The Twins were now so angry and ashamed of themselves that they played
worse than ever.
Everything seemed to go wrong with them. Their passes were blocked;
their tries for goal failed; the Palatines would not even help them
out with a foul. In their general disorder of plan, they could do
nothing to prevent the Palatines from making goal after goal till,
when the referee's whistle announced that the first twenty-minute half
was over, the score stood 12 to 6 against Kingston.
The Twins were feeling sore enough as it was, but when they went to
the dressing-room dripping with sweat and gasping for breath from
their hard exertions, Tug appeared to rub salt into their wounds by a
little lecture upon their shortcomings and fargoings.
"Heady," he said, "I guess you have been away from us a little too
long. The Lakerim Athletic Club never approved of foul playing on the
part of itself or any one else, and you got just what you deserved for
forgetting your dignity. I suppose Reddy got the disease from you. But
I want to say right here that you have got to play like Lakerim men or
there is going to be trouble."
The Twins realized the depths of their disgrace before Tug spoke, and
they were too much humiliated in their own hearts to resent his lofty
tone. They determined to wipe the disgrace out in the only way it
could be effaced: by brilliant, clean playing in the second half of
the game.
When the intermission was over, they went in with such vim that they
broke up all the plans of the Palatines for gaining goal, and put them
to a very fierce defensive game. Heady soon scored a goal by passing
the ball back to Reddy and then running forward well into Palatine
territory, and receiving it on a long pass, and tossing it into the
basket before he could be obstructed.
But this ray of hope was immediately dimmed by the curious action of
MacManus, who, forgetting that he was not on the football field, and
receiving the ball unexpectedly, made a brilliant run down the field
with it, carrying it firmly against his body. He was brought back with
a hang-dog expression and the realization that he had unconsciously
played foul and given the Palatines another free throw, which made
their score 13 to 8.
A little later Reddy, finding himself with his back to the Palatine
goal, and all chance of passing the ball to his brother foiled by the
large overshadowing form of the Palatine captain, determined to make a
long shot at luck, and threw the ball backward over his head.
A loud yell and a burst of applause announced that fortune had favored
him: he had landed the ball exactly in the basket.
But Heady went him one better, for he made a similarly marvelous goal
with a smaller element of luck. Finding himself in a good position for
a try, he was about to send the ball with the overhead throw that is
usual, when he was confronted by a Palatine guard, who completely
covered all the space in front of the diminutive Heady. Like a flash
Heady dropped to the floor in a frog-like attitude, and gave the ball
a quick upward throw between the man's outspread legs and up into the
basket.
And now the audience went wild indeed at seeing two such plays as have
been seen only once or twice in the history of the game.
With the score of 13 to 12 in their favor, the Palatines made a strong
rally, and prevented the Kingstonians from scoring. They were tired,
and evidently thought that their safety lay in sparring for time. And
the referee seemed willing to aid them, for his watch was in his hand,
and the game had only the life of a few seconds to live, when the ball
fell into the hands of Heady. The desperate boy realized that now
he had the final chance to retrieve the day and wrest victory from
defeat. He was far, far from the basket, but he did not dare to risk
the precious moment in dribbling or passing the ball. The only hope
lay in one perfect throw. He held the ball in his hands high over his
head, and bent far back. He straightened himself like a bow when the
arrow of the Indian leaves its side. He gave a spring into the air,
and launched the ball at the little basket. It soared on an arc as
beautiful as a rainbow's. It landed full in the basket.
But the force of the blow was so great that the ball choggled about
and bounded out upon the rim. There it halted tantalizingly, rolled
around the edge of the basket, trembled as if hesitating whether to
give victory to the Palatines or the Kingstons.