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@@ -1,35 +1,4 @@ -The Project Gutenberg EBook of A Quarter-Back's Pluck, by Lester Chadwick - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with -almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or -re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included -with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org - - -Title: A Quarter-Back's Pluck - A Story of College Football - -Author: Lester Chadwick - -Release Date: September 5, 2012 [EBook #40668] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: ASCII - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK A QUARTER-BACK'S PLUCK *** - - - - -Produced by Donald Cummings and the Online Distributed -Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net - - - - - - +*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK 40668 *** [Illustration: "Smash and hammer; hammer and smash!"] @@ -4193,7 +4162,7 @@ want to be in it, don't you?" "Of course," answered Tom. "We have not forgotten that we were once freshmen, and that we had many clashes with the second-years. Now we -will play the latter role. Lead on, Macduff, and he be hanged who first +will play the latter rôle. Lead on, Macduff, and he be hanged who first cries: 'Hold! Enough!' We'll make the freshies wish they had never seen Randall College." @@ -4680,7 +4649,7 @@ ensued among the sophomores when the cry of fire was raised. "And we have to stand it!" exclaimed Tom, gritting his teeth. "For a couple of days," added Sid. "But it strikes me, old chap, that -last term you played the role of the aforesaid freshies to perfection." +last term you played the rôle of the aforesaid freshies to perfection." "Oh, that was different. But let them wait. We'll put the kibosh on their fun in a few days. Has Dutch got the stuff?" @@ -5149,7 +5118,7 @@ instant Tom uttered a yell. "And in mine, too!" came from Sid. "It's a snake!" and reaching down between the sheets, he pulled out a long reptile. -"Caesar's Haywagon!" cried Phil. "I've drawn something, too!" and with +"Cæsar's Haywagon!" cried Phil. "I've drawn something, too!" and with that he held up a mudturtle. "Ten thousand thistles!" yelled Tom as he began pulling off his pajamas. @@ -6616,7 +6585,7 @@ to crawl away, leaving a shimmering track. "That will do! The evidence is sufficient, I think!" exclaimed the proctor, who had a horror of such things. "Take them away at once, Mr. Henderson!" And Sid went down on his knees to gather up the _helix -molluscae_, while Professor Tines hurried from the room. +molluscæ_, while Professor Tines hurried from the room. "Do you want to see the picture of the fox?" asked Sid as he arose, his hands filled with snails. @@ -9055,359 +9024,4 @@ CUPPLES & LEON COMPANY, Publishers New York End of Project Gutenberg's A Quarter-Back's Pluck, by Lester Chadwick -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK A QUARTER-BACK'S PLUCK *** - -***** This file should be named 40668.txt or 40668.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/4/0/6/6/40668/ - -Produced by Donald Cummings and the Online Distributed -Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net - - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions -will be renamed. - -Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no -one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation -(and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without -permission and without paying copyright royalties. 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You may copy it, give it away or -re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included -with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org - - -Title: A Quarter-Back's Pluck - A Story of College Football - -Author: Lester Chadwick - -Release Date: September 5, 2012 [EBook #40668] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK A QUARTER-BACK'S PLUCK *** - - - - -Produced by Donald Cummings and the Online Distributed -Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net - - - - - - - -[Illustration: "Smash and hammer; hammer and smash!"] - - - - - A Quarter-Back's Pluck - - A Story of College Football - - BY - LESTER CHADWICK - - AUTHOR OF "THE RIVAL PITCHERS," ETC. - - - ILLUSTRATED - - - NEW YORK - CUPPLES & LEON COMPANY - - - - - BOOKS BY LESTER CHADWICK - - =THE COLLEGE SPORTS SERIES= - - 12mo. Illustrated - - THE RIVAL PITCHERS - A Story of College Baseball - - A QUARTER-BACK'S PLUCK - A Story of College Football - - (Other volumes in preparation) - - CUPPLES & LEON COMPANY NEW YORK - - - Copyright, 1910, by - CUPPLES & LEON COMPANY - - - A QUARTER-BACK'S PLUCK - - - Printed in U. S. A. - - - - -CONTENTS - - - CHAPTER PAGE - I MOVING DAY 1 - II LANGRIDGE HAS A TUMBLE 10 - III PHIL GETS BAD NEWS 20 - IV FOOTBALL PRACTICE 31 - V A CLASH 43 - VI PROFESSOR TINES OBJECTS 52 - VII THE FIRST LINE-UP 61 - VIII LANGRIDGE AND GERHART PLOT 70 - IX SOME GIRLS 77 - X A BOTTLE OF LINIMENT 91 - XI IN WHICH SOM EONE BECOMES A VICTIM 100 - XII THE FIRST GAME 106 - XIII SMASHING THE LINE 117 - XIV "GIRLS ARE QUEER" 123 - XV PHIL SAVES WALLOPS 131 - XVI PHIL IS NERVOUS 138 - XVII THE SOPHOMORES LOSE 144 - XVIII A FIRE ALARM 155 - XIX THE FRESHMEN DANCE 162 - XX PHIL GETS A TELEGRAM 172 - XXI STRANGE BEDFELLOWS 179 - XXII A CHANGE IN SIGNALS 187 - XXIII BATTERING BOXER HALL 195 - XXIV GERHART HAS AN IDEA 210 - XXV PHIL GIVES UP 217 - XXVI SID IS BOGGED 224 - XXVII WOES OF A NATURALIST 233 - XXVIII TOM IS JEALOUS 239 - XXIX A STRANGE DISCOVERY 246 - XXX A BITTER ENEMY 254 - XXXI "IT'S TOO LATE TO BACK OUT!" 260 - XXXII TOM GETS A TIP 265 - XXXIII "LINE UP!" 273 - XXXIV THE GAME 280 - XXXV VICTORY--CONCLUSION 287 - - - - -A QUARTER-BACK'S PLUCK - - - - -CHAPTER I - -MOVING DAY - - -Phil Clinton looked critically at the rickety old sofa. Then he glanced -at his chum, Tom Parsons. Next he lifted, very cautiously, one end of -the antiquated piece of furniture. The sofa bent in the middle, much as -does a ship with a broken keel. - -"It--it looks like a mighty risky job to move it, Tom," said Phil. "It's -broken right through the center." - -"I guess it is," admitted Tom sorrowfully. Then he lifted the head of -the sofa, and warned by an ominous creaking, he lowered it gently to the -floor of the college room which he and his chum, Sid Henderson, were -about to leave, with the assistance of Phil Clinton to help them move. -"Poor old sofa," went on Tom. "You've had a hard life. I'm afraid your -days are numbered." - -"But you're not going to leave it here, for some measly freshman to lie -on, are you, Tom?" asked Phil anxiously. - -"Not much!" was the quick response. - -"Nor the old chair?" - -"Nope!" - -"Nor the alarm clock?" - -"Never! Even if it doesn't keep time, and goes off in the middle of the -night. No, Phil, we'll take 'em along to our new room. But, for the life -of me, I don't see how we're going to move that sofa. It will collapse -if we lift both ends at once." - -"I suppose so, but we've got to take it, even if we move it in sections, -Tom." - -"Of course, only I don't see----" - -"I have it!" cried Phil suddenly. "I know how to do it!" - -"How?" - -"Splice it." - -"Splice it? What do you think it is--a rope ladder? You must be in love, -or getting over the measles." - -"No, I mean just what I say. We'll splice it. You wait. I'll go down -cellar, and get some pieces of board from the janitor. Also a hammer and -some nails. We'll save the old sofa yet, Tom." - -"All right, go ahead. More power to ye, as Bricktop Molloy would say. I -wonder if he's coming back this term?" - -"Yep. Post graduate course, I hear. He wouldn't miss the football team -for anything. Well, you hold down things here until I come back. If the -new freshmen who are to occupy this room come along, tell 'em we'll be -moved by noon." - -"I doubt it; but go ahead. I'll try to be comfortable until your return, -dearest," and with a mocking smile Tom Parsons sank down into an easy -chair that threatened to collapse under his substantial bulk. From the -faded cushions a cloud of dust arose, and set Tom to sneezing so hard -that the old chair creaked and rattled, as if it would fall apart. - -"Easy! Easy there, old chap!" exclaimed the tall, good-looking lad, as -he peered on either side of the seat. "Don't go back on me now. You'll -soon have a change of climate, and maybe that will be good for your old -bones." - -He settled back, stuck his feet out before him, and gazed about the -room. It was a very much dismantled apartment. In the center was piled -a collection of baseball bats, tennis racquets, boxing gloves, foils, -catching gloves, a football, some running trousers, a couple of -sweaters, and a nondescript collection of books. There were also a -couple of trunks, while, flanking the pile, was the old sofa and the arm -chair. On top of all the alarm clock was ticking comfortably away, as -happy as though moving from one college dormitory to another was a most -matter-of-fact proceeding. The hands pointed to one o'clock, when it -was, as Tom ascertained by looking at his watch, barely nine; but a -little thing like that did not seem to give the clock any concern. - -"I do hope Phil can rig up some scheme so we can move the sofa," -murmured the occupant of the easy chair. "That's like part of ourselves -now. It will make the new room seem more like home. I wonder where Sid -can be? This is more of his moving than it is Phil's, but Sid always -manages to get out of hard work. Phil is anxious to room with us, I -guess." - -Tom Parsons stretched his legs out a little farther, and let his gaze -once more roam about the room. Suddenly he uttered an exclamation, as -his eye caught sight of something on the wall. - -"Came near forgetting that," he said as he arose, amid another cloud of -dust from the chair, and removed from a spot on the wall, behind the -door, the picture of a pretty girl. "I never put that there," he went -on, as he wiped the dust from the photograph, and turned it over to look -at the name written on the back--Madge Tyler. "Sid must have done that -for a joke. He thought I'd forget it, and leave it for some freshy to -make fun of. Not much! I got ahead of you that time, Sid, my boy. Queer -how he doesn't like girls," added Tom, with the air of an expert. "Well, -probably it's just as well he doesn't take too much to Madge, for----" - -But Tom's musings, which were getting rather sentimental, were -interrupted by the entrance of Phil Clinton. Phil had under one arm some -boards, while in one hand he carried a hammer, and in the other some -nails. - -"Just the cheese," he announced. "Now we'll have this thing fixed up in -jig time. Hasn't Sid Henderson showed up?" - -"No. I guess he's over to the new room. He took his books and left some -time ago. Maybe he's studying." - -"Not much!" exclaimed Phil. "I wish he'd come and help move. Some of -this stuff is his." - -"Most of it is. I'm glad you're going to help, or I'd never have the -courage to shift. Well, let's get the sofa fixed. I doubt if we can make -it hold together, though." - -"Yes, we can. I'll show you." - -Phil went to work in earnest. He was an athletic-looking chap, of -generous size, and one of the best runners at Randall College. He was -one of Tom Parson's particular chums, the other being Sidney Henderson. -Tom and Sid, of whom more will be told presently, had roomed together -during their freshman year at Randall, and Phil's apartment was not far -away. Toward the close of the term the three boys were much together, -Phil spending more time in the room of Tom and Sid than he did in his -own. In this way he became very much attached to the old chair and sofa, -which formed two of the choicest possessions of the lads. - -With the opening of the new term, when the freshmen had become more or -less dignified sophomores, Phil had proposed that he and his two chums -shift to a large room in the west dormitory, where the majority of the -sophomores and juniors lived. His plan was enthusiastically adopted by -Sid and Tom, and, as soon as they had arrived at college, ready for the -beginning of the term, moving day had been instituted. But Sid, after -helping Tom get their possessions in a pile in the middle of the room -they were about to leave, had disappeared, and Phil, enthusiastic about -getting his two best friends into an apartment with him, had come over -to aid Tom. - -"Now, you see," went on Phil, "I'll nail this board along the front edge -of the sofa--so." - -"But don't you think, old chap--and I know you'll excuse my mentioning -it," said Tom--"don't you think that it rather spoils, well, we'll say -the artistic beauty of it?" - -"Artistic fiddlesticks!" exclaimed Phil. "Of course it does! But it's -the only way to hold it together." - -"One could, I suppose, put a sort of drapery--flounce, I believe, is -the proper word--over it," went on Tom. "That would hide the unsightly -board." - -"I don't care whether it's hid or not!" exclaimed Phil. "But if you -don't get down here and help hold this end, while I nail the other, I -know what's going to happen." - -"What?" asked Tom, as he carefully put in his pocket the photograph of -the pretty girl. - -"Well, you'll have a mob of howling freshmen in here, and there won't be -any sofa left." - -"Perish the thought!" cried Tom, and then he set to work in earnest -helping Phil. - -"Now a board on the back," said the amateur carpenter, and for a few -minutes he hammered vigorously. - -"It's a regular anvil chorus," remarked Tom. - -"Here, no knocking!" exclaimed his chum. "Now let's see if it's stiff -enough." - -Anxiously he raised one end of the sofa. There was no sagging in the -middle this time. - -"It's like putting a new keel on a ship!" cried the inventor of the -scheme gaily. "A few more nails, and it will do. Do you think the chair -will stand shifting?" - -"Oh, yes. That's like the 'one-horse shay'--it'll hold together until it -flies apart by spontaneous combustion. You needn't worry about that." - -Phil proceeded to drive a few more nails in the boards he had attached -to the front and back of the sofa. Then he got up to admire his work. - -"I call that pretty good, Tom; don't you?" he asked. - -The two chums drew back to the farther side of the room to get the -effect. - -"Yes, I guess with a ruffle or two, a little insertion, and a bit of old -lace, it will hide the fractured places, Phil. It's a pity----" - -"Here, what are you scoundrels doing to my old sofa?" exclaimed a voice. -"Vandals! How dare you spoil that antique?" and another lad entered the -room. "Say, why didn't you put new legs on it, insert new springs, and -cover it over while you were about it?" he asked sarcastically. - -"Because, you old fossil, we _had_ to put those boards on," said Tom. -"Where have you been, Sid? Phil and I were getting ready to move without -you." - -"Oh, I've been cleaning out the new room we're going into. The juniors -who were there last term must have tried to raise vegetables in it, -judging by the amount of dirt I found. But it's all right now." - -"Good! Now if you'll catch hold here, we'll move the old sofa first. The -rest will be easy." - -Sid Henderson grasped the head of the couch, while Tom took the foot. -Phil acted as general manager, and steadied it on the side. - -"Easy now, easy boys," he cautioned, as they moved toward the door -leading to the hall. - - - - -CHAPTER II - -LANGRIDGE HAS A TUMBLE - - -Out into the corridor went the three lads with the old sofa. It was no -easy task, but they managed to get it out of the east dormitory, where -they had roomed for a year, and then they began the journey across a -stretch of grass to the west building. - -The appearance of the three boys, carrying a dilapidated sofa, as -tenderly as though it were some rare and fragile object, attracted the -attention of a crowd of students. The lads swarmed over to surround the -movers. - -"Well, would you look at that!" exclaimed Holman, otherwise known as -"Holly," Cross. "Have you had a fire, Tom?" - -"No; they've been to an auction sale of antiques, and this is the bed -on which Louis XIV slept the night before he ate the Welsh rarebit," -declared Ed Kerr, the champion catcher on the 'varsity nine. "Why don't -you label it, Phil, so a fellow would know what it is?" - -"You get out of the way!" exclaimed Tom good-naturedly. - -"This side up, with care. Store in a cool, dry place, and water -frequently," quoted Billy Housenlager, who rejoiced in the title of -Dutch. "Here, let me see if I can jump over it while it is in motion," -he added, for he was full of "horseplay," and always anxious to try -something new. He took a running start, and was about to leap full upon -the sofa, when, at a signal from Phil, the three chums set the spliced -piece of furniture on the grass. - -"What's the matter?" asked Dutch indignantly. "Can't you give a fellow a -chance to practice jumping? I can beat Grasshopper Backus, now." - -"You can not!" exclaimed the owner of the title. "I'm sure to make the -track team this term, and then you'll see what----" - -"Say," put in another student, "my uncle says that when he was here he -used to jump----" - -"Drown him!" - -"Stuff grass in his mouth!" - -"Make him eat the horsehair in the sofa!" - -"Swallow it!" - -"Chew it up!" - -These were some of the cries of derision that greeted Ford Fenton's -mention of his uncle. The gentleman had once been a coach at Randall, -and a very good one, too, but his nephew was doing much to spoil his -reputation. - -For, at every chance he got, and at times when there was no opportunity -but such as he made, Ford would quote his aforesaid uncle, upon any and -all subjects, to the no small disapproval of his college mates. So they -had gotten into the habit of "rigging" him every time he mentioned his -relative. - -"I don't care," Ford said, when the chorus of exclamations had ceased. -"My uncle----" - -But he got no further, for the students made a rush for him and buried -him out of sight in a pile of wriggling arms and legs. - -"First down; ten yards to gain!" yelled some one. - -"Come on, now's our chance," said Tom. "First thing we know they'll do -that to our sofa, and then it will be all up with the poor old thing. -Let's move on." - -Once more the chums took up their burden, and walked toward the west -dormitory. By this time the throng had done with punishing poor Fenton, -and once more turned its attention to the movers. - -"Going to split it up for firewood?" called Ed Kerr. - -"No; it's full of germs, and they're going to dig 'em out and use 'em -in the biology class," suggested Dan Woodhouse, who was more commonly -called Kindlings. - -"Maybe they're going to make a folding bed of it," came from Bricktop -Molloy. "Come on, fellows, let's investigate." - -The crowd of fun-loving students hurried after the three lads carrying -the sofa. - -"They're coming!" exclaimed Tom. - -"Let's drop the sofa and cut for it?" proposed Sid. "They'll make a -rough house if they catch us." - -"I'm not going to desert the sofa!" exclaimed Tom. - -"Nor I. I'll stick by you--'I will stand at thy right hand, and guard -the bridge with thee,'" quoted Phil. "But if we put a little more speed -on we can get to the dormitory, and that will be sanctuary, I guess. -Come on; run, fellows!" - -It was awkward work, running and carrying a clumsy sofa, but they -managed it. Holly Cross caught up to them as they were at the door of -the building. - -"Ah, let's have the old ark," he pleaded. "We'll make a bonfire of it, -and circle about it to-night, after we haze some freshies. Give us the -old relic, Tom." - -"Not on your life!" exclaimed the crack pitcher of the 'varsity nine. -"This is our choicest possession, Holly. It goes wherever we go." - -"Well, it won't go much longer," observed Holly. "One of its legs is -coming off." - -Almost as he spoke one of the sofa legs, probably jarred loose by the -unaccustomed rapid rate of progress, fell to the dormitory steps. - -"Oh, dear! Oh, dear!" exclaimed Phil. "It's beginning to fall apart, -Tom." - -"Never mind, you can nail it on. Sid, you carry the leg. The stairs are -so narrow that only two of us can manage the sofa. Phil and I will do -that, and you come in back to catch me, in case I fall." - -Seeing that there was no chance to get the sofa away from its owners, to -make a college holiday with it, Holly Cross and his friends turned back -to look for another source of sport. Sid picked up the leg, and then, -with Phil mounting the stairs backward, carrying one end, and Tom -advancing and holding the other, the task was begun. Up the stairs they -went, and when they were half way there appeared at the head of the -flight two lads. They were both well dressed in expensive clothes, and -there was about them that indefinable air of "sportiness" which is so -easily recognizable but hard to acquire. - -"Hello, what's this?" asked the foremost of the two, as he looked down -on the approaching cavalcade and the sofa. "Here, what do you fellows -mean by blocking up the stairway? Don't you know that no tradesmen are -allowed in this entrance?" - -"Who are you talking to?" demanded Phil, not seeing who was speaking. - -"It's Langridge," explained Tom, as he looked up and saw his former -enemy and rival. - -"Oh, it's Parsons, Henderson and Clinton," went on Fred Langridge, as he -recognized some fellow students. Then, without apologizing for his -former words, he went on: "I say, you fellows will have to back down and -let me and Gerhart past. We are in a hurry." - -"So are we," said Tom shortly. "I guess you can wait until we come up." - -"No, I can't!" exclaimed Langridge. "You back up! You have no right to -block up the stairs this way!" - -"Well, I guess we have," put in Sid. "We're moving some of our things to -our new room." - -Langridge, followed by the other well-dressed lad, came down a few -steps. He saw the old sofa, and exclaimed: - -"What! Do you mean to say that you fellows are moving that fuzzy-wuzzy -piece of architecture into this dormitory? I'll not stand for it! I'll -complain to the proctor! Why, it's full of disease germs!" - -"Yes, and you're full of prune juice!" cried Phil Clinton, unable to -stand the arrogant words and manner of Langridge. - -"Don't get gay with me!" exclaimed Tom's former rival. - -"I'll lay you five to three that you can't jump over their heads and -clear the sofa," put in the other student, whom Langridge had called -Gerhart. "Do any of you fellows want to bet?" he asked rather -sneeringly, as he looked down at Tom, Phil and Sid. - -"I guess not," answered Tom, good-naturedly enough. - -"Ah, you're not sports, I see," rejoined Gerhart. "I thought you said -this was a sporty college, Langridge?" - -"So it is, when you strike the right crowd, and not a lot of greasy -digs," was the answer. "I say, are you chaps going to move back and let -me and Gerhart pass?" he went on. - -"No, we're not," replied Phil shortly. "You can wait until we get up. Go -on back now, Langridge, and we'll soon have this out of the way." - -"Burning it up would be the best method of getting it out of the way," -declared Langridge, still with that sneer in his voice. "I never saw -such a disgraceful piece of furniture. What do you fellows want with it? -Surely you're not going to put it in your room." - -"That's just what we are going to do," declared Sid. "We wouldn't part -with this for a good bit, would we, fellows?" - -"Nope," chorused Phil and Tom. - -"Did it come over in the _Mayflower_?" asked Gerhart. "I'm willing to -bet ten to one that if you think it's an antique that you're stuck. How -about it?" - -"You're quite a sport, aren't you, freshie?" asked Phil suddenly, for he -knew that the new student must belong to the first-year class. - -"Of course I'm a sport, but if you go to calling names I'll show you -that I'm something else!" exclaimed the other fiercely. "If you want to -do a little something in the boxing line----" - -"Dry up!" hastily advised Langridge in a whisper. "You're a freshman, -and you know it. They're sophomores, and so am I. Don't get gay." - -"Well, they needn't insult a gentleman." - -"Tell us when one's around, and we'll be on our good behavior," spoke -Phil with a laugh. - -"Come, now, are you fellows going to back down and let us pass?" asked -Langridge hastily. - -"Like the old guard, we die, but never surrender," spoke Tom. "We're not -going to back down, Langridge. It's easier for you to go back than for -us." - -"Well, I'm not going to do it. You have no right to move your stuff in -here, anyhow. The rooms are furnished." - -"We want our old chair and sofa," explained Sid. - -"I should think you'd be ashamed to bring such truck into a decent -college," expostulated Langridge. "It looks as if it had been through a -fire in a second-hand store." - -"That'll do you," remarked Phil. "This is our sofa, and we'll do as we -please with it." - -"You won't block up my way, that's one thing you won't do," declared -Langridge fiercely. "I'm going down. Look out! If I upset you fellows it -won't be my fault." - -He started down the stairs, and managed to squeeze past Phil, who, -though he did not like Langridge, moved as far to one side as possible -in the narrow passage. As Langridge passed the sofa he struck it with a -little cane he carried. A cloud of dust arose. - -"Whew!" exclaimed the sporty lad. "Smell the germs! Wow! Get me some -disinfectant, Gerhart." - -Whether it was the action of Langridge in hitting the sofa that caused -Tom to stagger, or whether Phil was unsteady on his feet and pushed on -the sofa, did not develop. At any rate, just as Langridge came opposite -to Tom on the stairs, the former pitcher was jostled against his rival. -Langridge stumbled, tried to save himself by clutching at Tom and then -at the sofa. He missed both, and, with a loud exclamation, plunged down -head first, bringing up with a resounding thud at the bottom. - - - - -CHAPTER III - -PHIL GETS BAD NEWS - - -For a moment after he struck the bottom of the stairs, Fred Langridge -remained stretched out, making no move. Tom Parsons feared his -former rival was badly hurt, and was about to call to Sid to go and -investigate, when Langridge got up. His face showed the rage he felt, -though it was characteristic of him that he first brushed the dust off -his clothes. He was nothing if not neat about his person. - -"What did you do that for?" he cried to Tom. - -"Do what?" - -"Shove me down like that. I might have broken my neck. As it is, I've -wrenched my ankle." - -"I didn't do it," said Tom. "If you'd stayed up where you were, until we -got past with the sofa, it wouldn't have happened. You shouldn't have -tried to pass us." - -"I shouldn't, eh? Well, I guess I've got as good a right on these stairs -as you fellows have, with your musty old furniture. You oughtn't be -allowed to have it. You deliberately pushed me down, Tom Parsons, and -I'll fix you for it!" and Langridge limped about, exaggerating the hurt -to his ankle. - -"I didn't push you!" exclaimed Tom. "It was an accident that you jostled -against me." - -"I didn't jostle against you. You deliberately leaned against me to save -yourself from falling." - -"I did not! And if you----" - -"You brought it on yourself, Langridge," interrupted Phil. "You got -fresh and hit the sofa, and that made you lose your balance. It's your -own fault." - -"You mind your business! When I want you to speak I'll address my -remarks to you. I'm talking to Parsons now, and I tell him----" - -"You needn't take the trouble to tell me anything," declared Tom. "I -don't want to hear you. I've told you it was an accident, and if you -insist that it was done purposely I have only to say that you are -intimating that I am not telling the truth. In that case there can be -but one thing to do, and I'll do it as soon as I've gotten this sofa -into our room." - -There was an obvious meaning in Tom's words, and Langridge had no -trouble in fathoming it. He did not care to come to a personal encounter -with Tom. - -"Well, if you fellows hadn't been moving that measly old sofa in, this -would never have happened," growled Langridge as he limped away. "Come -on, Gerhart. We'll find more congenial company." - -"I guess I'll wait until they get the sofa out of the way," remarked the -new chum Langridge appeared to have picked up. - -Tom, Sid and Phil resumed their journey, and the old piece of furniture -was carried to the upper hall. The stairs were clear, and Gerhart -descended. As he passed Tom he looked at him with something of a sneer -on his face, and remarked: - -"I'll lay you even money that Langridge can whip you in a fair fight." - -"Why, you little freshie," exclaimed Phil, "fair fights are the only -kind we have at Randall! We don't have 'em very often, but every time we -do Tom puts the kibosh all over your friend Langridge. Another thing--it -isn't healthy for freshies to bet too much. They might go broke," and -with these words of advice Phil caught up his end of the sofa and Tom -the other. It was soon in the room the three sophomore chums had -selected. - -"Now for the chair and the rest of the truck," called Phil. - -"Oh, let's rest a bit," suggested Sid, as he stretched out on the sofa. -No sooner had he reached a reclining position than he sat up suddenly. - -"Wow!" he cried. "What in the name of the labors of Hercules is that?" - -He drew from the back of his coat a long nail. - -"Why, I must have left it on the sofa when I fixed it," said Phil -innocently. "I wondered what had become of it." - -"You needn't wonder any longer," spoke Sid ruefully. "Tom, take a look, -that's a good chap, and see if there's a very big hole in my back. I -think my lungs are punctured." - -"Not a bit of it, from the way you let out that yell," said Phil. "That -will teach you not to take a siesta during moving operations." - -"Not much damage done," Tom reported with a laugh, as he inspected his -chum's coat. "Come on now, let's get the rest of it done." - -"Do you think it will be safe to leave the sofa here?" asked Sid. -"Perhaps I'd better stay and keep guard over it, while you fellows fetch -the rest of the things in." - -"Well, listen to him!" burst out Phil. "What harm will come to it here?" - -"Why, Langridge and that sporty new chum of his may slip in and damage -it." - -"Say, if they can damage this sofa any more than it is now, I'd like to -see them," spoke Tom. "I defy even the fingers of Father Time himself to -work further havoc. No, most noble Anthony, the sofa will be perfectly -safe here." - -"I wouldn't say as much for you, if Langridge gets a chance at you," -said Phil to Tom. "You know what tricks he played on you last term." - -"Yes; but I guess he's had his lesson," remarked Tom. "Now come on, and -we'll finish up." - -The three lads went back to the room formerly occupied by Sid and Tom -during their freshman year. The chums were pretty much of a size, and -they made an interesting picture as they strolled across the campus. - -Tom Parsons had come to Randall College the term previous, from the -town of Northville, where his parents lived. He did not care to follow -his father's occupation of farming, and so had decided on a college -education, using part of his own money to pay his way. - -As told in the first volume of this series, entitled "The Rival -Pitchers," Tom had no sooner reached Randall than he incurred the enmity -of Fred Langridge, a rich youth from Chicago, who was manager of the -'varsity ball nine, and also its pitcher. Tom had ambitions to fill that -position himself, and as soon as Langridge learned this, he was more -than ever the enemy of the country lad. - -Randall College was located near the town of Haddonfield, in one of our -middle Western States, and was on the shore of Sunny River, not far from -Lake Tonoka. Within a comparatively short distance from Randall were two -other institutions of learning. One was Boxer Hall, and the other -Fairview Institute, a co-educational academy. These three colleges had -formed the Tonoka Lake League in athletics, and the rivalry on the -gridiron and diamond, as well as in milder forms of sport--rowing, -tennis, basketball and hockey--ran high. When Tom arrived there was much -talk of baseball, and Randall had a good nine in prospect. Her hopes ran -toward winning the Lake League pennant in baseball, but as her nine had -been at the bottom of the list for several seasons, the chances were -dubious. - -After many hardships, not a few of which Langridge was responsible for, -Tom got a chance to play on the 'varsity nine. Langridge was a good -pitcher, but he secretly drank and smoked, to say nothing of staying up -late nights to gamble; and so he was not in good form. When it came to -the crucial moment he could not "make good," and Tom was put in his -place, in the pitching box, and by phenomenal work won the deciding -game. This made Randall champion of the baseball league, and Tom Parsons -was hailed as a hero, Langridge being supplanted as pitcher and manager. - -But if Langridge and some of the latter's set were his enemies, Tom had -many friends, not the least among whom were Phil Clinton and Sidney -Henderson, to say nothing of Miss Madge Tyler. This young lady and -Langridge were, at first, very good friends, but when Madge found out -what sort of a chap the rich city youth was, she broke friendship with -him, and Tom had the pleasure of taking her to more than one college -affair. This, of course, did not add to the good feeling between Tom and -Langridge. - -With the winning of the championship game, baseball came practically to -an end at Randall, as well as at the other colleges in the Tonoka Lake -League, and a sort of truce was patched up between Tom and Langridge. -The summer vacation soon came, and the students scattered to their -homes. Tom and his two chums agreed to room together during the term -which opens with this story, and it may be mentioned incidentally -that both Tom and Phil hoped to play on the football eleven. Phil -was practically assured of a place, for he had played the game at a -preparatory school, and had as good a reputation in regard to filling -the position of quarter-back as Tom had in the pitching box. - -It was due to a great catch which Phil made in the deciding championship -game, almost as much as to Tom's wonderful pitching, that Randall had -the banner, and Captain Holly Cross, of the eleven, had marked Phil -for one of his men during the season which was about to open on the -gridiron. - -"Now we'll take the old armchair over," proposed Tom, when he and his -chums had reached the room they were vacating. "I guess I can manage -that alone. You fellows carry some of the other paraphernalia." - -Phil and Sid prepared to load themselves down with gloves, balls, bats, -foils and various articles of sport. Before he left with the chair, Tom -observed Sid looking behind the door as if for something. - -"It's not there, old man. I took it down," said the pitcher, and he -patted the pocket that held Madge Tyler's photograph. "You thought you'd -make me forget it, didn't you?" - -"Do you mean to say you're going to stick girls' pictures up in our new -room?" asked Sid. - -"Not girls' pictures, in general," replied Tom, "but one in particular." - -"You make me tired!" exclaimed Sid, who cared little for feminine -society. - -"You needn't look at it if you don't like," responded his chum. "But I -call her a pretty girl, don't you, Phil?" - -"She's an all right looker," answered the other with such enthusiasm -that Tom glanced at him a trifle sharply. - -"She's no prettier than Phil's sister," declared Sid. - -"Have you a sister?" demanded Tom. - -Phil bowed in assent. - -"Why didn't you say so before?" asked Tom grumblingly. - -"Because you never asked me." - -"Where is she?" - -"Going to Fairview this term, I believe." - -"So is Madge--I mean Miss Tyler," burst out Tom. "I'd like to meet her, -Phil; your sister, I mean." - -"Say, you're a regular Mormon!" expostulated Sid. "If we're going to get -this moving done, let's do it, and not talk about girls. You fellows -make me sick!" - -"Wait until he gets bitten by the bug," said Tom with a laugh, as he -shouldered the easy chair. - -It took the lads several trips to transfer all their possessions, but at -last it was accomplished, and they sat in the new room in the midst of -"confusion worse confounded," as Holly Cross remarked when he looked in -on them. Their goods were scattered all over, and the three beds in the -room were piled high with them. - -"It's a much nicer place than the old room," declared Tom. - -"It will be when we get it fixed up," added Phil. - -"I s'pose that means sticking a lot of girls' photos on the wall, some -of those crazy banners they embroidered for you, a lot of ribbons, and -such truck," commented Sid disgustedly. "I tell you fellows one thing, -though, and that is if you go to cluttering up this room too much, I'll -have something to say. I'm not going to live in a cozy corner, nor yet -a den. I want a decent room." - -"Oh, you can have one wall space to decorate in any style you like," -said Tom. - -"Yes; he'll probably adopt the early English or the late French style," -declared Phil, "and have nothing but a calendar on it. Well, every one -to his notion. Hello, the alarm clock has stopped," and he began to -shake it vigorously. - -"Easy with it!" cried Tom. "Do you want to jar the insides loose?" - -"You can't hurt this clock," declared Phil, and, as if to prove his -words, the fussy little timepiece began ticking away again, as loudly -and insistingly as ever. "Well, let's get the room into some decent kind -of shape, and then I'm going out and see what the prospects are for -football," he went on. "I want to make that quarter-back position if I -have to train nights and early mornings." - -"Oh, you'll get it, all right," declared Tom. "I wish I was as sure of a -place as you are. I believe----" - -He was interrupted by a knock at the door. Sid opened it. In the hall -stood one of the college messengers. - -"Hello, Wallops; what have you there?" asked Tom. - -"Telegram for Mr. Phil Clinton." - -"Hand it over," spoke Sid, taking the envelope from the youth. -"Probably it's a proposition for him to manage one of the big college -football teams." - -As Wallops, who, like nearly everything and every one else about the -college had a nickname, departed down the corridor, Phil opened the -missive. It was brief, but his face paled as he read it. - -"Bad news?" asked Tom quickly. - -"My mother is quite ill, and they will have to operate on her to save -her life," said Phil slowly. - - - - -CHAPTER IV - -FOOTBALL PRACTICE - - -There was a moment of silence in the room. No one cared to speak, for, -though Tom and Sid felt their hearts filled with sympathy for Phil, they -did not know what to say. It was curiously quiet--oppressively so. The -fussy little alarm clock, on the table piled high with books, was -ticking away, as if eager to call attention to itself. Indeed, it did -succeed in a measure, for Tom remarked gently. - -"Seems to me that sounds louder than it did in the other room." - -"There are more echoes here," spoke Sid, also quietly. "It will be -different when we get the things up." - -The spell had been broken. Each one breathed a sigh of relief. Phil, -whose face had become strangely white, stared down at the telegram in -his hand. The paper rustled loudly--almost as loudly as the clock -ticked. Tom spoke again. - -"Is it--is it something sudden?" he asked. "Was she all right when you -left home to come back to college?" - -"Not exactly all right," answered Phil, and he seemed to be carefully -picking his words, so slowly did he speak. "She had been in poor health -for some time, and we thought a change of air would do her good. So -father took her to Florida--a place near Palm Beach. I came on here, and -I hoped to hear good news. Now--now----" He could not proceed, and -turned away. - -Tom coughed unnecessarily loud, and Sid seemed to have suddenly -developed a most tremendous cold. He had to go to the window to look -out, probably to see if it was getting colder. In doing so he knocked -from a chair a football, which bounded erratically about the room, as -the spherical pigskin always does bounce. The movements of it attracted -the attention of all, and mercifully came as a relief to their -overwrought nerves. - -"Well," said Sid, as he blew his nose with seemingly needless violence, -"I suppose you'll have to give up football now; for you'll go to -Florida." - -"Yes," said Phil simply, "of course I shall go. I think I'll wire dad -first, though, and tell him I'm going to start." - -"I'll take the message to the telegraph office for you," offered Tom -eagerly. - -"No, let me go," begged Sid. "I can run faster than you, Tom." - -"That's a nice thing to say, especially when I'm going to try for end on -the 'varsity eleven," said Tom a bit reproachfully. "Don't let Holly -Cross or Coach Lighton hear you say that, or I'll be down and out. I'm -none too good in my running, I know, but I'm going to practice." - -"Oh, I guess you'll make out all right," commented Phil. "I'm much -obliged to you fellows. I guess I can take the message myself, though," -and he sat down at the littered table, pushing the things aside, to -write the dispatch. - -Tom and Sid said little when Phil went out to take the telegram to the -office. The two chums, one on the old patched sofa and the other in the -creaking chair, which at every movement sent up a cloud of dust from the -ancient cushion, maintained a solemn silence. Tom did remark once: - -"Tough luck, isn't it?" - -To which Sid made reply: - -"That's what it is." - -But, then, to be understood, you don't need to talk much under such -circumstances. In a little while footsteps were heard along the -corridor. - -"Here he comes!" exclaimed Tom, and he arose from the sofa with such -haste that the new boards, which Phil had put on to strengthen it, -seemed likely to snap off. - -"Go easy on that, will you?" begged