STEVE SMILES
Steve caught up with Tom on the way to the gymnasium. Tom was a
disreputable looking object. His upper lip had been cut and had swollen
to almost twice its normal size, and he had lost half an inch of skin
from one cheek. When he smiled, which he did as Steve grabbed him by the
arm, the effect was absolutely diabolical.
"You're the goods, Tommikins!" exclaimed Steve, squeezing the arm he
held. "They didn't make an inch through you. You were great!"
"They got through once or twice," mumbled Tom.
"Oh, for a yard or so," scoffed Steve. "Who gave you that peach of a
mouth, Tom?"
"Johnson, I think." He touched it gingerly. "It feels as big as a
house."
"You're a blooming hero, Tom. Say, Marvin told me the New York papers
have got all about that business at Oakdale yesterday. He didn't see it,
but someone told him. Wouldn't you love to read what they say? I'm
going to get the papers as soon as the game's over."
"Silly rot," mumbled Tom. They were waiting for the throng ahead to get
through the doorway. When they followed Tom paused a moment in the
hallway, his gaze following the striped legs of the Claflin players as
they went up the stairs. Steve tugged at his arm.
"Come on, slow-poke! What's the matter?"
"Nothing. That is, I was just thinking how rotten those fellows will
feel if they get beaten."
"Maybe they won't," said Steve soberly. "If they don't, think how rotten
we'll feel!"
Tom smiled, wincing with the twinge from his swollen lip. "I suppose
someone's got to feel bad. Come on."
In the locker room and in the rubbing room beyond all was bustle. The
rubber was hard at work over the table and Danny Moore was already busy
with surgeon's plaster and medicated gauze and nasty smelling lotion.
There was very little talk as yet. Fellows sank on to benches and
wearily relaxed their tired muscles. Mr. Robey and "Boots" were
consulting in low tones by one of the grated windows. Tom eased himself
to a seat and began to strip down one torn woollen stocking, displaying
an abrasion along the shin bone that brought an exclamation from Steve.
"Shut up," said Tom. "Swipe a bunch of that absorbent cotton from Danny
for me, will you? If he sees this he will make a fuss about it. I don't
want it to get stiff on me. Hi, Fowler, how is it?"
"All right," replied the left-guard, working a bunch of bleeding
knuckles experimentally. "It was hot work, though. Can we hold them next
half, Hall?"
"Sure! They're as tired as we are, I guess. Besides, we had them on the
run there toward the last."
Tom dragged himself off to the wash-room to bathe his leg with the
cotton Steve had brought.
"Ten minutes more," announced Lawrence.
"Hurry in to the table, you fellows," called Danny. "Williams, come here
and let me see that knee of yours."
"It's all right now, Danny," said Williams. But he limped across and was
freshly bandaged. Mr. Robey left the window and sought Captain Miller,
while "Boots," consulting the scribbled notes in his little book, went
from player to player, criticising and advising.
"Five minutes!" called Lawrence.
"Hurry up, fellows," said Coach Robey. "Don't let's keep them waiting.
Everyone all right? Just a word then. You fellows played well, and I
want to tell you so. You made mistakes; everyone does. Never mind that
now. You've got another chance. That's the main thing. We're going to
win this game. We're going to score two touchdowns and we're going to
hold them off, fellows. You can do it if you make up your minds to. I
want every one of you to go back on the field looking as though you'd
just come out of a Turkish bath and hadn't done a lick of work. I want
every mother's son of you to smile from the time you leave this building
until the last whistle blows. If I see one of you who isn't smiling I'll
pull him out! We want to make those fellows understand right away that
we're going to win, that we _know_ we're going to win and that we can't
help being happy about it! But you've got to do more than smile. You've
got to work like the dickens! You've got to work just about twice as
hard as you've been working. Any one of you who thinks he can't do that
say so now." Mr. Robey's eyes searched the earnest, attentive faces
around him. "All right. Now, there's just one important criticism I've
got to make. You fellows were slow. Milton was slow in getting his
signals off and the rest of you were slow in starting. If you'll speed
up you'll get the jump on those fellows every time. I want to see you do
it. I want to see you _jump_! I'll pull out the first man of you who
doesn't start the instant the play begins. Understand that, please. I'll
forgive mistakes, but I won't stand for slowness. All right. Here's the
line-up: Edwards, Gleason, Fowler, Thursby, Hall, Williams, Miller,
Milton, Still, Kendall, Norton. How much time is there, Joe?"
"About three minutes," answered Lawrence.
"All right. On the trot now!"
The cheer leaders leaped to their places as the teams came hustling back
to the field and waved their megaphones and dropped them and beat time
with clenched hands as the cheers burst forth.
