JIMMY GETS IN THE GAME.
"Now, they'll get it for fair," observed the Wee One as the coach
went striding down the field, following the scattered members of the
First eleven who jogged sulkily down to the goal; and get it they did.
"I'm ashamed of you, Hillard," burst out Horton. "You've been playing
two years on this team, and you can't hang onto a ball yet. If any
one crosses his fingers in front of you, you lose the ball. Go and
sit down." Hillard turned and walked slowly toward the side of the
field, with head hanging. He was a good back, but had the fatal habit
of fumbling. He was so clever at dodging and so fast on his feet,
however, that the coach, knowing well his failing, was still tempted
to put him in the line-up,--and, besides, he belonged to the powerful
Gamma Tau.
"Tucker, you take Hillard's place, and see if we can't do something.
Here we are, only three weeks from our last game, and you are playing
like a perfectly lovely eleven from the Mount Hope Female Seminary.
Think a little about the game, and squeeze that ball, PLEASE."
The coach took the ball from Tompkins, and started up the field, the
whole crowd of players straggling along behind him, the First eleven
sour in face and heavy in step, the Second grinning broadly.
"There, now," said Horton, putting the ball down at midfield again
with a good deal more force than was necessary. "Let's have some
football. First eleven's ball. Make it go. You've got to carry it
from here, don't kick it, carry it. Make it go," and he jumped out of
the way as the two lines crashed together.
"That's something like it. Second down, two yards to go. Some more
like that."
"Big Dutton carried it that time," said Patterson to Frank. "That big
fellow with the light hair. He's the best plunger on the field, but
he's something of a bonehead, and he can't remember the signals. Poor
Horton has his own worries with him. There he goes again."
"First down," yelled Horton from the field. "That's going. Squeeze
that ball, Dutton. Steady in the line there and keep on side.
Wait till the ball is snapped, Burnham. Wait till the ball is
snapped--there, what did I tell you?" as Burnham, the right tackle,
anticipating the signal, plunged ahead. Little Hopkinson, quarter of
the Second, had his hand up and was yelling for the penalty, which he
got.
"Now, First team, you've got to make that loss up this time."
Harding, the captain, stepped out of his place at guard, in the line,
and conferred with Dixon a minute.
"It's going to be a long pass, I'll bet dollars to shoelaces," said
the Wee One, as the lines settled down on their toes.
"22--16--34--146," shouted Dixon. There was a quick pass from center,
and the quarter, turning half-way round, tucked the ball cleverly
in the right half's pocketed arms as he went shooting past him. The
half ran straight out, seemingly bent on turning in at the first
possible moment. But this little ruse was only to draw the fire of
the opponents who came charging at him. Then he stopped dead in his
tracks, stepped backwards and threw the ball unerringly to the right
end who had edged away out toward the side line at the proper time,
entirely unnoticed by the Second backs who had been drawn over. The
catch was clearly made, by Campbell, and he was away like a breeze,
with no one near him. Hopkinson came up on him hard, a little too
hard for safety, and he was easily sidestepped by the fleet-footed
end who, though hard pressed, eluded all tackles and carried the ball
over. It was a pretty piece of work, and the coach, for once, seemed
to be satisfied.
"Now, that's what I call pretty football," exclaimed Frank. "I
thought you said this team was no good."
"Well, it isn't," replied Patterson. "Once in a while they can pull a
play like that off, but most of the time they make a grand fizzle out
of it. They don't seem to have the spirit, somehow. I'll bet they'll
flub-dub it yet."
"Good work, good work," said the coach as he took the ball again. "No
time for goal-kicking now. First, see what you can do in carrying it
through the line. What's the matter, Harper?"
This last remark was directed at the right half on the Second team,
who was limping around, having got in the way of one of the First's
linemen, and received a bad tumble in open field while chasing
Campbell.
"My old ankle," replied Harper, walking around and wincing every time
he touched his foot to the ground. "The one I hurt last week."
"Go and sit down. I'll attend to it after practice; loosen your
shoe if it hurts. I want someone to take Harper's place," continued
Horton, glancing up and down the row of boys sitting on the sideline.
"Hey, you Freshman, what's-your-name," indicating Turner, "get in and
play this half."
"Who is that going in?" inquired the Wee One, as Jimmy jumped up and
ran onto the field. "Looks like a likely kid."
"He's a friend of mine, Jimmy Turner; he's a Freshman."
"He looks as strong as a bull. Does he know the game?"
"No, not very well, but he's crazy about it, and I'll bet he makes
good."
Jimmy took his position, and the next instant he was on the bottom
of a pile of bodies and arms and legs. Big Dutton had come through
the line, and Jimmy met him with all his force, and stopped him. But
there had been a gain. Again Dutton came ramming through. This time
the guard and tackle had opened a hole in the Second's line five feet
wide, and Dutton had time to get up some speed before he reached
Jimmy, who waited for him. It was a bigger gain this time.
"Come on," yelled the coach, dashing around from behind the attacking
eleven. "This Second line isn't doing its work at all. Here you,"
indicating Jimmy, "don't wait for that back to come through on you,
play up to the line, you've got to throw him back. Now again!"
This time the play slammed through the opposite side of the line for
three yards to a first down.
"That's more like it now," encouraged Horton. "Show this school that
you are good for something. Come on, a few more will take it across!"