Sid. "Do you want to break it?" - -"No," answered Tom meekly, and he fell to arranging his books, a task -which Sid supplemented by piling the sporting goods indiscriminately in -a corner. They wanted to be busy when Phil came in. - -"Whew! You fellows are raising a terrible dust!" exclaimed Phil. He -seemed more at his ease now. In grief there is nothing so diverting as -action, and now that he had sent his telegram, and hoped to be able to -see his mother shortly, it made the bad news a little easier to bear. - -"Yes," spoke Tom; "it's Sid. He raises a dust every time he gets -into or out of that chair. I really think we ought to send it to the -upholsterer's and have it renovated." - -"There'd be nothing left of it," declared Phil. "Better let well enough -alone. It'll last for some years yet--as long as we are in Randall." - -"Did you send the message?" blurted out Tom. - -"Yes, and now I'll wait for an answer." - -"Is it--will they have to--I mean--of course there's some danger in an -operation," stammered Sid, blushing like a girl. - -"Yes," admitted Phil gravely. "It is very dangerous. I don't exactly -know what it is, but before she went away our family doctor said that if -it came to an operation it would be a serious one. Now--now it seems -that it's time for it. Dear old mother--I--I hope----" He was struggling -with himself. "Oh, hang it all!" he suddenly burst out. "Let's get this -room to rights. If--if I go away I'll have the nightmare thinking what -shape it's in. Let's fix up a bit, and then go out and take a walk. Then -it will be grub time. After that we'll go out and see if any more -fellows have arrived." - -It was good advice--just the thing needed to take their attention off -Phil's grief, and they fell to work with a will. In a short time the -room began to look something like those they had left. - -"Here, what are you sticking up over there?" called Sid to Tom, as he -detected the latter in the act of tacking something on the wall. - -"I'm putting up a photograph," said Tom. - -"A girl's, I'll bet you a new hat." - -"Yes," said Tom simply. "Why, you old anchorite, haven't I a right to? -It's a pity you wouldn't get a girl yourself!" - -"Humph! I'd like to see myself," murmured Sid, as he carefully tacked up -a calendar and a couple of football pictures. - -"Oh, that's Miss Tyler's picture, isn't it?" spoke Phil. - -"Yes." - -Phil was sorting his books when from a volume of Pliny there dropped a -photograph. Tom spied it. - -"Ah, ha!" he exclaimed. "It seems that I'm not the only one to have -girls' pictures. Say, but she's a good-looker, all right!" - -"She's my sister Ruth," said Phil quietly. - -"Oh, I beg your pardon," came quickly from Tom. "I--I didn't know." - -"That's all right," spoke Phil genially. "I believe she is considered -quite pretty. I was going to put her picture up on the wall, but since -Sid objects to----" - -"What's that?" cried the amateur misogynist. "Say, you can put that -picture up on my side of the room if you like, Phil. I--I don't object -to--to all girls' pictures; it's only--well--er--she's your sister--put -her picture where you like," and he fairly glared at Tom. - -"Wonders will never cease," quoted the 'varsity pitcher. "Your sister -has worked a miracle, Phil." - -"You dry up!" commanded Sid. "All I ask is, don't make the room a -photograph gallery. There's reason in all things. Go ahead, Phil." - -"The next thing he'll be wanting will be to have an introduction to your -sister," commented Tom. - -"I'd like to have both you fellows meet her," said Phil gravely. "You -probably would have, only for this--this trouble of mother's. Now I -suppose sis will have to leave Fairview and go to Palm Beach with me. I -must take a run over this evening, and see her. She'll be all broken -up." It was not much of a journey to Fairview, a railroad was well as a -trolley line connecting the town of that name with Haddonfield. - -The room was soon fitted up in fairly good shape, though the three chums -promised that they would make a number of changes in time. They went to -dinner together, meeting at the table many of their former classmates, -and seeing an unusually large number of freshmen. - -"There'll be plenty of hazing this term," commented Tom. - -"Yes, I guess we'll have our hands full," added Sid. - -Old and new students continued to arrive all that day. After reporting -to the proper officials of the college there was nothing for them to -do, save to stroll about, as lectures would not begin until the next -morning, and then only preliminary classes would be formed. - -"I think I'll go down to the office and see if any telegram has arrived -for me," said Phil, as he and his chums were strolling across the -campus. - -"I hope you get good news," spoke Tom. "We'll wait for you in the room, -and help you pack if you have to go." - -"Thanks," was Phil's answer as he walked away. - -"Well, Tom, I suppose you're going to be with us this fall?" asked Holly -Cross, captain of the football eleven, as he spied Tom and Sid. - -"I am if I can make it. What do you think?" - -"Well, we've got plenty of good material for ends, and of course we want -the best, and----" - -"Oh, I understand," said Tom with a laugh. "I'm not asking any favors. I -had my honors this spring on the diamond. But I'm going to try, just the -same." - -"I hope you make it," said Holly fervently. "We'll have some try-out -practice the last of this week. Where's Phil? I've about decided on him -for quarter-back." - -"I don't believe he can play," remarked Sid. - -"Not play!" cried Holly. - -Then they told him, and the captain was quite broken up over the news. - -"Well," he said finally, "all we can hope is that his mother gets better -in time for him to get into the game with us. We want to do the same -thing to Boxer Hall and Fairview at football as we did in baseball. I do -hope Phil can play." - -"So do we," came from Tom, as he and Sid continued on to their room. - -It was half an hour before Phil came in, and the time seemed three times -as long to the two chums in their new apartment. When he entered the -room both gazed apprehensively at him. There was a different look on -Phil's face than there had been. - -"Well?" asked Tom, and his voice seemed very loud. - -"Dad doesn't want me to come," was Phil's answer. - -"Not come--why? Is it too----" - -"Well, they've decided to postpone the operation," went on Phil. "It -seems that she's a little better, and there may be a chance. Anyhow, dad -thinks if sis and I came down it would only worry mother, and make her -think she was getting worse, and that would be bad. So I'll not go to -Florida." - -"Then it's good news?" asked Sid. - -"Yes, much better than I dared to hope. Maybe she'll get well without -an operation. I feel fine, now. I'm going over to Fairview and tell -my sister. Dad asked me to let her know. I feel ten years younger, -fellows!" - -"So do we!" cried Tom, and he seized his chum's hand. - -"Let's go out and haze a couple of dozen freshmen," proposed Sid -eagerly. - -"You bloodthirsty old rascal!" commented Phil. "Let the poor freshies -alone. They'll get all that's coming to them, all right. Well, I'm off. -Hold down the room, you two." - -Tom and Sid spent the evening in their apartment, after Phil had -received permission to go to Fairview, Tom having entrusted him with a -message to Madge Tyler. The two chums had a number of invitations to -assist in hazing freshmen, but declined. - -"We don't want to do it without Phil," said Tom, and this loyal view was -shared by Sid. - -Phil came back late that night, or, rather, early the next morning, for -it was past midnight when he got to Randall College. - -"Your friend Madge sends word that she hopes you'll take her to the -opening game of the football season," said Phil to Tom, as he was -undressing. - -"Did you see her?" inquired Tom eagerly. - -"Of course. Ruth sent for her. She's all you said she was, Tom." - -"Oh!" spoke Tom in a curious voice, and then he was strangely silent. -For Phil was a good-looking chap, and had plenty of money; and Tom -remembered what friends Madge and Langridge had been. His sleep was not -an untroubled one that night. - -Two or three days more of general excitement ensued before matters were -running smoothly at Randall. In that time most of the students had -settled in their new rooms, the freshmen found their places, some were -properly hazed, and that ordeal for others was postponed until a future -date, much to the misery of the fledglings. - -"Preliminary football practice to-morrow," announced Phil one -afternoon, as he came in from the gymnasium and found Tom and Sid -studying. - -"That's good!" cried Tom. "Are you going to try, Sid?" - -"Not this year. I've got to buckle down to studies, I guess. Baseball is -about all I can stand." - -"I hear Langridge is out of it, too," said Phil. "His uncle has put a -ban on it. He's got to make good in lessons this term." - -"Well, I think the team will be better off without him," commented Sid. -"Not that he's a poor player, but he won't train properly, and that has -a bad effect on the other fellows. It's not fair to them, either. Look -what he did in baseball. We'd have lost the championship if it hadn't -been for Tom." - -"Oh, I don't know about that," modestly spoke the hero of the pitching -box. - -"Well, turn out in football togs to-morrow," went on Phil. "By the way, -I hear that Langridge's new freshman friend--Gerhart--is going to try -for quarter-back against me." - -"What! that fellow who was with him when we were moving our sofa in?" -asked Tom. - -"That's the one." - -"Humph! Doesn't look as if he was heavy enough for football," commented -Sid. - -"You can't tell by the looks of a toad how much hay it can eat," quoted -Phil. - -The following afternoon a crowd of sturdy lads, in their football suits, -thronged out on the gridiron, which was the baseball field properly put -in shape. The goal posts had been erected, and Coach Lighton and Captain -Cross were on hand to greet the candidates. - -"Now, fellows," said the coach, "we'll just have a little running, -tackling, passing the ball, some simple formations and other exercises -to test your wind and legs. I'll pick out four teams, and you can play -against each other." - - - - -CHAPTER V - -A CLASH - - -Ragged work, necessarily, marked the opening of the practice. The ball -was dropped, fumbled, fallen upon, lost, regained, tossed and kicked. -But it all served a purpose, and the coach and captain, with keen eyes, -watched the different candidates. Now and then they gave a word of -advice, cautioning some player about wrong movements, or suggesting a -different method. - -Phil had been put in as quarter-back on one scrub team, and Tom, as -left-end, on the same. Phil found his opponent on the opposing eleven to -be none other than Langridge's friend, Gerhart. It did not need much of -an eye to see that Gerhart did not know the game. He would have done -well enough on a small eleven, but he had neither the ability nor the -strength to last through a college contest. - -Several times, when it was his rival's turn to pass back the ball, Phil -saw the inefficient work of Gerhart, but he said nothing. He felt that -he was sure of his place on the 'varsity eleven, yet he called to mind -how Langridge had used his influence to keep Tom Parsons from pitching -in the spring. - -There was no denying that Langridge had influence with the sporting -crowd, and it was possible that he might exert it in favor of his new -chum and against Phil. But there was one comfort: Langridge was not as -prominent in sports as he had been during the spring term, when he was -manager of the baseball team. He had lost that position because of his -failure to train and play properly, and, too, his uncle, who was his -guardian, had insisted that he pay more attention to studies. - -"After all, I don't believe I have much to fear from him," thought Phil. -Then came a scrimmage, and he threw himself into the mass play to -prevent the opposing eleven from gaining. - -The practice lasted half an hour, and at the close Coach Lighton and -Captain Cross walked off the field, talking earnestly. - -"I wish I knew what they were saying," spoke Phil, as he and Tom -strolled toward the dressing-room. - -"Oh, they're saying you're the best ever, Phil." - -"Nonsense! They're probably discussing how they can induce you to play." - -"Well, how goes it?" called a voice, and they looked back to see -Bricktop Molloy. He was perspiring freely from the hard practice he had -been through at tackle. - -"Fine!" cried Tom. "We were just wondering if we would make the -'varsity." - -"Sure you will," answered the genial Irish student, who was nothing if -not encouraging. Perhaps it was because he was sure himself of playing -on the first team that he was so confident. - -"What did you think of Gerhart at quarter?" asked Tom, for the benefit -of his chum. - -"I didn't notice him much," answered Bricktop, as he ruffled his red -hair. "Seemed to me to be a bit sloppy, though; and that won't do." - -Phil did not say anything, but he looked relieved. - -"Too bad you're not going to play, Sid, old chap," remarked Tom in the -room that night, when the three chums were together. "You don't know -what you miss." - -"Oh, yes, I do," was the answer, and Sid looked up from the depths of -the chair, closing his Greek book. "The day has gone by when I want to -have twenty-one husky lads trying to shove my backbone through my -stomach. I don't mind baseball, but I draw the line at posing as a -candidate for a broken neck or a dislocated shoulder. Not any in mine, -thank you." - -"You're a namby-pamby milksop!" exclaimed Phil with a laugh and a pat on -the back, that took all the sting from the words. "Worse than that, -you're a----" - -"Well, I don't stick girls' pictures, and banners worked in silk by the -aforesaid damsels, all over the room," and Sid looked with disapproval -on an emblem which Tom had placed on the wall that day. It was a silk -flag of Randall colors, which Madge Tyler had given to him. - -"You're a misguided, crusty, hard-shelled troglodytic specimen of a -misogynist!" exclaimed Tom. - -"Thanks, fair sir, for the compliment," and Sid arose to bow -elaborately. - -Phil and Tom talked football until Sid begged them to cease, as he -wanted to study, and, though it was hard work, they managed to do so. -Soon they were poring over their books, and all that was heard in the -room was the occasional rattle of paper, mingling with the ticking of -the clock. - -"Well, I'm done for to-night," announced Sid, after an hour's silence. -"I'm going to get up early and bone away. Hand me that alarm clock, Tom, -and I'll set it for five." - -"Don't!" begged Phil. - -"Why not?" - -"Because if you do it will go off about one o'clock in the morning. Set -it at eleven, and by the law of averages it ought to go off at five. Try -it and see. I never saw such a clock as that. It's a most perverse -specimen." - -Phil's prediction proved, on trial, to be correct, so Sid set the clock -at eleven, and went to bed, where, a little later, Tom and Phil -followed. - -There was more football practice the next afternoon, and also the -following day. Tom was doing better than he expected, but his speed was -not yet equal to the work that would be required of him. - -"We need quick ends," said the coach in talking to the candidates during -a lull in practice. "You ends must get down the field like lightning on -kicks, and we're going to do a good deal of kicking this year." - -Tom felt that he would have to spend some extra time running, both on -the gymnasium track and across country. His wind needed a little -attention, and he was not a lad to favor himself. He wanted to be the -best end on the team. He spoke to the coach about it, and was advised to -run every chance he got. - -"If you do, I can practically promise you a place on the eleven," said -Mr. Lighton. - -"Who's going to be quarter-back?" Tom could not help asking. - -"I don't know," was the frank answer. "A few days ago I would have said -Phil Clinton; but Gerhart, the new man, has been doing some excellent -work recently. I'll be able to tell in a few days." - -Somehow Tom felt a little apprehensive for Phil. He fancied he could see -the hand of Langridge at work in favor of his freshman chum. - -The matter was unexpectedly settled a few days later. There were two -scrub teams lined up, Tom and Phil being on one, and Gerhart playing at -quarter on the other. There had been some sharp practice, and a halt was -called while the coach gave the men some instructions. As a signal was -about to be given Phil went over to the coach, and, in a spirit of the -utmost fairness, complained that the opposing center was continually -offending in the matter of playing off side. Phil suggested that Mr. -Lighton warn him quietly. - -The coach nodded comprehendingly, and started to speak a word of -caution. As he passed over to the opposing side, he saw Gerhart stooping -to receive the ball. - -"Gerhart," he said, "I think you would improve if you would hold your -arms a little closer to your body. Then the ball will come in contact -with your hands and body at the same time, and there is less chance for -a fumble. Here, I'll show you." - -Now, when Mr. Lighton started he had no idea whatever of speaking to -Gerhart. It was the center he had in mind, but he never missed a chance -to coach a player. He came quite close to the quarter-back, and was -indicating the position he meant him to assume, when the coach suddenly -started back. - -"Gerhart, you've been smoking!" he exclaimed, and he sniffed the air -suspiciously. - -"I have not!" was the indignant answer. - -"Don't deny it," was the retort of the coach. "I know the smell of -cigarettes too well. You may go to the side lines. Shipman, you come in -at quarter," and he motioned to another player. - -"Mr. Lighton," began Gerhart, "I promise----" - -"It's too late to promise now," was the answer the coach made. "At the -beginning of practice I warned you all that if you broke training rules -you couldn't play. If you do it now, what will you do later on?" - -"I assure you, I--er--I only took a few----" - -"Shipman," was all Mr. Lighton said, and then he spoke to the center. - -Gerhart withdrew from the practice, and walked slowly from the gridiron. -As he left the field he cast a black look at Phil, who, all unconscious -of it, was waiting for the play to be resumed. But Tom saw it. - -Fifteen minutes more marked the close of work for the day. As Tom and -Phil were hurrying to the dressing-rooms, they were met by Langridge and -Gerhart. The latter still had his football togs on. - -"Clinton, why did you tell Lighton I had been smoking?" asked Gerhart in -sharp tones. - -"Tell him you had been smoking? Why, I didn't know you had been." - -"Yes, you did. I saw you whispering to him, and then he came over and -called me down." - -"You're mistaken." - -"I am not! I saw you!" - -Phil recollected that he had whispered to the coach. But he could not, -in decency, tell what it was about. - -"I never mentioned your name to the coach," he said. "Nor did I speak of -smoking." - -"I know better!" snapped Gerhart. "I saw you." - -"I can only repeat that I did not." - -"I say you did! You're a----" - -Phil's face reddened. This insult, and from a freshman, was more than he -could bear. He sprang at Gerhart with clenched fists, and would have -knocked him down, only Tom clasped his friend's arm. - -"Not here! Not here!" he pleaded. "You can't fight here, Phil!" - -"Somewhere else, then!" exclaimed Phil. "He shan't insult me like that!" - -"Of course not," spoke Tom soothingly, for he, too, resented the words -and manner of the freshman. "Langridge, I'll see you about this later -if you're agreeable," he added significantly, "and will act for your -friend." - -"Of course," said Tom's former rival easily. "I guess my friend is -willing," and then the two cronies strolled off. - - - - -CHAPTER VI - -PROFESSOR TINES OBJECTS - - -"Are you going to fight him?" asked Langridge of Gerhart, when they were -beyond the hearing of Tom and Phil. - -"Of course! I owe him something for being instrumental in getting me put -out of the game." - -"Are you sure he did?" - -"Certainly. Didn't I see him sneak up to Lighton and put him wise to the -fact that I'd taken a few whiffs? I only smoked half a cigarette in the -dressing-room, but Clinton must have spied on me." - -"That's what Parsons did on me, last term, and I got dumped for it. -There isn't much to this athletic business, anyway. I don't see why you -go in for it." - -"Well, I do, but I'm not going to stand for Clinton butting in the way -he did. I wish he had come at me. You'd seen the prettiest fight you -ever witnessed." - -"I don't doubt it," spoke Langridge dryly. - -"What do you mean?" asked his crony, struck by some hidden meaning in -the words. - -"I mean that Clinton would just about have wiped up the field with you." - -"I'll lay you ten to one he wouldn't! I've taken boxing lessons from a -professional," and Gerhart seemed to swell up. - -"Pooh! That's nothing," declared Langridge. "Phil Clinton has boxed with -professionals, and beaten them, too. We had a little friendly mill here -last term. It was on the quiet, so don't say anything about it. Phil -went up against a heavy hitter and knocked him out in four rounds." - -"He did?" and Gerhart spoke in a curiously quiet voice. - -"Sure thing. I just mention this to show that you won't have a very easy -thing of it." - -There was silence between the two for several seconds. Then Gerhart -asked: - -"Do you think he wants me to apologize?" - -"Would you?" asked his chum, and he looked sharply at him. - -"Well, I'm not a fool. If he's as good as you say he is, there's no use -in me having my face smashed just for fun. I think he gave me away, and -nothing he can say will change it. Only I don't mind saying to him that -I was mistaken." - -"I think you're sensible there," was Langridge's comment. "It would be -a one-sided fight. Shall I tell him you apologize?" - -"Have you got to make it as bald as that? Can't you say I was mistaken?" - -"I don't know. I'll try. Clinton is one of those fellows who don't -believe in half-measures. You leave it to me. I'll fix it up. I don't -want to see you knocked out so early in the term. Besides--well, never -mind now." - -"What is it?" asked Gerhart quickly. - -"Well, I was going to say we'd get square on him some other way." - -"That's what we will!" came eagerly from the deposed quarter-back. "I -counted on playing football this term, and he's to blame if I can't." - -"I wouldn't be so sure about that," came from Langridge. "I never knew -Clinton to lie. Maybe what he says is true." - -"I don't believe it. I think he informed on me, and I always will. Do -you think there's a chance for me to get back?" - -"No. Lighton is too strict. It's all up with you." - -"Then I'll have my revenge on Phil Clinton, that's all." - -"And I'll help you," added Langridge eagerly. "I haven't any use for him -and his crowd. He pushed me down stairs the other day, and I owe him -one for that. We'll work together against him. What do you say?" - -"It's a go!" and they shook hands over the mean bargain. - -"Then you'll fix it up with him?" asked Gerhart after a pause. - -"Yes, leave it to me." - -So that is how it was, that, a couple of hours later, Tom and Phil -received a call from Langridge. He seemed quite at his ease, in spite of -the feeling that existed between himself and the two chums. - -"I suppose you know what I've come for," he said easily. - -"We can guess," spoke Tom. "Take a seat," and he motioned to the old -sofa. - -"No, thanks--not on that. It looks as if it would collapse. I don't see -why you fellows have such beastly furniture. It's frowsy." - -"We value it for the associations," said Phil simply. "If you don't like -it----" - -"Oh, it's all right, if you care for it. Every one to his notion, as the -poet says. But I came on my friend Gerhart's account. He says he was -mistaken about you, Clinton." - -"Does that mean he apologizes?" asked Phil stiffly. - -"Of course, you old fire-eater," said Langridge, lighting a cigarette. -"Is it satisfactory?" - -"Yes; but tell him to be more careful in the future." - -"Oh, I guess he will be. He's heard of your reputation," and Langridge -blew a ring of smoke toward the ceiling. - -"I'll take him on, if he thinks Phil is too much for him," said Tom with -a laugh. - -"No, thanks; he's satisfied, but it's hard lines that he can't play," -observed the bearer of the apology. - -"That's not my fault," said Phil. - -"No, I suppose not. Well, I'll be going," and, having filled the room -with particularly pungent smoke, Langridge took his departure. If Tom -and Phil could have seen him in the hall, a moment later, they would -have observed him shaking his fist at the closed door. - -"Whew!" cried Tom. "Open a window, Phil. It smells as if the place had -been disinfected!" - -"Worse! I wonder what sort of dope they put in those cigarettes? I like -a good pipe or a cigar, but I'm blessed if I can go those coffin nails! -Ah, that air smells good," and he breathed in deep of the September air -at the window. - -Thus it was that there came about no fight between Phil and the "sporty -freshman," as he began to be called. There was some disappointment, -among the students who liked a "mill," but as there were sure to be -fights later in the term, they consoled themselves. - -Meanwhile, the football practice went on. Candidates were being weeded -out, and many were dropped. Gerhart made an unsuccessful attempt to -regain his place at quarter, but the coach was firm; and though -Langridge used all his influence, which was not small, it had no effect. -Gerhart would not be allowed to play on the 'varsity (which was the goal -of every candidate), though he was allowed to line up with the scrub. - -"But I'll get even with Clinton for this," he said more than once to his -crony, who eagerly assented. - -Phil, meanwhile, was clinching his position at quarter, and was fast -developing into a "rattling good player," as Holly Cross said. Tom was -not quite sure of his place at end, though he was improving, and ran -mile after mile to better his wind and speed. - -"You're coming on," said Coach Lighton enthusiastically. "I think you'll -do, Tom. Keep it up." - -There had been particularly hard practice one afternoon, and word went -down the line for some kicking. The backs fell to it with vigor, and the -pigskin was "booted" all over the field. - -"Now for a good try at goal!" called the coach, as the ball was passed -to Holly Cross, who was playing at full-back. He drew back his foot, -and his shoe made quite a dent in the side of the ball. But, as often -occurs, the kick was not a success. The spheroid went to the side, -sailing low, and out of bounds. - -As it happened, Professor Emerson Tines, who had been dubbed "Pitchfork" -the very first time the students heard his name, was crossing the field -at that moment. He was looking at a book of Greek, and paying little -attention to whither his steps led. The ball was coming with terrific -speed directly at his back. - -"Look out, professor!" yelled a score of voices. - -Mr. Tines did look, but not in the right direction. He merely gazed -ahead, and seeing nothing, and being totally oblivious to the football -practice, he resumed his reading. - -The next moment, with considerable speed, the pigskin struck him full in -the back. It caught him just as he had lifted one foot to avoid a stone, -and his balance was none too good. Down he went in a heap, his book -flying off on a tangent. - -[Illustration: "The pigskin struck him full in the back"] - -"Wow!" exclaimed Holly Cross, who had been the innocent cause of the -downfall. "I'll be in for it now." - -"Keep mum, everybody, as to who did it," proposed Phil. "The whole crowd -will shoulder the blame." - -The players started on the run toward the professor, who still reclined -in a sprawling attitude on the ground. He was the least liked of all -the faculty, yet the lads could do no less than go to his assistance. - -"Maybe he's hurt," said Tom. - -"He's too tough for that," was the opinion of Bricktop. - -Before the crowd of players reached the prostrate teacher he had arisen. -His face was first red and then pale by turns, so great was his rage. He -looked at the dirt on his clothes, and then at his book, lying face -downward some distance away. - -"Young gentlemen!" he cried in his sternest voice. "Young gentlemen, I -object to this! Most emphatically do I object! You have gone entirely -too far! It is disgraceful! You shall hear further of this! You may all -report to me in half an hour in my room! I most seriously object! It is -disgraceful that such conduct should be allowed at any college! I shall -speak to Dr. Churchill and enter a most strenuous objection! The idea!" - -He replaced his glasses, which had fallen off, and accepted his book -that Tom picked up. - -"Don't forget," he added severely. "I shall expect you all to report to -me in half an hour." - -At that moment Dr. Albertus Churchill, the aged and dignified head of -the college, and Mr. Andrew Zane, a proctor, came strolling along. - -"Ah! I shall report your disgraceful conduct to Dr. Churchill at once," -added Professor Tines, as he walked toward the venerable, white-haired -doctor. "I shall enter my strongest objection to the continuance of -football here." - -There were blank looks on the faces of the players. - - - - -CHAPTER VII - -THE FIRST LINE-UP - - -Evidently Dr. Churchill surmised that something unusual had occurred, -for he changed his slow pace to a faster gait as he approached the -football squad, in front of which stood Professor Tines, traces of anger -still on his unpleasant face. - -"Ah, young gentlemen, at football practice, I see," remarked the doctor, -smiling. "I trust there is the prospect of a good team, Mr. Lighton. I -was very well pleased with the manner in which the baseball nine -acquitted itself, and I trust that at the more strenuous sport the -colors of Randall will not be trailed in the dust." - -"Not if I can help it, sir; nor the boys, either," replied the coach. - -"That's right," added Captain Holly Cross. - -"I see you also take an interest in the sport," went on Dr. Churchill -to Professor Tines. "I am glad the members of the faculty lend their -presence to sports. Nothing is so ennobling----" - -"Sir," cried Professor Tines, unable to contain himself any longer, "I -have been grossly insulted to-day. I wish to enter a most emphatic -protest against the continuance of football at this college. But a -moment ago, as I was crossing the field, reading this Greek volume, I -was knocked over by the ball. I now formally demand that football be -abolished." - -Dr. Churchill looked surprised. - -"I want the guilty one punished," went on Professor Tines. "Who kicked -that ball at me?" - -"Yes, young gentlemen, who did it?" repeated the proctor, for he thought -it was time for him to take a hand. "I demand to know!" - -"It wasn't any one in particular, sir," answered Coach Lighton, -determined to defend his lads. "It was done on a new play we were -trying, and it would be hard to say----" - -"I think perhaps I had better investigate," said Dr. Churchill. "Young -gentlemen, kindly report at my study in half an hour." - -"If you please, sir," spoke Phil Clinton, "Professor Tines asked us to -call and see him." - -"Ah, I did not know that. Then I waive my right----" - -"No, I waive mine," interrupted the Latin teacher, and he smoothed out -some of the pages in the Greek book. - -"Perhaps we had better have them all up to my office," proposed the -proctor. "It is larger." - -"A good idea," said the president of Randall. "Gentlemen, you may -report to the proctor in half an hour. I like to see the students -indulge in sports, but when it comes to such rough play that the life of -one of my teachers is endangered, it is time to call a halt." - -"His life wasn't in any danger," murmured Tom. - -"Hush!" whispered the coach. "Leave it to me, and it will come out all -right." - -"But if they abolish football!" exclaimed Phil. "That will be too much! -We'll revolt!" - -"They'll not abolish it. I'll make some explanation." - -Dr. Churchill, Professor Tines, and the proctor moved away, leaving a -very disconsolate group of football candidates on the gridiron. - -"Do you suppose Pitchfork will prevail upon Moses to make us stop the -game?" asked Jerry Jackson. "Moses," as has been explained, being the -students' designation of Dr. Churchill. - -"We'll get up a counter protest to Pitchfork's if they do," added his -brother, Joe Jackson. - -"Hurrah for the Jersey twins!" exclaimed Tom. The two brothers, who -looked so much alike that it was difficult to distinguish them, were -from the "Garden State," and thus had gained their nickname. - -"Well, that sure was an unlucky kick of mine," came from Holly Cross -sorrowfully. - -"Nonsense! You're not to blame," said Kindlings Woodhouse. "It might -have happened to any of us. We'll all hang together." - -"Or else we'll hang separately, as one of the gifted signers of the -Fourth of July proclamation put it," added Ed Kerr. "Well, let's go take -our medicine like little soldiers." - -In somewhat dubious silence they filed up to the proctor's office. It -was an unusual sight to see the entire football squad thus in parade, -and scores of students came from their rooms to look on. - -Dr. Churchill and Professor Tines were on hand to conduct the -investigation. The latter stated his case at some length, and reiterated -his demand that football be abolished. In support of his contention he -quoted statistics to show how dangerous the game was, how many had been -killed at it, and how often innocent spectators, like himself, were -sometimes hurt, though, he added, he would never willingly be a witness -of such a brutal sport. - -"Well, young gentlemen, what have you to say for yourselves?" asked Dr. -Churchill, and Tom thought he could detect a twinkle in the president's -eye. - -Then Coach Lighton, who was a wise young man, began a defense. He told -what a fine game football was, how it brought out all that was best in a -lad, and how sorry the entire squad was that any indignity had been put -upon Professor Tines. He was held in high esteem by all the students, -Mr. Lighton said, which was true enough, though esteem and regard are -very different. - -Finally the coach, without having hinted in the least who had kicked the -ball that knocked the professor down, offered, on behalf of the team, to -present a written apology, signed by every member of the squad. - -"I'm sure nothing can be more fair than that," declared Dr. Churchill. -"I admit that I should be sorry to see football abolished here, -Professor Tines." - -Professor Tines had gained his point, however, and was satisfied. He had -made himself very important, and had, as he supposed, vindicated his -dignity. The apology was then and there drawn up by the proctor, and -signed by the students. - -"I must ask for one stipulation," said the still indignant instructor. -"I must insist that, hereafter, when I, or any other member of the -faculty approaches, all indiscriminate knocking or kicking of balls -cease until we have passed on. In this way all danger will be avoided." - -"We agree to that," said Mr. Lighton quickly, and the incident was -considered closed. But Professor Tines, if he had only known it, was the -most disliked instructor in college from then on. He had been hated -before, but now the venom was bitter against him. - -"We're well out of that," remarked Tom to Phil, as they went to their -room, having gotten rid of their football togs. "I wonder what fun -Pitchfork has in life, anyhow?" - -"Reading Latin and Greek, I guess. That reminds me, I must bone away a -bit myself to-night. I guess Sid is in," he added, as he heard some one -moving about in the room. - -They entered to find their chum standing on a chair, reaching up to one -of the silken banners Tom had hung with such pride. - -"Here, you old anchorite! What are you doing?" cried Phil. - -"Why, I'm trying to make this room look decent," said Sid. "You've got -it so cluttered up that I can't stand it! Isn't it enough to have -pictures stuck all over?" - -"Here, you let that banner alone!" cried Tom, and he gave such a jerk to -the chair on which Sid was standing that the objector to things artistic -toppled to the floor with a resounding crash. - -"I'll punch your head!" he cried to Tom, who promptly ensconced himself -behind the bed. - -"Hurt yourself?" asked Phil innocently. "If you did it's a judgment on -you, misogynist that you are." - -"You dry up!" growled Sid, as he rubbed his shins. - -Then, peace having finally been restored, they all began studying, -while waiting for the summons to supper. When the bell rang, Phil and -Tom made a mad rush for the dining-room. - -"Football practice gives you a fine appetite," observed Phil. - -"I didn't know you fellows needed any inducement to make you eat," spoke -Sid. - -"Neither we do," said Tom. "But come on, Phil, if he gets there first -there'll be little left for us, in spite of his gentle words." - -"We'll have harder work at practice to-morrow," continued Phil as they -sat down at the table. "It will be the first real line-up, and I'm -anxious to see how I'll do against Shipman." - -"He's got Gerhart's place for good, has he?" asked Tom. - -"It looks so. Pass the butter, will you? Do you want it all?" - -"Not in the least, bright-eyes. Here; have a prune." - -"Say, you fellows make me tired," observed Sid. - -"What's the matter with you lately, old chap?" asked Tom. "You're as -grumpy as a bear with a sore nose. Has your girl gone back on you?" - -"There you go again!" burst out Sid. "Always talking about girls! I -declare, since those pictures and things are up in the room, you two -have gone daffy! I'll have 'em all down, first thing you know." - -"If you do, we'll chuck you in the river," promised Phil. - -Thus, amid much good-natured banter, though to an outsider it might not -sound so, the supper went on. There was more hazing that night, in which -Phil and Tom had a share, but Sid would not come out, saying he had to -study. - -"Come on, Tom," called Phil the next afternoon, "all out for the first -real line-up of the season. I'm going to run the 'varsity against the -scrub, and I want to see how I make out." - -"Has the 'varsity eleven all been picked out?" asked Tom anxiously. - -"Practically so, though, of course, there will be changes." - -"I wonder if I----" - -"You're to go at left-end. Come on, and we'll get our togs on." - -After a little preliminary practice the two teams were told to line-up -for a short game of fifteen-minute halves. Coach Lighton named those who -were to constitute a provisional 'varsity eleven, and, to his delight, -Tom's name was among the first named. Phil went to quarter, naturally, -and several of Tom's chums found themselves playing with him. - -"Now try for quick, snappy work from the start," was the advice of the -coach. "Play as though you meant something, not as if you were going on -a fishing trip, and it didn't matter when you got there." - -The ball was put into play. The 'varsity had it, and under the guidance -of Phil Clinton, who gave his signals rapidly, the scrub was fairly -pushed up the field, and a little later the 'varsity had scored a -touchdown. Goal was kicked, and then the lads were ready for another -tussle. - -The scrub, by dint of extraordinary hard work, managed to keep the ball -for a considerable time, making the necessary gains by rushes. - -"We must hold 'em, fellows!" pleaded Phil, and Captain Holly Cross added -his request to that end, in no uncertain words. - -Shipman, the scrub quarter, passed the pigskin to his right half-back, -and the latter hit the line hard. Phil Clinton, seeing an opening, dove -in for a tackle. In some way there was a fumble, and Phil got the ball. -The next instant Jerry Jackson, who was on the 'varsity, slipped and -fell heavily on Phil's right shoulder. The plucky quarter-back stifled a -groan that came to his lips, and then, turning over on his back, -stretched out white and still on the ground. - -"Phil's hurt!" cried Holly Cross. "Hold on, fellows!" - -Tom bent over his chum. He felt of his shoulder. - -"It's dislocated," he said. "We'd better get the doctor for him, -Holly." - - - - -CHAPTER VIII - -LANGRIDGE AND GERHART PLOT - - -"Some of you fellows run for Dr. Marshall!" called Mr. Lighton to the -throng that gathered about the prostrate lad. - -"I'll go," volunteered Joe Jackson. - -"No, let me," said his twin brother. "It was my fault. I slipped and -fell on him." - -"It wasn't any fellow's fault in particular," declared the captain. "It -was likely to happen to any one. But suppose you twins both go, and then -we'll be sure to have help. If Dr. Marshall isn't in the college, -telephone to Haddonfield for one. Phil's shoulder must be snapped back -into place." - -As the twins started off Phil opened his eyes. - -"Hurt much, old chap?" asked Tom, holding his chum's hand. - -"No--not--not much," but Phil gritted his teeth as he said it. His -shoulder, with the bunch of padding on it, stood out oddly from the rest -of his body. - -"Put some coats under him," ordered the coach. "Shall we carry you -inside, Phil?" - -"No; don't move me. Is my arm broken?" - -"No; only a dislocation, I guess. You'll be all right in a few days." - -"Soon enough to play against Boxer Hall, I hope," said Phil with a faint -smile. - -"Of course," declared the coach heartily. "We'll delay the game if -necessary." - -"Here comes Dr. Marshall," called Ed Kerr, as the college physician was -seen hurrying across the campus, with the Jersey twins trailing along -behind. - -The doctor, after a brief examination, pronounced it a bad dislocation, -but then and there, with the help of the captain