Quarter-Back Bates

by Ralph Henry Barbour

  CHAPTER XXIV

  QUARTER-BACK BATES

  The ball was still Kenwood's on her forty-six and she had made fiveyards in two downs. Another thrust added a yard more. Then came aforward-pass, and Peters spoiled it while brown-and-white bannerswaved. Dick came running in, piping his signals on the way.

  Then started one of those long and steady marches down the field that,while less thrilling, less spectacular than runs or passes, are farmore gruelling. If Parkinson had played slowly before she played sono longer. Never on that field had plays been run off faster, neverhad backs started quicker or linemen lunged harder. The pace told onthe enemy before the thirty-yard line was passed. Dick chose his playswisely, uncannily, thrusting here and there unexpectedly, trying thisend and that and always somehow managing to get his ten yards in fourdowns. Sometimes the distance had to be measured and often the resultwas in doubt until the referee's hand waved to the chain holders,but from the enemy's forty-seven to her eight the advance continuedremorselessly. Kirkendall and Warden were the heroes of that invasion,although Gaines and Peters, the latter twice sweeping around fromposition for short gains, took part as well. But on the eight yardsKenwood dug her toes and refused to give another inch. On the seconddown Kirkendall was doubled up for no gain, after Warden had failed offright tackle, and the big full-back was sent to the eighteen yards fora try-at-goal. But there was an attempted double pass first, and ifGaines had taken the throw from Dick in better shape it might have comeoff. As it was, however, Gaines almost dropped the ball, recovered itand was downed before he could toss across the line to the expectantBob Peters. So, after all, that march tallied but three points forthe Brown-and-White, and came near to not tallying at all, forKenwood found a weak spot on the Parkinson right and plunged throughdesperately as Kirkendall booted. The pigskin cleared the upstretchedhands by inches only, but cleared them and sailed safely over the bar.

  Parkinson cheered and demanded further scores, but the third quarterended in an exchange of punts after the kick-off and when the finalperiod began the score was 7-3, with Parkinson on the short end and,so many thought, likely to stay there.

  Coach Driscoll put in a new right guard and a new right tackle,Bartlett and Cairns, so bolstering what, all the season, had shown asthe weakest part of the brown-and-white line. Scoville also went in,Furniss having played himself to a stand-still at left end.

  Kenwood started from her twenty-nine yards when the period began andunloosed Marble again for a fifteen-yard romp, and again got him loosefor twelve more, taking the ball well into Parkinson territory. Thentwo plunges failed and a forward-pass went wrong and the visitorspunted to Dick on his twelve. A Kenwood end upset him before he hadgained his speed. Parkinson started another march then, but it wentless smoothly now and ended at her thirty-five, and Kirkendall punted.Kenwood returned on second down, losing several yards on the exchange.Again Parkinson took up her weary advance, but the plunges at theenemy line netted shorter gains and it was a forward-pass, Dick toPeters that took the home team to the enemy's twenty-two yards. Here anattempt by Gaines around his own left was nipped in the bud. A penaltyfor holding set the Brown-and-White still further back and again shepunted. Kenwood once more accepted the challenge and Warden caught nearthe boundary on his thirty-eight.

  Kenwood began to make substitutions in earnest and Coach Driscollcalled Gaines out and sent Long in. Many of the Parkinson team wereshowing the effects of the game by now and Bob Peters, though stillconfident and cheerful, looked like a wreck. Dick tried to persuade himto go off, but Bob indignantly spurned the notion. Time was flying fastand something less than six minutes remained when Parkinson lined upnear the edge of the field on her thirty-eight. Long got two throughthe Kenwood centre and lost it on a second attempt at the same place.Dick ran half across the field for a scant three yards and Kirkendallromped around his own right for eight. Then another forward failed, forScoville was far out of position for the catch, and Warden was knifedthrough the Kenwood left for two. With eight to go on third down,Kirkendall faked a kick and threw a short pass across the centre of theline which Peters just missed, and Kenwood took the ball.