This time Dixon sent his catapult at Jimmy's territory. But although
the line opened wide enough to admit two like Dutton, Jimmy was in
the breach. He sprang hard and low, and carried Dutton's legs right
out from under him. It is needless to say that the ball stopped right
there.
"Second down, four to go," called out the coach, not before he had
ducked around behind Jimmy and hit him a slap on the back, at the
same time giving him an encouraging "Good work, Freshman."
Having respect for the strength of that side of the secondary
defense, the play was directed at the other side of center, and when
the pile was untangled, the ball lay only a yard from first down, and
less than two yards from the goal line.
"Now," yelled Chip Dixon, "we have 'em where we want 'em. Make it go
and hang onto the ball, 22--36--19----"
"It's coming through center," yelled little Hopkinson, "back-up,
center----"
"Change signals," shouted Chip, and then began to reel off a signal
which he meant to have the effect of spreading out the defense, but
the acute quarter, now playing close in, whispered to his backs:
"It's a fake, it's a fake, the play's coming through center. Look
out, look out----"
And through center it came with a vengeance, Dutton carrying the
ball, crashing and grinding past the guard and tackle who had not
been deceived by the trick of changing signals.
"Keep your feet, keep your feet," yelled Horton, dancing around near
the end of the line.
Just when it looked like a certainty that Dutton had cleared the
line, the two backs of the Second team, reinforced by the ends who
had come around to help, threw themselves at the big back. Jimmy was
underneath, and the big fellow came crashing to the ground; with a
twist and a wriggling half turn he struck hard right across the goal
line, and the ball popped from beneath his arm into plain view. In an
instant there was a scramble, everyone within distance diving for the
sphere without regard to danger of broken heads.
"The First has scored," said Frank. "Jimmy couldn't stop him, I
guess."
"I don't know about that," said the Wee One. "Depends on who has that
ball. It's the First's--no, it isn't," as the coach began to dig down
among the tangle of arms and legs and heads. "No, it's the Second's,
it is, by gravy." For when Horton had finally succeeded in getting to
the bottom of the heap, there lay Jimmy just across the goal line,
and underneath him, tucked up securely between his arms and his chin,
was the ball.
How Jimmy had recovered the ball, no one knew, but there it was; and
Jimmy himself wasn't able to tell if he had been asked, for when the
pile was untangled Jimmy lay still. Horton slapped him on the back.
"There, that's enough, let go of it now; great work, Freshman----"
but there was no response, and then Horton turned him over on his
back.
"Get the water bottle, quick," he cried. "This youngster's knocked
out." In a moment they stretched Jimmy on the ground, opened his
jacket and bathed his face with the water which had been hurriedly
brought from the sidelines. A thin trickle of blood ran down from his
matted hair, just above his forehead.
"Send for Patsy, the trainer, quick," commanded Horton, and some
lively sprinting followed to the other end of the field where that
individual was working over the twisted ankle of Harper.
Patsy Duffy came in hot haste, with his handbag of bandages, but by
the time he had arrived on the scene, Jimmy opened his eyes.
"He's coming to all right. By Jove, Freshman, it was a fine piece
of work," said Horton, as he gently nursed the head of the injured
boy. "You'll be all right in a minute. If I had ten more like you
we'd have a football team. There, can you walk?" he asked, as Jimmy
struggled to his feet and started dizzily.
When he saw that Jimmy had been hurt, Frank sprang from the stand and
came down the field, and now, eager to help, he slipped his arm under
that of Jimmy, and with one of the players helped to steady him as he
walked around. Duffy had already put a bandage around Jimmy's head to
stop the flow of blood.
"I'm all right," said Jimmy. "Don't bother yourself about me. Someone
bumped me over the eye with his knee, I think."
"That's all for to-day," said the coach. "I've got a word to say to
you at the gymnasium," and he led the way in that direction, the
players trooping after him in silence.
"Sorry he didn't break his blooming neck," muttered Chip to
Harding as they trailed along. "I see he is a friend of that young
Armstrong's."
"This probably means," said Harding, "that Horton will want to have
Turner play one of the backs of the First team."
"I'll fix that all right. I'll make Turner look like the father of
all the fumblers if Horton puts him behind the line with me."
"How's that?"
"Never you mind, but just watch out. Hillard and Dutton are both in
our crowd, and we don't want any Freshman muts on the team. But don't
you worry, there won't be any. I have my own plan, and the less you
know about it, the better, for you're the captain, and you don't want
to be accused more than you can help of playing favorites. Let me
take care of it, and I'll show you how to put this young Turner in
the shade."
By this time the gymnasium had been reached. Horton stood just inside
the door to the main dressing room, and when the last straggler had
entered, he shut the door and turned around to face his pupils of the
gridiron.
"I want to tell you, young gentlemen," he said in a very quiet
voice, "that if you continue to play football as you are playing it
now, I might as well quit the job. You haven't improved since that
disgraceful defeat by the Milton High School three weeks ago. The
material is here but you haven't as much spirit as a sick cat. You do
not get together. Once in a while you show what you could do if you
would get together. No team can get together and do anything unless
it is a team, every one helping every one else, doing his own work
and giving the other fellow a hand when he needs it. If you don't get
this spirit, Warwick will show you up worse than they did a year ago.
You know very well what the trouble is," (he referred to the Society
domination of football interests), "and you know the remedy. Captain
Harding, you've got to play the best men on your squad. I'm going to
have a long practice to-morrow, and I want you all to report at 4
o'clock sharp. That's all, good day," and Horton turned on his heel
and left the gymnasium.