and coach, he reduced -it, though the pain, as the bone snapped into place, made Phil sick and -faint. Then they helped him to his room, where he was soon visited by -scores of students, for the quarter-back was a general favorite. - -"Now I think I will have to establish a quarantine," declared Dr. -Marshall, when about fifty lads had been in to see how the patient was -progressing. "I don't want you to get a fever from excitement, Clinton. -If you expect to get into the game again inside of two weeks, you must -keep quiet." - -"Two weeks!" cried Phil. "If I have to stay out as long as that I'll be -so out of form that I'll be no good." - -"Well, we'll see how the ligaments get along," was all the satisfaction -the doctor would give the sufferer. - -Tom and Sid remained with their chum, and, after the physician had left, -they made all sorts of insane propositions to Phil with a view of making -him more comfortable. - -"Shall I read Greek to you?" offered Sid. "Maybe it would take your mind -off your trouble." - -"Greek nothing," replied Phil with a smile. "Haven't I troubles enough -without that?" - -"If I had some cheese I would make a Welsh rarebit," Tom said. "I used -to be quite handy at it; not the stringy kind, either." - -"Get out, you old rounder!" exclaimed Sid. "Welsh rarebit would be a -fine thing for an invalid, wouldn't it?" - -"Well, maybe fried oysters would be better," admitted Tom dubiously. "I -could smuggle some in the room, only the measly things drip so, and -Proc. Zane has been unusually active of late in sending his scouts -around." - -"I'll tell you what you can do, if you want to," spoke Phil. - -"What's that?" asked Tom eagerly. - -"Send word to my sister, over at Fairview. She may hear something about -this, and imagine it's worse than it is. I'd like her to get it -straight. I got a letter from dad to-day, too, saying mother was a -little better. I'd like sis to read it." - -"I'll go myself, and start right away!" exclaimed Tom enthusiastically. -"I can get permission easily enough, for I've been doing good work in -class lately. I'll come back on the midnight trolley." - -"You're awfully anxious to go, aren't you?" asked Sid. - -"Of course," replied Tom. "Why do you speak so?" - -"I believe Miss Madge Tyler attends at Fairview," went on Sid to no one -in particular, and there was a mocking smile on his face. - -"Oh, you just wait!" cried Tom, shaking his fist at his chum, who sank -down into the depths of the old easy chair, and held up his feet as -fenders to keep the indignant one at a distance. "You'll get yours good -and proper some day." - -"Well, if you're going, you'd better start," said Phil. "I forgot, -though. You've never met my sister. That's a go!" - -"Can't you give me a note to her?" asked Tom, who was fertile in -expedients where young ladies were concerned. - -"I guess so. Lucky it's my left instead of my right shoulder that's out -of business. Give me some paper, Sid." - -"Tom doesn't need a note," was the opinion of the amateur woman-hater. -"He'll see Miss Tyler, and she'll introduce him." - -"That's so," agreed Tom, as if he had just thought of it. "That will do -first rate. Never mind the note, Phil," and he hurried off, lest -something might occur that would prevent his visit. - -He readily obtained permission to go to Fairview Institute, and was soon -hurrying along the river road to catch a trolley car. As he crossed a -bridge over the stream, he heard voices on the farther end. It was dusk, -now, and he could not see who the speakers were. But he heard this -conversation: - -"Did you hear about Clinton?" - -"Yes; he's laid up with a bad shoulder. Well, it may be just the chance -we want." - -"That's odd," thought Tom. "I wonder who they can be? Evidently college -fellows. Yet how can Phil's injury give them the chance they want?" - -He kept on, and a moment later came in sight of the speakers. He saw -that they were Fred Langridge and Garvey Gerhart. - -"Good evening," said Tom civily enough, for, though he and Langridge -were not on the best of terms, they still spoke. - -"Off on a lark?" asked the former pitcher with a sneer. "I thought you -athletic chaps didn't do any dissipating." - -"I'm not going to," said Tom shortly, as he passed on. - -"Do you suppose he heard what we said?" asked Gerhart, as the shadows -swallowed up Tom. - -"No; but it doesn't make much difference. He wouldn't understand. Now, -do you think you can do it?" - -"Of course. What I want to do is to keep him laid up for several weeks. -That will give me an opportunity of getting back on the eleven. He was -responsible for me being dropped, and now it's my turn." - -"But are you sure it will work?" - -"Of course. I know just how to make the stuff. A fellow told me. If we -can substitute it for his regular liniment it will do the trick all -right." - -"That part will be easy enough. I can think up a scheme for that. But -will it do him any permanent harm? I shouldn't want to get into -trouble." - -"No, it won't harm him any. It will make him so he can't use his arm for -a while, but that's what we want. The effects will pass away in about a -month, just too late to let him get on the eleven." - -"All right; if you know what you're doing, I'll help. Now then, where -will we get the stuff?" - -"I know all about that part. But let's get off this bridge. It's too -public. Come to a quieter place, where we can talk." - -"I know a good place. There's a quiet little joint in town, where we can -get a glass of beer." - -"Will it be safe?" - -"Sure. Come on," and Langridge and his crony disappeared in the -darkness, talking, meanwhile, of a dastardly plot they had evolved to -disable Phil Clinton. - -Tom kept on his way to the trolley. - -"I wonder what Langridge and Gerhart meant?" he thought as he quickened -his pace on hearing an approaching car. "Perhaps Gerhart thought he had -a chance to get back on the team, because Phil is laid up. But I don't -believe he has." - -But Tom's interpretation of the words he had heard was far from the -truth. Phil Clinton was in grave danger. - - - - -CHAPTER IX - -SOME GIRLS - - -Tom thought the fifteen-mile trolley ride to Fairview was an unusually -long one, but, as a matter of fact, it was soon accomplished, for he -caught an express, and about eight o'clock that night arrived in the -town where the co-educational institution was located. - -"Now to find Phil's sister," he said half aloud, as he headed for the -college. He knew the way well, for he had been there several times -before in the previous spring, when his team played baseball. - -"Hello, Parsons," a voice greeted him as he was walking up the campus. -"Where you bound for?" - -The speaker was Frank Sullivan, manager of the Fairview ball team. - -"Oh, I just came over to see what sort of a football eleven you were -going to stack up against us this fall," answered Tom easily. - -"Not very good, I'm afraid," declared Frank. "We're in pretty bad shape. -Several of our best men have been hurt in practice." - -"We've got a few cripples ourselves," said Tom. "Phil Clinton just got -laid up with a bad shoulder." - -"Our half-back is a wreck," added Frank. - -It is curious, but true, nevertheless, that most football elevens seem -to rejoice in the number of cripples they can boast of. The worse the -men are "banged up," the better those interested in the team seem to -be. It may be that they wish to conceal from other teams their real -condition, and so give the enemy a false idea of their strength. However -that may be, the fact remains. - -"So you came over to see how we were doing, eh?" went on Frank. "Well, -not very good, I'm afraid. We expect to be the tailenders this season," -which was not at all what Frank expected, however, nor did his friends. -But he considered it policy to say so. - -"I didn't come over for that alone," said Tom. "I have a message to -Phil's sister. Say, how do you get into the female department of this -shebang, anyhow? What's the proper method of procedure? Do I have to -have the password and a countersign?" - -"Pretty nearly. It's like the combination on a safe. The first thing you -will have to do is to go and interview Miss Philock." - -"Who's she?" - -"The preceptress; and a regular ogress into the bargain. If you pass -muster with her first inspection, you'll have to answer a lot of -categorical questions covering your whole life history. Then, maybe, -she'll consent to take a note from you to the fair damsel." - -"Can't I see her?" asked Tom in some dismay, for he had counted on -meeting Madge Tyler. - -"See a girl student of Fairview after dark? Why, the idea is -preposterous, my dear sir! Perfectly scandalous!" and Frank gave a fair -imitation of an indignant lady teacher. - -"Well, I'll have to send word in," decided Tom, "for I didn't bring a -note." - -"Do you know her personally?" asked Frank. - -"Who--Miss Philock or Phil's sister?" - -"Phil's sister?" - -"No, I don't." - -"Worse and more of it. I wish you joy of your job. But I'm off. There's -going to be some hazing, and I'm on the committee to provide some extra -tortures for the freshies. So long. Miss Philock has her den in that red -building on your left," and, whistling a merry air, which was utterly -out of keeping with Tom's spirits, Frank Sullivan walked away. - -"Well, here goes," said Tom to himself, as he walked up to the residence -of the preceptress and rang the bell. - -An elderly servant answered his summons, and looked very much surprised -at observing a good-looking youth standing on the steps. Tom asked to -see Miss Philock, and the servant, after shutting the door, and audibly -locking it, walked away. - -"They must be terribly afraid of me," thought Tom, but further musings -were put to an end by the arrival of the preceptress herself. - -"What do you want, young man?" she asked, and her voice sounded like -some file rasping and scraping. - -"I wish to deliver a message to Miss Ruth Clinton," was Tom's answer. - -"Who are you?" - -"I am Thomas Parsons, of Randall College." - -"Are you any relation to Miss Clinton?" - -"No; but I room with her brother, and he was slightly hurt in football -practice to-day. He wanted me to tell her that it was nothing serious. -He also has a letter from his father, that he wished me to deliver." - -Miss Philock fairly glared at Tom. - -"That is a very ingenious and plausible answer," said the elderly lady -slowly. "I have had many excuses made to me by young gentlemen as -reasons for sending messages to young ladies under my care, but this one -is the most ingenious I have ever received." - -"But it's true!" insisted Tom, who perceived that his story was not -believed. - -"That's what they all say," was the calm answer of Miss Philock. - -Tom was nonplused. He hardly knew what reply to make. - -"You are evidently a stranger to our rules," went on Miss Philock. "You -must go away at once, or I shall notify the proctor," and she was about -to close the door. - -"But," cried Tom desperately, "I have a message for Miss Ruth Clinton!" - -"Are you a relative of hers?" again asked the preceptress coldly. - -"No; not exactly," spoke Tom slowly. - -"That's the way they all say it," she went on. "If you are not a -relative you can send her no message." - -"But can't you tell her what I've told you?" asked the 'varsity pitcher. -"She may worry about her brother, and he wants her to have this letter -from her father." - -"How do I know she has a brother?" asked Miss Philock sternly. - -"I am telling you." - -"Yes, I know," frigidly. "Other young men have called here to see the -young ladies under my charge, and they often pretend to be brothers and -cousins, when they were not." - -"I am not pretending." - -"I don't know whether you are or not, sir. It has been my experience -that you can never trust a young man. I shall have to bid you good -evening, though I do you the credit to state that your plan is a very -good one. Only, I am too sharp for you, young man. You can send no -message to Miss Clinton or any other young lady student under my -charge." - -The door was almost shut. Tom was in despair. At that moment he caught -sight of a girlish figure in the hall behind the preceptress. It was -Madge Tyler. - -"Oh, Madge--Miss Tyler!" he cried impulsively, "will you tell Miss -Clinton that her brother is not badly hurt. That is, in case she hears -any rumors. His shoulder is dislocated, but he's all right." - -"Why, Mr. Parsons--Tom!" exclaimed the girl in surprise. "What brings -you here?" - -"Young man, what do you mean by disobeying my orders in this manner?" -demanded Miss Philock, bristling with anger. - -"You didn't tell me not to speak to Miss Tyler," said Tom slyly. And he -smiled mischievously. - -"Miss Tyler--do you know her?" - -"I am an old friend of hers," insisted Tom quickly, his confidence -coming back. - -"Is this true, Miss Tyler?" asked the head instructress. - -Madge was a bright girl, and a quick thinker. She at once understood -Tom's predicament, and resolved to help him out. Perhaps it was as much -on her own account as Ruth's--who knows? At any rate, she said: - -"Why, Miss Philock, Tom Parsons and I have known each other ever since -we were children. He is a sort of distant relation of mine. Aren't you, -Tom?" - -"Ye--yes, Madge," he almost stammered. - -"His mother and my mother are second cousins," went on the girl, which -was true enough, though Tom had forgotten it. He did not stop to figure -out just what degree of kinship he bore to Madge. He was satisfied to -have it as it was. Miss Philock turned to Tom. - -"If I had known this at first," she said, "I would have allowed you to -send a message to Miss Tyler at once. However strongly young gentlemen -may insist that they are related to my girls, I never believe them. But -if the statement is made by one of my pupils, I never doubt her. In view -of the fact that you have come some distance, you may step into the -parlor, and speak with Miss Tyler for ten minutes--no longer." - -She opened the door wider. It was quite a different reception from what -Tom had expected, but he was glad enough to see Madge for even that -brief period. He followed her into the parlor, while Miss Philock passed -down the corridor. - -"Oh, Tom, I'm so glad to see you!" exclaimed the girl, and she extended -both hands, which Tom held just as long as he decently could. - -"And I'm glad to see you," he declared. "You're looking fine!" - -"What's this about Ruth's brother?" she asked. - -"It's true. He was hurt at football practice this afternoon, and he was -afraid she'd worry. I told him I'd bring a message to her, and also this -letter. It's from her father, about her mother. Will you give it to -her?" - -"Of course. Isn't it too bad about her poor, dear mother? Ruth is such a -sweet girl. Have you ever met her?" - -"I haven't had the pleasure." - -"I wonder if I'd better introduce you to her," said Madge musingly. "She -is very fascinating, and--er--well----" She looked at Tom and laughed. - -"Can you doubt me?" asked Tom, also laughing, and he bowed low, with his -hand on his heart. - -"Oh, no! Men--especially young men--are never faithless!" she exclaimed -gaily. - -"But how can you present me to her, when the 'ogress,' as I have heard -her called, bars the way?" - -"Hush! She may hear you," cautioned Madge. "Oh, we have 'ways that are -dark and tricks that are vain,' I suppose Miss Philock would say. I'll -just send a message by wireless, and Ruth will soon be here. I think it -will be safe. Philly, as we call her, will be in her office by this -time." - -Madge stepped to the steam pipes in the room, and with her pencil tapped -several times in a peculiar way. - -"That's a code message to Ruth to come down here," she explained. - -"It's a great system," complimented Tom. "How do you work it?" - -"Oh, we have a code. Each girl has a number, and we just tap that number -on the pipes. You know, you can hear a tap all over the building. Then, -after giving the number, we rap out the message, also by numbers. We -just _had_ to invent it. You boys have ever so many things that we girls -can't, you know. Now tell me all about football. I suppose you will -play?" - -"I hope to." - -"And Phil--I mean Mr. Clinton, but I call him Phil, because I hear Ruth -speak of him so often--I think he plays half-back, doesn't he?" - -"No; quarter," answered Tom. - -"I hope to meet him soon," went on Madge. "Ruth has promised---- Oh, -here she is now," she interrupted herself to say. "Come in, Ruth, dear. -Here is a sort of forty-second cousin of mine, with a message about your -brother." - -Tom looked up, to see a tall, dark, handsome girl entering the room. -Behind her came a rather stout, light-haired maiden, with laughing blue -eyes. - -"A message from my brother!" exclaimed Ruth, and she looked at Tom in a -manner that made his heart beat rather faster than usual. - -"Yes, Ruth," went on Madge; "but nothing serious. I'm glad you came -down, too, Sarah, dear. I want you to meet my cousin." - -"I brought Sarah because I was afraid I didn't get your pipe message -just right," explained Ruth. "Did you mean you had company you wanted to -share with me, or that there was a letter for me? I couldn't find the -code book." - -"It's both," declared Madge with a laugh. "But first let's get the -introductions over with," and she presented Tom to Ruth, and then to -Miss Sarah Warden, her roommate, as well as Ruth's. - -"Phil has often spoken to me about you, Miss Clinton," said Tom. "In -fact, he has your picture in our room. It doesn't look like you--I mean -it doesn't do you justice--that is--er--I--I mean----" - -"Better stop, Tom," cautioned Madge. "Evidently Ruth has played havoc -with you already. You should study more carefully the art of making -compliments." - -"Miss Clinton needs no compliments other than unspoken ones," said Tom, -with an elaborate bow. - -"Oh, how prettily said!" exclaimed Miss Warden. "Madge, why didn't you -tell us about your cousin before?" - -"It's time enough now," was Madge's rejoinder. - -"But what about my brother?" asked Ruth anxiously. - -Then Tom told her, and gave her the letter with which Phil had entrusted -him. The young people talked gaily for some minutes longer, and then -Madge, with a look at the clock, said that it was about time Miss -Philock would be back to see that Tom had not overstayed. - -"What a short ten minutes!" he exclaimed, and he looked full in Ruth -Clinton's eyes. - -"Wasn't it?" she agreed. "However, I hope you will come again--that -is--of course you can't come here, but perhaps we--I--er--that is----" -She stopped in confusion. - -"You're almost as bad as Tom was!" declared Madge, and there was just a -little change from her former genial tones. She glanced critically at -Tom. - -"I expect to come over again," replied Phil's chum. "And I hope I shall -see you then, Miss Clinton--see all of you, of course," he added -quickly. - -"It depends on Miss Philock," said Miss Warden. - -"Will you be at the Fairview-Randall football game?" asked Tom. - -"Yes," answered Ruth, for he looked at her. - -"I shall see you and Madge, then, I hope, only it's a long way off," and -Tom sighed just the least bit. - -Madge raised her eyebrows. She might be pardoned for considering that -Tom, in a measure, was her personal property, and now, the first time he -had met Ruth, to hear him talk thus, was something of a shock. - -But she was too proud to show more than a mere hint of her feelings, and -Ruth was, for the time being, entirely unaware that her friend was a bit -jealous. - -"Here comes Philly!" exclaimed Sarah Warden, as steps were heard -approaching. "You had better go, Mr. Parsons, if you value your -reputation." - -"Yes," spoke Madge; "better go, Tom. Sorry you couldn't stay longer." - -"So am I," was his answer, and once more he looked straight at Ruth. He -had thought Madge very pretty, and, while he did not waver in the least -in still thinking her most attractive, he had to admit to himself that -Ruth's was of a different style of beauty. - -"I'm sure I don't know how to thank you for taking the trouble to bring -me this message and letter," said Phil's sister, as she held out her -hand to Tom. He took it in a firm clasp. - -"It was only a pleasure," he said. "Next time I hope to bring better -news." - -"Then there is to be a next time?" she asked archly. - -"Of course," he replied, and laughed. - -"Hurry, Tom, or Miss Philock may order you out," urged Madge. "You've -overstayed your leave as it is, and she may punish us for it. Good-by," -and she held out her hand. Tom clasped it, but a careful observer, with -a split-second watch, might have noted that he did not hold it quite as -long as he had held Ruth's. - -A few minutes later Tom was out on the campus, walking toward the -trolley that would take him to Haddonfield. His brain was in something -of a whirl, and his heart was strangely light. - -"My! but she's pretty!" he exclaimed half aloud. "What fine eyes! -I--I---- Oh, well, what's the use of talking to yourself?" And with that -sage reflection Tom pursued his silent way. - -Back in the parlor the three girls stood for a moment. - -"I like your cousin very much, Madge, dear," said Ruth. - -"I shouldn't wonder!" exclaimed Madge shortly, and she turned and -hurried from the room. - -Ruth looked at her in some surprise. - -"Whatever has come over Madge?" asked Sarah Warden. - -"I can't imagine," replied Ruth, and then, with a thoughtful look on her -face, she went to her room. - -"Humph! I guess I know," murmured Miss Warden, as she followed. - - - - -CHAPTER X - -A BOTTLE OF LINIMENT - - -Tom thought of many things as he walked up the silent campus at Randall, -and prepared to go to his room. He went over again every happening from -the time Miss Philock had grudgingly admitted him at Fairview, until he -had bidden Ruth Clinton good-by. Tom had a very distinct mental picture -of two girls' faces now, whereas, up to that evening, he had had but -one. They were the faces of Ruth and Madge. - -"Hang it all!" he burst out, as he was on the steps of the west -dormitory. "I must be falling in love! This will never do, with the -football season about to open. Better cut it out, Tom Parsons!" - -His musing was suddenly interrupted by the appearance of a figure coming -quickly from the teachers' residence, which was directly in front of the -dormitory building. The figure exclaimed: - -"Wait a minute, please." - -"Proctor Zane!" whispered Tom to himself. "He thinks he's caught me. -Probably he doesn't know I've got a permit. I'll have some fun with -him." - -A moment later the proctor stood beside Tom. - -"Are you aware of the hour?" asked Mr. Zane, in what he meant to be a -sarcastic tone. - -"I--I believe it's nearly two o'clock," replied Tom. "I will tell you -exactly in a moment, as soon as I look at my watch," and with a flourish -he drew his timepiece from his pocket. "It lacks just eight minutes of -two," he added. - -"I didn't ask you the time!" exclaimed the proctor. - -"I beg your pardon, sir; I thought you did," spoke Tom. - -"Aren't you getting in rather late?" asked the official, as he drew out -his book and prepared to enter Tom's name. - -"Well, it might be called late," admitted Tom, as if there was some -doubt about it. "That is, unless you choose to look at it from another -standpoint, and call it early morning. On the whole, I think I prefer -the latter method. It is more comforting, Mr. Zane." - -"None of your impertinence, Parsons!" exclaimed the proctor. "You are -out after hours, and you will report to my office directly after chapel. -This matter of students staying out must be broken up." - -"I agree with you," went on Tom easily, "but I'm afraid I can't report -to you after chapel to-morrow, or, rather, to-day, Mr. Zane." - -"You can't? What do you mean, Parsons?" - -"Why, you see, I have to attend a lecture by Moses--I beg your -pardon--Dr. Churchill--at that hour." - -The proctor, as Tom could see in the light of the hall lamp, as the rays -streamed from the glass door of the dormitory, looked pained at the -appellation of "Moses" to the venerable head of the college. The boys -all called Dr. Churchill that among themselves, though they meant no -disrespect. They had evolved the title from his name; from the fact -that, as one of the first students put it, the original Moses went up on -a hill to establish the first church--hence Church--Hill; and thus -"Moses." - -"I am sure Dr. Churchill will excuse you when he knows the circumstances, -Parsons," went on the proctor with a malicious smile. "You will report to -me for being out after hours without permission." - -"Oh, but I have permission," spoke Tom, as he drew out a note which the -president had given him. "I beg your pardon for not mentioning it -before. Very stupid of me, I'm sure," and this time it was Tom's turn to -grin. - -The proctor looked at the permit, saw that it was in regular form, and -knew that he was beaten. Without a word he turned and went back to his -apartments, but the look he gave Tom augured no good to the talented -pitcher. Tom went to his room, chuckling to himself. - -"Well?" asked Phil, who was not asleep when Tom entered. "Did you see -Ruth?" - -"Yes, old chap. It's all right," and Tom told something of his -visit--that is, as much as he thought Phil would care to know. "Your -sister and Miss Tyler are both sorry you were laid up," he went on. - -"I guess I'll be out inside of a week," said Phil. "The doc was here a -while ago, and left some new liniment that he said would soften up the -strained muscles and ligaments. I tried some, and I feel better already. -Say, put that blamed alarm clock out in the hall, will you? I can't -sleep with the ticking of it." - -Tom did so, and then undressed. He turned the light down low, and, as he -put on his pajamas, he knew, by the regular breathing of Phil, that the -injured lad had fallen into a slumber. Sid, too, was sound asleep. Tom -sat down on the old sofa, sinking far down into the depths of the weak -springs. It creaked like an old man uttering his protest against -rheumatic joints, and, in spite of the new leg Phil had put on and the -strengthening boards, it threatened to collapse. Tom sat there in the -half darkness dreaming--reflecting of his visit to Fairview. He imagined -he could see, in the gloom of a distant corner, a fair face--which one -was it? - -"Oh, I've got to cut this out," he remarked, and then he extinguished -the light and got into bed. - -The next day was Saturday, and as several of the football squad were a -little lame, Coach Lighton only put them through light practice. Thus -the absence of Phil was not felt. He was much better, the new liniment -working like a charm. - -One afternoon, a few days later, Tom and Sid went for a walk, Tom as a -matter of training, and Sid because he wanted to get some specimens for -use in his biology class. They strolled toward the town of Haddonfield, -and shortly after crossing the bridge over Sunny River, saw on the road -ahead of them two figures. - -"There are Langridge and Gerhart," remarked Tom. - -"Yes," spoke Sid. "They're quite chummy for a freshman and a sophomore. -Langridge tried to save Gerhart from being hazed, but the fellows -wouldn't stand for it." - -"I should say not. He ought to take his medicine the same as the rest of -us had to. But look, they don't seem to want to meet us." - -As Tom spoke, Langridge and his crony suddenly left the road and took to -the woods which lined the highway on either side. - -"I wonder what they did that for?" went on Tom. - -"Oh, I guess they don't like our style," was Sid's opinion. "We're not -sporty enough for them." - -But it was not for this reason that Langridge and Gerhart did not want -to meet their two schoolmates. - -"Lucky we saw them in time," observed Gerhart to the other, as he and -Langridge sneaked along. "They might have asked us why we had gone to -town." - -"We shouldn't have told them. I guess they won't pay much attention to -us. Are you going to work the trick to-day?" - -"To-night, if I have a chance. There's going to be a meeting of the glee -club, and Tom and Sid both will go. That will leave Phil alone in the -room, and I can get in and make the change." - -"Be careful you're not caught. It's a risky thing to do." - -"I know it, but it's worth the risk if I can get back on the team. -Besides, it won't hurt Clinton much." - -"Well, it's your funeral, not mine. You've got to stand for it all. I -did my share helping plan it. You'll have to take the blame." - -"I will. Don't worry." - -"But what puzzles me is how Clinton can help knowing it when you change -the liniment. As soon as he uses it he'll see that something is wrong, -and he'll recall that you were in the room." - -"Oh, no, he won't. You see, the two liquids are so nearly alike that -it's hard to tell the difference. Then, the beauty of it is that the one -I'm going to put in place of his regular liniment doesn't take effect -for twelve hours. So he'll never connect me with his trouble." - -"All right. It's up to you. But come on, let's get out on the road -again. I don't fancy tramping through the woods." - -They emerged at a point some distance back of Tom and Sid, who continued -their walk. - -"Did I tell you I met Langridge and Gerhart the night I went to see -Phil's sister?" asked Tom after a pause. - -"No. What were they doing?" - -Tom related the conversation he had heard, and gave his speculations as -to what Gerhart could have meant. - -"I guess he's counting on Phil being laid up so long that he can have -his place at quarter-back," was Sid's opinion, and Tom agreed. - -The specimens of unfortunate frogs, to be used in biology, were stowed -away in a box Sid carried, and then he and Tom turned back to college. -That night they went to a rehearsal of the glee club. - -"Do you mind staying alone, old chap?" asked Tom of Phil as they -prepared to depart. - -"Not a bit. Glad to get rid of you. I can move about the room, doc says, -and it isn't so bad as it might be. I'll be glad to be alone, so I can -think." - -"All right. So long, then." - -It was quiet in the room after Tom and Sid had departed. Phil tried to -read, but he was too nervous, and took no interest in the book. It was -out of the question to study, and, as his shoulder ached, he went back -to bed again. He was in a half doze, when the door opened and Gerhart -entered the room. - -"Hope I didn't disturb you, old chap," he began with easy -familiarity--entirely too easy, for a freshman, Phil thought with a -scowl. "Parsons and Henderson out?" asked Gerhart, as if he did not know -it. - -"Yes, at the meeting of the glee club," answered Phil shortly. - -"That's so. I'd forgotten. Well, here's a note for Parsons. Will you see -that he gets it?" And Gerhart walked over to the table and laid an -envelope down. There was a miscellaneous collection on the table. Among -other things was a bottle of liniment which the doctor had left for -Phil. "I'll just leave the note here," went on Gerhart. "That's a swell -picture over your bed," he said quickly, pointing to a sporting print -that hung over Phil's cot. - -Naturally, the injured lad turned to see where Gerhart pointed. - -"Oh, it will do very well," he answered. He rather resented this -familiarity on the part of a freshman. Still, as Gerhart had called to -leave a note for Tom, Phil could not order him out, as he felt like -doing. When Phil turned his head back toward the middle of the room the -visitor was standing near the door. - -"I guess I'll be going," he said. "Hope you'll be out soon. I'm going to -make another try with Lighton, and see if he won't let me play." - -"Um!" spoke Phil, as he turned over to doze. - -Gerhart, with an ugly smile on his face, hurried to his room in the east -dormitory. Langridge was waiting for him there. - -"Well?" asked the former pitcher. - -"It's done!" exulted Gerhart, producing from beneath his coat a bottle -that had contained liniment. "I threw the stuff out, and now I'll get -rid of the bottle. I guess Phil Clinton won't play football any more -this season!" He put the bottle far back on a closet shelf. - -"Why don't you throw that away?" asked Langridge. - -"I may need it," answered Gerhart. "I'll save it for a while." - - - - -CHAPTER XI - -IN WHICH SOME ONE BECOMES A VICTIM - - -When Sid and Tom, after glee club practice that night, were ascending -the stairs to their floor, Sid stumbled, about half way up the flight. -To save himself from a fall he put out his left hand, and came down -heavily on it. As he did so he uttered an exclamation of pain. - -"What's the matter?" asked Tom. - -"Gave my thumb a fierce wrench! It hurts like blazes! Why didn't you -tell me I was going to fall, and I'd have stayed in to-night?" he asked -half humorously. - -"I'm not a prophet," replied Tom. "But come on to the room, and we'll -put some arnica on it. I've got some." - -Holding his injured thumb tightly in his other hand, Sid finished -climbing the stairs, declaiming, meanwhile, against his bad luck. - -"Oh, you're a regular old woman!" exclaimed Tom. "Pretty soon it'll be -so bad that if you see a black cat cross your path you won't go to -lectures." - -"I wish I had a black cat to use when I'm due in Latin class," spoke -Sid. "Positively I get more and more rotten at that blamed stuff every -day! I need a black cat, or something. Wow! How my thumb hurts!" - -"Get out!" cried Tom. "Many a time on first base I've seen you stop a -hot ball, and never say a word." - -"That's different," declared his chum. "Hurry up and get out your -arnica." - -"Say, you fellows make noise enough," grumbled Phil at the entrance of -his roommates. "What's the matter?" - -"Oh, Sid tried to go upstairs on his hands, and he didn't make out very -well," replied Tom. "I've got two patients on my list now. How are you, -Phil?" - -"Oh, so-so. Gerhart was here a while ago." - -"He was? What did he want?" - -"Left a note for you. It's on the table." - -"Humph! Invitation to a little spread he's going to give. Didn't you -fellows get any?" spoke Tom as he read it. - -"No; and I don't want one," from Phil. - -"And I'm not going," declared Tom. "Gerhart is too much of a cad for -me." - -"Insufferably so!" added Phil. "The little puppy gave himself such airs -in here that I wanted to kick him out. But I wasn't going to say -anything, for I thought you might be getting chummy with him, Tom, -seeing that he left the note for you." - -"No, indeed. I don't know what his object is, nor why he should invite -me. He and Langridge are a pair, and they can stick together," and Tom -wadded up the invitation and threw it into the waste basket. - -"Say, if you're going to get the arnica, I wish you'd get a move on," -implored Sid, who was stretched out on the sofa. "This hurts me worse -than not knowing my Virgil when I'm called on in Pitchfork's class." - -"Then it can't hurt very much," said Phil. "Let's see it." - -Sid held out a hand, the thumb of which was beginning to swell. - -"Why don't you use some of my liniment instead of arnica for it?" -proposed Phil. "It's just the stuff for a sprain. Here, pour some on -your hand," and Phil, whose left arm was in a sling, handed Sid the -bottle from the table. Sid poured a generous quantity on his thumb. - -"Look out for the rug!" exclaimed Tom. "Do you want to spoil it?" for -the liniment was dripping from Sid's hand. - -"Spoil it? Spoil this tattered and torn specimen of a fake oriental?" -queried Sid with a laugh. "Say, if we spread molasses on it the thing -couldn't look much worse than it does. I've a good notion to strike for -a new one." - -"Don't," begged Phil. "We don't have to clean our feet when we come in -now, and if we had a new rug we'd feel obliged to." - -"All right, have it your own way," remarked Tom. "But you've got enough -liniment on there for two thumbs. Here, give me the bottle, and rub -what's on your hand in where the swelling is." - -Sid extended the bottle to Tom. Phil, who was holding the cork, -endeavored to insert it during the transfer. The result was a fumble, -the phial slipped from Sid's grasp, Tom made a grab for it, but missed, -and Phil, with only one good hand, could do nothing. The bottle crashed -to the floor and broke, the liniment running about in little rivulets -from a sort of central lake. - -"Now you have done it!" exclaimed Tom. - -"Who?" demanded Sid. - -"You and Phil. Why didn't you let me do the doctoring? You two dopes -aren't able to look after yourselves! Look at the rug now!" - -"It was as much your fault as ours," declared Sid. "Why didn't you grab -the bottle?" - -"Why didn't you hand it to me? I like your nerve!" - -"That's a nice spot on a rug," said Phil in disgust. - -"It adds to the beauty," declared Sid. "It just matches the big grease -spot on the other side, which was left as a souvenir by the former -occupants of this study. They must have made a practice of dropping -bread and butter on the floor about eight nights a week. But say, if you -want to do something, Tom, rub this stuff into my thumb, will you?" - -"Sure; wait until I pick up this broken glass. I don't want to cut my -feet on it, in case I should take to walking in my sleep." - -He was soon vigorously massaging Sid's injured hand, using a piece of -flannel as directed by Phil, and was given a vote of thanks for the -professional manner in which he did it. - -"I'm sorry about your liniment, Phil," said Tom. "It's all gone. The -only thing I see for you to do is to cut out that piece of the rug where -it has soaked in, and bind it on your shoulder." - -"Oh, it doesn't matter. I won't need any more to-night, and to-morrow -I'll get some more from the doctor." - -Sid was the first to awaken the next morning. A peculiar sensation about -his injured hand called his attention to it. He pulled it from under the -covers and glanced at it. Then he tried to bend the fingers. They were -as stiff as pieces of wood. So was the thumb. It was as if it had been -encased in a plaster cast. - -"I say, you fellows!" called Sid in some alarm. - -"What's the matter?" inquired Tom. "Don't you know it's Sunday, and we -can sleep as long as we like?" - -"Look at my hand! Look at it!" exclaimed Sid tragically. "I can't use -it!" - -Something in his tones made Tom get up. He strode over to the bed. - -"Say, that is mighty queer," he remarked, as he tried to bend Sid's -fingers, and could not. "You must have given yourself a fearful knock." - -"Or else that liniment wasn't the right thing for it," added Phil, -sitting up. "Better call the doc." - - - - -CHAPTER XII - -THE FIRST GAME - - -The three chums looked at each other. Phil felt of Sid's curiously -stiffened hand. - -"I don't see how it could be the liniment," he said. "I've used it right -along. It's the same thing doc gave me. You must have hurt your hand -worse than you thought." - -"I guess I did," admitted Sid. So skilfully had Gerhart carried out his -dastardly plot that even his unusual visit to the room of the trio -attached no suspicion to him. The breaking of the bottle of liniment -destroyed one link in the chain against him, and it would be difficult -to trace anything to Gerhart now. - -Dr. Marshall looked grave when he saw Sid's hand. - -"That is very unusual," he said. "It must have been something you put on -it. The muscles and tendons have been stiffened. There is a drug which -will do that, but it is comparatively rare. It is sometimes used, in -connection with other things, to keep down swelling, but never to soften -a strain. Are you sure you used only the liniment I left for Clinton?" - -"That's all," declared Tom. - -"Let me see the bottle," said the physician, as he twirled his glasses -by their cord and looked puzzled. - -"We can't; it's all gone," explained Phil, and he told of the accident. - -"Humph! Very strange," mused Dr. Marshall. "I'm afraid you'll not be -able to use your hand for a month, Henderson. You have every indication -of having used the peculiar drug I speak of, yet you say you did not, -and I don't see how you could have, unless it got in the liniment by -mistake. And that it did not is proved by the fact that Clinton used the -same liniment without any ill effects. Only that Parsons used a rag to -rub with, his hand would be out of commission, too. It is very strange. -I wish there was some of the liquid left. I will see the druggist who -put it up. Possibly he can explain it." - -"Well, I'm glad I didn't put any on my shoulder," said Phil. "It would -have been all up with me and football, then." - -"It certainly would," admitted Dr. Marshall. "Let me look at your -dislocation." - -"When can I get into the game again?" asked Phil anxiously, after the -inspection. - -"Humph! Well, I think by the middle of the week. It is getting along -better than I expected. Yes, if you pad it well you may go into light -practice to-morrow, and play in a game the end of the week." - -"Good!" cried Phil. "Then's when we tackle Fairview Institute for the -first game of the season!" - -The next day a notice was posted on the bulletin board in the gymnasium, -stating that the 'varsity eleven would line up against the scrub that -afternoon in secret practice. Then followed a list of names of those -selected to play on the first team. It was as follows: - - _Left-end_ TOM PARSONS - _Left-tackle_ ED KERR - _Left-guard_ BOB MOLLOY - _Center_ SAM LOOPER - _Right-guard_ PETE BACKUS - _Right-tackle_ BILLY HOUSENLAGER - _Right-end_ JOE JACKSON - _Quarter-back_ PHIL CLINTON - _Right half-back_ DAN WOODHOUSE - _Left half-back_ JERRY JACKSON - _Full-back_ HOLLY CROSS - -"Hurrah, Tom! You're at left-end!" cried Phil, who, with his chum, was -reading the bulletin. - -"I'm glad of it. Are you all right for practice?" - -"Sure. Come on; let's get into our togs." - -On the outer fringe of football players stood Langridge and Gerhart. -There was surprise on their faces at the sight of Phil getting ready to -play. - -"Something went wrong," whispered Langridge to his crony. "Your scheme -didn't work." - -"I