Part 23 (2/2)
”I think,” insisted Tom Reade, ”that the Fordham team wouldn't like to stand a searching hunt into the eligibility of some of their players.”
”They've surely brought in some who are not regular, fair-and-square High School students,” contended Dan Dalzell.
There was much more talk of this sort, some of the Gridley boys insisting that Fordham ought to be compelled to account for the size and seeming age of some of the home players.
”We're up against a crooked line-up, or I'll give up,” muttered Greg Holmes.
”Now, see here, fellows,” laughed Captain d.i.c.k. ”I don't believe in making any fuss beforehand. We'll just go ahead and take what comes to us.”
”It would be too late to make a kick after we've played,” cried some one.
”You fellows,” continued d.i.c.k, ”make me think of what I heard Mr. Pollock say to Wilc.o.x, chairman of the campaign committee back home.”
”What was that?” demanded half a dozen.
”Why,” chuckled Prescott, ”Mr. Pollock said to Wilc.o.x: 'Now, see here, there's always a chance that the election will go our way.
So never yell fraud until after the election is over.'”
”I guess that's the wisest philosophy,” laughed Coach Morton, who had taken no part in the previous conversation.
”If that's the Fordham team,” continued d.i.c.k, ”it's one of pretty sizable fellows. But we'll do our plain duty, which is to pile out on to the field and proceed to stroll through any line that is posted in our way.”
Just before the Gridley youngsters were ready to go out for preliminary practice the big Fordham fellows came off the field.
”Hullo!” piped Dave, as the Gridley boys strolled out to the gridiron.
”You ought to feel happy, d.i.c.k. There's a big section of West Point over on the grand stand.”
Nearly two hundred young men in black and gray cadet uniforms of the United States Military Academy pattern sat in a solid block at one point on the grand stand.
”No, they're not West Pointers,” sighed d.i.c.k. ”See here, those fellows, of course, are students at the Fordham Military inst.i.tute.
They wear the West Point uniform. And that's the military school that Phin Drayne went to.”
”The sneak!” grunted Dave. ”I wonder if he's over in that bunch, now.”
”I'm not even enough interested to wonder,” returned Prescott.
”He's where he can't do us any harm, anyway.”
”But, if the Fordham boys put anything over us, I'll bet Drayne has things timed so that the military boys will do a big and noisy lot of boasting.”
”They will, anyway, if we allow them a chance,” answered d.i.c.k.
”Now, spread out, fellows,” he called, raising his voice.
In the next moment the ball was in lively play.
The first time that a fumble was made a jeering chorus sounded among the military school boys.
”I expected it,” growled Darrin.
<script>