Boys of Columbia High on the Gridiron : or, the Struggle for the Silver Cup

by John Henry Goldfrap

  CHAPTER X

  A SCENE NOT DOWN ON THE BILLS

  Columbia enthusiasm broke out louder than ever when theintermission between the two halves was called. Their boys hadthus far not only held their own, but scored more than twice asheavily as the enemy.

  Still, the Clifford enthusiasts did not appear to be downcast.

  "Wait," they kept saying mysteriously on all sides, while shoutsof encouragement went out to Hastings and his doughty warriors.

  "What do they mean by that?" asked Mr. Allen, of the man fromabove, who sat near him on the bench of the grandstand.

  "Well, Clifford is a slow team to get started. They always dobetter in the second half of a game. That with Bellport was afake, because their signals had been given away. They learned thiswhen the first half had been played. It made them savage. Theresult was Bellport didn't score again, and Clifford made a fewpoints before the end came. They'll wake up presently!" was theconfident reply.

  Among the most enthusiastic of the vast crowd was Minnie Cuthbert.She waved her little banner and joined her voice in the generalclamor, for the mad excitement had seized girls as well as boysand men.

  And yet all the while she seemed to have eyes for no one but theagile captain of the Columbia team. Wherever he happened to be,her gaze was either openly or covertly upon him.

  Again she saw Frank wave his hand cheerily, and looking in thedirection where his attention seemed to be directed, shediscovered that Helen and Flo Dempsey were flourishing bouquets offlowers made up of purple and gold, to illustrate the schoolemblem.

  And, moreover, Minnie understood full well that these hadundoubtedly come from the conservatory of the Allens. Somehow, itpained her to know it. From that time on she resolutely set hereyes toward anyone on the field, so long as it was not Frank.

  There was much consultation during the rest spell. Coaches andcaptains had their heads together, trying to ascertain if it werepossible to strengthen their teams by bringing in a fresh man assubstitute.

  Several had been more or less injured in the fierce mass plays,and were showing it, despite their efforts to appear natural. Notfor worlds would anyone of them express a desire to be taken outof the game. If the captain decided against their continuing, welland good, for he was the sole judge of a man's fitness; but eachfellow believed he could still carry himself to the end.

  The general excitement was such that a man might be seriously hurtand not be aware of it, buoyed up, as he was, with the wild desireto accomplish glorious things for the school he loved.

  "How are you feeling, Bones? Any bad result from your immersion inthe cool drink last night," asked Lanky, as he and the right guardcame together.

  "Not an atom, glad to say. You fellows saved me by your promptaction, and the general rubbing down I had after the rescue. True,my left wing feels sore to the touch after that slamming I gotwhen I went down with the ball over their fifteen-yard line, and adozen fellows piled on top; but I don't think it's broken, and Ihaven't said anything to Frank, because I'm afraid he'd yank meout."

  Lanky carefully massaged the arm in question, eliciting a fewgrunts from the stoical player under the process.

  "Only bruised, old fellow. By the way, have you noticed anylimpers around this morning--among the spectators, I mean?" heremarked, whimsically.

  "Sure, two of them, Jay Tweedle and Bill Klemm," laughed the otherimmediately. "They hustled away when they saw me looking, and itwas all they could do to keep the agony off their faces. But itwould have to be more than a mere dog bite to keep any fellow withred blood in his veins away from a scrap on the gridiron likethis, though I reckon both of them are hoping to see Clifford win,hands down."

  "Well, there's another poor chap limping somewhere around thegrounds--Asa Barnes. Good old Kaiser must have put his teeth inhis calf pretty sound, for you can see the tear in his trousers'leg. That was a great time, and I envy you the privilege of havingseen it. What a scattering of the boasters, and all on account ofone dog!"

  "Yes, Lanky, but _such_ a dog! He thinks the world of me.Why, I could hardly tear myself away from him this morning, hewanted to come with me so bad. After this you needn't ever thinkof giving me a guard; Kaiser can fill that position up to thelimit," said Bones, proudly, as became the owner of such awonderful canine.

  "Time's nearly up. Are we going to bring any new horse out of thestable? Did any fellow make serious blunders? Is anyone hurt?"asked Lanky.

  "If they are, they keep it to themselves. But there's Shay comingout, while Eastwick goes to the seats. I was a little afraid thatJack might prove too light as a tackler. Why, twice he failed tobring his man down, and was carried more than a few yards beforeanother fellow caught on. Shay ought to be an improvement."