see it didn't," admitted Gerhart with a scowl. "I wonder where the -slip was?" - -But when he heard of the peculiar ailment from which Sid Henderson -suffered, Gerhart knew. - -"I lost that chance," he said to Langridge, "but I may see another to -get square with Clinton, and, when I do, I'll not fail. It's too late, -maybe, for me to get in the game now, but I'll put him out of it, and -don't you forget it!" - -Phil was a little stiff in practice, but he soon warmed up, and the -'varsity eleven played the scrub "all over the field." - -"That's what I like to see," complimented the coach. "Now, boys, play -that way against Fairview on Saturday, and you'll open the season with -a victory. I want you to win. Then we'll have a better chance for the -championship. The schedule is different from the baseball one, you know. -We don't play so many games with Boxer Hall and Fairview as we did in -the spring, consequently each one counts more. Now I'm going to give -you some individual instruction." - -Which the coach did very thoroughly, getting at the weak spots in each -man's playing, and commenting wisely on it, at the same time showing him -how he ought to play his position. There was practice in passing the -ball, falling on it, kicking and tackling. - -"We want to do considerable work in the forward pass and the on-side -kick this season," the coach went on. "I think you are doing very well. -Parsons, don't forget to put all the speed you can into your runs, when -getting down on kicks. - -"You Jersey twins don't want to be watching each other so. I know you -are fond of one another, but try to forget that you are brothers, and be -more lively in the game." - -Jerry and Joe Jackson joined in the laugh that followed. - -"As for you, Snail Looper," continued Coach Lighton, giving the center -the name he had earned from his habit of prowling about nights and -moving at slow speed, "you are doing fairly well, but be a little -quicker. Try to forget that you're a relative of the _Helix Mollusca_. -You backs, get into plays on the jump, and take advantage of the -momentum. That's the way to smash through the line. Now then, we'll try -signals again. Clinton, keep a cool head. Nothing is worse than getting -your signals mixed, and you fellows, if you don't understand exactly -what the play is, call for the signal to be repeated. That will save -costly fumbles. Now line up again." - -They went through the remainder of the practice with a snap and vim that -did the heart of the coach and the captain good. The scrub team was -pretty well worn out when a halt was called. - -"Do you think you will beat Fairview?" asked Ford Fenton of Tom a little -later, when the left-end and Phil were on their way to supper, after a -refreshing shower bath. - -"I hope so, Ford. But you never can tell. Football is pretty much a -gamble." - -"Yes, I suppose so. But my uncle says----" - -"Say, are you going to keep that up this term?" demanded Phil wearily. -"If you are, I'm going to apply to the courts for an injunction against -you and your uncle." - -"Well," continued Fenton with an injured air, "he was football coach -here for some time, and my uncle says----" - -"There he goes again!" cried Tom. "Step on him, Phil!" - -But Ford, with a reproachful look, turned aside. - -"I don't see why there's such a prejudice against my uncle," he murmured -to himself. But there wasn't. It was against the manner in which the -nephew ceaselessly harped on what his relative said, though Ford was -never allowed to tell what it was. - -The Randall eleven was fairly on edge when they indulged in light -practice Saturday morning, preparatory to leaving for Fairview, where -the first game of the season was to take place. - -"Feel fit, Tom?" asked Sid, who had to carry his left hand in a sling. -Dr. Marshall had been unable to learn anything from the druggist that -put up the liniment, and the cause for the queer stiffness remained -undiscovered. - -"As fit as a fiddle," replied the lad. "How about you, Phil?" - -"I'm all to the Swiss cheese, as the poet had it. Is it about time to -start?" - -"Nearly. We're going in a special trolley. Does your shoulder pain you -any?" - -"Not a bit." - -"I suppose--er--that is--er--your sister will be at the game?" ventured -Tom. - -"Of course. She's as daffy about it as I am. If she had been a boy she'd -have played. Miss Tyler will be there, of course?" Phil questioned in -turn. - -"I don't know--I suppose so," answered Tom. "Oh, of course. She and your -sister will probably go together." - -"Yes, they're great chums. I wonder why I didn't get a letter from dad -to-day? He promised to write every night. I ought to have received one. -I'd like to know how my mother is." - -"Well, no news is good news," quoted Tom. "Let's start. I get nervous -when I have to sit around." - -There was a large crowd on the grandstand at the Fairview gridiron when -the Randall team arrived. The seats were rapidly filling up, and when, a -little later, the visiting eleven trotted out for practice, they were -received with a burst of cheers. - -"What's the matter with Randall?" demanded Bean Perkins, who had been -christened "Shouter" from the foghorn quality of his tones. He generally -led the college cheering and singing. Back came the usual reply that -nothing whatever ailed Randall. - -"There's a good bunch out," observed Tom to Phil as they passed the ball -back and forth. "Look at the girls! My, what a lot of them!" - -"And all pretty, too," added Phil. "At least, I know one who is." - -"Who?" - -"Miss Tyler." - -"I know another," spoke the left-end. - -"Who's that?" - -"Your sister. She's prettier than the photograph." - -"You'd better tell her so." - -"I did." - -"Whew! It doesn't take you long to get down to business. But come on. -They're going to line up for practice," and the two ran over to join -their teammates. - -What a mass of color the grandstands and bleachers presented! Mingled -with the youths and men were girls and women in bright dresses, waving -brighter-hued flags. There were pretty girls with long horns, tied with -streamers of one college or the other. There were more pretty girls with -long canes, from which flew ribbons of yellow and maroon--Randall's -colors. There were grave men who wore tiny footballs on their coat -lapels, a knot of ribbon denoting with which college they sided. - -Massed in one stand were the cheering students of Randall, bent on -making themselves heard above the songs and yells of their rivals. Nor -were the girls of Fairview at all backward in giving vent to their -enthusiasm. They had songs and yells of their own, and, under the -leadership of Madge Tyler, were making themselves heard. - -Tom, in catching a long kick, ran close to the stand where the Fairview -girls were massed. Madge was down in front, getting ready to lead them -in a song. - -"Hello!" cried Tom to her, as he booted the pigskin back to Ed Kerr. - -"Sorry I can't cheer for you this time!" called Madge brightly. - -"Well, I'm sorry we will have to push the Fairview boys off the field," -retorted Tom. - -"Oh, are you going to do that?" asked a girl behind Madge, and Tom, who -had been vainly looking for her, saw Ruth Clinton. - -"Sorry, but we have to," he replied. "Aren't you ashamed to cheer -against your own brother?" - -"Oh, I guess Phil is able to look after himself," said Ruth. "Is his -shoulder all right, Mr. Parsons?" - -"Doing nicely." - -Just then the referee's whistle blew to summon the players from -practice. - -"I'll see you after the game," called Tom, and as he glanced from Ruth -to Madge, he saw the latter regarding him rather curiously from her -brown eyes. With a queer feeling about the region where he imagined his -heart to be, he ran across the field. - -"Remember--fast, snappy play!" was the last advice from Coach Lighton. -"You're going to win, boys. Don't forget that!" - -From the stand where the Randall supporters were gathered came that -enthusing song--the song they always sang at a big game--"_Aut vincere -aut mori_"--"Either we conquer or we die!" - -"Keep cool and smash through 'em," spoke Captain Cross to his players, -as the referee and other officials took their places. - -It was Fairview's kick-off, and a moment later the ball came sailing -through the air. Holly Cross caught it, and, well protected by -interference, began to rush it back. But the Fairview players, by -amazing good play, managed to get through, and Holly was downed after a -run back of twenty yards. - -"Now, boys, all together!" called Phil, as he eagerly got into place -behind big Snail Looper, who was bending over the ball. Then the -quarter-back rattled off a string of signals for Jerry Jackson, the left -half-back, to take the ball through the opposing left tackle and end. - -Back came the ball, accurately snapped by the center. Jerry Jackson -was on the alert and took it from Phil as he passed him on the run. -Kindlings Woodhouse smashed in to make a hole for his brother back, who -closely followed. Captain Cross, on the jump, took care of the opposing -left-end, and with a crash that was heard on the grandstand, one of the -Jersey twins hit the line. The game was fairly begun. - - - - -CHAPTER XIII - -SMASHING THE LINE - - -"First down!" came the encouraging cry, when the mass of players had -become disentangled, and Jerry Jackson was seen to still have possession -of the ball. He had made a great gain. - -"Now, once more, fellows!" called Phil. "Smash the line to pieces!" - -Again there came a play, this time with Holly Cross endeavoring to go -between center and guard. But, unexpectedly, he felt as if he had hit a -stone wall. Fairview had developed unusual strength. There was no gain -there. But Phil thought he knew the weakness of the opposing team, and -he decided for another try at line bucking. There would still be time -for kicking on the third down, and he wanted his team to have the ball -as long as possible early in the game. - -This time he signaled for Dutch Housenlager, who was at right tackle, to -go through left tackle. The play was well executed, but Dutch was a -little slow at hitting the line, and after a slight advance he was held, -and only five yards were gained. Randall must kick, and the yells of -delight that had greeted her first advance were silenced, while the -supporters of the co-educational academy prepared to encourage their -players by vocal efforts. - -Holly Cross booted the ball well up into the enemy's territory. Tom, and -Joe Jackson, the ends, were down like tigers, but they could not break -through the well-organized interference that surrounded Roger Barnes, -the Fairview full-back. On he rushed until Phil, pluckily breaking -through, tackled him fiercely. - -"Now see how we can hold 'em!" called Holly Cross to his men, and they -all braced, ready for the smash they knew would come. Nor was it long -delayed. Right at the center of the line came Lem Sellig, the Fairview -left half-back. But he met Snail Looper's solid flesh, supported by -Phil and the three other backs. Yet, in spite of this, Lem managed to -advance. - -"Hold! hold!" pleaded Holly, and, with gritting teeth and tense muscles, -his men did hold. But ten yards had been gained. Fairview was not as -easy as had been hoped. - -Once more the line-smashing occurred, but this time not for such a gain, -and on the next try Fairview was forced to kick. - -"Right down the line, now!" called Phil, and, as if the cheering -contingent understood, Bean Perkins, with his foghorn voice, started -the song: "Take it to the Goal Posts, Boys!" - -It had been decided, before the game, that Randall would attempt only -straight football, at least during the first half. Coach Lighton wisely -advised against trick plays so early in the season, as there were a -number of comparatively new men on the eleven. So Phil, when his side -had the ball again, called for more line-smashing, and his men responded -nobly. - -They advanced the ball to the twenty-five yard line, and, though tempted -to give the signal for a goal from the field, Phil refrained, as there -was a quartering wind blowing. He did signal for a fake kick play, -however, feeling that he was justified in it, and to his horror there -was a fumble. Fairview broke through and captured the ball. - -Dejected and almost humiliated, Randall lined up to receive a smashing -attack, but instead Fairview kicked, for her captain was nervous, and -feared the holding powers of his opponent's line. - -"Now we've got 'em!" yelled Phil, as Holly Cross began running back with -the pigskin. The Fairview ends were right on hand, however, and broke -through the interference, so that Holly was downed ere he had covered -ten yards. But it gave Randall the ball, and then, with a grim -determination to smash or be smashed, the lads went at the Fairview line -hammer and tongs. They rushed the ball to the ten-yard line this time, -and then came a rapid succession of sequence plays, no signals being -given. Indeed, had Phil yelled the numbers and letters through a -megaphone, they could hardly have been heard, so tumultuous was the -cheering of the Randall supporters. - -Against such whirlwind playing as this the Fairview line crumpled and -went to pieces. Slam-bang at it came first Holly Cross, then Kindlings, -and then Jerry Jackson. The latter, by a great effort, managed to wiggle -along the last few inches, and placed the ball over the final white -mark. - -"Touch-down!" yelled Tom Parsons, and a touch-down it was. How the -cheers broke forth then! What a riot of color from the grandstands! How -the flags, ribbons and banners waved! How the gay youths and grave men -yelled themselves hoarse! How the girls' shrill voices sounded over the -field! - -The goal was missed on account of the strong wind, and once more the -play started in. There was more line-smashing and some kicking, yet the -half ended with the score five to nothing in favor of Randall. - -There was much talk in the dressing-room of the Randall players during -the intermission. Some of the players pleaded for the trial of trick -plays which they had practiced, but Coach Lighton insisted on -line-smashing. - -"I know it is more tiresome," he said, "but it will be better practice -for you now. You need straight football early in the season. Clinton, -how is your shoulder holding out?" - -"Fine. It doesn't hurt me at all." - -As only minor hurts had resulted from the play of the first half, no -change was made in the line-up. Once more, when the whistle blew, did -the whirlwind work begin. There was a noticeable difference in the style -of Fairview. They had put in some new men, and were playing a kicking -game. They were holding better in the line, too. - -The result was that after several minutes of play, during which the ball -had changed hands several times, the Randall players were tiring. It was -what the wily captain of the Fairview team had counted on. Then he sent -his men smashing the line, and to the grief of Holly Cross he saw his -men being pushed back. In vain did he appeal to them--even reviled -them--for not holding their ground. But it was impossible, and, -following a sensational run around right end, Joe Jackson missing an -easy tackle of Lem Sellig, the latter player made a touch-down. This -time it was the chance for the Fairview supporters to cheer and yell, -and they did it, the singing contingent rendering with much effect: "We -Have Old Randall's Scalp Now." - -The score was tied, as Fairview failed to kick goal, and at it they -went again, smash and hammer, hammer and smash. Phil called for a trick -play, and it worked well, but the gain was small, and a little later the -ball went to Fairview on a penalty. Then came the surprise of the day. -On a forward pass the pigskin was taken well toward Randall's goal line, -and after the down Ted Puder, the husky left-tackle, was shoved over for -another touch-down. - -The stands fairly trembled under the cheers, yells and excited stamping -of the co-educationals. The girls sang a song of victory, and the -Randall players, with woe-begone faces, gathered behind their goal -posts. There was a futile attempt to block the kick, but the spheroid -sailed over the bar. The score was eleven to five against Randall. - - - - -CHAPTER XIV - -"GIRLS ARE QUEER" - - -"Now, fellows, we can win, or at least tie the score yet," remarked -Captain Cross, as his players were sent back to the middle of the field -for another kick-off. "Smash through 'em! Phil, try our forward pass and -on-side kick." - -"There are only five minutes more of play," said Tom, who heard that -from the timekeeper. - -"Never mind, we can do it. Tie the score, anyhow!" - -But it was not to be. Smash through the line though her players did, for -there seemed no stopping them, successful as the forward pass was, and -with the gain netted by an on-side kick, Randall could do no better than -to carry the ball to the Fairview ten-yard line. - -There might have been a try for a field goal, but Phil decided there was -no chance for it, whereas bucking the line was almost a sure thing. -His men were doing magnificent work, for they had carried the ball -continuously from the middle of the field without loss. Two minutes more -of play would have given them a touch-down, but the fatal whistle blew, -and with a groan the Randall players knew their last hope was gone. - -There came the usual cheers and college yells for the vanquished from -the victors, and the return of the compliment. Then the downcast Randall -lads filed slowly across the gridiron. They were sad at heart, and Coach -Lighton noticed it. - -"Fellows, you did magnificent work!" he exclaimed enthusiastically. "You -really did!" - -"All except winning," said Tom gloomily. - -"I think we played rotten!" burst out Phil, who seemed to take it much -to heart. - -"And I let Sellig get around me, and missed tackling him," said Joe -Jackson, fairly groaning. "That cost us the game." - -"Nonsense!" exclaimed Captain Cross, who knew the danger of despondency. -"You did all right, Joe; and the other Jersey twin shone like a star on -a dark night. We're all right." - -"Yes, except for what ails us," added Dutch Housenlager, making a -playful attempt to trip up Tom. - -"Here! Quit that!" exclaimed the left-end in no gentle voice. - -Coach Lighton noticed it. Tom, as well as the others, was "on edge." It -would not need much more to demoralize the team. He must stop the -growing feeling. - -"Fellows," he exclaimed, "you're all right! I know what I'm talking -about. I've coached teams before, and I say that for the first game of -the season you did all that could be expected. I'm proud of you. I----" - -"A thing like this happened once before," said a voice at the elbow of -the coach. "My uncle says----" - -But Ford Fenton got no further, for Dutch Housenlager, putting out his -foot, neatly tripped the offending one, and the rest of his sentence was -mumbled to the grass. - -"Serves him right!" exclaimed Tom, and in the laugh that followed the -nervous, disappointed feeling of the team, in a measure, passed off. - -"Fairview has a good team," went on Coach Lighton. "I give them credit -for that. But we have a better one, and now that we know their style of -play and their weakness we can beat them next game. We'll have another -chance at them." - -"And we'll wipe up the gridiron with 'em!" cried Holly Cross. "Forget -it, fellows! Let's sing 'Marching to the Goal Posts,'" which they did -with such a vim that the spirits of all were raised many degrees. - -"Well, Phil," remarked Tom, as he was getting off his football togs, "we -were sort of up against it, eh?" - -"Oh, it might have been worse. But the way the fellows rushed the -ball up the field the last five minutes was a caution. It was like a -machine." - -"Yes; we ought to have done that first." - -"That's right. By the way, I'm going to see my sister. Want to come -along?" - -"Sure!" exclaimed Tom with such eagerness that Phil remarked dryly: - -"I don't know that she'll be with Madge Tyler." - -"Oh--er--that is--that's all right," said Tom hastily, and he swallowed -quickly. "I'll go along." - -"All right," said Phil. - -They finished dressing, and went across the field to where a crowd of -spectators was still congregated. - -"Think you can find her in this bunch?" asked Tom, but he was taking no -chances, for he himself was keeping a sharp lookout for a certain fair -face. - -"Oh, I guess so. If I don't spot her she'll glimpse me. Girls are great -for finding people in a crowd. Sis always seems to do it." - -"Oh, Phil!" called a voice a moment later, and Ruth Clinton hurried up -to her brother, gaily waving a Fairview flag. She was followed by Madge -Tyler, who also had her college colors with her. "How's your shoulder?" -asked Ruth anxiously. "I was so nervous that I couldn't bear to look at -the plays." - -"Yes, you've got a lot of ruffians on your team," retorted her brother. -"They don't know how to play like gentlemen." - -"But they know how to win!" exclaimed Madge, as she greeted her chum's -brother. - -"That's right," admitted Phil, making a rueful face. - -"I'm sorry I had to cheer against you and Mr. Parsons to-day," went on -Madge, as she looked at Phil. "I really--well, of course I can't say I -really wanted to you to win against Fairview, but I wish the score had -been even." - -"There's no satisfaction in that," retorted Tom. "We lost, and they won, -fairly and squarely." - -"Oh, I'm glad you admit that," spoke Ruth with a laugh, and she waved -her flag in Tom's face. He made a grab for it, and caught the end of -the cane. For an instant he stood thus, looking into the laughing, -mischievous eyes of Ruth Clinton. - -"Do you want it?" she asked daringly. - -"Yes," said Tom, "even though it is the color of the enemy." - -"What will you give me for it?" she asked. - -"My colors," said Tom, taking a small knot of yellow and maroon from his -coat lapel. "We'll exchange until the victory goes the other way about." - -"All right," she agreed laughingly. "Don't forget, now. Mr. Parsons." - -"I'll not," he assured her, and he turned to see Madge regarding him -curiously. Her eyes shifted away quickly as they met his. - -"Heard from dad?" asked Phil, who had been an amused witness to the -little scene. - -"Yes, I have a letter with me," answered his sister. "Here it is," and -she handed it to Phil. "Mother is some better." - -"That's good. Do you have to get right back to college, or have you -girls time to go down the street and have some soda?" asked Phil. - -"Oh, we'll make time to go with _you_!" exclaimed Madge, and she -accented the last word. Tom looked at her keenly. - -"Come on, then," invited Phil, and, as if it was the most natural thing -in the world, he swung alongside of Madge, leaving Tom to walk with -Ruth. Nor was Tom at all slow to take advantage of this arrangement, -though for a brief instant he hardly knew whether or not he ought to go -with her, considering how friendly Madge had been with him since she -gave up going with Langridge. - -"How does it feel to lose?" asked Ruth, as she walked with Tom. - -"Not very good," he answered, as he listened to Madge's gay laugh at -something Phil said. He was reflecting how well she got along with the -handsome quarter-back. But Tom was not unaware of the charms of the -pretty girl at his side. They talked on many subjects during the walk to -town, and Tom felt like a chap who has had offered to him the choice of -two most delightful companions, and cannot tell which one he likes best. -Ruth was certainly an attractive girl, and her jolly laugh--but just -then he heard the rippling tones of Madge's voice. - -"Oh, hang it all!" he thought to himself. "What am I up against?" - -They spent a jolly afternoon before it was time for Tom and Phil to -start back to Randall. - -"I hope you'll come over again--soon," said Ruth to her brother as they -were about to part. - -"I will, if Miss Tyler will second your invitation," replied Phil. - -"Of course I will," said Madge heartily. - -"Can't I come, too?" asked Tom. - -"Of course," answered Ruth promptly. "I shall expect you to report to me -on the condition of my colors." - -"Oh, of course," was Tom's remark. Then he waited for Madge to say -something to him, but she turned away without a word. Yet Tom could not -forget that she had added her invitation to that of Ruth in regard to -Phil. - -Whereat, wondering over some matters on the way home, Tom said to his -chum: - -"Girls are queer, aren't they?" - -"Are you just finding that out?" asked the quarter-back. - -"I guess so," was what Tom said. - - - - -CHAPTER XV - -PHIL SAVES WALLOPS - - -They were talking the game over in their room--Phil, Sid and Tom. Sid, -from the effects of the strong liquid which Gerhart had substituted for -the liniment, still had to carry his hand in a sling, but the fingers -were slowly losing their stiffness. - -"Where you fellows made a mistake," Sid was saying, as he moved about on -the creaking old sofa to get into a more comfortable position, "where -you fellows made a mistake was in not doing more kicking early in the -game." - -"Oh, I suppose you could have run things better than Phil did?" -suggested Tom, not altogether pleasantly. - -"Not better, but different. You should have tired them out, and then -smashed their line all to pieces." - -"It wasn't altogether such easy smashing as you would suppose, sitting -and watching the game from the grandstand, was it, Tom?" came from Phil. - -"Not exactly," responded the left-end, as he rubbed his shoulder, which -he had bruised making a hard tackle. "They were as tough as nails. I -suppose we did fairly well, considering everything." - -"All but winning," spoke Sid drowsily. "You didn't do that, you know. -Now be fair; did you?" - -"Oh, cut it out, you old would-be philosopher!" cried Phil, twisting -around in the easy chair to reach something to throw at his chum. All he -could find was a newspaper, and he doubled that up. It missed Sid, and -hitting an ink bottle on the mantle, broke the phial, the black fluid -flowing down over the wall and on the carpet. - -"That's a nice thing to do!" cried Tom. "Say, what do you want to make a -rough house for? Isn't this den bad enough as it is, without you doing -that?" - -"I didn't mean to," answered Phil contritely. - -"Look at the rug!" went on Tom, as the ink formed a black pool. "Pretty, -isn't it?" - -"We'll get the pattern changed if we keep on," murmured Sid, without -opening his eyes. "There's the liniment spot, now the ink spot, and the -grease spots left by the former occupants. Maybe we ought to get a new -rug, fellows." - -"Not this term," said Tom emphatically. "I've run over my money as it -is, and I don't like to ask dad for more." - -"I notice you had some to spend for flowers to-night," remarked Phil. - -On the way home from the game Tom had stopped in a florist's in Fairview -and given an order, while Phil remained outside. - -"You don't mean to say that Tom has been sending flowers to some girl?" -demanded Sid, sitting up. - -"Well, you can draw your own conclusions," replied Phil. "He didn't -bring 'em home to decorate _our_ room, that's sure." - -"Worse and some more, too," murmured Sid. "What are you coming to, Tom?" -He looked reproachfully at his chum. Then he shook his head. "This girl -business!" he spluttered. Then, as his eyes gazed about the room, he -caught sight of the little flag of Fairview colors which Ruth Clinton -had given Tom. The latter had placed it partly behind a picture of a -football game. "Where did that come from?" demanded Sid, getting up from -the couch with an effort and striding over to the offending emblem. - -"It's mine!" declared Tom. "Ruth--I mean Phil's sister--gave it to me." - -For an instant Sid looked at his chum. Then his gaze traveled to the -picture of the girl--the two girls--for that of Madge was beside the -likeness of Ruth--and the former first-baseman sighed. - -"Well," he said, "I s'pose there's no hope for it, but I wish I'd gone -in with some fellows who weren't crazy on the girl question. First -thing I know you fellows will have this a regular boudoir; and then -where will I be? I expect any day now you'll be wanting to get rid of -this old couch and chair, and get some mission furniture, so that you -can have a five o'clock tea here, and invite some girls and chaperons." - -"Suppose we do?" asked Phil, who for some reason sided with Tom. - -"Well, all I've got to say is that I give up," and Sid, with a helpless -look, flung himself down on the sofa and turned his back on his chums. -"Next you know you'll be playing tennis or croquet instead of football. -You make me sick! I tell you what it is, if you put any more of those -tomfool decorations, like flags and photographs, in this room, I'm going -to quit!" and Sid spoke earnestly. - -"Aw, forget it, you old misanthropic specimen of a misogynist!" -exclaimed Phil with a laugh. "You'll be there yourself some day, and -then you'll see how it is." - -"Say, you talk as if you had a girl, too!" cried Sid, sitting up again -and looking fixedly at Phil. - -"Maybe I have," was the noncommittal answer. - -"Then you've gone back on me, too," was what Sid said, as he pretended -to go to sleep. - -It was quiet in the room for a while, each lad busy with his thoughts. -Who shall say what they were? One thing is certain--that the gazes of -Tom and Phil often traveled to the wall on which were the photographs of -two girls--Madge and Ruth. Tom looked at both; but Phil--well, did you -ever know a fellow, no matter how nice a sister he had, to care to steal -surreptitious glances at her picture? Did you? Well, that's all I'm -going to say now. - -The fussy little alarm clock ticked monotonously on, as if anxious to -get its work done. Still neither of the three chums spoke. Occasionally -Sid would shift his position, but he did not open his eyes. Tom -sometimes looked at the liniment stain in the carpet, and then at the -ink spot. - -"It's a wonder you wouldn't get a blotter and sop up some of that -writing fluid," suggested Phil to Tom at last. - -"Why don't you do it yourself?" was the retort. "You knocked it over." - -"I'm too comfortable," murmured Phil from the depths of the chair. - -"Humph!" grunted Tom. Then there was silence once more. - -"How's your hand, Sid?" asked Tom, when the clock had ticked off what -seemed to the lads about a million strokes. - -"A little better. That's the worst thing I ever had happen to me," and -Sid looked at his stiffened fingers. "I don't know what you fellows are -going to do, but I'm going to bed!" he suddenly exclaimed. "I'm -sleepy." - -"Come on out and take a walk," proposed Tom to Phil. "I'm stiff and -lame. Maybe I can walk it off. Then we'll take a hot bath in the gym and -turn in." - -"That sounds good," agreed Phil. "I'll go you." - -They left Sid undressing and went out, it not being a proscribed hour. -After a brisk walk around the campus they started for the gymnasium. As -they neared it they heard voices coming from the direction of Biology -Hall, a small building situated to the right of their dormitory. - -"Now, then, hold him, Gerhart, while I clip him two or three good ones!" -they heard some one say, and immediately after that came in pleading -tones: - -"Oh, please don't hit me again, Mr. Langridge. I did the best I could -for you." - -"The best, you little rat! You didn't get the stuff I sent you for!" -exclaimed Langridge angrily. - -"Because they wouldn't sell me the whisky," was the answer. "Oh, Mr. -Langridge, please don't hit me!" - -"It's Wallops!" exclaimed Phil. "Wallops, the little messenger. What's -that brute Langridge up to now?" - -"Seems as if he sent Wallops after liquor, and he didn't get it," said -Tom. "I hear he's been up to that trick." - -"The dirty cad!" whispered Phil. - -A moment later there was the sound of a blow, and it was followed by a -cry of pain. - -"Come on!" cried Phil to Tom, and the two strode around the corner of -the building. They saw Gerhart holding Wallops, who was a lad small for -his age, while Langridge was punching him in the face, accompanying each -blow with the remark: - -"That will teach you to play the sneak trick on me. You drank that stuff -yourself!" - -"Indeed I didn't!" cried the messenger. "They wouldn't let me have it. -There was a new man behind the bar." - -"That's a likely story. Hold him tight, Gerhart; I'm going to paste him -another." - -"You hound!" cried Phil, his voice shrill with rage, and an instant -later he had fairly leaped beside the bully. With one hand he thrust -Langridge aside, and then, with a straight left on the jaw, he sent him -to the ground with a thud. - - - - -CHAPTER XVI - -PHIL IS NERVOUS - - -Langridge struggled to his feet, anger rendering him almost speechless. -He started toward Phil, who stood in the attitude of a trained boxer, -awaiting the attack. The light from a new moon faintly illuminated the -scene, and the figures stood out with considerable distinctness against -the background of the dark building. - -Wallops, the messenger, was shrinking away, anxious to escape unobserved, -though he cast a look of gratitude at Phil. Tom was surprised at his -chum's sudden attack, but he stood ready to aid him, in case Gerhart -should make an effort to take sides. As for Phil and Langridge, they -faced each other, one eager with righteous anger to continue the -chastisement, the other mad with the lust of shame and unreasoning. - -"What--what did you do that for?" asked Langridge thickly, and his hand -went to his jaw where Phil's fist had landed. His head was singing yet -from the powerful blow. - -"You know why," replied Phil calmly. "Because you're a coward." - -"Hold on!" cried the bully, taking a step forward. "I've stood about all -I'm going to from you." - -He looked around at Gerhart. The freshman stood passive, and Langridge -showed some surprise. - -"Aren't you going to stand by me?" asked the sophomore of his ally. - -"Of course," muttered Gerhart, but there was no heart in his tones. He -remembered what his crony had said regarding Phil's prowess. - -"Certainly," put in Tom with gentle voice. "We'll make a quartet of it, -if you like." - -"What are you interfering with my affairs for?" went on Langridge, -taking no notice of Tom. - -"Because it's the affair of any decent college man to interfere when he -catches a dirty coward beating a fellow smaller than he is!" and Phil -fairly bit off the words. - -"Take care!" cried Langridge. "You're going too far. I'll make a class -matter of it if you call me a coward again!" - -"I wish you would!" burst out Phil. "I'd like to make a charge against -you before the whole college! Beating Wallops because he's smaller than -you are!" - -"That wasn't it. He didn't do as I told him, and was insolent." - -"Who gave you the right to assume a mastery over him? Besides, from what -I heard, you had evidently ordered him to do something against the -rules." - -"Ah! So you were sneaking around to listen, were you?" sneered -Langridge. - -"You know better than that, or I'd answer you in the same way I did at -first," replied Phil. "If you send Wallops for liquor again I shall -inform Dr. Churchill." - -"I always thought you were a tattling cad!" burst out Langridge. "Now I -know it!" - -Hardly were the words out of his mouth ere Phil was beside him. The -quarter-back was fairly trembling, and his voice shook as he shot out -the words: - -"Take that back! Take it back, I say, or--or I'll----" - -He paused, emotion overcoming him, but from the manner in which he drew -back his powerful left arm Langridge stepped aside apprehensively. - -"Well, you haven't any right to interfere in my affairs," he whined. - -"Do you take back what you said?" demanded Phil fiercely, and he laid a -trembling hand on the shoulder of the bully. - -"Take your hand from me!" exclaimed Langridge. "Yes--I suppose I've got -to--I can't fight a professional pugilist," he added with an uneasy -laugh. - -"Thanks for the compliment," spoke Phil grimly. "I guess this can end -where it is. As for you, Gerhart, if I thought you had any other part -in this than being a tool of this coward, I'd give you the soundest -thrashing you ever had." - -The freshman did not answer, and when Langridge turned aside Gerhart -followed him into the shadows. Poor Wallops waited until they were out -of sight, then the messenger trailed after Phil and Tom. On the way he -haltingly told the chums that Langridge had been in the habit of sending -him to town to purchase stimulants for him. It had come to the point -where that night where the bartender had refused to sell any more -liquor, warning having been given that sales to minors were becoming too -frequent. It was the failure of Wallops to return with the whisky that -angered Langridge. - -"Don't say anything about this, Wallops," advised Phil. "Langridge won't -bother you again. If he does, let me know." - -"Yes, sir, and thank you, Mr. Clinton. I'll not tell." - -"I guess Langridge and Gerhart won't, either," commented Tom. "They'll -be glad to let it drop." - -"What cads those fellows are," remarked Phil a little later, when he -and Tom, having had a refreshing shower bath, were preparing for bed in -their room. - -"Well, you took some of it out of Langridge, at all events," said the -pitcher. - -"Maybe, but it will come back. I suppose I'll have to be on the lookout -now, or he may do me a dirty turn." - -"Shouldn't wonder. I had my troubles with him last term. But I thought -he was going to do better this season." - -"He can't seem to, evidently." - -"Say," exclaimed Sid, poking his head from beneath the sheet, "I wish -you fellows would let a chap sleep. What are you chinning about?" - -They told him, and, wide awake, he sat up and listened to the whole -story. - -"I wish I'd seen it," he said. "It would have been as good as a football -game. By the way, who does the team play this week, Phil?" - -"Oh, we've got a little game with the Haddonfield Prep. School. Doesn't -amount to much. Some of the subs will play, I fancy." - -"I hope Holly doesn't make the mistake of despising an enemy," went on -Sid. "Do you know, Phil, it seems to me that our fellows haven't struck -their gait yet." - -"Well, it's early in the season," said Tom. - -"I know that," went on Sid, "but they ought to have more vim. There's a -curious lack of ginger noticed. _You_ didn't play with your usual snap, -Phil." - -"I know it," was the almost unexpected answer from the quarter-back. "I -wondered if any one noticed it." - -"I did," added Tom, "but I wasn't going to say anything. I thought it -was because it was the first game." - -"No," said Phil slowly, "it wasn't that. I'm all -unstrung--nervous--that's what's the matter." - -"You nervous!" exclaimed Sid. "I wouldn't have believed that. What's the -matter?" - -"It's my mother," said Phil quietly, and there was a strange tone in his -voice. - -"She--she's not worse--is she?" asked Tom, and the room became curiously -quiet. - -"No," answered Phil; "but I can't tell what moment she may be. Fellows, -I'm living in constant fear of receiving a message that--that she--that -she's dead!" - - - - -CHAPTER XVII - -THE SOPHOMORES LOSE - - -There are several occasions when a young man can find no words in which -to express himself. One is when he meets a pretty girl for the first -time, and another is when his best chum has a great sorrow. There are -other occasions, but these are the chief ones. Thus it was with Tom and -Sid. For a few seconds after Phil's announcement they sat staring at the -floor. Their eyes took in the pattern of the faded rug, though little of -the original figure was to be seen because of the many spots. Then Tom -looked about the apartment, viewing the photographs of the two pretty -girls, the sporting implements massed in a corner, the table, with its -artistic confusion of books and papers. From these his gaze traveled -back to Phil. - -As for Sid, he breathed heavily. If he had been a girl I would have said -that he sighed. Then, being a youth who did not shirk any duty, no -matter how hard, Sid asked: - -"Is--is she any worse, Phil? Have you had bad news? Can't we--can't you -go down where she is?" - -Phil shook his head. - -"There's no specially bad news," he said, "but it's this way: She has a -malady which, sooner or later, unless it is conquered, will--will take -her away from me--and sis. Dad thinks an operation is the only hope, but -they keep putting it off from time to time, on a slim chance that she -may recover without it. For the operation is a desperate expedient at -best. And that's why I'm not myself. That's why I can't go into the -games with all my might. I expect any moment to be summoned to the -sidelines to get a telegram saying--saying----" - -He choked up, and could not finish. - -"Is it--is it as bad as that?" asked Tom huskily, and he put his arm -over Phil's shoulder, as his chum sat in the old easy chair. - -"It's pretty bad," said Phil softly. Then, with a sudden change of -manner, he exclaimed: "But say, I didn't mean to tell you fellows that. -I don't believe in relating my troubles to every one," and he smiled, -though it was not like his usual cheery face that looked at his two -chums. - -"Oh, come now!" cried Sid. "As if we didn't want to hear! And as if you -shouldn't tell us your troubles! Why, I expect to tell you fellows mine, -and I want to hear yours in return, eh, Tom." - -"Of course," said the pitcher heartily. - -"Well, that's mighty white of you chaps," went on Phil, swallowing a -lump in his throat. "But I'm not going to bother you any more, just now. -Only that's the reason I'm--well, that I can't play as I want to play. -But I'm going to try to forget it. I'm going into the next game, and -help rip their line to pieces. I'm going to pilot our fellows to a big -score or dislocate my other shoulder." - -"Good!" cried Sid. "Now let's get to bed. It's almost morning." - -The little talk among the three chums was productive of good. There was -a closer