"_Rah, rah, Brimfield! Rah, rah, Brimfield! Rah, rah, Brimfi-e-ld!_"
"_Claflin! Claflin! Claflin! Rah, rah, rah, Claflin! Claflin! Claflin!_"
And then Fowler had thudded the ball away with a long swing of his foot
and the last half had begun.
The Claflin full-back pulled the ball out of the air, quick interference
formed about him and he came charging back up the field.
Five--ten--fifteen yards! Then Miller pulled him down with a savage
tackle and the two teams faced each other. Umpire and referee dodged out
of the way, Ainsmith called his signals and a back tore at Williams. The
secondary defence sprang to the point of attack. There was an instant of
confused heaving and swaying. Then the whistle sounded and the lines
straightened again.
"Second down! Seven to gain!"
Steve, profiting by Miller's advice, kept his gaze fixed on the face of
the opposing end who was edging out into the field. Then the ball was in
play and the Claflin end came tearing down upon him, dodged to the right
and then strove to slip past him inside. But Steve met him squarely with
his shoulder and sent him sprawling. Behind him the teams were off under
a punt and he recovered himself and raced along. It was Milton's ball on
his thirty-yard line. Brimfield punted on first down and Claflin tore
off three yards through centre and then kicked. Neither team was able to
gain consistently through the line and each punted on second or third
down. Brimfield had a trifle the better of the exchanges, aided a little
by the breeze which had freshened since the beginning of the game. With
the ball on Claflin's forty-two yards a fumble was recovered by
Ainsmith for a loss of seven yards, and on third down Claflin attempted
a forward pass which was intercepted by Captain Miller and carried to
Claflin's thirty-yard mark. Brimfield cheered encouragingly and Norton
smashed through left tackle for four. Kendall added two more and on a
wing shift Still made the distance and the ball was down on the Blue's
twenty yards. Two yards through centre by Norton was followed by a wide
end run and the loss of four yards, Still being captured by Captain
Burrage. Norton failed to gain at the line and Williams dropped back to
kick.
Milton followed to hold the ball for him and Brimfield held her breath.
Thursby passed low to the quarter and when the ball arose it bounded
away from a charging Claflin forward and went dancing and rolling back
up the field. It was finally secured by Gleason on Claflin's
thirty-three yards. Three tries by the Maroon netted but six and again
Williams went back. This time the kick was short and Claflin secured the
ball on her five-yard line and ran it in to the thirteen. Claflin made
four around Steve's end and three through Williams. Then Whittemore
punted to midfield.
Brimfield returned to her line-smashing and secured first down on the
Blue's thirty-six yards. There a forward pass to Captain Miller grounded
and Milton made a short punt to the Blue's ten yards. Steve upset
Burrage in his tracks. Claflin tried the Brimfield centre twice for four
yards and punted to the fifty-yard line. Milton came back twelve and
Kendall added six around the enemy's left end. Norton secured first down
through right guard. Time was called and Danny Moore scurried on with
his pail. Milton was injured and led off, Marvin taking his place. A
forward pass to Captain Miller netted twelve yards. Marvin carried the
ball through centre for two and Kendall met a stone wall when he tried
to get past Johnson. Norton made a yard through left tackle and Williams
dropped back to the twenty-yard line. The Brimfield supporters were
cheering wildly, imploring a touchdown, but it seemed that a field goal
was the best they were to have.
"Get through and block it!" implored the Claflin quarter.
"Hold that line!" shrieked Marvin.
Back came the ball, Williams swung his leg, ran back and to the right
and passed to Steve. But the ball went wide and settled into the arms of
the Claflin right end. Dodging and feinting that speedy youngster tore
off thirty-five yards before he was brought down and the ball was
Claflin's on Brimfield's forty yards. The Blue found her stride again
then and plunged through Fowler twice for good gains, finally securing
her distance on the Maroon's twenty-eight. Fowler, who was staggering,
was taken out and McClure came on. Claflin tried Steve's end and made
four yards and then, on a fake kick formation, got three more through
centre. Burrage tried a drop-kick for goal from the thirty-yard line,
but McClure broke through and blocked it, the ball going to the Blue on
Brimfield's thirty-eight yards. Two tries at the line gave Claflin three
yards and Ainsmith shot the ball away to Mumford at the far side of the
field. Miller stopped the runner after a twelve-yard gain. Claflin
worked the ball back toward the centre of the field in two downs and
then, faking a kick, gained two yards through Hall. It was third down,
with three to go, and again Burrage tried a placement. The ball went
wide and came back to the twenty-five-yard line. Norton punted on second
down and time was called after Claflin had caught and run back five.
Churchill replaced Tom at right guard when the last quarter started and
Lacey returned to the game at left tackle. Claflin put Atkinson back at
full and trotted in a substitute right tackle. On the first play
Ainsmith smashed through the Brimfield line for ten yards, and then
added two more. The weak place was Williams. Atkinson got four and then
two through the centre. With the pigskin on Brimfield's forty yards an
intricate wing shift failed to fool the Maroon and Whittemore was
stopped after a gain of a yard, the ball going to Brimfield.
