not do to attempt such a
thing in the open. It might be done in a scrimmage or general mix-up,
but to do it in the open would be to invite criticism and to run the
risk of being put out of the game by the referee.
“Well, this is not wholly one-sided!” shouted a Yale man on the
bleachers.
“Not while Frank Merriwell is in the game,” cried another.
The eyes of Inza Burrage were glowing and she could scarcely keep from
cheering herself.
“Didn’t I tell you, Elsie!” she cried. “I knew what would happen! Both
Frank and Bart are playing splendidly. Bart kept Hopkins from scoring
that time, and then Frank made a goal for his own side.”
Elsie had brightened up, but she was quivering, while the color came
and went in her cheeks.
“It’s awfully exciting!” she murmured. “I didn’t think it would be so
exciting!”
“It’s a beautiful game,” said Inza; “and not enough is made of it in
this country. The United States should not permit Canada to hold such a
long lead in such a fine game.”
“Fred Fillmore didn’t stop Frank that time.”
“Hardly!”
“I wonder why he dislikes Frank so? I know he does dislike him.”
“Of course he does. He tried to lay it onto Frank when he and Tom
Hackett came home intoxicated after that trip to the road house out on
the Pimlico Road. I didn’t believe him; I knew he was lying. He and the
other fellows tried to get Frank and Bart full, but they were fooled,
and Fred has been holding a grudge ever since.”
“I think he would hurt Frank, if he could.”
“I have an idea that Frank can take care of himself.”
Hopkins had hoped to keep the visitors from scoring, and the whole team
was rather sore over the success of the Merries.
Following this there was quite a period during which neither goal was
in imminent danger. Hopkins took the offensive and kept it up, but each
time the ball drew close to the Merries’ net some of the defenders sent
it away.
The home team grew more and more persistent. Woodin rushed the ball
down the field repeatedly, or made beautiful passes to the vicinity of
the visitors’ goal.
Finally the locals closed in for a united attack, and both Hodge and
Ready were kept busy.
During the five minutes of play that followed in the first half Hopkins
made another try to score; but Frank’s players succeeded in baffling
the attack.
Finally the whistle sounded.
The first half ended with the score three to one in favor of the
locals.