bond of union among them than there had ever been before. They -felt more like brothers, and Tom and Sid watched Phil for the next few -days as if he was a little chap, over whom they had been given charge. - -"Oh, say!" the quarter-back exclaimed at length one afternoon, when they -had followed him to football practice, and walked home with him. "I'm -not so bad as all that, you know." - -"Did you hear any news to-day?" asked Tom, ignoring the mild rebuke. - -"Yes. Got a telegram from dad. Things look a little brighter, and -yet----" He paused. "Well," he continued, "I don't want to think too -much about it. We play Haddonfield to-morrow. I want to wipe up the -gridiron with them." - -Which Phil and his chums pretty nearly did. Haddonfield Preparatory -School had the best eleven in years, but, even with a number of scrub -players on Randall, the score was forty-six to nothing. There was a -different air about the college team as the lads went singing from the -field that afternoon. There was confidence in their eyes. - -It was a beautiful afternoon in October. Lectures were over and a throng -of students had strolled over the campus and down to the banks of Sunny -River. The stream flowed lazily along toward Lake Tonoka, winding in -and out, as though it had all the time it desired in which to make the -journey, and meant to take the full allowance. There was nothing rapid -or fussy about Sunny River. It was not one of those hurrying, bubbling, -frothy streams that make a great ado about going somewhere, and never -arrive. There was something soothing in walking along the banks that -bracing, fall day. There was just enough snap in the air to prevent one -from feeling enervated, yet there was hardly a hint of winter. - -"Doesn't it make you feel as if you could stretch out on your back and -look up into the sky?" asked Phil of Tom as the three chums walked -along. Tom and the quarter-back had been to football practice, and still -had their togs on. - -"Now hold on!" exclaimed Sid, before Tom could answer. "Is this going to -lead anywhere?" - -"What do you mean?" asked Phil. - -"I mean that poetical start on a talk-fest. Are you going to ring in -beautiful scenery, calm, peaceful atmosphere, a sense of loneliness, and -then switch off on to girls? Is that what you're driving at? Because if -it is I want to know, and I'm going back and read some psychology." - -"You're up the wrong tree," declared Tom. "I don't know what Phil means, -but my answer to his question would be that to stretch out on the ground -for any length of time at this season would mean stiff muscles, not to -mention rheumatism." - -"You fellows have no poetry in your nature," complained Phil. "Just look -there, where the river curves, how the trees lean over to be kissed by -the limpid water. Can't you fancy some one floating, floating down it in -a boat, with heart attuned----" - -"It's too late for boating!" exclaimed a voice behind the trio. "My -uncle says----" - -Phil turned quickly and tried to grab Ford Fenton. The youth with the -uncle jumped back. - -"Why--what--what's the matter?" stammered Fenton. - -"Matter!" cried Phil. "Why, you little shrimp, I've a good notion to -chuck you into the river!" - -"Yes, the river--the beautiful, meandering, poetical river," added -Tom. "Quit it, Phil; you're getting on my nerves. I'm glad Fenton -interrupted you with a recollection of his uncle. What were you going -to say about your respected relative?" he asked. - -But Fenton was going to take no chances with Phil, and, turning about, -he retraced his steps. - -"What were you saying, Phil?" inquired Sid politely, if sarcastically. - -"None of your business," replied the quarter-back a little stiffly. "I'm -going to write a poem about it," he added more genially. - -"And send it to some girl, I suppose," went on Sid. "Oh, you make me -sick!" - -What further ramification the conversation might have taken is -problematical, but it was interrupted just then by the arrival of Ed -Kerr, who seemed in much of a hurry. - -"I've been looking all over for you fellows," he panted. - -"Why hastenest thou thus so hastily?" asked Tom. "Is the college on -fire? Has Pitchfork been taken with a fit, or has Moses sent to say we -need study no more?" - -"Quit your gassin'!" ordered Ed. "Say, we're going to have the walk rush -to-night. The freshies have just had a meeting and decided on it. Tried -to pull it off quietly, but Snail Looper heard, and kindly tipped us -off. Dutch Housenlager is getting the soph crowd together. You fellows -want to be in it, don't you?" - -"Of course," answered Tom. "We have not forgotten that we were once -freshmen, and that we had many clashes with the second-years. Now we -will play the latter rôle. Lead on, Macduff, and he be hanged who first -cries: 'Hold! Enough!' We'll make the freshies wish they had never seen -Randall College." - -"Maybe--maybe not," spoke Phil. "They're a husky lot--the first-year -lads. But we can never let them have the privilege of the walk without a -fight." - -The "walk rush," as it was termed, was one of those matters about which -college tradition had centered. It was a contest between the freshman -and sophomore classes, that took place every fall, usually early in -October. It got its name from the walk which circled Booker Memorial -Chapel. This chapel was the gift of a mother whose son had died while -attending Randall, and the beautiful stained glass windows in it were -well worth looking at--in fact, many an artist came to Randall expressly -for that purpose. - -Around the chapel was a broad walk, shaded with stately oaks, and the -path was the frequenting place of the college lads. From time immemorial -the walk had been barred to freshmen unless, in the annual rush, they -succeeded in defeating the sophomores, and, as this seldom occurred, few -freshmen used the walk, save on Sundays, when all hostilities were -suspended, in honor of the day. The rush always took place on a small -knoll, or hill, back of the gymnasium, and it was the object of the -freshmen to take possession of this point of vantage, and maintain it -for half an hour against the rush of the sophomores. If they succeeded -they were entitled to use the chapel walk. If they did not, they were -reviled, and any freshman caught on the forbidden ground was liable to -summary punishment. - -Dark figures stole silently here and there. Commands and instructions -were whispered hoarsely. There was an air of mystery about, for it was -the night of the walk rush, and freshmen and sophomores were each -determined to win. - -Garvey Gerhart, by virtue of the "boosting" which Langridge had given -him, had secured command of the first-year forces. As soon as it was -dark he had assembled them on "gym hill," as the knoll was called. There -was a large crowd of freshmen, almost too large, it seemed, for the -sophomores were outnumbered two to one. But Tom, Sid, Phil, Dutch -Housenlager, Ed Kerr and others of the second-year class were strong in -the belief of their power to oust their rivals from the hilltop. They -had a moral force back of them--the conscious superiority of being -"veterans," which counted for much. - -"We're going to have our work cut out for us," commented Tom, as, with -his chums advancing slowly to the fray, he surveyed the throng of -freshmen. "My, but there's a bunch of 'em! And we've got to clean every -mother's son of them off the hill." - -"We'll do it!" cried Phil gaily. "It will be good training for us." - -"Of course!" exclaimed Dutch, as he put out his foot slyly to trip Sid. -Tom saw the act, he executed a quick movement that sent Housenlager -sprawling on the ground. - -"That's the time you got some of your own medicine!" exclaimed Phil with -a laugh, as Dutch, muttering dire vengeance, picked himself up. - -The preliminaries for the rush were soon arranged, timekeepers and -umpires selected, and, with the bright moon shining down on the scene, -the battle began. It was wild, rough and seemingly without order, yet -there was a plan about it. The freshmen were massed together on top, and -about the center bunch were circles of their fellows who were to thrust -back the rushing sophomores. Not until the last freshman had been swept -from the hill could the second-year youths claim victory. - -"All ready!" yelled Ed Kerr, and at the freshmen went their rivals. - -There was the thud of body striking body. Breaths came quick and fast. -There were smothered exclamations, the sound of blows good-naturedly -taken and given. There were cries, shouts, commands, entreaties. There -was a swaying of the mass, this way and that. A knot of lads would go -down, with a struggling pile on top of them, and the conglomeration -would writhe about until it disentangled. - -Tom, Phil and Sid (whose hand was now almost entirely better) tore their -way toward the center. Time and again they were hurled back, only to -renew the rush. - -"Clean 'em off!" was the rallying cry of the sophomores. - -"Fight 'em back!" was the retort of the freshmen. - -At it they went, fiercely and earnestly. The entire mass appeared to be -revolving about the hill now, with the little group of freshmen on the -top as a pivot. - -Gradually Tom, Phil and their particular chums worked their way up -to the crest. Then they found that the freshmen had adopted strange -tactics. Under the advice of Gerhart they stretched out prone, and, with -arms and legs twined together, made a regular layer of bodies, covering -the summit. It was almost impossible to separate the lads one from the -other, in order to hurl them out of the way. They were literally -"sticking together." - -"Tear 'em apart!" pleaded Tom. - -"Rip 'em up!" shouted Phil. - -"Hold tight!" sung out Gerhart. - -And hang tightly they did. Tom succeeded in breaking the hold of one -lad, and Phil that of another. But, in turn, the two big sophomores were -borne down and overwhelmed by the weight of freshmen on their backs. - -The referee blew a warning whistle. But two minutes of time were left. -The sophomores redoubled their efforts, but the ruse of the freshmen was -a good one. It was like trying to tear apart a living doormat. - -The sophomores could not do it. Though they labored like Trojans, it was -not to be. Once more the whistle blew, indicating that the rush was -ended. - -The sophomores had lost, and for the remainder of the term the freshmen -could strut proudly about the walk of Booker Memorial Chapel. - - - - -CHAPTER XVIII - -A FIRE ALARM - - -"Well," remarked Phil ruefully, as he and Tom, rather sore and bruised, -went to their room. There was an air of quietness about the sophomores. -They did not cheer and sing, but back on the knoll the victorious -freshmen made the night hideous with their college cries. - -"Is that all?" inquired Tom, for Phil had uttered only the one word. - -"That's all, son, as Bricktop Molloy would say. 'Sufficient unto the day -is the evil thereof.' We were dumped good and proper." - -"With plenty of gravy on the side," added Sid. - -"I was afraid of it," spoke Tom solemnly. "I said they were too many for -us." - -"Listen to old 'I told you so,'" mocked Phil. "Next he'll be telling us -that he predicted we'd lose the football championship. You make me -tired!" - -"I'm tired already," retorted Tom good naturedly. "Some one gave me an -extra good poke in the ribs the last minute." - -"It was Gerhart," declared Sid. "I saw him. I had a good notion to punch -him for you." - -"I'd just as well you didn't," went on Tom. "There's no love lost -between us and his crony, Langridge, now. No use making matters worse. -But he certainly managed the freshies well. That was a good trick, lying -down and making a mat of themselves." - -"Yes; hereafter I suppose it will be the regular practice for future -classes," said Phil. "We'll have to think up a new plan to break up that -kind of interference. My, but I'm lame!" - -"Better not let Lighton hear you say that." - -"Why?" - -"He'd lay you off from football. There are three candidates for every -position on the 'varsity this term, and we fellows who have made the -eleven will have to take care of ourselves." - -"That's so," admitted Tom. "Well, a hot bath will fix me up, and then -for some good sleep." - -"I wish I could snooze," spoke Phil. - -"Why can't you?" asked Sid. - -"I've got to bone away on Greek. Got turned back in class to-day, and -Pitchfork, who's a regular fiend at it, as well at Latin, warned me that -I'd be conditioned if I didn't look out." - -"You want to be careful, son," cautioned Sid. "Remember how I nearly -slumped in Latin before the big ball game last year, and only just got -through by the skin of my teeth in time to play? Don't let that happen -to you. It isn't good for the constitution; not a little bit." - -The three chums went to the gymnasium and had a warm shower, followed by -a brisk rub-down, after which they all felt better. Then, in their room, -they talked the walk rush all over again, until Phil threw books at Sid -and Tom to make them keep quiet so that he might study. - -The week that followed was marked by some hard practice on the gridiron, -for there was in prospect a game with the Orswell Military Academy, the -eleven of which was seldom defeated. Therefore, Coach Lighton and -Captain Cross worked their men well. - -Phil, in particular, received some very special instructions about -running the team. Some new plays were practiced, and a different -sequence was planned. - -"I want three corking good plays to be worked in sequence when we get to -within reaching distance of the twenty-five-yard line," said the coach. -"Maybe we can try for a field goal, but the chances are against it if -the wind blows. A good sequence will do wonders." - -Then the coach explained the sequence plays. They were to be three, -in which the right-half, the full-back and the left-tackle would -successively take the ball, without a word being spoken after the first -signal for the play had been given. The plays were to be executed in -quick succession, and the coach depended on that to demoralize the cadet -eleven. - -"There'll probably be such cheering when we get to within twenty-five -yards of their goal that it will be hard to hear signals, anyhow," Mr. -Lighton went on. "So memorize these plays carefully, and we'll try to -work them. When Clinton remarks: 'We have twenty-five yards to go, -fellows; walk up together, now,' that will be the signal for the -sequence plays." - -They tried them against the scrub, and did remarkably well. Then came a -day of hard work, followed by some light practice, and a rest on the -afternoon preceding the game with the cadets. - -There was a big attendance at the grounds, which adjoined the military -academy, about twenty miles from Randall College. In their first half -the home eleven, by dint of trick plays and much kicking, so wore out -the Randallites that they could not score, while Orswell made two -touch-downs. But it was different in the second half, and after a -touch-down gained by a brilliant run on Tom's part, there came a second -one, which resulted from the sequence plays. Right through the line in -turn went Kindlings Woodhouse, Holly Cross and Ed Kerr. The twenty-five -yards were made in three minutes of play, and the score tied. Then, by -a skilful forward pass and some line bucking, another touch-down was -made, and then, as if to cap the climax, Holly Cross kicked a beautiful -field goal. - -"Wow! Hold me from flying!" cried Phil, as he tried to hug the entire -team after the referee's whistle blew. His fellows had responded nobly -to the calls he made on them, and he had run the team with a level head. - -"Boys, I'm proud of you," said the coach. "It's the biggest score -against the Orswell cadets in many a year." - -And there was much rejoicing in Randall College that night, so that -Professor Tines felt called upon to remonstrate to Dr. Churchill about -the noise the lads were making. - -"Why, I'm not aware of any unusual noise; not from here," spoke the -venerable president, in his comfortable study, with a book of Sanskrit -on his knee. - -"You could hear it if you went outside," said the Latin teacher. - -"Ah, yes, doubtless; but, you see, my dear professor, I'm not going -outside," and Dr. Churchill smiled benevolently. - -"Humph!" exclaimed Mr. Tines, as he went back to his apartments. "If I -had my way, football and all sports would be abolished. They are a -relic of barbarism!" - -It was late when Phil and Tom got to their room that night. They -narrowly escaped being caught by Mr. Snell, one of the proctor's scouts, -and dashed into their "den" at full speed. - -"Can't you make less row?" demanded Sid, who was studying. "You've put -all the thoughts I had on my essay out of my head." - -"Serves you right for being a greasy dig!" exclaimed Tom. "Why don't you -be a sport? You're getting to be a regular hermit." - -"I want my degree," explained Sid, who was studying as he had not -thought of doing his first term. - -It was after midnight when Tom, who did not sleep well on account of the -excitement following the football game, awoke with a start. Through the -glass transom over the door of the room he saw a red glare. - -"Fire!" he exclaimed, as he jumped out of bed and landed heavily in the -middle of the apartment. - -"What's that?" cried Phil, sitting up. "Is there a telegram for me? Is -there--is there----" - -He was at Tom's side, hardly awake. - -"It's no telegram," answered Tom quickly "Looks like a fire." - -He threw open the door. The corridor was filled with clouds of lurid -smoke which rolled in great masses here and there. - -"The whole place is ablaze!" cried Tom. "Get up, Sid!" and he pulled the -bedclothes from his still sleeping chum. - - - - -CHAPTER XIX - -THE FRESHMEN DANCE - - -"Here, quit!" cried Sid, making an effort to pull back the coverings on -which Tom was yanking. "Let a fellow alone, can't you? Quit fooling! -This is no freshman's room!" - -"Get out, you old duffer!" yelled Phil. "The place is on fire!" - -"Who's on the wire?" asked Sid, thinking some one had called him on the -telephone. "I don't care who it is. I'm not going to answer this time of -night. I want to sleep. Tell 'em to call up again." - -"Fire! Fire! Not wire!" shouted Tom in his ear, and this time Sid heard -and was fully awake. He caught a glimpse of the clouds of lurid smoke -pouring in from the corridor. - -"Jumping Johnnie cake! I should say it was a fire!" he cried. "Come on, -fellows, let's get some of our stuff out! I want my football pictures," -and with that Sid rushed to the wall and yanked down the only bit of -ornamentation he cared for--a lithograph of a Rugby scrimmage. "Come -on!" he yelled, grabbing up a pile of his clothes from a chair. "This -is all I want. Let the books and other stuff go!" - -"But the sofa! The chair!" cried Tom, who had peered out into the hall, -only to jump back again, gasping and choking. "We can chuck them out of -the window." - -"That's right. Can't hurt 'em much," added Phil, who was getting into -his trousers. - -"Grab hold, then. But wait until I button my vest," ordered Tom, who -was fumbling with the garment, the only one he had grabbed up. He had -switched on the electric light, and the gleam shone through a cloud of -the reddish smoke. "What's the matter with this blamed thing, anyhow?" -he cried, as he fumbled in vain for the buttons. - -"You've got it on backwards!" cried Sid, who had tossed his clothes out -of the window, following them with the picture, and was now ready to -help his chums. - -"Great Jehosophat!" cried Tom. "So I have!" - -He yanked off the garment and tossed it into a corner. Then, clad only -in his pajamas, he started to carry the old armchair to the window. It -was almost too much for him, and Sid came to his aid. - -"Let that go, and get the sofa out first!" cried Phil. "The chair can -fall on that. Say, listen to the row!" - -Out in the corridor could be heard confused shouts, and the sound of -students running to and fro. Every now and then some one would cry -"Fire!" and the rush would be renewed. - -"The whole place must be going!" cried Sid. "Hurry up, Tom, shove it -out! Maybe we can save some other things." - -"Better save ourselves first!" exclaimed Phil. "The stairs and halls are -all ablaze!" He came back from a look into the corridor choking and -gasping. "We've got to jump for it! Shove that chair out, then the sofa, -and pile the bedding on top. That will make a place to land on." - -"Here she goes!" shouted Tom, and he and Sid shoved their precious old -chair from the window. It fell with a great crash to the ground, two -stories below. - -"Broken to bits!" said Tom with a groan. "Now for the sofa. There'll be -nothing left of it." - -They had raised it to the window sill, after much effort, and were -balancing it there while recovering their breaths. Their room was -filled with the heavy fumes of smoke, and the noise in the corridor -was increasing. - -"Let her go!" cried Phil. "Lively, now, if we want to get out alive!" - -But just as the three chums were about to release their hold on the -sofa, Mr. Snell, one of the under-janitors of the college, and a sort of -scout or spy of the proctor's, ran into the room. - -"There's no fire! There's no danger!" he called. "Don't throw anything -out." - -"No fire?" questioned Tom. - -"No. Some of the students burned red fire in the halls, that's all," -went on Mr. Snell. "There's no danger. The proctor sent me around to -explain. It's only some illuminating red fire." - -Tom, Sid and Phil looked at each other, as they stood at the window, -holding their precious sofa. The clouds of smoke were rolling away, and -the noise was lessening. Tom looked out of the casement, and, in the -semi-darkness below, saw the chair they had thrown out. Just then, from -below, a crowd of freshmen, who had perpetrated the trick, began singing -"Scotland's Burning." - -Tom glanced at his chums. Then he uttered one word: - -"Stung!" - -"Good and proper!" added Phil. - -"By a nest of fresh hornets!" commented Sid wrathfully. - -The scout withdrew. Phil looked at his trousers, and then he began -slowly to take them off. Tom took one more look out of the window. - -"They're jumping all over our chair," he said. - -"They are? The young imps!" cried Sid. "Come on to the rescue! Get into -some togs and capture a few freshmen." Then, as he realized that he had -tossed his clothes out of the window, he groaned. "You fellows will have -to go," he said. "I haven't any duds." - -"They're parading around with your best go-to-meeting suit," observed -Phil. Sid groaned again. - -"Hurry, fellows, if you love me," he said. - -"There's a crowd of sophs after 'em now," added Tom, and so it proved. -The freshmen beat a retreat, and some of our friends' classmates formed -a guard around the things on the ground. - -The three chums were not the only ones who had tossed articles out of -their windows in the moments of excitement. Many possessions of the -sophomores were on the ground below, and, now that the scare was over, -they began collecting them. Tom and Phil managed, with the help of some -of their classmates, to get Sid's garments and the chair back to their -room. The chair was in sad shape, though, and Sid groaned in anguish as -he viewed it. - -"Oh, quit!" begged Phil, as he tossed Sid's clothes on the bed. "We can -fix it up again." - -"It'll never be the same," wailed Sid as he tried it. "There was a place -that just fit my back, and now----" - -He leaped up with a howl, and held his hand to the fleshy part of his -leg. - -"What's the matter?" asked Tom. - -"A broken spring stuck me," explained Sid, who was too lightly clad to -indulge in indiscriminate sitting about. "Oh, those freshies! What can -we do to get square with them?" - -"That's more like it," said Tom. "We've got to pay them back in some -way, and the sooner the better." - -It was an hour or more before matters had quieted down in the west -dormitory. From various sophomores who came into their room to exchange -notes, Tom, Phil and Sid learned that the freshmen had executed a -well-organized fire scare by the simple process of burning in each -corridor some of the powder extensively used on Fourth of July, or in -political parades. - -"Well, there's no use talking about what they did to us," said Ed Kerr. -"The question is, what can we do to them? They certainly put it all over -us." - -"Dutch, you ought to be able to suggest something," said Tom. "You're -always up to some trick. Give us one to play on the freshies." - -"Sure," agreed Dutch. "Let me think." - -Sid arose and turned out the light. - -"What's that for?" asked Dutch. - -"So you can think better. I can, in the dark. Go ahead, now. Let's have -something good." - -Dutch was silent for a few minutes, and then he proposed a plan which -was received with exclamations of delight. - -"The very thing!" cried Tom. "I wonder we didn't think of it before. -We'll be just in time. Now, maybe we can make them laugh on the other -side of their heads." - -The next morning there were triumphant looks on the faces of the -freshmen. They had played a good joke on their traditional enemies, the -sophomores, and felt elated over it. But, in accordance with a plan they -had adopted the night after Dutch revealed his plan, the sophomores made -no retort to the taunts of their enemies. And there was no lack of -railery. Gathered on the walk about Booker Memorial Chapel, whence for -many terms freshmen had, by traditional college custom, been barred, the -first-year lads made all sorts of jokes concerning the scrabble that had -ensued among the sophomores when the cry of fire was raised. - -"And we have to stand it!" exclaimed Tom, gritting his teeth. - -"For a couple of days," added Sid. "But it strikes me, old chap, that -last term you played the rôle of the aforesaid freshies to perfection." - -"Oh, that was different. But let them wait. We'll put the kibosh on -their fun in a few days. Has Dutch got the stuff?" - -"Hush!" exclaimed Phil. "The least hint will spoil the scheme of -revenge! Revenge! Revenge!" he hissed, after the manner of a stage -villain. "We will have our re-venge-e-e-e-e!" - -It was the night of the freshman dance, an annual affair that loomed -large in the annals of the first-year students and their girl friends. It -was to be held in a hall in Haddonfield, and many were the precautions -taken by the committee to prevent any of the hated sophomores from -attending, or getting to the place beforehand, lest they might, by some -untoward act, "put it on the blink," as Holly Cross used to say. - -The hall was tastefully arranged with flowers and a bank of palms, -behind which the orchestra was to be hidden. About the balcony were -draped the college colors, with the class hues of the freshmen -intermingled. - -Early on the evening of the dance, Garvey Gerhart, who was chairman of -the committee on arrangements, left the college on his way to town to -see that all was in readiness. - -"Doesn't he look pretty!" exclaimed Phil, who, with a group of -sophomores, stood near Booker Chapel. - -"I wonder if he has his dress suit on?" asked Tom. - -"We ought to see if his hair is parted," put in Sid. "Freshmen don't -know how to look after themselves. Have you a clean pocket handkerchief, -Algernon?" and he spoke the last in a mocking tone. - -"Look out; there may be another fire," retorted Gerhart with a grin, and -the sophomores could only grit their teeth. They knew the freshmen still -had the laugh on them. - -"But not for long?" muttered Phil. "Is Dutch all ready?" - -"All ready," answered that worthy for himself. "We'll slip off to town -as soon as it's dusk." - -"Think you'll have any trouble in getting in?" asked Ed Kerr. - -"Not a bit. I bribed one of the doorkeepers. Be on hand outside to -listen to the fun." - -A little before the first arrivals at the freshman dance had reached the -hall, a figure might have been seen moving quickly about the ballroom in -the dim illumination from the half-turned-down lights. The figure went -about in circles, with curious motions of the hands, and then, after a -survey of the place and a silent laugh, withdrew. - -The music began a dreamy waltz, following the opening march. Freshmen -led their fair partners out on the floor, and began whirling them about. -The lights twinkled, there was the sweet smell of flowers, fair faces -of the girls looked up into the proud, flushed ones of the youths. -Chaperons looked on approvingly. The music became a trifle faster. The -dance was in full swing. - -Suddenly a girl gave a frightened little cry. - -"What's the matter?" asked her partner. - -"My shoes! They--they seem to be sticking to the floor. I--I can't -dance!" - -From all over the room arose similar cries of dismay from the girls and -exclamations of disgust from the boys. The dancers went slower and -slower. It was an effort to glide about, and some could scarcely lift -their feet. The floor seemed to hold them as a magnet does a bit of -iron. Garvey Gerhart, releasing his pretty partner, leaned over and -touched the floor. - -"It's as sticky as molasses!" he cried in dismay. - - - - -CHAPTER XX - -PHIL GETS A TELEGRAM - - -The music stopped with a discord. A strange spell seemed thrown over the -dancers. Some, who had come to a stop, now tried to move, and found that -their feet were fast to the floor. It was an effort to lift them. The -surface that had seemed well waxed was now as sticky as if glue had been -poured over it. To walk was almost impossible; to dance, out of the -question. - -"Maybe it's only in a few places, and we can scrape it off," suggested -Will Foster, a chum of Gerhart. "Let's try." - -He endeavored, with his knife, to remove some of the sticky stuff, but -he might as well have tried to dig up a board in the floor. - -"What is it?" asked Gerhart's partner. - -"I don't know," he answered ruefully. "Something very sticky has gotten -on the floor." - -"Maybe some of the waiters spilled ice cream or coffee, or some candy -got there," she suggested. - -"This is stickier than any of those things," spoke Gerhart. "I--I -guess some one has played a trick on us." - -"A trick?" - -"Yes; the sophomores. I should have been more on the lookout, but I -didn't think they could get in. I told the men at the door not to let -any one in who didn't have a freshman pin. But--well, we'll wait a bit -and see if it dries up," he concluded. - -But the stuff on the floor didn't dry up. Instead, it became more -sticky. The ballroom was like one big sheet of adhesive flypaper, and -the dancers, walking about, felt their shoes pull up with queer little -noises every time they took a step. They tried to dance once more, but -it was a miserable failure. One might as well have tried to waltz or -two-step on the sands of the seashore. - -Then from a window there sounded the old song: "Clarence McFadden, He -Wanted to Waltz." The chagrined dancers turned to the casement, to -behold a circle of mocking faces. Gerhart looked, too. - -[Illustration: "Clarence McFadden, He Wanted to Waltz"] - -"The sophs!" he cried, as he caught sight of Tom, Phil, Sid, Dutch -Housenlager and several others. - -"At your service!" cried Phil. "Guess you'll have to dance to slow music -to-night!" And then, to show that it was in revenge for the fire scare, -the sophomores sang: "Scotland's Burning." - -"It worked to perfection, Dutch. However did you manage it?" asked Tom, -as the sophomores, having satisfied themselves that the freshman dance -had been spoiled, walked back to college. - -"Easy," answered the fun-loving student. "I mixed up a sticky preparation -of glue, varnish, gum and so on, made it into a powder, and put it -in alcohol. Then I sneaked in past the doorkeeper I had bribed, and -sprinkled the stuff all over the floor. There was no color to it, and -they didn't notice it. The alcohol kept it from sticking until after the -march, and then, when the alcohol evaporated, it left the gum ready to do -its work." - -"And it did it," commented Sid. - -It certainly did, for the disconcerted freshman and the pretty girls -soon left the hall. It was impossible to dance on the floor until the -sticky stuff had been scraped off. - -"It was rather a brutal trick, after all," said Tom to Phil a little -later, when the three were in their room. "It would have been all right -on the freshies alone, but the girls--they had to suffer, too." - -"Of course," said Sid. "Why not? _Secundum naturam_, you know, according -to the course of nature it had to be. The good with the bad. The -freshies brought it on themselves, eh, Phil?" - -"Oh, I suppose so," replied the quarter-back, who was busy with paper -and pencil. "Still, it was a bit rough on the lassies. There were some -pretty ones----" - -"Oh, you fellows and the girls!" exclaimed Sid in disgust. "You make me -sick!" - -"That's all right," went on Tom easily. "You'll get yours some day, and -then we'll see----" - -"Hello, where'd that picture come from?" asked Sid, pointing to another -photograph on the wall beside those of Ruth and Madge. Tom blushed a -bit, and did not answer. Phil looked up and exclaimed: - -"Why, it's another picture of my sister! She must have had some new ones -taken. Where did it come from?" - -"She gave it to me," explained Tom, and his shoelace seemed suddenly to -have come unfastened, so it was necessary to stoop over to tie it. - -"Hum!" murmured Phil, with a queer look at his chum's red face. "She -didn't say anything to me about it. But if you're going to add to our -collection, Tom, I guess it's up to me to get another one, too." - -"Whose will you get now?" asked Sid. "Haven't you got enough girls' -faces stuck up around here? Do you want another?" - -"Not another," spoke Phil slowly, "but another of the same one. Miss -Tyler promised me one of her new photographs." - -"She did?" cried Tom, and he turned quickly. - -"Yes; have you any objections?" and Phil gazed straight at Tom. - -"No--oh, no. Of course not," he added hastily, "only I didn't know---- -What are you doing?" he asked rather suddenly, changing the subject, as -he saw Phil's paper and pencil. - -"I'm working on a new football play," replied Phil, and he, too, seemed -glad that the subject was changed. - -"That's more like it," commented Sid. "Now you're talking sense. Let's -hear it." - -"It's this way," explained Phil, as he showed his chums what he had -drawn. "It's a fake tackle run, and a pass to the right half-back. -Nothing particularly new about it, as it's often used, but my plan is -to work it immediately after we run off a play of left-tackle through -right-tackle and right-end. After that play has been pulled off, it -will look as if we were trying to repeat it, and we'll catch the other -fellows off their guard. In this play, the left-tackle, after the -signal, turns back and takes the ball from me. He passes the ball to the -right-half, who turns to the left for a run around our left-end. Our -full-back charges on the opposing left-tackle, crossing in front of our -right-half to better conceal the ball. The left half-back helps the -left-tackle to make his quick turn, and then blocks off the opposing -right-end, while I help make interference for the right-half, who's got -the ball." - -"That sounds good," commented Tom. "Go over it again." - -Which Phil did, and his two chums both declared it ought to work well. -They tried it in practice against the scrub next day, after Coach -Lighton and Captain Holly Cross had given their approval to it. The play -operated like a charm, and was good for a touch-down. It completely -fooled the second eleven. - -"It remains to be seen whether it will do the same thing against another -team," said the coach. "But we'll try it Saturday against the Dodville -Prep School. Now, boys, line up, and we'll run through it again? Also -the forward pass and the on-side kick." - -The players were in the midst of a scrimmage, and Joe Jackson had just -made a fine run, when Wallops was seen coming across the gridiron. The -messenger had an envelope in his hand, and at the sight of him Phil -Clinton turned pale. - -"Get back, Wallops!" cried the coach. "You're in the way." - -"I have a telegram for Mr. Clinton," said the messenger. - -"Oh, all right. Come on." - -Phil's hand were trembling so he could hardly open the message. He -read it at a glance. Tom went close to him, and put his hand on his -shoulder. - -"Is it--is it----" he began. - -"Dad says to hold myself in readiness to come at any time," said Phil -slowly. - -There was silence among the players, all of whom knew of the serious -illness of Phil's mother. Coach Lighton went up to the quarter-back and -said: - -"Well, we won't practice any more to-day. It's too bad, Clinton." - -Phil swallowed two or three times. He forced back a mistiness that was -gathering like a film over his eyes. He thrust the telegram into his -jacket. - -"Let's go on with the practice," he said sturdily. "We aren't perfect in -that fake tackle run yet, and I want to use it against Dodville." - -It was a plucky answer, and many a hardy player on the Randall eleven -felt a new liking for the quarter-back as he went to his place behind -Snail Looper, who stooped to receive the ball. - - - - -CHAPTER XXI - -STRANGE BEDFELLOWS - - -The practice was over. Phil stuck to it until he had, with the -assistance of the coach and the captain, drilled the 'varsity into an -almost perfect running of the trick play. Of course, how it would work -against fierce opponents was another matter. But, in spite of the shock -engendered by the receipt of the telegram, Phil would not give up until -the men fairly "snapped" into place, after he had given the signal for -the fake tackle run and pass to the half-back. Now he and Tom were on -their way to their room. - -"What are you going to do, Phil?" asked Tom. - -"I don't know," was the despondent answer. "I--of course, I'll have to -go when I get word." - -"Do you think she's worse?" - -"I'm afraid so; or else they're going to operate. But don't let's talk -about it. It breaks me all up." - -"I should think it would. I don't see how you could stay in practice -after you got the message." - -"I felt as if I had to, Tom. Of course, I know I'm only a small factor -in the eleven----" - -"I think you're a pretty big one," interrupted the left-end -enthusiastically. - -"Well, thank you for that; but I mean relatively. I'm only one of eleven -players, and my place could be filled. Still, I do flatter myself that -I've got the team into some kind of machine-like precision, which is -very needful in a game. I don't mean that I've done it all alone, for I -haven't. Every man has done more than his share, and with a coach like -Mr. Lighton, and a captain like Holly Cross, a fellow can do a lot. But -I'm a cog in the wheels of the machine, and you know how it is when you -put a new wheel in a bit of apparatus. It may be just as good, or better -than the old one, but it's got to take time to work off the rough spots -and fit in smoothly. - -"That's the way I feel. I want to stay in the game and at practice as -long as I can, for when I drop out, and a new quarter-back comes in, -it's bound to throw the playing off the least bit, and I'm not patting -myself on the back when I say that, I hope." - -"Indeed, you're not! But it must be nervous work running a team when you -know--well, er----" and Tom stopped in some confusion. - -"I know," said Phil simply. "But you can do lots of things when you try -hard. I'm going to do this. I'll hold myself in readiness to jump down -to Palm Beach when I get the word, but until then I'm going to stick by -the team." - -There was a look on Phil's face that Tom had never seen there before. It -was as if some inner power was urging him along the difficult path that -lay before him. He seemed to be drawing on a hidden reserve supply of -grit and pluck, and, as he passed up the stairs, with an easy, swaying -motion of his athletic body, Tom could not help but admiring his -good-looking, well-formed chum. - -"I--I hope nothing happens to take him away before we play our last -game," whispered the 'varsity pitcher. "He's the best quarter Randall -ever had, if what the old-timers say is true. If we don't win the -championship I'll miss my guess." - -He kept on up the stairs after Phil. In the corridor stood Ford Fenton. -Phil nodded at him, but did not feel like speaking. His fingers were -clasped around the telegram in his pocket. - -"Hello!" cried Fenton. "I saw you at practice. That's a dandy trick you -worked, Phil. My uncle says that----" - -"Ford," began Tom gravely, "have you ever had smallpox?" - -"Smallpox? My good gracious, no! You don't mean to say that there's a -case of it here?" - -"We haven't been exposed to smallpox," went on Tom, "but we are both -suffering from a severe attack of Uncleitis, so if you don't want to -catch it you'd better keep away from us." - -"Hu! I guess you think that's a joke!" exclaimed Ford as he turned and -walked away. Then Tom and Phil entered their room. - -Something in the look of their faces attracted the attention of Sid. - -"What's the matter?" he asked, despite Tom's frantic gestures behind -Phil's back, which motions were made with a view to keeping Sid quiet. - -"I'm afraid I'll have to go--go where my mother is, any minute," said -Phil brokenly. "I--I guess I'll pack up so--so's to be ready." - -Then the tension broke, and the nervous force that had girt him about -when he was on the gridiron gave way, and he sobbed brokenly. Tom -instantly began rearranging the books on the table, where they were -piled in artistic confusion, and raised such a dust that Sid sneezed. -The latter was in the old armchair, which had been mended, after a -fashion, following the throwing of it from the window in the fire scare. -As Sid tried to get up from the depths of it, there came a crash, and -the antique piece of furniture settled heavily on one side, like a ship -with a bad list to port. - -"There you go!" cried Tom, glad