  Four minutes only remained and Kenwood tried every known methodof wasting time. In the end, though, she was forced to punt, forMarble was stopped twice--the youngster had been used hard and wasshowing the result--and the pigskin was Parkinson's on her forty-one.Kirkendall was pulled down for a loss and had to go out, and Trask,who took his place, made but a yard outside right tackle. Long skirtedthe enemy left for seven, however, and then made it first down on aplucky slam straight at centre. But it was hopeless to expect to snatcha victory by such slow methods, for the hands of the timekeeper'swatch were ticking off the seconds fast. Dick tried a forward, Traskto Peters, but Kenwood was not to be fooled and Bob never had a chanceat the hurtling ball. The "two-over" netted four where the Kenwoodline split to meet the shift. Dick tried the same play again on theopposite side and got three. Warden was hurt and gave way to Skinner.Trask punted to Kenwood's seven and the fleet-footed and elusive Marblecaught and brought the pigskin back to twenty-three, through the wholeParkinson team. Twice Kenwood dared to buck the brown-and-white lineand then punted to safety.

  But what seemed safety was not. For Dick made the catch on histwenty-eight yards, and for once the interference was all he could haveasked for. Skinner and Peters upset the Kenwood ends and a hastilyformed cordon of Parkinson players blocked the others. Dick looked andwhirled to the left, cutting diagonally across behind his interference.Then he had to side-step an eager Kenwood tackle, and after that torun his hardest to throw off the Blue's right half. But he did it, forhe had found his stride now and that ability of which Sumner White hadboasted to Dick's father came to his aid. Straight along the side-linehe flew, some five yards inside it, hard and fast, with the enemyspeeding after him and the quarter-back coming down upon him. Thefifty-yard-line went underfoot and the pursuit had not gained. But theenemy quarter was almost on him now. Dick eased his pace the littlestbit and veered further into the field. Whatever happened, he did notmean to be forced over the side-line. Not until he had passed themiddle of the field did the thought that he might win the victory forParkinson come to him. Until then he had thought only of getting free,of gaining what he might before he was thrown to the turf. Now, though,with only the quarter-back before him he caught a brief and wonderfulglimpse of victory! If only he could get by the last of the enemy!

  Then it happened, almost before he was ready to meet it! The Kenwoodplayer poised, waited, sprang! Dick whirled on his heel, his rightarm stretched before him, locked, and spun dizzily. Arms grasped histhighs, were torn loose, settled about his knees, held! Dick feltdespair at his heart even as he strove to wrench free, to set his feetin new strides. And somehow, his hand thrusting at a head and hisknees tugging at the bonds that held them together, he staggered free!Staggered and fell to one knee and one hand, but found his feet beneathhim again and the goal beckoning!

  The pursuit had closed in now and foremost friend and enemy were buta few yards behind, but Dick's speed was still to be counted on and,although his lungs hurt and his legs felt leaden, he gained at everystride and sped on and on over one white line after another. Behindhim panting players surged despairingly or joyously and beside him athunderous surge of shouts and a wild din of cheers kept pace. Then theend was in sight. Here was the ten-yard-line beneath his feet, therethe last trampled yellow-white mark and the padded posts of the goal!Only a few more strides, only a few more agonising gasps for breath!

  _The pursuit had closed in now and foremost friend andenemy were but a few yards behind_]

  Dick never knew when he actually crossed the line, never knew when,having crossed it, he circled the nearer post and dropped weakly tothe earth to be pounced on as weakly by a Kenwood back. When he didknow things clearly the world was a medley of triumphant shouting andthe blaring of instruments and the thump-thumping of a bass drum. Hewas still fighting for breath when Trask kicked the goal that put th
escore at 10-7. And 10-7 it stayed, for there was only time for anexchange of punts and a discouraged rush by Kenwood when the whistlesignalled the end of the game and the end of the season, the victory ofParkinson and the defeat of a worthy foe.

  * * * * *

  An hour later Dick sat in state in Number 14 Sohmer and received thecongratulations of his friends. His father sat beside him, very proudand erect, beaming on all; on Blash and Rusty and Sid and Stanley andmany more who stormed the hero's retreat that November afternoon. Andthere let us leave him, with Blash's words in our ears: "Two dozencitizens," declaimed Blash, "in monster indoor meeting pay tribute tofamous athlete, Richard Corliss Bates!"