  "What do you think, so far, Bones?"

  "We've about held our own, that's comforting," was the reply.

  "But the score isn't as big as I hoped it would be," expostulatedLanky.

  "Yes, but we owe that first touchdown and goal to the fact thatClifford was confused with the signals you called. They thoughtthey meant the old version, and rushed to meet the play. That gaveus almost a clear field."

  "I guess you're right," returned Lanky, thoughtfully.

  "Now, see where we stand. They got a clear touchdown, and wereover our fifteen-yard line when play was called. I tell you, we'regoing to have our work cut out to score again, and you can seethat every fellow of the opposition is out for blood. To be lickedby Bellport hurt; a second drubbing is next to unthinkable withthem. Mark my words, they'll die hard!"

  "Bones, you're right. We've got to do our level best in thesecond half. Once let us develop a weak spot, and they'll aim forthat every rush. There's Frank calling to me again. Five minutesmore, and we'll be at it, hammer and tongs," and Lanky hurriedaway to where the captain stood, with the very last word in theway of orders.

  The line of play had been decided on long before. This had beenarranged in accordance with what they knew about Clifford's line-up.Just as Lanky had declared, once let a weak place show, and fromthat minute on the opposition bends every effort toward pushingthe ball in that quarter, until, finally, the defense gives way,and the oval is carried triumphantly across the line.

  Gradually the players began to take their places again. Clifford,too, showed a new face; Hollingsworth being substituted in placeof Evans, as right end, the other having been injured in ascrimmage, thought not enough to get out at the time.

  It was Columbia's kick-off this time, and Jack Comfort was the oneto do the honors which would inaugurate the second half of thegame. Just as he stood there ready to make the first move, thepicture was one that would never be forgotten by the thousands whowitnessed it.

  Every breath seemed hushed. A mighty silence hung over the widefield, as eyes were riveted on the crouching figures, whose faces,so far as seen, because of the disfiguring head harness, showedthe earnestness that possessed each soul.

  It was at this critical moment that suddenly loud shouts arose.They seemed to come from behind the grandstand, and quicklyswelled in volume, until it was a deafening roar that broke forth.Frank called out something, and the referee instantly blew hiswhistle, to signify that delay was imperative until the cause ofall this row could be ascertained and the noise quelled. It wassimply impossible to continue the game while so much racket held,as the players would be wholly unable to hear the signals.

  But now the tenor of the wild cries began to be understood.Players looked at each other in blank dismay. Never before hadthey heard of a football game having been interrupted by such astrange and terrible cause.

  "Mad dog! Mad dog!"

  That was what the people were shrieking over and over. The entiremass of spectators seemed to be writhing as they leaped to theirfeet. Faces grew white with sudden fear. Women and children criedand shrieked, and hands were wrung in the abandon of despair.

  It was easy to discover the immediate scene of the disturbance,for there the lines swayed more violently than elsewhere. Peoplecrushed
back against each other, forgetting all else in the frenzyof fear that possessed them. What could be more terrifying thanthe coming of a mad dog in the midst of such an assemblage ofmerrymakers, out for a grand holiday?

  "Run, you fellows; he's heading out on the field! Get a move onyou!" roared a voice through a big megaphone.

  It was, of course, the wonderful cheer captain, Herman Hooker,who thus gave warning of the coming peril. Indeed, his cry washardly needed, for the two elevens could mark the passage of theterror by the swaying back of the lines upon lines of spectators,all of whom seemed to be possessed of a wild desire to climb upon the highest seats, so that the panic was fierce.

  Then through the mass came the running beast, with his head closeto the ground, and trailing a chain behind him. His actions werecertainly queer, and well calculated to strike terror into thetimid hearts of the helpless ones gathered there to witness thespectacle of a football contest, and not a mad dog hunt.

  And running valiantly after the brute came Officer Whalen,doubtless intending to attempt to shoot the animal when once hefound a chance.

  Suddenly the raging brute uttered a series of fearful sounds, andstarted directly for one of the players on the field, as thoughintending to attack him first. The vast crowd shrieked all mannerof imploring directions, and unable to render assistance, juststood there and looked and prayed.

  But Frank Allen neither started to run nor moved to the aid of thethreatened player for he had discovered that the one who stoodthere was Bones Shadduck, and in the leaping dog he had recognizedthe persistent Kaiser!