to have a chance to speak sharply. "What -are you trying to do--smash it all to pieces? Can't you get out of a -chair without busting it?" - -"I--I didn't mean to," spoke Sid so gently, and in such a contrast to -Tom's fiery words, that Phil could not restrain an exclamatory chuckle. -It was just the thing needed to change the current that was setting too -strongly toward sadness, and a moment later the three were carefully -examining the chair. - -"It's only a leg broken," said Phil at length, and during the inspection -he kept his face in the shadow. "I can fix it to-morrow," he went on, -and when he arose he was himself again. - -"Better put an iron brace on, if Sid is going to do double back -somersaults in it," went on Tom with simulated indignity. "This isn't a -barn, Sid. It's a gentlemen's room." - -"Oh, you shut up!" cried Sid, and then the chums were more natural. - -Phil arranged that night to leave college at once, in case further bad -news was received, and he also communicated with Ruth, planning to take -her with him. But there was no need, for in the morning another message -was received, saying that Mrs. Clinton had somewhat recovered from the -relapse that threatened. - -Phil said little, but there was a different air about him all that day, -and when he went into practice he actually seemed to carry the team -along on his shoulders, so that they crumbled the scrub opposition into -nothingness, and made five touch-downs in the two short halves they -played. - -Since the episode of the freshman dance the first-year students had -"sung small" whenever the sophomores were about. It was the most -humiliating trick that had been "pulled off in so many years that the -memory of man runneth not to the contrary," as Holly Cross put it in one -of his favorite quotations. Gerhart was much downcast at first, for, as -he was in charge of the affair, it was considered a sort of reflection -on his ability. And he laid it all to Tom, Sid, Phil and Dutch -Housenlager. - -"You wait; I'll get even with you some day," he had said to Tom. - -"We're perfectly willing," answered Tom good-naturedly. "If you think -you can put anything over our home plate, why go ahead, and more power -to ye, as Bricktop Molloy would say." - -"You just wait," was all Gerhart answered. - -It was the night before the game with Dodville Preparatory School, which -institution had an eleven not to be despised. They had met Randall on -the diamond and were anxious to come to conclusions with them on the -gridiron. Following some light practice, during which the fake tackle -run and pass to half-back was worked to perfection, Sid, Tom and Phil -went for a stroll along Sunny River. The placid stream had an attraction -in the early evening that was absent at other times, and the three -chums felt its influence as they walked along the banks. - -"Do you feel nervous about to-morrow's game?" asked Tom of Phil. - -"Not as much so as if it was against Boxer Hall," replied the -quarter-back. "Of course I--I shall be worrying a bit for fear I'll get -a message from Florida, but I'm going to try to forget it. I want to -roll up a big score against Dodville." - -"And against Boxer Hall, too," added Sid. - -"Of course. But that's some time off, and we'll improve in the meanwhile. -I fancy the game to-morrow will develop some weak spots that will need -strengthening." - -They walked and talked for about an hour, and it was dark when they -returned to their room. - -"No study to-night," remarked Phil, as he began to disrobe. "Me for -pounding the pillow at once, if not sooner." - -"Same here," came from Tom, and he began taking off his things. "Last -fellow to undress puts the light out," he added, and then there was a -race. Tom and Phil leaped into bed almost at once, and Sid, leaving -the light turned on, was scarcely a second behind them. There was a -protesting howl from Phil and Tom at their chum's perfidy, but the next -instant Tom uttered a yell. - -"Wow! Ouch! Something's in my bed!" he cried as he leaped out. - -"And in mine, too!" came from Sid. "It's a snake!" and reaching down -between the sheets, he pulled out a long reptile. - -"Cæsar's Haywagon!" cried Phil. "I've drawn something, too!" and with -that he held up a mudturtle. - -"Ten thousand thistles!" yelled Tom as he began pulling off his pajamas. -"I'm full of needles!" - - - - -CHAPTER XXII - -A CHANGE IN SIGNALS - - -The scene in the room was one of confusion. Tom was dancing about, -rubbing first here and then there on his anatomy. The snake which Sid -held was wiggling as if in protest at being suspended by the tail, and -was tying itself into all sorts of complicated knots and geometrical -figures. - -"Look out, it may bite you!" cried Phil, who was holding the mudturtle -by the tail, the feet of the animal working back and forth in a vain -effort to get a grip on the air. - -"It isn't a poisonous snake," declared Sid, who was something of a -naturalist. "But I wonder who played this trick on us? What ails you, -Tom?" - -"Yes; what are you wiggling around in that fashion for, son?" inquired -Phil, who began to laugh, now that the extent of the scare was evident. - -"Wiggle! I guess you would, too, if some one had filled your bed with -needles that came right through your pajamas," replied Tom. - -"Needles?" from Sid. - -"Needles?" reiterated Phil. - -"Yes, needles; ten million of them, by the way I feel!" - -Phil placed the mudturtle in the wash basin, where it vainly tried to -climb up the slippery porcelain sides. Then he went over to Tom's bed. - -"There are no needles here," he said. - -"No? What are they, then?" demanded Tom, continuing to rub himself. - -"Chestnut burrs," replied his chum, after a more careful inspection. -"Some one has taken the stickers off a lot of chestnut burrs and -scattered them in your bed. No wonder they went through your pajamas. -I'd rather have the mudturtle than them." - -"Or a snake," added Sid. "I wonder who did it?" - -Phil pulled back the covers from Tom's bed. At the foot, between the -sheets, was a piece of paper. The quarter-back made a grab for it and -read: - - "Compliments of the freshmen. Maybe you won't be so smart next - time." - -"The freshmen!" cried Tom. "We'll make them smart for this!" - -"They've made you smart already," commented Sid, as he put his snake -in a pasteboard box, and carefully closed it with a weight on top. "I -guess they got ahead of us this time." - -"This is Gerhart's writing," went on Phil, looking closely at the note. -"He originated the scheme. Let's see if any other fellows have suffered." - -They partly dressed, and stole silently to the rooms of some of their -classmates. No one else had felt the vengeance of the freshmen, and our -friends concluded that the performance had been arranged for their -special benefit, on account of the friction they had had with Gerhart. - -"How am I going to sleep in that bed to-night?" asked Tom ruefully, when -they had returned to their room. "It's like being in a beehive." - -"I'll show you," said Phil, and he carefully took off the sheets, -folding them up so that the chestnut stickers would not be scattered. -"You can do without sheets to-night, I guess." - -"I guess I'll have to," went on Tom. "But I'm going to get another pair -of pajamas. Those feel too much like a new flannel shirt," and he went -to his trunk, which he began ransacking. - -"What can we do to get square?" asked Sid, as he again prepared to get -into bed. "We've got to teach Gerhart a lesson." - -"That's what," agreed Tom. "We'll discuss it in the morning." - -But it was not so easy as they had supposed to think up a joke to play -on the inventive freshman, that would be commensurate with the trick he -had perpetrated on them. Besides, Gerhart kept pretty well with his own -crowd of classmates, and, as there was safety in numbers, and as our -three friends did not want a general class fight, they were, to a -certain extent, handicapped. By Gerhart's grins they knew that he was -aware of their discomfiture of the night previous. Tom was sorely -tempted to come to fistic conclusions with the freshman, but Sid and -Phil dissuaded him, promising to unite with him on some scheme of -vengeance. The mudturtle and snake were retained by Sid, who had a small -collection of live things. - -"We must keep this to ourselves," suggested Phil that morning, as they -started for chapel. "Only our own fellows must hear of it." - -"Sure," agreed Tom and Sid, but they soon found, from the greetings of -the juniors, seniors and freshmen, that the story was all over the -school. In fact, to this day the yarn is handed down in the annals of -Randall College as an example of how a freshman, single-handed, played a -joke on three sophomores; for it developed that Gerhart had done the -trick alone. - -It was a day or two after this, when Tom and Phil were walking along the -river after football practice, that, down near the bridge, they saw -Gerhart just ahead of them. - -"There's a chance to take a fall out of him," suggested Tom, whose -appetite for vengeance was still unappeased. - -"That's so," agreed Phil. "Let's catch up to him and toss him into the -river." - -They quickened their steps, but a moment later they saw a young man come -from the bushes at one end of the bridge and join Gerhart. The two -walked briskly on, and, as Tom and Phil could see, they were engaged in -earnest conversation. - -"We can't do anything now," spoke Tom. "That's a stranger. He's not of -Randall College. Look at his cap." - -"He's from some college," declared Phil. "That cap seems familiar. I -wonder who he is." - -"Give it up," spoke Tom. "We might as well go back now." - -They were about to turn when suddenly the lad with Gerhart swung about -and made a violent gesture of dissent. Then Tom and Phil heard him say: - -"I'll have nothing to do with such a dirty trick, and you ought to be -ashamed to make the offer!" - -"Oh, is that so?" asked Gerhart, and he did not seem nonplussed. "Well, -maybe some other fellow will be glad to get what I have to offer." - -"I don't believe it!" exclaimed the other. "I'm done with you, and that -settles it," and he crashed into the bushes and disappeared, leaving -Gerhart alone on the road. - -"Did you see who that was?" asked Tom, looking at Phil. - -"No; I couldn't make out his face." - -"It was George Stoddard, captain of the Boxer Hall eleven." - -"That's right," agreed Phil. "I knew I'd seen him before. But he didn't -look as he used to in a baseball uniform. I wonder what he and Gerhart -had on the carpet." - -"Oh, probably Gerhart wanted him to go to some sporty gambling affair. I -hear he plays quite a high game at cards." - -"Who?" - -"Gerhart. Lots of the freshmen of our college have found his pace too -fast for them. He and Langridge are thicker than ever. Probably Gerhart -wanted some new easy-marks to win from, and is trying to take up with -the Boxer Hall boys." - -"Shouldn't wonder. But Stoddard turned him down cold." - -"Yes; didn't make any bones about it. Well, I s'pose we could catch up -to Gerhart now. But what's the use?" - -"That's right. Hello! There's Langridge joining him now, Phil," and as -Tom spoke they saw the sophomore come from a side path and walk along -with the freshman. The two began talking earnestly, and from the manner -of Gerhart it seemed that something had gone wrong, and that he was -endeavoring to explain. - -Tom and Phil forgot the little scene of the afternoon when they got -down to studying that night, and as lessons were getting to be pretty -"stiff," to quote Sid, it was necessary to put in considerable time over -books. The three "boned" away until midnight, and after an inspection of -their beds, to make sure that no contraband articles were between the -sheets, they turned out the light and were soon slumbering. - -The next day Phil was turned back in Greek, and had to write out a -difficult exercise. - -"Tell Mr. Lighton I'll be ready for practice in half an hour," he said -to Tom, as the latter hurried off to get into his football togs. "I'll -come as soon as Pitchfork lets me off." - -"All right," answered his chum. - -When Tom got to the gridiron he found most of the 'varsity eleven there. -Coach Lighton was in earnest conversation with Captain Holly Cross. - -"Where's Phil?" asked the coach as Tom came up. The left-end explained. - -"Come into the gym, fellows," went on the coach. "I have something -important to tell you. Phil will be along soon." - -Vainly wondering what was in the wind, and whether, by any chance, it -concerned Phil, Tom followed the sturdy lads across the field. Phil -joined the throng before the gymnasium was reached. - -"What's up?" he panted. "Aren't we going to practice?" - -"Yes," replied the coach; "but first we've got to arrange for a new set -of signals." - -"New signals?" cried half a dozen. - -"Yes. I have just learned, in an anonymous communication, that an offer -was made to a rival college to sell our signals. The offer, I am glad to -say, was indignantly refused; but if some one is in possession of our -system, we must get a new one. Now, if you will come in here I will -change the signals, and we will then go to practice." - -Tom and Phil instinctively looked at each other. The memory of the scene -between Gerhart and Stoddard, and Langridge's later presence with the -freshman, came to them both at once. - - - - -CHAPTER XXIII - -BATTERING BOXER HALL - - -There was a little buzz of talk, following the announcement of the -coach. Each player looked at his neighbor, as if to learn whether or not -he was the guilty one. But Mr. Lighton at once called a halt to this. - -"I will say," he continued, "that no member of the 'varsity team, -nor has any substitute, been guilty of this mean, sneaking piece of -business. I don't even know who it was. I don't want to know. I don't -know to whom the offer was made. I don't want to know. But we are going -to protect ourselves, and change the signals." - -It was a comparatively simple matter, the way the signals had been -devised, to so change them so that another team, even with a copy of the -originals, would have found it impossible to know in advance what the -plays were to be. - -Half an hour was spent in going over the new combinations while the -team was in the gymnasium, and then they went out on the field to play -against the scrub. It was a little awkward at first for Phil to run the -eleven under the new system, and he made one or two blunders. But the -scrub was beaten by a good score. - -"You'll do better to-morrow," commented the coach. "It is a little -troublesome, I know, to use the new letters and figures, but we'll -practice on them constantly until we meet Boxer Hall on Saturday." - -This was to be the first game of the season with Boxer Hall, the -college, which, with Fairview Institute and Randall, formed the Tonoka -Lake League. The Randallites were on edge for it, and they had need to -be, for Boxer had a fine eleven, better than in many years. - -"We'll have all we want to do to beat them," said Phil to a crowd of his -chums after practice one day. "They're in better shape than Fairview -was." - -"So are we," declared Tom. "We're going to win." - -"I hope you do," remarked Ford Fenton. "They have a peculiar way of -playing the game in the first half. My uncle says----" - -"Wow!" It was a simultaneous howl from the crowd of lads. They sometimes -did this when Ford's reminiscences got on their nerves. The lad with the -uncle turned away. - -"I was going to put you on to some of their tricks," he continued in -injured tones. "Now I won't." - -"Write it out and hand it to Holly Cross," suggested Phil. - -"Well, Phil," remarked Tom to his chum on Saturday, about an hour before -the big game, when the team was dressing in the Randall gymnasium, "do -you feel as if we were going to win?" - -"I certainly do," spoke the quarter-back as he laced his canvas jacket. -"I never felt in better shape. Only for one thing----" He paused -suddenly, but Tom knew what he meant. It was the fear that, in the midst -of the game, he might get bad news about his mother. Since receiving the -telegram advising him to be ready to leave for Florida on short notice, -Phil and his sister had had word that their mother had rallied somewhat, -but that no permanent hope was held out for her recovery. - -"Try not to think about it, old man," advised Tom. - -"I--I do try," responded Phil. "But it--it's hard work," and he bent -over to tie his shoe. - -Out on the gridiron trotted the Randall players. They were received with -a burst of cheers, led by Bean Perkins, whose voice was more than ever -like a foghorn. - -"Give 'em the 'Conquer or Die' song," he called. - -"No; wait until they need it," suggested Sid Henderson, who was in the -grandstand. "Let's sing 'We're Going to Make a Touch-down Now!' That'll -be better." - -The verses and chorus welled out from several hundred lusty throats, -and the Randall team, which was at quick practice, looked up in -appreciation. - -"I wonder if any of the Fairview girls will be here," said Tom as he and -Phil were passing the ball back and forth. - -"I don't know about all of 'em," replied the quarter-back, "but Ruth and -Madge are coming." - -"Since when have you been calling her 'Madge'?" asked Tom, with a sharp -look at his chum. - -"Since she gave me permission," was the answer, and Phil booted the -pigskin well down the field. - -"And how long is that?" - -"What difference does it make to you?" and there was a shade of annoyance -in Phil's voice. - -"Nothing, only I--er--well---- There they come!" cried Tom suddenly, but -it was not to the girls that he referred. The Boxer Hall team had just -trotted out, to be received with a round of cheers from their partisans. - -"Husky-looking lot," observed Ed Kerr, as he and the other Randall -players gazed critically at their opponents. - -"They are that," conceded Bricktop Molloy, one of the biggest guards -who ever supported a center. - -"I'm afraid they'll do us," came from Snail Looper, who was not of a -very hopeful turn of mind. - -"Nonsense! Don't talk that way, me lad!" objected Bricktop, lapsing -into brogue, as he always did when very much in earnest. "Just because -they're a lot of big brutes doesn't argue that we can't smash through -them. _Omnis sequitur_, you know." - -"Oh, you and your Latin!" exclaimed Tom. "Don't we get enough of that in -class." - -"It's a fine language," went on Molloy, who was a good classical -scholar. "But suppose we line up and run a bit." - -The practice was over, the preliminaries had all been arranged, the new -ball was brought out and handed to Boxer Hall, for Captain Stoddard had -won the toss, and elected to kick off. The yellow spheroid was placed on -the center line, on top of a little mound of earth. - -"Are you all ready?" asked the referee, and Captain Holly Cross cast a -quick eye on his team, which, spread out on their field, was like an -aggregation of eager foxhounds, waiting for the start. - -"Ready," answered Holly. - -"Ready," responded Stoddard. - -The whistle sounded shrilly, and a moment later Pinkey Davenport's good -right toe had met the pigskin with a resounding "thump," and the ball -was sailing toward the Randall goal. - -Jerry Jackson caught it and began scuttling back toward the center of -the field. Tom, with Ed Kerr and Bricktop Molloy, formed interference -for him, and with their efficient aid Jerry rushed the leather back for -thirty yards, or to within five yards of the middle of the gridiron. -There he was downed with a vicious tackle by Dave Ogden, who had managed -to get through between Tom and Bricktop, though they flung themselves at -him. Jerry lay still for a moment after falling, with the ball tightly -clasped in his arms. Captain Cross ran to him. - -"Hurt?" he asked anxiously. - -"No. Only--only a little wind knocked out of me," answered the plucky -left half-back. "I'm all right now." - -"Line up, fellows!" cried Holly, and Phil began rattling off a string of -numbers and letters. - -It was a signal for Kindlings to take the ball through tackle, and, as -he got it, the right half-back leaped for the hole that was opened for -him. Right through he plunged, staggering along, half pulled, half -shoved, until it was impossible to gain another inch, and Kindlings was -buried out of sight under an avalanche of players. But the required gain -had been made, and Phil signaled for another try at the Boxer Hall -line. Captain Stoddard was vainly calling on his men to brace and hold -their opponents, while from the grandstand came wild cheers at the first -sign of prowess on the part of Randall. - -This time Holly Cross went through guard and tackle for a fine gain, and -next he was sent between right-tackle and end. So far there had not been -a halt in the progress of bucking the line, but when, on the next play, -Ed Kerr was called on to go through between left-end and tackle, he felt -as if he had hit a number of bags of sand. There was not a foot of gain, -and Ed barely saved the ball, which bounced from his arms; but he fell -on it like a flash. - -"Don't try there again," whispered Kerr to Phil, as he took his position -once more. Phil, however, had seen that the Boxer Hall line was weak, -and he determined for another try at it, but in a different place. This -time Jerry Jackson was called on for a run around right-end, and so -successful was it that he went to the twenty-five-yard line before he -was heavily thrown. The tackling of the Boxer Hall lads was severe when -they got a chance at it. - -Phil, in a flash, determined for a field goal trial. The chances were in -favor of it, for there was no wind, and the position was right. Besides, -if it was successful it would add immensely to the spirit of his team, -and give them a rest from the hard line bucking. - -Quickly he gave the signal, and Holly Cross ran to the thirty-yard line -for a drop kick. The ball came back and was cleanly caught. The Randall -line held, and Holly booted the pigskin in fine shape, but with a groan -almost of anguish the players and supporters of the college by the river -saw the ball strike the cross-bar and bounce back. The attempt had -failed. - -The leather was brought out to the twenty-five-yard line, and Boxer Hall -prepared for her turn at it. On the first try they gained fifteen yards -through a hole that was ripped between Grasshopper Backus and Dutch -Housenlager. They then gathered in ten more by a run around Tom's end, -though he made a desperate effort to stop the man with the ball. - -"Right through 'em, now, fellows!" called Captain Stoddard to his -players. "Rip 'em up!" - -"Hold 'em! Hold 'em!" besought Holly Cross. - -And hold the Randallites did. The wave of attack fell back in a sort of -froth of players as Pinkey Davenport tried in vain to gain through -center. Snail Looper was like a great rock. Once more there was a try at -the line, Dave Ogden being sent in with a rush. But he only gained three -yards, and it was inevitable that Boxer would punt. The backs of the -Randall team ran toward their goal, but Boxer worked a pretty trick, -and on a double pass made fifteen yards before the man was stopped. - -"That's the stuff!" cried the Boxer coach, and he ran on the field to -whisper to Captain Stoddard. - -But the thoughtless action of the coach brought its punishment, for -Boxer was penalized ten yards on account of their trainer coming on the -field without permission. There was much kicking at this, but the -officials insisted, and it stood. Then, with a net gain of less than was -needed, and on the last down, Boxer had to kick. Holly Cross got the -ball and rushed it well back before he was downed. - -So far the playing had been pretty even. Though Boxer was a bit weak on -defense, they played a snappy game, and seemed to be able to outgeneral -their opponents. Now Randall had another chance to show what they could -do. - -"Give 'em the 'Conquer or Die' song now!" cried Bean Perkins, and the -strains of "_Aut vincere aut mori_" welled out over the gridiron. It -seemed to give just the stimulus needed, and when Kindlings had been -sent crashing into the line for a twelve-yard gain, Phil quickly -resolved on the fake tackle and pass to half-back play. First, however, -he called for Ed Kerr to make a try through right-tackle, and when -this had been accomplished, with a smashing force that temporarily -demoralized the Boxer Hall players, Kindlings was once more requested -to oblige. He took the ball from Ed, who had received it from Phil, and -around right-end he went, with beautiful interference. It completely -fooled the other team, and when the Boxer full-back finally managed to -stop Kindlings it was on the ten-yard line. - -"Touch-down! Touch-down!" yelled the Randall supporters. - -"Touch-down it shall be!" exclaimed Phil. - -Smash and hammer, hammer and smash, batter and push it was for the next -three minutes! Boxer was desperate, and with tears in their eyes her -players sought to stem the tide rushing against them. But Randall was -not to be denied. Again and again her men went battering against the -wall of flesh and blood, until, with what seemed a superhuman effort, -Holly Cross was shoved over the line for a touch-down. - -Oh, what yelling and cheering there was then! Even the voice of Bean -Perkins, strident as it was, could not be heard above the others. The -grandstands were trembling with the swaying, yelling, stamping mass of -enthusiasts congregated on them. - -Holly Cross kicked a beautiful goal, and with the score six to nothing -against them, Boxer Hall prepared to continue the game. There was no let -up to the play. It was fast and furious. For a time it seemed that Boxer -would score, as, after getting possession of the ball by means of a -forward pass, they ripped off twenty yards, and followed that up by -gathering in ten more by a smashing play through center. Snail Looper -was knocked out, and had to go to the side lines, Rod Everet replacing -him. This, to a certain extent, weakened the team, and Randall could not -seem to hold. The ball was rushed along until it was within three yards -of the maroon and yellow goal. Then, responding nobly to the entreaties -which Holly Cross, made, his players held stiffly, and Randall got the -ball on downs. No time was lost in booting the pigskin out of danger, -and before another formation could be made the whistle blew, and the -first half was over. - -"Fellows," remarked Coach Lighton in the dressing-room during the rest, -"I needn't tell you that you've got to play for all you're worth to win -this game. We're going to have trouble this half. With Looper gone, -though I expect Everet will do nearly as well at center, it means a -certain loss of team work. But do your best. Their line isn't as strong -as I feared, but they play much fiercer in the attack than I expected. -However, I think you can rip 'em up. Get another touch-down--two if you -can--and prevent them from scoring. They may try for a field goal. If -they do, get through and block the kick. Now rest all you can." - -The second half started in fiercely. Randall kicked off, and succeeded -in nailing the Boxer Hall man with the ball before he had run ten -yards. But when the line-bucking began something seemed to be the -matter with the Randall players. They were shoved back very easily, it -appeared, and, with constant gains, the ball was carried toward their -territory. So eager did the Randallites get at one stage that they -played off-side, and were penalized ten yards. Again there was holding -in the line, and ten yards more were given to Boxer Hall for this. The -opponents of Randall were now within thirty yards of the goal. By a -smash through center they ripped off five more. Then Pinkey Davenport -dropped back for a trial for a field goal, and made it. The score was -now six to five in favor of Randall. - -When Randall got the ball again there was a change at once noticed. More -confidence was felt, and so fiercely did her players assail the line -that they carried the pigskin, in three rushes, well toward the middle -of the field. - -Phil gave the signal for a forward pass, and it was well executed. Then -came a fake kick, and this was followed by an on-side one. Both netted -good gains, and once more Randall was jubilant. - -"Right through the line!" cried Phil. "Eat 'em up, fellows!" - -His players responded to his call. Through tackle, guard and center, -then around the end, the plays being repeated, the ball was carried. -The men were tiring, but Phil would not chance a kick. They had no sure -thing of a field goal now, as a little wind had sprung up. Up and up the -field the spheroid, yellow no longer, but dirty and grass-stained, -was carried. On the Randallites took it, until they were on the -twenty-five-yard line. There was a form of madness among the college -supporters now. Once more came the fierce cries for a touch-down, and -once more Phil called to his teammates to respond. The signal for some -sequence plays was given. It was well these had been practiced, for -Phil's voice could scarcely be heard. One after another four plays were -reeled off. They were all effective, and though Boxer Hall tried to stem -the rush, it was impossible. Over the line went the Randall lads, to the -inspiring chorus of: "Tear 'Em Apart and Toss 'Em Aside!" - -"Touch-down! Touch-down! Touch-down!" came the frantic cries, the -players mingling their voices with those of the spectators on the -grandstand. The goal was missed, but the score was now eleven to five in -favor Randall. - -Again came the line-up after the kick off. By a fumble Boxer lost the -ball, and Tom Parsons fell on it. Then began another fierce attack on -the Boxer eleven. But the terrific line-smashing was telling on both -teams, though more so on Randall. There was less power in her attack. - -Boxer held for downs, and the kick was a weak one, the ball going only -a short distance. Then Boxer Hall began to rush it back, and by a trick -play got it so far down the gridiron that another field goal was kicked. -It began to look dubious for Randall, but there was no give-up in her -playing. Securing the ball, Phil kept his players on the rush. Down the -field they went, a forward pass netting a good gain and wonderfully -saving the wind of the now almost exhausted team. An on-side kick was -also used, and then, seeing a weak place in the adversary's line, Phil -in turn sent Kindlings, Jerry Jackson and Holly Cross at it. In vain did -Boxer Hall try to stop up the gap, but their left-tackle and guard were -about all in. In two minutes more Bricktop Molloy was shoved over the -line for a third touch-down, and, as goal was kicked, the score was -seventeen to ten. - -"One more touch-down!" cried Holly Cross, but there was no time for it. -Two minutes more of play and the whistle blew. Randall had won one of -the fiercest games she had ever played. - -"A cheer for Boxer Hall!" cried Holly Cross, and the despondent players, -grieving over their defeat, sent back an answer. Then came cheer upon -cheer from the grandstand, where waved the yellow and maroon of Randall, -and Bean Perkins led in the song: "We Have Come and We Have Conquered!" - -"Great, old man!" cried Tom to Phil, who was limping slightly. "Are you -hurt?" - -"I shouldn't care if I was in pieces after the way we walloped them! -Come on over here. I see my sister and Madge!" - -Tom followed, his head singing from a severe knock he had received. - - - - -CHAPTER XXIV - -GERHART HAS AN IDEA - - -Phil's sister hurried down from the grandstand to greet him. - -"Oh, Phil!" she cried. "Did you get hurt?" for she saw him limping, and -she held out her hands to him. - -"Just a little twist," he explained. "Not worth mentioning. How are you, -Madge?" he went on, after patting his sister on the shoulder, and he -held his hands eagerly out to Miss Tyler. - -"Fine!" she exclaimed. "Oh, wasn't it a great game?" - -"For us," put in Tom, who had greeted Ruth, and now turned to the other -girl. - -"Good afternoon, Tom," spoke Madge, and Tom fancied there was just a -tinge of coldness in her voice. She continued talking to Phil. - -"Did you think you would win?" asked Phil's sister of Tom as she looked -eagerly up into his face. - -"Well, not all the while," replied the left-end. "Once or twice I began -to think we'd lose. But you can't down Randall." - -"No; it takes Fairview to do that, not Boxer Hall," put in Madge -quickly. - -"Now, be nice--be nice!" pleaded Phil with a laugh. "I thought you were -a friend of mine, Madge." - -"So I am," she replied gaily; "but I can't help saying that." - -"We'll beat you next time," went on Phil, and he dodged back to escape a -little blow which Madge aimed at him with her small flag. Then the two -laughed. Tom, who was chatting with Ruth, heard them, and he half turned -to see what was going on. He was just in time to see Phil grasp both -Madge's hands, and his face turned red. Ruth noticed it, and she said: - -"Phil and Madge seem to get on well together." - -"Almost too well," was Tom's thought, but he said nothing and changed -the subject. - -"Well, Tom," said Phil at length, "I suppose we'd better go dress like -respectable citizens. You've got a spot of mud on your nose." - -"And you have one on your ear," added Ruth. "I think Tom--I mean Mr. -Parsons--looks quite artistic with that beauty spot." - -"We can dispense with the 'Mister,' if you like, Ruth," said Tom -boldly. - -"Oh!" laughed Ruth. "I don't know what my brother will say. Eh, Phil?" - -"Oh, I guess it's safe to call 'Dominie' Parsons by his front handle," -said Phil. "He's warranted not to bite. Go ahead, sis." - -"All right," she agreed with a laugh. "There--Tom"--and she hesitated -prettily at the name--"better run along and wash up." - -"Will you wait here for us?" asked Tom. "We'll take you over to -Fairview, then, eh, Phil?" - -"Surest thing you know!" exclaimed the quarter-back. "That is, if Madge -is agreeable." - -He looked at her. She blushed just a trifle, and, with a little gesture, -answered: - -"If Ruth insists on having her brother, why----" - -"But I don't want my brother!" cried Ruth gaily. "Whoever heard of a -sister walking with her own brother? I'm going to let you have him, and -I--er--I----" She paused, blushing. - -"I'll fill in!" cried Tom quickly. - -Madge looked at him, but said nothing. - -A little later on Tom, beside Ruth, and Phil, walking with Madge, -started for the trolley to Fairview. As they were crossing the campus, -which was thronged with players, visitors and some of the Boxer Hall -team and its supporters, Wallops, the messenger, came along with a -telegram in his hand. - -"Is that for me?" asked Phil eagerly, and his face was pale, while his -voice trembled. His sister looked quickly at him. Evidently she feared -the same thing he did. - -"No; it's for Professor Tines," replied the messenger, and Phil breathed -a sigh of relief as Wallops passed on. - -Garvey Gerhart, who, with Langridge, was standing near Phil at the time, -started. Then a curious look came over his face. - -"Langridge," he asked the sophomore, "have you anything to do?" - -"Nothing special. Why?" - -"Well, if you haven't, come along with me. I've just thought of an -idea." - -"They're mighty scarce," retorted the former pitcher. "Don't let it get -away." - -"Take a walk over by the chapel, and I'll tell you," went on Gerhart. -"There isn't such a crowd there." - -Phil and Tom, with the two girls, were soon on the way to the -co-educational college. The trip was enlivened by laughter and jokes. -Madge and Phil seemed very good friends, and, as for Tom, though he -wondered at the sudden companionship that had sprung up between the -quarter-back and the pretty girl he had once been so anxious to get away -from Langridge, he could not help but congratulate himself on knowing -Ruth. Still, he could not altogether understand Madge. He had been fond -of her--he was still--and he knew that she had liked him. The slender -tie of relationship between them was no bar to an affection that -differed in degree from cousinly. Yet Madge plainly showed her liking -for Phil. Could it be, Tom thought, that she was jealous of him, and -took this method of showing it? He did not think Madge would do such a -thing, yet he felt that part of her gaiety and good spirits, when in -company with the handsome quarter-back, were assumed for some purpose. - -"If it wasn't that Ruth is such a nice girl, and that Phil and I are -such friends, I'd almost think that he and I were--well--rivals," -thought Tom. "Oh, hang it all! What's the use of getting sentimental? -They're both nice girls--very nice--the--the only trouble is I don't -know which I think the nicer." - -The two chums left the girls at the Fairview College campus, for it was -getting late. Tom shook hands with Ruth, and then walked over to Madge -to say good-by. She had just finished speaking to Phil. - -"Well, when can your 'cousin' come over to see you again, Madge?" asked -Tom with a smile. - -He held out his hand, but Madge affected not to see it. Tom felt -uncomfortable, and then, as if she realized it, she said to him: - -"Well, 'Cousin' Tom, I don't know that you'll _care_ to come over to see -me again," and with that she turned and walked away. - -Tom remained staring after her for a moment. Then, with a shrug of his -shoulders, he wheeled and joined Phil, who had been a silent witness to -the little scene. - -"Say, aren't girls odd?" asked Tom. - -"Very," agreed his chum. "But you said that once before, you know." - -"No; did I?" asked Tom, and he was rather silent on the way back to -Randall. - -Meanwhile, Langridge and Gerhart had spent much time strolling about the -chapel walk. It was getting dusk, and the fading light of the perfect -fall day was shining through the wonderful, stained-glass windows of the -little church. The long casements, with representations of biblical -scenes, were a soft glow of delicate hues. But the two lads had no eyes -for these beauties. - -"I think that will put a crimp in his playing!" Gerhart remarked, as he -paused to light an oriental cigarette, or, rather, something that passed -for one. - -"But it's risky," expostulated Langridge. "If it's found out, and it's -sure to be, you'll have to leave college." - -"I don't care. I'd be willing to, if I could have my revenge on him for -keeping me off the team. I don't like it here, anyhow. The other game I -put up on him didn't work, but this one will." - -"And when will you try it?" - -"At the last and deciding game. The way I figure it is that the final -tussle will come between Randall and Boxer Hall. I'll be ready with it -then. It will certainly knock him out." - -"But it may lose us the game and the championship." - -"What do I care! I'll be square with Clinton, and that's what I want. I -got the idea when I saw how frightened he was when Wallops had that -telegram. Don't you think it will work?" - -"Sure it will work. It's a great idea, but--but----" and Langridge -hesitated. "It's a brutal trick, just the same." - -"Oh, you're too chicken-hearted. Come on and I'll buy you a drink. That -will put some life in you." - -"All right," said Langridge weakly, and he went. - - - - -CHAPTER XXV - -PHIL GIVES UP - - -Out on the athletic ground Grasshopper Backus was practicing the -standing broad jump. It was one of the things he was always at, whence -his nickname. But, as Holly Cross used to say, "Grasshopper had about as -much chance of making the track team as he had of making a perfect score -at tennis," a game which the big lad abhorred. For, though Grasshopper -was very fond of jumping and practiced it every time he got a chance, -there was something wrong with his method, and he never could get beyond -the preliminaries in a contest. Still, he kept at it. - -"Why don't you give up?" asked Phil, who, with Tom and Sid, strolled -down where the lone student was leaping away as if the championship of -the college depended on it. - -"Say, you let me alone," objected Grasshopper, as he prepared for a -jump. "I beat my own record a while ago." - -"By how much?" asked Phil. - -"Well, not much; a quarter of an inch, but that shows I'm improving." - -"Yes; at that rate you'll be through college, and a post graduate like -Bricktop before you make enough gain to count," declared Tom. - -"Oh, you let me alone!" exclaimed the exasperated one. With that he -jumped, and then, with a measuring tape, he carefully noted the distance -he had covered. - -"Any gain?" asked Sid. - -"No; I went back an inch then," was the reply. - -"Like the frog in the well," went on Phil. "He jumped up three feet -every day, and fell back four feet every night." - -"Aw, quit!" begged Grasshopper, who was sensitive, in spite of his -enormous bulk. - -"You go high enough, but you don't go far enough," commented Sid. "Now, -if they allow hurdling in football, you'd be right in it for jumping -over the line to make a touch-down." - -"Maybe they'll change the rules so as to allow it," spoke Grasshopper -hopefully. - -"Get out, you old Stoic!" cried Phil. "Come and take a walk with us. Tom -is going to blow us to ginger ale." - -"No; I'm going to keep at it until I beat my best mark," and the jumper -again got on the line. - -"Curious chap," commented Phil, as the three chums walked on. - -"But as good as they make 'em," added Tom. - -"That's what!" spoke Sid fervently. - -Snail Looper soon recovered from the effects of the hard Boxer Hall -game, and practice was resumed with the 'varsity bucking against the -scrub. There was a big improvement shown in the first team, for the -players had demonstrated that they could meet with an eleven counted -among the best, and win from it. - -"Well, fellows, are you all ready for the trip Saturday?" asked the -Coach at the conclusion of the practice. "None of you are falling behind -in studies, I hope?" - -Captain Cross assured Mr. Lighton that every man on the team was A1 when -it came to scholarship. - -"Now, a word of advice," went