Marvin gained two through left tackle and Norton punted. Claflin ran
back to her thirty-four yards. On the next play Claflin was set back
fifteen yards for holding and, after an attempted forward pass which
grounded, punted to the Maroon's forty-five. Marvin caught and dodged
back fifteen yards before he was stopped. On the first play he shot the
ball to Steve, and Steve, making a good catch, reeled off ten before he
was brought down. Another forward pass to Captain Miller gained five.
Norton plunged at the line for three and Kendall failed to gain. With
the ball on Claflin's twenty-two yards Williams went back. It was a
fake, however, Marvin taking the ball for a straight plunge through
centre, which gave Brimfield first down on Claflin's eighteen. Norton
plugged the centre for two and Kendall swept around the Blue's left end
for three more. With the pigskin on Claflin's thirteen-yard line a
score seemed certain. But Norton was stopped for no gain and once more
Williams dropped back to kick.
Williams, however, was badly tuckered and was so slow in getting the
ball away that again Claflin blocked and the ball was captured by
Mumford on the twenty-five-yard line. Claflin punted on first down and
the ball went out of bounds at the Blue's forty. Norton kicked to
Claflin's fifteen and Ainsmith ran back to his thirty-six, receiving a
salvo of applause from the blue section of the stand. Claflin made four
around Miller's end and on the next play was presented with five,
Brimfield being detected off-side. Atkinson made six through Williams
and followed it with two more past Lacey. On a fake kick Ainsmith got
through Thursby for three, taking the ball across the centre line for
first down. A forward pass to right end was upset by Steve and Claflin
punted on second down. Kendall caught on his twenty-five and was stopped
at the thirty. Brimfield made seven in two plunges at the left side of
the opposing line and then Still fumbled. Marvin recovered and Norton
kicked to Claflin's thirty. Steve and Miller upset Ainsmith where he
caught. Claflin was now playing on the defensive and kicked on first
down. The punt was short and Kendall got it on Claflin's forty-eight
yards and made ten before he was caught.
The timer announced four minutes to play. Claflin sent in a new
quarter-back and Coach Robey replaced Williams with Gleason. Williams
was groggy and had to be carried off the field. From the grand stand
came imploring cries from Brimfield for a touchdown and equally
imploring shouts of "Hold 'em! Hold 'em!" from Claflin.
Still took the pigskin on a criss-cross and made four around Claflin's
right end. Norton shot through centre for the rest of the distance,
placing the ball on the Blue's twenty-eight. With Williams out of the
game it was a touchdown or nothing. Kendall and Still plugged the left
of the Blue's line for two yards each and Norton got around the other
end for three. With three to go on third down Marvin worked a delayed
pass and made first down on the Blue's seventeen yards. The time-keeper
announced three minutes left. Thursby gave place to Coolidge. Norton
plunged through right tackle for five, but someone had held and
Brimfield was set back fifteen. Kendall tried the Claflin left end and
gained four on a long run across the field. Marvin took the ball for a
plunge through centre, but was thrown back for a loss. Norton was
forced to punt and put the ball out of bounds at the five-yard line.
The time-keeper announced one minute left and Claflin punted from behind
her goal-line, the ball going high and being caught by Marvin on the
Blue's thirty yards. Brimfield, desperate for a score, lined up quickly
and Norton struck the Claflin centre and piled through for ten yards.
The Blue was weakening. Kendall added four and Still made a yard at left
tackle. On the fifteen-yard line Marvin sent McClure back as if to try
for a goal. Evidently Claflin accepted the bluff in good faith, for,
although there were cries of "Fake!" the Claflin ends played well in.
Marvin called his signals once, hesitated and pulled Kendall closer in
to protect the kicker. Then, "Signals!" he shouted. "16--34--27--19!" He
glanced sharply around the back-field. "16--34--27----"
Back went the ball, but not to McClure. The quarter had it and was
stepping back out of the path of the plunging players. Then his arm shot
out and off went the ball, arching to the left, over the end of the
battling, swaying lines, straight and far and true to where a lithe
figure stood with upraised hand near the Blue's ten-yard line. Too late
Claflin saw her error. Steve ran a step forward, felt the pigskin
settle into his outstretched hands, whirled on his heel and sped toward
the goal-line. The Claflin right end was almost on him as he crossed the
five-yard mark, but when desperate arms settled about Steve's legs and
brought him crashing to earth he was well over that last white line and
the day was won! Frantic blue-stockinged youths dropped mercilessly down
upon him and drove the breath from his body, in his ears was a wild and
terrific clamour of frenzied joy and faintly a whistle shrilled. Steve,
his nose buried in the soft sod, clutched the ball tightly beneath him
and smiled in the darkness.