Part 29 (1/2)

Ned added a wild shout of triumph to the din about him.

Fourth down, and still five yards to gain! Now Farview must either kick or try a forward, and realizing this the Blue's secondary defense dropped back and out. A Farview subst.i.tute came speeding on, a new left tackle. Then, amid a sudden hush, the quarter sang his signals: ”Kick formation! 73-61-29-” The big full-back stretched his arms out.

”12-17-9!” Back sped the ball, straight and breast-high. The Blue line plunged gallantly. The stand became a pandemonium. The full-back swung a long right leg, but the ball didn't drop from his hands. Two steps to the left, and he was poising it for a forward pa.s.s! Then he threw, well over the up-stretched hands of a Hillman's player who had broken through, and to the left. A Maroon and White end awaited the ball, for the instant all alone on the Blue's goal-line. Ned, seeing, groaned dismally. Then from somewhere a pair of blue-clad arms flashed into sight, a slim body leaped high, and from the Hillman's side of the field came a veritable thunder of relief and exultation. For the blue arms had the ball, and the blue player was dodging and worming toward the farther side-line! Captain Stevenson it was who cleared the path for him at the last moment, bowling over a Farview player whose arms were already stretched to grapple, and, in a shorter time than the telling takes, Hop Kendrick was racing toward the distant goal!

Afterward Ned realized that during the ensuing ten or twelve seconds he had tried desperately to s.h.i.+n up the tall policeman; but at the time he had not known it, nor, or so it appeared, had the policeman, for the latter was shouting his lungs out! Past the middle of the field sped Hop, running as fleetly as a hare, and behind him pounded a solitary Farview end. These two left the rest of the field farther and farther back at every stride. For a moment it seemed that Hop would win that desperate race; but at last, near the thirty-five yards, he faltered, and the gap between him and his pursuer closed to a matter of three or four strides, and after that it was only a question of how close to the goal the Blue runner would get before he was overtaken and dragged down.

The end came between the fifteen- and twenty-yard streaks. Then, no more than a stride behind, the Farview player sprang. His arms wrapped themselves around Hop's knees, and the runner crashed to earth.

For a long minute the babel of shouting continued, for that eighty-yard sprint had changed the complexion of the game in a handful of seconds.

Hillman's was no longer the besieged, fighting in her last trench to stave off defeat, but stood now on the threshold of victory, herself the besieger!

Farview called for time. Two subst.i.tutes came in to strengthen her line.

Hop, evidently no worse for his effort, was on his feet again, thumping his players on the backs, imploring, entreating, and confident. On the seventeen yards lay the brown oval, almost in front of the right-hand goal-post. A field goal would put the home team one point to the good, and, with only a few minutes left to play, win the game almost beyond a doubt, and none on the Blue's side of the field doubted that a try at goal would follow. Even when the first play came from ordinary formation and Deering smashed into the left of Farview's line for a scant yard, the audience was not fooled. Of course, it was wise to gain what ground they might with three downs to waste, for there was always the chance that a runner might get free and that luck would bring a touch-down instead.

Yet again Hop signaled a line attack. This time it was Mason who carried the ball, and he squirmed through for two yards outside left tackle, edging the pigskin nearer the center of the goal. Then came a shout that started near the Blue team's bench and traveled right along the stand. A slight youngster was pulling off his sweater in front of the bench, a boy with red-brown hair and a pale, set face. Then he had covered the red-brown hair with a leather helmet and was trotting into the field with upraised hand.

Ned stared and stared. Then he closed his eyes for an instant, opened them, and stared again. After that he pinched himself hard to make certain that he was awake and not still dreaming on the knoll beside the road. The subst.i.tute was speaking to the referee now, and Deering was walking away from the group in the direction of the bench. The cheering began, the leaders waving their arms in unison along the length of the Hillman's stand:

”'Rah, 'rah, 'rah! 'Rah, 'rah, 'rah! 'Rah, 'rah, 'rah! Deering!”

And then again, a second later: ”'Rah, 'rah, 'rah! 'Rah, 'rah, 'rah!

'Rah, 'rah, 'rah! Turner!”

Ned turned imploringly to the tall policeman. ”What-who was that last fellow they cheered?” he faltered.

The policeman looked down impatiently.

”Turner. Guess he's going to kick a goal for 'em.”

CHAPTER XXI-THE UNDERSTUDY

”_Block that kick! Block that kick! Block that kick!_” chanted Farview imploringly, from across the trampled field.

Yet above the hoa.r.s.e entreaty came Hop Kendrick's confident voice: ”All right, Hillman's! Make it go! Here's where we win it! Kick formation!

Turner back!” And then: ”25-78-26-194! 12-31-9-”

But it was Hop himself who dashed straight forward and squirmed ahead over one white line before the whistle blew.

”Fourth down!” called the referee. ”About four and a half!”

”Come on!” cried Hop. ”Make it go this time! Hard, fellows, hard! We've got 'em going!” He threw an arm over the shoulder of the new subst.i.tute.

Those near by saw the latter shake his head, saw Hop draw back and stare as if aghast at the insubordination. Farview protested to the referee against the delay, and the latter called warningly. Hop nodded, and raised his voice again:

”Kick formation! Turner back!”

Then he walked back to where the subst.i.tute stood and dropped to his knees.

”Place-kick!” grunted a man at Ned's elbow. ”Can't miss it from there if the line holds!”

Ned, in a perfect agony of suspense, waited. Hop was calling his signals. There was a pause. Then: ”16-32-7-”

Back came the ball on a long pa.s.s from Kewpie. It was high, but Hop got it, pulled it down, and pointed it. Ned saw the kicker step forward.