on the coach. "Don't get nervous over this -out-of-town trip. We're going up against a hard team, and on strange -grounds, but just think of it as if you were going to play Fairview, -or Boxer Hall, or Dodville Prep right here. The worst feature of -out-of-town games is that they throw the men off their stride. Don't -let that happen to you." - -They all promised that it should not, and then the players separated. -The coach had arranged for a game with a distant college--Wescott -University--which boasted of a superb eleven. It meant a long trip on -the train, two days spent away from Randall, and a day to come back in. - -The journey to Wescott University was much enjoyed by the eleven and the -substitutes. They reached the city at dusk, and were at once taken to -the hotel, where quarters had been secured for them. A big crowd of -students had planned to come from Randall to see the game, a special -excursion train having been arranged for. - -"Now, fellows, early to bed to-night," stipulated the coach after supper -was over. "No skylarking, and don't go to eating a lot of trash. I want -you all to be on edge. We'll devote to-morrow to practice, and the next -day to wiping up the gridiron with Wescott." - -Tom and Phil roomed together, and at midnight Tom, who had just fallen -into a doze, after envying the sound slumber of his chum, was awakened -by the latter. - -"I'm sick, Tom," said Phil faintly. - -"What's the matter, old man?" asked the left-end anxiously, and he -jumped out of bed, turning on the electric light. - -"I don't know, but I'm dizzy, and I feel--well, rotten, to put it -mildly." - -"That's too bad. Can I get you anything?" - -"Better call Mr. Lighton. I don't want to take a lot of dope unless he -says so." - -Tom quickly dressed and called the coach, who was on the same floor -where all the football players had their rooms. He came in quickly, and -after one glance at Phil insisted on calling the hotel physician. The -doctor went through the usual procedure, and left some medicine for -Phil. - -"What is it?" asked the coach of the physician. - -"Nothing, only his stomach is a little upset. Change of diet and water -will sometimes do it. He'll be all right in the morning." - -Phil was better the next day, but when he went out to practice with the -lads, there was a lassitude in his movements, and a lack of snap in his -manner of running the team, that made several open their eyes. Mr. -Lighton said nothing, but Tom whispered to his chum to "brace up." Phil -tried to, and managed to get through the practice with some return of -his former vim. He went to bed early that night, and slept soundly--too -heavily, Tom thought, as it might indicate fever. - -The day of the game, however, Phil seemed all right. His face was paler -than usual, and there was a grimness about his lips that Tom seldom saw. -The Randall boys had light practice in the morning, running through the -signals, and then took a rest until it was time to go on the field. - -There was a big attendance, and the cheers of the small contingent of -Randall supporters could hardly be heard. The preliminary practice -seemed to go all right, and when the whistle blew there was a confident -eleven that lined up against Wescott. The play was hard and snappy, with -much kicking and open work. The rivals of Randall had a couple of backs -who were excellent punters, and the visitors were kept busy chasing the -ball. But there came a change, and when Randall had the pigskin Phil -rushed his men up the field to such good advantage that they scored the -first touch-down, to the no small dismay of the Wescott team. - -"Now, Phil, some more work like that," said Holly Cross, but the -quarter-back did not answer. - -Wescott got possession of the ball toward the close of the first half, -and with surprising power rushed it up the field. In less time than had -been thought possible they had a touch-down. Randall lost the pigskin on -fumbles, and when Wescott got it again they kicked a field goal. This -ended the half. - -Phil staggered as he walked to the dressing-room for the rest period. - -"What's the matter?" asked the coach quickly. - -"Nothing--I'm--I'm all right," answered the quarter-back, and he gritted -his teeth hard. - -Wescott kicked off in the second half, and Holly Cross managed to run -the ball well back. - -"Rip out another touch-down!" the captain cried as he got in place for -the first scrimmage. Phil began on the signal. He hesitated. The -players looked at him quickly. He was swaying back and forth on the -ground. Once more he tried to give the combination of letters and -figures. But the words would not come. He put his hands out to steady -himself, and a moment later, with a groan, toppled over. - -"He's hurt!" cried Tom as he sprang to the side of his chum. "But I -never knew Phil to give up." - -Holly Cross was bending over him, while the other Randallites crowded -up, and the Wescott lads stretched out on the field. A doctor ran in -from the side lines on a signal from the coach. He felt of Phil's pulse. - -"Why, the chap has a high fever!" he exclaimed. "He has collapsed from -it. He can't play any more! Take him off the field!" - -A groan went up from the Randall players. - - - - -CHAPTER XXVI - -SID IS BOGGED - - -Phil Clinton opened his eyes. His face, that had been pale, was now -flushed. The reaction had set in, and he tried to struggle to his feet. - -"Signal!" he cried. "Eighteen A B X--two twenty-seven Z M!" - -He tried to get in position to take the ball from Snail Looper, who was -standing up, regarding him curiously. - -"What's the matter?" cried Phil. "Why don't you get down to snap it -back, Snail? Isn't it our ball? Have we lost it on a fumble? Are they -beating us?" - -"You--you can't play," spoke Holly Cross brokenly. - -"Can't play! Nonsense! Of course I can play! I'm all right! I was just -knocked out for a minute. Get down there, Snail. Signal----" But Phil -fell back into the arms of Tom and the doctor, and lapsed into -unconsciousness. - -"Carry him off the field," said the medical man softly. "He's got lots -of grit, but a horse couldn't play with the fever he has." - -Sorrowfully they carried the stricken quarter-back from the gridiron. It -was a hard blow to the Randall team, for it meant that a new man would -have to go in and play what was probably the most exacting position on -the team. - -"Jerry Jackson, go to quarter," called Holly Cross. "I'll put Hayden at -left half-back," and the substitute was summoned from the side lines. -The play went on, but, as might have been expected, Randall was at a -disadvantage. When they had the ball they managed to gain considerable -ground, and as much punting as possible was done. But Wescott tore -through for another touch-down, while the solitary one gained in the -first half was the limit of the scoring the visitors could do. There did -come a brace on the part of Randall toward the close of the game, and -when the whistle blew they had the ball on the ten-yard line of their -opponents. They had put up a plucky fight against big odds, and the -Wescott players realized it, for they cheered lustily for their enemies. -There was lack of heartiness, not alone from the sense of defeat, in the -cheer and college yell with which Randall responded. Then they filed -sorrowfully off the field, while Tom, Holly Cross and the coach, as soon -as possible, went to the hotel where Phil had been taken in an -automobile. - -They imagined all sorts of things, and were not a little relieved when -the doctor told them that, at worst, Phil only had a bad attack of -bilious fever. The change of diet, necessitated by the trip, had brought -it on. With rest and quiet he would be all right in a week, the medical -man said. - -"And when can he play football?" asked Holly Cross anxiously. - -"Not for two weeks," was the reply, and the coach and captain groaned. -They had a game with Fairview in prospect, and must needs win it if they -were to have a chance for the championship. - -"I wonder if we can't postpone it?" asked Holly dubiously. - -"Impossible," answered the coach. "We'll have to play Jackson at -quarter. I'll take him in hand at once. We only have a week, but in that -time the Jersey twin will do better than Moseby, who's been playing -quarter on the scrub. It's the best we can do." - -Phil was too sick to accompany the team home, and Tom volunteered to -stay with him for a couple of days, the coach and captain agreeing to -explain matters at college. So the despondent players returned to -Haddonfield, while Tom remained with Phil at the hotel. Three days -later, thanks to the skill of the doctor, Phil was able to travel, -though he was quite weak. He was broken-hearted at the way he had -collapsed in the critical part of the game, but Tom would not listen to -any of his chum's self-reproaches. - -"I'll make up for it when we play Fairview!" declared Phil. He was in a -bad state when told that he could not play that game, but there was no -help for it. - -Ruth called to see her brother, accompanied by Madge Tyler. He was -sitting in the dilapidated easy chair when the girls came in, and -apologized for it. - -"Oh, we're glad to see you even in that state, Phil, as long as it's no -worse, aren't we, Madge?" spoke Ruth. - -"Of course," answered Madge brightly. "I wish you were better, so you -could play Saturday against our college." - -"We'd be sure to win, if he did," interposed Tom. "As it is, your -fellows have a better chance." - -"I--I don't care if we do lose!" exclaimed Madge, and she blushed -prettily. "That is----" and she paused in some confusion. - -"Why, Madge Tyler!" exclaimed Ruth. "That's treason!" - -"I don't care," was the answer, with a toss of the head. "Don't you want -your brother to get well?" - -"Of course, but----" - -"Well," was all Madge said, and Tom wondered what she meant. - -But Randall did not lose to Fairview in the second game. It was a hard -one, but the Jersey twin did good work at quarter, and Hayden proved a -"star" end, making a brilliant run and a touch-down. The score was -seventeen to five, a solitary field goal being all that Fairview was -able to accomplish. - -"Well, now we'll have a chance at the championship, when we meet Boxer -Hall next," said Phil, who had watched the contest from the grandstand, -though he was as nervous as a colt all the while. - -The 'varsity quarter-back was allowed to begin practice the following -week, and was soon playing with his old-time form. In fact, the little -rest seemed to have benefited him, and this, added to the fact that -encouraging news had been received concerning his mother, made him less -apprehensive when he was on the gridiron. There were two more rather -unimportant games in prospect before the final contest with Boxer Hall, -and all the energies of the Randall eleven were now turned to the -deciding contest. - -"I say, you fellows," remarked Sid one sunny November afternoon, when -all three chums were in the room after lectures, "don't you want to take -a walk with me? I've got to do some observation work in my biology -course, and I'm going to take my camera along and make some pictures." - -"Where you going?" asked Tom. - -"Oh, along the river. Then I'll strike across country, and fetch up -somewhere. We'll not be gone over three hours, and we'll get back by -dark. Come along; it will do you good." - -"Shall we go with the old gazabo, Phil?" asked Tom. - -"If he guarantees not to get us lost in the woods, so we'll have to stay -out all night," replied the quarter-back. - -"Oh, I'll get you home safe," declared Sid. "We'll have a nice walk. -I'll be ready in a jiffy," and he proceeded to load his camera with -films. It was a large one, and he often used it to make pictures which -had a bearing on his class work in biology and evolution. The three -chums were soon strolling along the banks of the river, Sid on the -lookout for late-staying birds or some animal or reptile which he might -add to his photographic collection. - -"You must be fond of this sort of thing, to lug that heavy camera around -with you," commented Phil. - -"I am," said Sid. "It's very interesting to study the habits of birds -and animals. You'd ought to have taken that course." - -"I wish I had, instead of mathematics," put in Tom. "I'm dead sick of -them, but I guess I'll have to stick at 'em." - -For a mile or more Sid saw nothing on which to focus his camera. He -suggested that they leave the vicinity of the river and strike across -country, and, as his chums left the matter entirely to him, this plan -was followed. Suddenly, as they were going through a clump of trees -about a mile from the stream, Sid uttered an exclamation. - -"Hold on, fellows!" he cried. "I can get a beautiful snapshot here," and -he motioned them to stand still, while he got his automatic hand camera -into position. - -"What is it?" whispered Phil. - -"A _vulpes pennsylvanicus argentatus_!" answered Sid as he turned the -focusing screw. - -"What's that, for the love of Mike?" spoke Tom. - -"Blessed if I know," retorted Phil. "I don't see anything. Maybe it's a -snake." - -"It's a fox, you chumps!" came from Sid. "Keep still, can't you? I've -got him just right. He can't see me, and the wind is blowing from him to -me. I'll have his picture in a minute!" - -But, as bad luck would have it, just as Sid was about to press the -lever, releasing the shutter, Phil leaned too heavily on one foot. A -stick broke under him with a snap, there was a sudden rustling in the -bushes, and Sid uttered a cry of dismay. - -"There he goes!" cried the naturalist. "What's the matter with you -fellows, anyhow? Can't you keep still? Now it will take me an hour to -trail him, and the chances are I can't do it." - -"It wasn't my fault," explained Tom. "Phil did it." - -"I couldn't help it," came from the guilty one. "What do you want to -photograph such scary things as foxes for, anyhow?" - -"Humph!" was Sid's exclamation. "Well, there's no help for it. Come on." - -"Where?" inquired Tom. - -"After the fox, of course," and Sid started resolutely forward. Tom and -Phil followed for a short distance, then Phil called out: - -"Say, it's getting swampy here." - -"What of it?" asked Sid, whose enthusiasm would not let him notice such -small matters. - -"Lots of it," came from Tom. "We're getting our feet wet." - -"Ah, don't be babies!" retorted Sid, plunging into a deep, muddy hole. -"Come on." - -"I'm going to find a dryer path," said Phil, and Tom agreed with him. -They turned aside, but Sid kept on. Soon he was lost to sight in the -woods. Phil and Tom looked in vain for a better route, and, finding -none, decided to turn back. - -"We'll wait for you out on the main road," Phil called to his unseen -chum. An indistinguishable answer came back. The two picked their way -to higher ground, and edged off toward the road which skirted the woods. - -"Photographing in a swamp is too rich for my blood," commented Phil. - -"Same here," agreed Tom. "But Sid doesn't seem to mind it. Smoked -mackerel, look at my shoes!" and he glanced at his muddy feet. - -"I'm in as bad," added Phil. "Let's walk through the grass and----" - -Just then they heard Sid calling from afar. - -"What's he saying?" asked Tom. - -"Listen," advised Phil. - -Again the cry was heard. - -"Sounds as if he was calling for us to come to him," ventured Tom. - -"That's it, but I'm not going. I'm just as well satisfied to look at the -photograph after he's developed it. I'm going to stay here," came from -Phil. - -"Sure," added Tom. - -The cries continued, and then ceased. Tom and Phil waited nearly an hour -for Sid to reappear, and when he did not come they started back for -college, thinking he had gone another way. But poor Sid was in dire -straits, as we shall soon see. - - - - -CHAPTER XXVII - -WOES OF A NATURALIST - - -Sid Henderson was of a very hopeful disposition, otherwise he never -would have undertaken to get a picture of that fox after it had once -been alarmed. But he fancied he could trail it to its burrow, and he -wanted very much to get a photograph of the animal in its home -surroundings. - -So, unmindful of the desertion of his chums, he plunged on into the -swamp. The footing became more and more treacherous as he advanced, and -he had to go slowly, looking here and there for grass hummocks to -support him. His camera, too, was a handicap. - -"But I'm going to get that fox!" he exclaimed. "I just need a picture -like that. Besides, I may find in this swamp some material I can use in -my biological experiments." - -On he went, leaping from hummock to hummock. Once he nearly slipped and -barely saved himself from falling into a slough of black water. - -"I wonder how deep that is?" he remarked, and taking a dead branch he -thrust it straight down. He found that the hole was deeper than he had -anticipated. - -Keeping a sharp lookout for the animal he was after, he was at length -rewarded by a sight of it slinking along through the bushes. He started -forward eagerly, so eagerly, in fact, that he did not pick his steps. A -moment later he slipped from a grass hummock and went into the muddy -bog, up to his waist. - -"Wow! Whoop! Help! Here, fellows! Come here and help me! Bring a fence -rail!" he called, for he felt himself sinking down deeper and deeper. - -Tom and Phil heard his cries, but thought he was only calling to them to -come and see some natural curiosity or view the fox, so they did not -respond. Sid called again and again, but got no answer. Then he tried to -scramble from the bog, and found it hard work, for he had to hold his -camera high up that it might not get wet. - -At last he managed to free his legs from the sticky mud and reached a -comparatively firm place. But what a plight he was in! Plastered with -swamp-ooze to his waist, he looked like some sewer laborer. Though he -did not know it, his face was spotted with globules of mud, splashed up -in his struggles to get from the bog. - -"Well, I certainly am in bad," he remarked to himself. "Lucky I put on -old clothes. I can't get much worse, that's one satisfaction. I might -as well keep on. Maybe I can get that fox now." - -So he continued through the swamp. His speed was better, for he no -longer paused to pick his steps, but splashed on, careless of the mud -and water. The fever of the chase was in his veins, and another glimpse -of the fox convinced him that the animal was heading for its burrow. At -last, after a tramp of a mile, Sid was successful, and, in the fast -fading light of the fall day, he snapped the creature, just as it was -entering the hole, when it turned for a final look at its tireless -pursuer. - -"Well, it was worth it all," sighed the naturalist as he closed up his -camera and started for home. "Now I wonder where Phil and Tom are." - -Remembering that they had called to him that they would wait out on the -road, he took that highway back to college. On the way he found several -specimens which he needed in his evolution work, and in thinking about -them, and his success in photographing the fox, he forgot about the -plight he was in. He did not meet his chums, of course, and it was dusk -when he got back to college. The mud had dried somewhat on his trousers -and shoes, and, incidentally, on his face and hands, for he had, -unconsciously, run his hands over his countenance once or twice, so that -the mud globules had increased in surface area. - -It was a very strange and somewhat disreputable figure that entered the -west dormitory a little later and started up the stairs, but Sid did not -know that, having no looking glass at hand. - -Now it so happened that Professor Tines was just leaving the dormitory. -He had called to see one of his pupils who was ill--a "greasy dig" -student--to use the college vernacular to designate a lad who burned -midnight oil over his studies. The professor having finished his call -came upon Sid in the corridor. The instructor saw before him a young -man, mud covered, carrying a square, black box, and the countenance, -spotted with specimens of swamp muck, was unfamiliar to him. Professor -Tines at once suspected a student trick. - -"Here! Where are you going?" he cried, blocking the way of Sid. - -"To my room," answered the luckless naturalist, who, of course, not -appreciating that he was most effectually disguised, thought that the -Latin teacher had recognized him. - -"Your room! What do you mean by such nonsense? What student put you up -to this joke? Tell me, and I will have him punished at once. How dare -you come in here?" - -"Why, I--I belong here, Professor Tines," said Sid. - -"Belong here? You work on the coal trestle! Don't tell me! You are -covered with coal dust now! What have you there? Are you going to play -some trick at the instigation of the freshmen? I demand an answer!" - -"I'm Henderson," went on Sid desperately. "I room here--with Phil -Clinton and Tom Parsons." - -"How dare you trifle with me in this fashion?" demanded the irate Latin -instructor. "I shall call the proctor and have you arrested!" and he was -so much in earnest that Sid, beginning to appreciate the state he was -in, determined to prove absolutely that he was himself. - -"Professor Tines," he said, "you can knock on that door there, and ask -Clinton and Parsons if I'm not Henderson. I've been out after a fox, and -I fell in the bog." - -"Ha!" cried the professor. "I see it now. You are trying to play a joke -on me, with the aid of Clinton and Parsons. But you shall all three -suffer for it! I _will_ knock on that door. I _will_ confront your -fellow conspirators with the evidence of their silly act. Come here," -and he placed his hand on Phil's shoulder and led him toward the room of -the three chums. "You shall not trifle with me!" he added fiercely. - -Holding Sid firmly by the shoulder with one hand, Professor Tines with -the other knocked loudly at the portal. Phil and Tom were within, and -the latter quickly opened the door, for the summons was imperative. The -two chums in the room started back at the sight of the instructor -having in custody the mud-covered figure. - -"Young gentlemen," began the professor sternly, "this--this person -asserts that he is Henderson, and that he rooms here. I caught him in -the corridor, and at once detected the joke he was about to play. He -appealed to me to bring him here for identification. Have you three -conspired to play a trick on me? Is this Henderson or is it not?" - -Tom and Phil stared at the disreputable figure. They knew at once that -it was their chum, but the spirit of mischief entered into Tom. He -nudged Phil, and then answered promptly: - -"Certainly not, Professor Tines. We don't know the person!" - -Then he shut the door, while, with a cry of rage at the desertion of his -friends, Sid tried to break away from the Latin teacher. - - - - -CHAPTER XXVIII - -TOM IS JEALOUS - - -"Ha! I knew you were up to some trick!" cried Professor Tines. "You are -no student of Randall College at all! I'll take you to Proctor Zane, and -he'll give you in charge of an officer! Perhaps you are a thief, and -have stolen that camera!" - -"It's mine!" exclaimed Sid, unable to understand the action of Tom and -Phil. "I tell you I am Henderson, professor!" - -"Indeed! Then how do you account for Parsons and Clinton failing to -identify you?" - -"That's a--a joke!" Sid was forced to say. - -"Ha! I knew there was some trick in it! So you admit you were trying to -play a joke on me in having them identify you?" - -"No, no!" cried Sid, alarmed at this misunderstanding. "They were joking -when they said I wasn't Henderson." - -"Well, who are you, then?" - -"Why, I _am_ Henderson. This is my camera." - -"Don't make it any worse, young man," warned the teacher sternly. "Come -with me to the proctor!" - -There was no help for it, Sid had to go. He might have broken away from -the professor, but he did not like to try it, for Mr. Tines seemed very -determined, and the ensuing tumult would bring into the corridor a -throng of students, so that Sid would never hear the last of the joke -that had turned on him. He went along quietly, thankful that it was -dark, and that no one would see him in the walk across the campus to the -proctor's quarters. - -"Here is a young man--a thief, if nothing worse, perhaps--whom I caught -in the corridor of the west dormitory," explained Professor Tines to Mr. -Zane a little later as he stood with his quarry before the proctor. Sid -caught a glimpse of himself in a looking glass in the brightly-lighted -office. - -"Oh--I--do I look like that?" he gasped as he saw his slimy trousers, -and his face, which was like unto that of a chimney sweep, his hands -also being covered with the swamp mud. - -"You certainly do!" said Professor Tines heartily. "Are you now ready to -confess, before we send for an officer?" - -"But I tell you I'm Henderson!" insisted the luckless Sid. "It was only -a joke when Phil and Tom went back on me. I tell you I'm Henderson, of -the sophomore class!" - -The proctor glanced sharply at him. Mr. Zane had good eyes and a memory -for voices, which Professor Tines lacked. - -"I believe it _is_ Henderson," spoke the proctor at length. "But where -in the world have you been?" - -"Photographing a fox," explained Sid, and then he told the whole story. -A dawning light of belief came into the countenance of Professor Tines, -and when Sid had been allowed to wash his face and hands, there was no -further doubt as to his identity. - -"Well," remarked the proctor, trying hard not to laugh as he glanced at -the student's mud-encased trousers, "I would advise you to wear rubber -boots when you go on your next nature excursion." - -"I will," promised Sid. "May I go to my room now?" - -"I suppose so," rasped out the Latin instructor. "But--ahem! I am not -altogether sure yet that you are not up to some mischief." - -"I'll develop the picture of the fox and show you!" exclaimed Sid -eagerly. "And here are some snails I picked up in the swamp," and with -that he plunged his hand into the pocket of his coat and drew out a lot -of the slimy creatures. Some of them dropped on the floor and started -to crawl away, leaving a shimmering track. - -"That will do! The evidence is sufficient, I think!" exclaimed the -proctor, who had a horror of such things. "Take them away at once, Mr. -Henderson!" And Sid went down on his knees to gather up the _helix -molluscæ_, while Professor Tines hurried from the room. - -"Do you want to see the picture of the fox?" asked Sid as he arose, his -hands filled with snails. - -"No, thank you," answered the proctor. "I'll take your word for it, Mr. -Henderson. But please be more careful," and he looked at the mud spots -on his rug. - -A little later Sid burst into the room where his two chums were pouring -over their books. - -"Say! What in blazes did you fellows go back on me that way for?" he -demanded. - -"What's that? He speaks in riddles!" said Phil softly. "Why, Siddie," he -went on, as a mother might chide a little boy, "wherever have you been? -You're all mud! Oh, such a state as your trousers are in! Whatever will -papa say, Siddie?" - -"What a dirty beast!" cried Tom in simulated horror. - -Poor Sid looked from one to the other. - -"Why did you tell Pitchfork I wasn't Henderson?" he demanded savagely. - -"Tell Pitchfork you weren't yourself?" asked Phil, as if he had never -heard of such a thing. - -"What do you mean?" inquired Tom innocently. "We haven't seen you since -we left you going after the fox, and we got tired and came home." - -"Do you mean to tell me," began Sid, "that you didn't----" And then he -stopped, at the grins that appeared on the faces of his chums. "What's -the use?" he asked wearily. "All right, I'll get even with you two," he -concluded as he put his camera away and proceeded to change his clothes. -But a little later, when he had developed the picture of the fox, and -found it to be a fine one, he forgot his anger and the ordeal he had -gone through, for Sid was a true naturalist. - -It was approaching the date for the great game with Boxer Hall, and the -football squad was practicing with a fierce energy; for, more than any -other contest, they wanted to win that one. - -The team was fairly "on edge and trained to the second," as Holly Cross -said. They had won the two games that came before the final one, and now -but two weeks elapsed before they would clash with Boxer Hall on the -Randall gridiron. - -"Are you going to the _Kappa Delta_ dance?" asked Phil of Tom one night, -referring to an annual affair of one of the Greek letter fraternities. - -"Sure," replied Tom. "I think we need something like that to get us in -shape for the game with Boxer Hall. You're going, I suppose?" - -"Of course. Who you going to take?" - -"Haven't quite made up my mind yet. Are you going with a dame?" - -"Sure." - -"Who, if you don't mind me asking?" - -"Madge Tyler," answered Phil, and he seemed to be very busy arranging -his tie. - -"Madge Tyler?" repeated Tom quickly. - -"Yes. Any objections?" - -Tom was silent a moment. He was struggling with a strange sensation. - -"Well," asked Phil, turning and facing his chum--Sid was out of the -room--"any objections?" - -"Of course not," answered Tom slowly. "I took her last term, and--er--I -was rather counting on----" - -"You were going to take her again this year," interrupted Phil, "but you -waited too long. Sorry I cut you out, old man. No hard feelings, I -hope?" - -"No--no," answered Tom hesitatingly. "Of course not," he added more -genially. "I was too slow, that's all." - -"You'll have to ask some one else," went on Phil. "Are you sure you -don't mind, old chap?" and he came over and stood beside his chum. - -Tom did not answer for a few seconds. There was a strained quality in -his voice when he replied, as cheerfully as he could: - -"Of course not. You're first in war, first in football, and first -in--the affairs with the ladies," he paraphrased. - -"Whom will you take?" persisted Phil. - -"Nobody!" exclaimed Tom, as he got up from the couch and started from -the room. "I'm not going to the affair, after all," and he slammed the -door as he went out. - -"Whew!" whistled Phil. "Tom's jealous!" - - - - -CHAPTER XXIX - -A STRANGE DISCOVERY - - -The _Kappa Delta_ dance was a brilliant affair. Phil took Madge, and -very charming she looked in a new gown of--oh, well, what difference -does it make what her dress was like, anyhow? Besides, I don't know -whether it was bombazine or chiffon, and the more I try to describe it -the worse I will get tangled, so if you'll take my word for it, as well -as Phil's, who ought to know, she looked very pretty indeed. The girls -said she was "sweet," whatever that means. - -"Isn't Ruth coming?" asked Phil of his partner after the first waltz. - -"Why, I thought so," answered Madge slowly. "She was getting ready to -come when I left." - -"Who with?" - -"I don't know. Didn't she tell you?" - -"She never does," replied Phil. "I thought you'd know." - -"Well, I usually do, but this time Ruth was quite mysterious about it." - -"There she comes now!" exclaimed Phil, looking toward the entrance to -the ballroom. "Who's that with her?" - -"I can't see. She's in front--why, it's Tom--Tom Parsons!" added Madge -quickly. - -"Tom!" exclaimed Phil. "The sly beggar! He was going to take her all the -while, yet he pretended to be jealous because I said I was going to -take----" - -He stopped in some confusion. Madge looked at him quickly. - -"Was he--was he jealous about me?" she asked softly. - -"He pretended to be," said her partner. - -"Only pretended? How ungallant of you!" she cried gaily, yet there was -more meaning in her tones than Phil was aware of. "Why don't you say he -was madly jealous of me; and that you two quarreled dreadfully over me?" - -"Well, I s'pose I could say it," replied Phil slowly, "but you see---- -Let's try this two-step," he interrupted, glad of the chance to get out -of an awkward explanation. - -"I was going to wait and speak to Ruth," said Madge. - -"Later will do," answered Phil, and they swung out on the polished floor -together. - -"You frowsy beggar, why didn't you tell me you were going to bring my -sister?" cried Phil to Tom, when the two-step finished and the four had -come together. - -"I wasn't sure she'd go," replied Tom in a low voice, and Phil missed -the usual friendly note in his tones. "Will you come down and have an -ice?" he asked Ruth, and before Phil could say anything more Tom had led -his fair partner away. - -"Hang it all! There's something the matter with Tom!" thought honest -Phil as he looked at Madge. "I'll have it out with him when this affair -is over. We can't let girls come between us." - -It was late when Phil got back to his room, after taking Madge home. Sid -was asleep, and the quarter-back moved about softly, so as not to -disturb him, for Sid had foresworn such dissipations as fraternity -dances. Just as Phil was about to get into bed, Tom came in. - -"Say, old man," burst out Phil in a whisper, "what's the matter?" - -"Matter?" asked Tom, as if greatly surprised. - -"Yes, matter. You've been different ever since I told you I was going to -take Madge to the dance. Now, am I trespassing on your preserves? If I -am, say so. But I thought you liked Ruth." - -"So I do!" - -"That's what I thought. I knew you used to go with Madge, but since---- -Oh, hang it all, I can't explain--I'm Ruth's brother, you know. But if -you think I want to cut you out----" - -"It's all right," broke in Tom with a forced geniality that Phil -noticed. "Forget it, old man. Of course, you had a perfect right to go -with Madge. I dare say she'd a heap sight rather have you than me." - -"I don't know about that," interposed Phil; "but I was afraid I was -treading on your corns." - -"It's all right," repeated Tom quickly. "Fine dance, wasn't it?" - -"Very. But are you sure----" - -"Oh, dry up!" exclaimed Tom, more like himself. "Here's a letter Ruth -gave me to give you. It's from your mother. Your sister meant to hand it -to you at the dance, but she forgot. Came late to-night--or, rather, -last night--it's morning now. She's a little better, it seems." - -"That's good!" exclaimed Phil eagerly. "But I wonder why she didn't -write to me." - -"She couldn't manage but one letter, I believe Ruth said," went on Tom -gently. - -"Say, I wish you fellows would cut out that gab!" suddenly exclaimed -Sid, turning over in bed. "I want to sleep. I don't go out to dances, -where there are a lot of silly girls, and then sit up all night talking -about it." - -"Get out, you grumpy old misogynist!" exclaimed Phil, shying a sofa -cushion at his chum. "Wake up and hear the glad tidings of the dance!" - -"Glad pollywogs!" grumbled Sid. "Get to bed and douse the glim." - -Which Phil soon did, as Tom showed no further inclination to talk. - -In spite of Tom's assertions to the contrary, Phil could not help -feeling that a coldness had sprung up between himself and his chum. -That it was about Madge, Phil could not deny, yet he hesitated to -speak further of it to Tom. - -"Maybe it will work itself out," he said to himself. "I hope so, -anyhow." - -Meanwhile, the time for the final and deciding championship football -game was drawing closer. Randall and Boxer Hall were easily the two best -teams, not only in the Tonoka Lake League, but in that section of the -country. Neither had done any remarkable playing, nor could it be said -that their goal line had not been crossed, but the championship lay -between them. The practice was exacting and constant, and the 'varsity -eleven was "as hard as nails," to again quote my friend, Holly Cross, -who had an extensive sporting vocabulary. They were eager for the -contest. - -Tom and Phil, between whom there was still a shadow of coldness, came -walking together from the gridiron. They were talking about a wing-shift -play that had been tried with some success. - -"I don't like the signal for it," said Phil. "It's too complicated, and -the other fellows may get on to it. I think I can work out a better -combination. I'll use some of the old signal letters and numbers that we -discarded. I've got a copy of them in my room." - -"Maybe it wouldn't be a bad idea," commented Tom. "I think, myself, that -the signal takes too long to understand. It ought to be snappier." - -"That's my idea. We'll see if we can't work out a better one." - -Hurrying from the gymnasium, where they had changed their clothes, Tom -and Phil went to their room. Sid was there studying. Phil went over to -the wall, where he had placed the new picture of Madge Tyler she had -given him, and took it down. - -"That's right!" exclaimed Sid. "It's about time you removed some of -these flags, banners, ribbons and other effeminate decorations. Start -in, Tom, on your share. We'll get this room to looking right, after a -bit." - -"Oh, I'm not taking it down," declared Phil as he removed the photograph -from the wall. He had had it placed in rather a heavy and deep gold -frame. "I want to get my copy of the football signals--the ones we -discarded--from behind it," he explained. "I hid them there, as being -the place least likely to be disturbed. I'm going to frame up a new -signal----" - -He stopped suddenly, and looked first from the picture to the floor, -and then from the floor to the picture. - -"What's the matter?" asked Tom. - -"The copy of the signals--it's gone," he said quickly. "I had it -fastened to the back of the picture by a bit of wire." - -"Are you sure?" inquired Sid, getting up from the old easy chair, and -making a cloud of dust in the operation. - -"Of course!" exclaimed Phil. "They're gone--some one must have taken the -signals." - -Tom dimly recalled a certain scene he and Phil had witnessed, and also -remembered the words of the coach when he had made a shift of the -signals. Phil looked at Tom. He was thinking of the same thing. Suddenly -Phil uttered a cry. From the deep, curved frame of the picture he held -up a small gold watch-charm. - -"Look!" he exclaimed. - -"A freshman charm!" spoke Sid slowly, as he recognized the device -affected by a certain first-year secret society. - -"Whose is it?" asked Tom. - -"There's no telling," replied Phil. - -"Yes, there is," went on Sid. "They always have their initials on the -back of the charm. Look and see." - -Phil turned it over. - -"Whoever left this here must have taken the copy of the signals," he -said slowly. "He probably took down the picture and removed the paper. -In doing so the charm slipped from his watch-chain and fell in the deep -frame. He must have held it about at his belt to bend up the wire, for -it was stiff." - -"Whose initials are on the back?" asked Tom in a low voice. - -Phil looked at them. - -"They are 'G. A. G.,'" he announced. - -Sid reached for a college roster, and turned to the freshman class list. -The room was strangely silent, not even the ticking of the alarm clock -being heard, for it had run down. - -"Well?" asked Tom. - -"The only fellow with the initials 'G. A. G.' is Garvey A. Gerhart," -answered Sid. - - - - -CHAPTER XXX - -A BITTER ENEMY - - -The breathing of the three chums was distinctly audible in the silence -that followed. Varied thoughts rushed through their minds, but all -centered around the idea that there was a traitor in college--some one -who would go to extreme lengths to see the football eleven lose. That -this person was Garvey Gerhart was the belief of Tom, Phil and Sid. The -quarter-back was the first to break the silence that was becoming -strained. - -"The cowardly sneak!" he burst out. "He ought to be tarred and feathered -and ridden around the campus on a rail. The dirty cad!" Phil clenched -his fists. "And I'm going to do it, too!" he added fiercely. - -"Do what?" asked Tom. - -"I'm going to tell what we discovered. I'm going to let Holly Cross and -Mr. Lighton know. It was Gerhart who stole the copy of the signals. He -sneaked in here when we were out and found them, though how he knew -enough to look behind the picture is more than I understand. Probably -he wanted to see if the girl's name was on the back, and saw the paper -by accident. Anyhow, he took it, and he lost the charm at the same time, -though he didn't notice it. Then he went and bargained to sell the -signals to Stoddard, of Boxer Hall. That was when we saw them talking -together down by the bridge." - -"But Stoddard didn't take his offer," interposed Tom. - -"No; Stoddard isn't that kind of a chap," went on Phil. "He let Mr. -Lighton know anonymously. But what Stoddard did doesn't lessen Gerhart's -guilt. He wanted to throw the team, and only for the fact that he made -his offer to an honest chap we would have lost the game. I'd--I'd like -to smash him into jelly!" and Phil fairly shook in righteous anger, for -the team was very dear to his heart. He felt everything that affected -the eleven more, perhaps, than any other lad in Randall College, not -even excepting the captain, Holly Cross. So it is no wonder that Phil -raged. He started from the room. - -"Where are you going?" asked Sid, interposing his bulky frame between -Phil and the door. - -"I'm going to tell the coach and Holly Cross what I've discovered. I'm -going to show them this charm. I'm going to propose that we tar and -feather Gerhart and ride him out of college to the tune of the 'Rogues' -March.'" - -"No, you're not," spoke Sid very quietly. - -Phil looked at him for a moment. Then he burst out with: "What do you -mean? Don't you want me to tell? I'm going to, I say!" - -"No, you're not," repeated Sid, and he did not raise his voice. "You're -going to sit right down," and he gently shoved Phil toward the yawning -easy chair. Puzzled by his chum's action, Phil backed up, and before he -knew it he had flopped down upon the cushions, raising an unusual cloud -of dust. - -"Say, Henderson, what's the matter with you?" he cried, as he struggled -to get up. "Are you crazy? Don't interfere with me again! I'm going to -inform on the dirty, sneaking cad who wanted to see his own college -beaten!" - -Sid put a hand on his chum's shoulder and pushed him back into the -chair. - -"You're going to do nothing of the sort, my son," went on the big first -baseman slowly. "Tom, lock the door and put the key in your pocket." - -Tom as though acting under the influence of some hypnotic spell, obeyed. - -"Are you both crazy?" burst out Phil. "I tell you the whole college must -know what a white-livered hound we've got here!" - -"That's just what they mustn't know," said Sid quietly. "Now listen to -me," he went on more sternly. "In the first place, you don't know that -Gerhart is guilty." - -"Don't know? Of course I know it!" almost shouted Phil. "Haven't I got -the evidence?" and he held out the charm. - -"Easy," cautioned Sid. "I grant that; I even grant that the charm is -Gerhart's; but does that prove he took the signals?" - -"It proves that he was in the room," declared Phil. - -"Yes, I admit that. I saw him in here once myself--just before that -accident to my hand. But that doesn't prove anything." - -"He was in here some other time then, when none of us was here. He must -have taken the picture down, else the charm would never have been caught -in the frame and remained there." - -"Granted; but you are still far from making out a case, Phil." - -"Don't you believe he did it?" asked the quarter-back. - -"I do, when it comes to that, but we've got to offer more evidence than -our own beliefs when it comes to convincing other people. Besides, I -don't see what need there is of proving your case." - -"Don't you think the college ought to know what sort of a coward and -sneak we've got at Randall?" - -"No," said Sid decidedly, "I don't. That's just the point. That's just -why I don't want you to go and tell Holly what we've found. I think -Gerhart took those signals," he continued, "and I believe that when we -saw him talking to Stoddard he was trying to dispose of them to him. -But just because I feel morally certain of it doesn't justify me in -spreading the news broadcast. Besides, do we want every one to know what -a cad we have here? I take the opposite view from you. I think we ought -not to wash our soiled linen in public. The more we can hush this thing -up the better. I wouldn't let it get beyond us three. It ought to stop -right here. We would be the laughingstock of Fairview and Boxer Hall if -it got out. To think that the Randall spirit was capable of falling so -low that there was a traitor among us! I'm glad Stoddard kept still. -Evidently he didn't tell a soul, but warned Lighton privately, and the -team has kept quiet about it. - -"Now," continued Sid earnestly, "do you want to go and publish it? Do -you want to let every one see our shame? I don't believe you do, Phil." - -Phil was silent for several seconds. He was struggling with some -emotion. Tom stood with his back to the door, though it was locked. Sid -stood before his chum, looking anxiously at him as he sat in the big -chair. Then, with a long breath, Phil said: - -"I guess you're right, Sid. I--I didn't look at it that way. I'll keep -still." - -"I thought you would," spoke Sid significantly. - -Phil put the charm in his pocket. The strain was over. They all seemed -relieved. But Phil, so much was his heart bound up in the eleven, could -not forget the great affront that had been planned against it. Two days -later, meeting Gerhart alone on the campus, he approached him, and -showing the freshman the watch-charm, exclaimed: - -"Take care, you dirty coward! We know where you lost this!" - -Gerhart started, turned first pale and then red. He soon recovered -himself, and answered: - -"I don't know what you mean." - -"Yes, you do," snapped Phil. "You stole my signals!" - -"That's a lie," said Gerhart coolly, and he walked on. - -But if Phil could have seen him a little later, when he joined Langridge, -the quarter-back would have wondered at the rage and fear shown by the -freshman. - -"Clinton knows! He found my charm! I was afraid I'd lost it in his -room," said Gerhart. - -"Well?" asked Langridge. - -"One of us has got to leave Randall!" exclaimed Gerhart savagely. "It's -he or I; and it will be he, if I can accomplish it!" - - - - -CHAPTER XXXI - -"IT'S TOO LATE TO BACK OUT!" - - -Gerhart and Langridge were walking along the road that led to -Haddonfield. The freshman was filled with unreasoning rage against not -only Phil, but Tom and Sid, as well. - -"Probably all three know," said Gerhart. "I was a fool not to look to -see if I left any clues behind when I was in the room." - -"Maybe you were a fool for ever trying that signal and liniment trick at -all," suggested Langridge, who did not mince words. - -"Maybe," admitted his crony. "But I thought I could get back at Clinton, -Cross and Lighton, for not letting me play. Only that Stoddard was such -a white-livered chump I'd have pulled off the signal trick." - -"As it was, you lost." - -"Yes; but the game isn't over yet. There's still the Boxer Hall -contest." - -"You don't mean to say you're going to try and give away the signals in -that game, do you?" cried Langridge. - -"No; but I'm going to keep Clinton out of the game. If I can do that -I'll feel that I'm even with him--the beast!" - -"But can you do it? If you do it, it may make our team lose, for Clinton -is one of the best players, and it's hard to substitute a quarter-back." - -"I can do it; and I wish the eleven would lose! That's what I want to -see!" - -"You haven't got much college spirit," observed Langridge. - -"I've as much as you. Weren't you in with me on this scheme?" - -"I suppose so." Langridge didn't seem to derive much satisfaction from -the admission. - -"Of course you were. You hate Clinton and his bunch as much as I do." - -"Yes." - -"And you'd like to see 'em laid out good and proper, wouldn't you?" - -"Yes," hesitatingly, "I guess so." - -"Of course you would! Well, you're going to if you stick to me. I've got -the best plan yet." - -"What is it?" - -"Come along to town, and you'll see part of it. I've got to get certain -things, and then I'll be ready." - -"You want to be careful you don't leave any evidence after you this -time." - -"No danger. Will you help me?" - -"I guess so, as long as it isn't anything rash." - -"No, it won't cause any permanent harm to any one, but it will knock -Clinton out from playing the game, and that's what I'm after. Now come -on. I want to get to Haddonfield before the college crowd starts. It -won't do to be seen where we're going, or there might be an inquiry -afterward." - -About an hour later Langridge and Gerhart were in the telegraph office -at Haddonfield. There might have been noticed about the sophomore a -trace of nervousness as he walked up to the little window and inquired -how long it would take to get some money from his uncle in Chicago. - -"I want it to come by telegraph," Langridge explained. "I need it in a -hurry." - -"Yes, you college chaps usually do," said the agent. "Well, you can get -it late to-night, I suppose, if you send a wire to Chicago now. How much -would you need?" - -"Oh, a couple of hundred; maybe five hundred." - -The agent whistled. - -"That's more than we have on hand here at a time," he said. "I'd have to -get it from the bank, and that couldn't be done until morning." - -"Well, there's no great hurry," went on Langridge. "Would I have to be -identified to get it? My guardian--that's my uncle--frequently sends me -money by telegraph when I'm off on trips." - -"Oh, yes; you'd have to get some one to vouch for you," said the agent, -"but that will be easy." - -"Then I guess I'll telegraph for some," continued the sophomore, and he -began filling out a blank under the directions of the telegrapher. -Langridge, for a youth who had received money by wire before, seemed to -require minute directions, and he kept the agent at the window for -several minutes, holding his attention closely. - -"There, I guess that will do," said the student at length. "I'll call -to-morrow for the cash. Hope you have it for me." - -"Oh, I'll have it if your uncle sends it." - -"He's sure to do that," retorted Langridge with a smile. - -"Lucky dog!" murmured the agent as he turned back to his desk. "Some of -those college chaps have more money than is good for them, though." - -Langridge hurried from the office. He was joined outside by Gerhart, who -had preceded him out of the door by a few seconds. - -"Did you get it?" asked the sophomore. - -"Sure," was the gleeful answer, and Gerhart showed several yellow slips. -"Lucky the door was unlocked, so I could sneak in. I just took the -blanks and envelopes off his desk when you held him in conversation. -You know, they keep the receiving blanks in a private drawer, but the -sending ones which you used they leave out where any one can reach -them. But it's all right now. I'll soon put it through." - -"I wonder if I'll get that money?" spoke Langridge. "I took a big -chance, but it seemed the only thing to do." - -"Of course you'll get it, and I'll help you spend it. That's a fair -division of labor, as Sam Weller used to say." - -"Well, you'll have to do the rest," declared his crony as they walked -back to college. - -"I'll do it. Don't worry." - -They proceeded in silence. Langridge grew less and less talkative, and -to the jokes of Gerhart, who seemed in unusually good spirits, he -returned monosyllabic answers. - -"Say, what's the matter with you?" Gerhart finally exclaimed. - -"Well, if you must know," answered Langridge, "the more I think of this -the less I like it. It's a brutal thing to do. I wish I hadn't agreed to -help you." - -"But you have!" insisted Gerhart. "It's too late to back out now!" - -"Yes, I suppose so," was the gloomy answer, and Langridge plodded on -behind his crony. - - - - -CHAPTER XXXII - -TOM GETS A TIP - - -It lacked but two days of the big game with Boxer Hall. The Randall -eleven had bucked against the scrub until that aggregation of substitutes -was weary, worn and sore. For the 'varsity team was now a magnificent -fighting machine. The men played together like clock-work, and were a joy -to the heart of Coach Lighton. As for Holly Cross, no captain was ever -prouder of an eleven than he was. The ends were fast, the backs could go -through the line for gains every time, guards, tackles and Snail Looper -at center were like a wall of flesh. The punting, while not all that -could be desired, was good, and several trick plays had been worked up -well nigh to perfection against the scrub. How they would work against -Boxer Hall was yet to be seen. - -But if Randall was in fine shape for the coming struggle on the gridiron, -so was Boxer Hall. Reports from that institution showed that the eleven -was the best that had been turned out in many a season, and by comparing -the games played by Randall (the loss of one game to Fairview and the -winning of the other) and those played by Boxer Hall against the same -teams, an expert would have been hard put to pick the winner of the -championship struggle. - -"But we're going to win, fellows!" cried Tom after two halves of hard -practice. "Aren't we, Phil, old chap?" - -"Of course," was the rather quiet answer. - -"How's your mother, Phil?" asked Holly Cross. "I hope she is getting -better." - -"I haven't heard for two days," replied the quarter-back, and his face -showed a little worry. - -"Well, she must be all right, or your father would have wired," went on -Dutch Housenlager. "My, but I'm tired!" he added. - -"Don't go stale," cautioned the coach. "I think I can let up a bit on -you fellows now. We'll have only light practice to-morrow, and the -morning of the game we'll do some kicking and run through the signals. -Don't forget to listen for the word to change the system. We may have to -do it if they get on to our curves, so to speak. But I don't believe -they will. And don't forget that the signals for trick plays have been -altered a bit. Also remember the tip for the sequence plays. I depend on -them for at least one touch-down. Now amuse yourselves some quiet way -to-night. Get to bed early, and sleep well. I hope none of you have any -lessons to worry over." - -"We'll not let study worry us, no matter what happens, until after the -game!" cried Grasshopper Backus. "Wow! But what a celebration there'll -be if we win! The baseball championship, and then the football on top of -it! Wow!" and Grasshopper gave a leap into the air to show how exuberant -he felt. But Dutch Housenlager slyly put out his foot, and Grasshopper -went down in a heap. - -"I'll punch your head for that, Dutch!" he cried, springing up; but -Dutch, in spite of his bulk, was a good runner, and got away. - -"Well, I suppose you gladiators are all ready for the fray," spoke Sid -that evening, when Phil and Tom were in the room, one on the sofa and -the other curled up in the easy chair. Sid was stretched out on his bed. - -"Ready to do or die," answered Tom. "I hope it's a nice day." - -"Why, you don't mind playing in the rain, do you?" asked Sid. "I thought -you chaps were regular mudlarks." - -"So we are," went on Tom. "Only I want to see a good crowd out. It's -more enthusiastic." - -"I know what you want," declared Sid. "You want a lot of girls from -Fairview Institute to be on hand. And, what's more, you want some -particular girl to see you make a star play. So does Phil, I'll wager." - -"Well, from what I hear there will be a good crowd of Fairview girls to -see the game," said Phil. "Fairview is sore at being walloped twice by -Boxer Hall, and the co-eds want to see us put it all over that crowd. So -they'll be on hand to cheer us." - -"Are you sure?" asked Tom. - -"Sure--Ruth told me," went on Phil. "Oh, it will be a glorious occasion! -Don't you wish you were playing, Sid?" - -"Not for a minute! Baseball for mine! When I want to wallow in the mud -and get my mouth and ears full of it, I know an easier way than playing -football." - -"Yes; go out with a camera and get stuck in the swamp!" cried Tom, and -he got up, ready to dodge any missile which Sid might heave at him in -revenge for having his misadventure recalled. But the naturalist only -answered: - -"That's all right. I got the best picture of a fox you ever saw. The mud -will come off." - -"Oh, you're a hopeless case!" exclaimed Phil as he got up and began to -change his clothes, laying out a particularly "sporty" necktie. - -"Hello!" exclaimed Tom in some surprise. "Where are you going?" - -"Out," replied his chum noncommittally. - -"I thought you were told to stay in and take it easy to-night," said -Sid. - -"Well, I'm not going to any exciting place," came from Phil as he -struggled with a stiff collar. "I'll be in early." - -"Going to town?" asked Tom. - -"Not Haddonfield." - -"Where?" - -"I'll bet he's going to see some girl!" exclaimed Sid. "He's got perfume -on his handkerchief, and he never wears that tie unless there's a damsel -in the offing." - -"Well, I don't mind admitting that there is a young lady in the case," -spoke Phil. "I'm going to call on my sister, and you can put that in -your pipe and smoke it, you hard-shelled old misogynist!" - -"I thought so!" cried Sid. "I knew it. But tell that yarn about your -sister to your grandmother. It's somebody else's sister you're going to -see. You'd never tog up like this for your own sister." - -"Maybe," admitted Phil coolly as he finished dressing. - -As he stooped over to lace his shoes an envelope fell from his pocket. -Tom picked it up and handed it to him. He could not help seeing the -address, and, with something like a start, he noticed that it was in the -handwriting of Madge Tyler. He handed it to Phil without a word, and he -noticed that a dull red crept up under the bronze skin of his chum's -face. But Phil shoved the note into his pocket and made no comment. - -"He's going to see her--Madge," thought Tom, and he tried to struggle -against the bitter feeling that seemed to well up in his heart. - -"Leave the door unlocked," was Phil's parting injunction as he went out. -"I'll be in early." - -"Girls, girls, girls!" grumbled Sid as he rolled over to a more -comfortable position. "I'll be hanged if I room with you fellows next -term if you don't go a bit easier on this dame question. You don't give -me any attention at all. It's all football and the ladies." - -"It will soon be over," murmured Tom. - -"Which; football or the ladies?" - -"Football," was the answer, given with a laugh. - -Sid was asleep when Phil came quietly in, but Tom was wide awake. Still, -he said nothing as Phil went about, getting ready for bed, and when his -chum came close to him, Tom shut his eyes and feigned slumber. There was -something coming between Tom and Phil. Both realized it, yet neither -liked to broach the subject, for it was a delicate one. - -"Well, how was your sister?" asked Sid pointedly of Phil the next -morning. - -"Very well," replied Phil calmly. "By the way, Tom, she was asking for -you." - -"Yes," answered Tom, and there was coldness in his tones. He did not -wait for Phil to go to lectures with him after chapel, but hurried off -alone, and Phil, feeling humiliated, wondered if he had done or said -anything to hurt Tom's feelings. Tom took care to keep out of Phil's way -all that day, and when the last practice was over, save for some light -work the morning of the game, the left-end hurried to his room. As he -entered it he saw a note thrust under the door. He picked it up. It was -addressed to him, and an odd feature of it was that the letters were all -printed. - -"Who brought this here?" he asked of Sid, who was studying his biology. - -"Didn't know anybody had brought anything." - -"Some one shoved this note under the door for me," went on Tom, ripping -open the missive. He could not repress a start as he read, in the same -printed letters that were on the envelope, this message: - - "There is danger threatening Phil Clinton. Watch for it." - -"Anything wrong?" asked Sid. - -"No--no," spoke Tom slowly, as he tore the note into bits and tossed -them into a basket. "It's just a tip, that's all, but I guess it doesn't -amount to anything." - -He walked over to the old sofa and sat down. His brain was in a whirl. -What danger could threaten Phil? Whence had come the mysterious warning? - -"It doesn't amount to anything," thought Tom. "If it had, who ever -sent it would have signed his name. It's meant as a joke. I'll pay no -attention to it. I'll not tell Phil. It might worry him. Besides, I -guess he can look out for himself," and Tom shrugged his shoulders. - -Ah, Tom, would you have said that but for what had happened in the last -few weeks? But for the fact that Phil and a certain pretty girl had -become fast friends? Tom felt those questions arising in his mind, but -he put them resolutely from him. He did not want to answer them. He went -over to the basket and carefully picked out the torn bits of the note. -He thrust them into his pocket. Sid watched him curiously, but said -nothing. He thought the note was from some girl. - -Phil came in a little later. Tom was busy studying, and hardly looked -up; nor did he say anything about the warning he had so mysteriously -received. - - - - -CHAPTER XXXIII - -"LINE UP!" - - -Out upon the gridiron they trotted; a mass of lads in suits which showed -contact with mother earth many times, and which, in places, were marked -with blood-stains. The eleven were as full of life as young colts, and -some in their exuberance leaped high in the air, putting their hands on -the shoulders of their mates. Others turned somersaults, and some gave -impromptu boxing exhibitions. - -From the grandstand burst a mighty cheer as the Randall supporters -greeted their team. The spontaneous shout was followed by the booming of -the Randall college cry. Then Bean Perkins, with wild waves of his arm, -signaled for the "Rip 'Em Up!" song. - -"What a crowd!" murmured Tom as he walked beside Phil. "I never saw such -a bunch." - -"Yes, there's a good mob," answered Phil, but somehow there was a note -of indifference in his voice. He had not failed to notice Tom's recent -change of demeanor, and it hurt him. Yet he was too proud to speak of -it, or ask the reason, though, perhaps, he may have guessed what caused -it. - -As for Tom, the words of the mysterious warning rang in his ears. -Several times he was on the point of speaking to Phil, but he feared he -would be laughed at. - -"After all," thought Tom. "I guess all that it amounts to is that some -one has heard a rumor that there'll be an attempt on the part of some -Boxer Hall players to knock Phil out. They may think they can cripple -him and, without him, our team will go to pieces. But I'll be on the -watch for any dirty playing, and if I catch any one at it I'll smash -him. I'll do my best to keep Phil from getting hurt." - -But, if Tom had only known, it was a different sort of danger that -threatened his friend. - -Once more the cheers rang out, the shrill voices of the girls forming a -strange contrast to the hoarse voices of the boys and men. For there -were many men present, "old grads," who had come to do honor to Randall, -and many others who came, hoping to see Boxer Hall win. Women there -were, too; and girls, girls, girls! It seemed that all the pretty -students of Fairview Academy were there. They were waving flags and -bunches of ribbon--their own college colors mingled with those of -Randall, for Fairview was on the side of Randall to-day, in retaliation -for a severe drubbing Boxer Hall had administered to the co-educational -institution. - -"Is--is your sister here?" asked Tom of Phil. He had meant to ask if -Madge was present, but somehow the words would not come. - -"Yes," replied his chum. "She and Madge are over in the A section," and -he motioned with his arm to a certain portion of the grandstand. Tom -looked, hoping he might distinguish two girls out of a crowd of several -hundred. Of course, he could not, and his attention was suddenly called -away from this by the sharp voice of the coach. - -"Catch some punts, Parsons!" called Mr. Lighton. "After that we'll line -up for practice." - -The Randall eleven was lining up when the Boxer Hall team fairly burst -from their dressing-rooms under the east grandstand. What a roar went -up as they appeared on the white-marked field! The burst of yells -seemed fully to equal the jumble of noise that had been made by the -Randallites. For all of Boxer Hall was on hand to cheer mightily for -their eleven, and the college was a slight favorite over Randall, who, -in years past, had not been known to do anything remarkable on the -gridiron. - -Encased in their clumsy garments, the Boxer players looked like young -giants, and when they lined up and ran through several formations they -did it with the precision of clock-work. - -"They've improved a heap," was the somewhat dubious remark of Holly -Cross. - -"So have we!" exclaimed the coach heartily. "We beat them once, and we -can do it again. Get that idea into your mind and don't let go of it." - -"I guess we'll be all right if Clinton doesn't have to get out of the -game," spoke the captain. - -"Why? Do you think he'll be hurt?" - -"Well, maybe. Boxer Hall sometimes plays a dirty game, and we'll have to -be on the watch. I wish you'd warn the umpire to look out for holding in -the line and slugging. They may do it. They'd go to almost any length to -win this game. They don't want to lose the championship." - -"Well, they're going to!" exclaimed the coach. "But about Clinton; you -don't think he's any more likely to be hurt than any other player--nor -as much, do you? He's well protected." - -"Yes, I know; but Phil hasn't been himself for the last two days. I -don't know what it is that's bothering him, but it's something. He -doesn't say anything. First I thought it might be a scrap he'd had with -Tom, but they're such good friends I didn't give that much concern. -Then I imagined he might be worrying about his mother, but he told me -yesterday that the chances for a successful operation were good. I don't -know what it is, but he's certainly not himself." - -"Oh, you imagine too much!" declared Mr. Lighton with a laugh. "Clinton -is all right. He's a plucky lad. He'll play as long as he can stand. -Look at that game with Wescott." - -"Yes, I know; but I----" - -"Now, you stop worrying. You're as bad as a girl. But I guess it's -almost time to begin." - -Song after song came from the supporters of the rival colleges. The -grandstands were packed to their capacity, and looked like some vast -chessboard with many colored squares, the dark garments of the boys -mingling with the gay dresses and hats of the girls, and the many-hued -ribbons and flags waving over all. - -Captain Cross met and shook hands with Captain Stoddard, of Boxer -Hall, preliminary to the toss-up. They were to play similar -positions--full-back. The coin was sent spinning into the air, and -Captain Stoddard won. He elected to defend the south goal, which gave -the ball to Randall to kick off. The referee, umpire and linesmen held a -final consultation. Captain Cross gathered his men together for a word -of encouragement. - -"All I've got to say," he remarked simply, "is to play until you can't -play any more." - -"That's right," added the coach. "And don't forget about the possibility -of a change in signals being made in the middle of play; nor about the -sequences. I'll depend on you for that, Clinton." - -"All right," responded Phil. - -The field was slowly being cleared of stragglers. The newspaper -reporters were getting their paper and pencils ready, and photographers, -with their big box-cameras, were snapping individual players as a sort -of practice for catching lightning-like plays later on. - -Across the field, toward the group of Randall players, came a lad. He -walked as if undecided as to his errand. - -"Get back," warned Holly Cross. - -"I've got a message for a feller named Clinton!" cried the lad. - -"There he is over there," and Holly, who was in conversation with the -coach, pointed at Phil. The latter started as he took the envelope from -the messenger. - -"Who--who gave you this?" asked the quarter-back huskily. - -"Feller outside. Give me a half a dollar fer bringin' it in. Any -answer?" - -"Wait," replied Phil. His bronze face was strangely white as he tore the -envelope and hastily read the few words on the paper within. He seemed -to sway, but, with a catch of his breath, he recovered his composure. -He read the message again. A mist seemed to come before his eyes. He -murmured to himself: "I mustn't tell them--until after the game--I--I -must play the game out. But--but can I?" He clenched his hands, and his -jaw became more square with the force of his teeth closing tightly -together. - -"Any answer?" asked the lad. - -"No!" said Phil in a low voice, and he crushed the telegram in his hand, -and thrust the rustling paper inside his jacket. - -The lad turned to go, anxious to get a place where he could view the -game. None of Phil's companions seemed to have noticed that he had -received a message. He looked around at his chums. - -"I--I've got to play the game," he murmured. - -The next instant the whistle blew. - -"Line up!" came the cry, and Snail Looper, holding the new yellow ball, -placed it on a little mound of earth ready for the kick-off. - - - - -CHAPTER XXXIV - -THE GAME - - -With a mighty swing of his foot Snail Looper sent the ball well into -Boxer territory. Lamson, their right half-back, caught it in his -arms, and, with a good defense, began to rush back with it. Over the -chalk-marks he came, but Tom Parsons was rushing toward him, and dodging -through the intervening players he made a vicious tackle, bringing -Lamson to the ground with a thud on Boxer's thirty-eight-yard line. -There was a quick line-up, and Stoddard, the full-back, made a good try -to encircle Joe Jackson at right end. But the Jersey twin and his mates -piled up on the mass of Boxer players with such good effect that hardly -three yards were gained; and at this showing of the defense of Randall a -punt was decided on. - -Pinstock, Boxer's left half-back, made a magnificent drive, and Holly -Cross had to skip nimbly back to catch it. But once he had the pigskin -in his grasp he eluded the Boxer ends, and was well toward the center of -the field before he was downed. - -"Our ball!" cried Tom gleefully, and then there came the chance for -Randall to show what she could do. - -"Signal!" cried Phil, and his companions wondered at the odd note that -had crept into his voice. It was not of the confident style of orders -that the quarter-back was wont to give. But, as the string of numbers -and letters came rattling out, Phil, in a measure, recovered control of -himself. He gave the word for Kindlings to take the ball at Boxer's -left-end, and smash! into the line went the brawny right half-back. He -gained ten yards so quickly that Boxer Hall was fairly stunned, and when -Holly Cross ripped out eight yards additional the crowd of Randall -supporters were in a mad frenzy of delirious joy. - -"Swat 'em! Swat 'em! We have got 'em!" howled Bean Perkins, and forth -from hundreds of throats came booming that song. - -Grasshopper Backus and Dutch Housenlager opened a great hole between -their opposite guard and tackle, and into this breach Jerry Jackson was -pulled and hurled for several yards, until he fell under a crushing -weight of husky players at Boxer's thirty-yard-line. Once more Phil's -voice sang out in a signal, and back he snapped the ball to Holly Cross, -who, like some human battering ram, went through for five yards more. It -looked as if Randall was going right down the field for a touch-down, -and Bean Perkins and his cohorts rendered the "Down the Line" song with -good effect. - -A touch-down might have resulted from the next play, but unfortunately -for Randall Jerry Jackson made a fumble, and in their anxiety several of -his mates held in the line. There was a prompt penalty enforced, and -back to the forty-yard line the pigskin was taken, where it was turned -over to Randall for another try. Randall's hard work had not gained her -much, and there was an ominous silence on the part of the cheering -throng. Once more came rushing tactics, and they succeeded so well that -in two downs the ball was carried to Boxer's thirty-yard line. Then -Holly Cross decided to try for a field goal, but the wind carried it to -one side, and his mates groaned. So did Bean Perkins and his comrades. - -"Isn't that a shame!" exclaimed Madge Tyler to Ruth Clinton. - -"Hush, Madge!" answered Ruth. "I want to watch the game. I can't talk. I -want to see what Phil does. I'm afraid he'll be hurt." - -"Aren't you worried about Tom Parsons, too?" - -"Yes--of course. Aren't you?" - -"Not so much." - -Ruth looked at her friend sharply, but there was no time for further -talk, as Boxer had brought out the ball to their twenty-five-yard line, -and elected to line up with it instead of punting. At Randall's line -they came, smashing with terrific force, but so well did Holly and his -players hold that only four yards were made. Another attempt brought -even less gain, and then Boxer had to kick. Kindlings saw the ball -coming toward him, and managed by a desperate effort, to get it in his -arms. Back he rushed to the forty-three-yard line, where he fell under a -human mountain. - -The first play tried by Randall after this was a forward pass, and the -ball went out of bounds. Holly Cross kicked a twisting punt, and when -Lamson, the Boxer right half, caught it, Tom Parsons downed him almost -in his tracks, so swiftly did the left-end get down under the kick. - -"Go through 'em!" implored Captain Stoddard to his men, and at the line -they came smashing with crushing force. For the first time since the -play had begun Randall seemed to give way. Holes were torn in her line, -and through the openings the backs came rushing. They had gained fifteen -yards, in almost as good style as had Randall in the initial play, when -they varied the smashing work by a try around Tom's end. But he was -alert, and got his man in the nick of time. Another try at center failed -to result in a gain, and Boxer Hall had to kick. - -Jerry Jackson rushed the ball back for a good distance, and then, with -a fierceness that the Boxer Hall lads could not seem to withstand, -Randall came at their line, going through for substantial gains on -every try. - -"That's the stuff! That's the stuff!" cried Dutch Housenlager during a -breathing spell, when one of the Boxer Hall players had to be walked -about to recover his wind. "Eh, Phil? Aren't we putting it all over -them?" - -"I--I guess so," answered Phil, and he passed his hand over his head as -if he was dazed. - -"Somebody hit you?" asked Tom, blaming himself for not having kept a -closer watch over his chum. - -"No--no; I'm all right." - -The injured player limped back into line, and the game went on. Smash! -bang! came the Randall players, and they went up to the ten-yard line -with scarcely a stop. In vain did the cohorts of Boxer Hall implore them -to brace. It seemed that they could not. But, just as it looked for all -the world as if the ball would be carried over by Holly Cross, for it -was decided to smash through and not kick, the brace did come, and the -Randall players had to give up the pigskin. In a jiffy Captain Stoddard -had punted out of danger. There was an exchange of kicks, and it ended -with Boxer getting the ball on her forty-yard line. - -Then, all at once, a new spirit seemed infused into her players. They -came at Randall with a viciousness that argued well for their spirit. -It was rough work, not noticeable, perhaps, but Tom felt that what he -feared was about to happen; that some plan was afoot to injure Phil. He -played in as far as he dared, but the opposite end was constantly -drawing him out. - -At the line came Lamson, the Boxer right-half. He ripped out five yards, -bowling over Sam Looper with such force that the Snail had to have a -little medical treatment. He barely recovered in the two minutes, and -was a bit wobbly when the attack was again directed at him. But Holly -Cross and Jerry Jackson leaped in to his aid, and stopped the advance. -Then Boxer went around right-end, and had ten yards before they were -stopped. The game looked to be going the other way now, and there were -strained looks on the faces of the Randall players and their supporters. -As for the cheering contingent of Boxer Hall, they made the air ring -with their song: "It's Time We Did a Little Business Now!" - -"Don't let 'em get through you. Hold 'em! Hold 'em!" cried Holly. "Brace -up, boys!" - -Randall tried to, but Boxer had found a weak place between Snail Looper -and Grasshopper Backus, and kept hammering away at it, until they had -advanced the ball to the fifteen-yard line. Then Boxer Hall played a -neat trick. There was every indication that a try for a field goal was -about to be made, and Holly Cross got back. Instead, there was a double -pass, and a play between tackle and right-end. Through the Randall line -burst Frothon, the right-tackle, with the ball tucked under his arm. -Holly Cross saw him just in time, and made a dive for him. But the -Randall full-back's foot slipped, and he went down, making a vain grab -for Frothon, who sped on, and planted the ball behind the goal posts. -Boxer Hall had made the first touch-down, and the crowd of supporters -went wild, while there was corresponding gloom on the grandstands where -Randallites were gathered. The goal was missed, and a scrimmage had -hardly begun after the next kick-off before the whistle blew. The half -was up. - -What a buzz of excitement there was in the grandstands! Every one seemed -talking at once. - -"That was hard lines," remarked Ford Fenton to Sid, next to whom he was -sitting. "If our fellows had only been a little quicker then, this would -never have happened. My uncle says----" - -"Fenton!" exclaimed Sid so fiercely that Ford almost turned pale, "if -you mention 'uncle' again during this game, I'll throw you off the -grandstand," and, as Fenton was rather high up, he concluded to keep -quiet. - - - - -CHAPTER XXXV - -VICTORY--CONCLUSION - - -There was despondency in the quarters of the Randall players, where they -gathered between the halves. Gloom sat upon the brow of every one, and -the cheery words of the coach could not seem to dispel it. - -"There's only one touch-down against you," he said. "You always play -better uphill than down. Go at 'em now, and tear them apart! They play a -fierce game, but you can play a fiercer! Are any of you hurt? How about -you, Looper?" - -"Oh, I'm all right now. It was only my wind. I've got it back. They -won't get through me again," declared the Snail. - -"I hope not. You're too fat; that's what's the trouble. How are -you holding out, Clinton?" and the coach turned anxiously to the -quarter-back. Phil was pacing up and down the dressing-room. There was a -strained look on his face, and his hand was inside his blouse, where his -fingers touched a crumpled paper. He did not seem to have heard Mr. -Lighton's question. The coach repeated it. - -"Me? Why, I--I guess I can last the game out," said Phil slowly. - -"Last the game out? Why, are you hurt?" The coach was a bit disturbed. - -"No. Of course not. It was just my way of speaking. It's all right--it's -all right," and Phil resumed his pacing of the narrow quarters. - -"Guess he feels that we're going to lose," whispered Dutch Housenlager -to Tom. But Tom shook his head. There was something else the matter with -Phil, and he wondered what it was. - -"Do you think they're on to our signals?" asked Holly Cross. - -"No," said Phil shortly. "There's no need to change them. I'll use the -same ones." - -"Time's almost up," remarked the coach, looking at his watch for about -the fifth time within two minutes. - -To the lads it seemed as if they had not had more than a minute's -respite, but they were ready for the fray again, and there was an -eagerness in the manner in which they leaped out on the gridiron which -betokened that snappy playing would follow. - -Nor was it long in coming. When Boxer Hall kicked off, amid the chorus -of a spirited song, Kindlings caught the ball, and came back with it on -such a rush, and so well protected by his teammates, that he got past -the center of the field before he was downed. Then at the line went the -Randall lads. Smashing through it, there was no stopping them. Right up -the field they came, surprising even their own coach by their steady -advance. Phil was handling the players with a skill he had never shown -before. Play after play he called for, and the lads responded with vim. -Even a risky on-side kick was tried and was successful. Then a forward -pass netted fifteen yards, and with joy in their hearts the Randall lads -saw themselves approaching their opponent's goal-line. - -"Now, boys, play like Trojans!" cried Phil heartily, this being the -signal for four sequence plays. They were ripped off one after the -other, so quickly that, as Holly Cross said, "it made the hair of the -Boxers stand up." For, almost before the visitors were aware of it, -though they tried their best to stem the human tide, the ball was only a -few feet from the line. - -"Touch-down! Touch-down! Touch-down!" implored the cheering throng. - -"Touch-down it shall be!" whispered Phil fiercely, and he snapped the -ball to Holly Cross, who went through like a battering ram. There was a -mass of players on top of him, the ball and the line. Not until they got -up could it be seen if the pigskin was over. The referee rushed in. -Slowly the players disentangled. The ball was over the line! - -"Touch-down!" fairly screamed Tom Parsons. "Touch-down!" - -His cry was echoed from the Randall grandstands, and Dutch Housenlager -began a dance around the team, carrying Holly Cross, Grasshopper and the -Jersey twins with him. - -"Kick the goal, and we'll be one point ahead of them!" cried Bricktop -Molloy to Holly. "Put all the power ye have to spare into your toe, me -lad, and boost the ball over." - -"I'll try," promised the captain, but the wind had increased, and the -pigskin struck the bar and bounded back. But the score was tied, and -Randall felt that she was coming into her own. - -"Fast and snappy play, now!" called Phil Clinton, and once more he -passed his hand over his head. There was an air of desperation about -him, and Tom noticed it. - -"Maybe he's feeling sick," he thought, and he hurried over to his chum -and asked him. - -"I don't feel just right," answered Phil. "But I'm not sick. I'm all -right. Don't say anything. We're going to win. We're going to win!" he -repeated fiercely. "I'm going to run the team to another touch-down. -After that--after that," he faltered--"well, it doesn't matter, after -that." - -The ball was kicked off. An exchange of punts followed the scrimmage, -and Boxer Hall got the ball. Her players began some good work, but -Randall was ready for it. Several of the best men were tackled so hard, -though not unfairly, that time had to be taken out for them to recover. -Then Pinstock had to retire because of a twisted ankle, but, to offset -this, Jerry Jackson was knocked out and Everet took his place. - -For a few minutes it seemed as if Boxer Hall was going up the field for -another touch-down, but Randall braced in time. Then a sudden change -appeared to come over Phil. He had been playing for all he was worth, -but now he seemed a perfect whirlwind as he called snappily to his men -to take the ball through. And they did it. Through holes torn first on -one side between tackle and guard, or guard and center, and then on the -other wing, Everet, Holly Cross or Kindlings butted their way. Phil -varied this with some end runs and then called for his favorite play, -the fake right-half back and tackle shift, when Kerr took the ball on -the fly and went through the opposite side of his opponents' line with -it. The play netted fifteen yards, and placed the ball on Boxer Hall's -twenty-yard line. - -The time was fast drawing to a close. Could Boxer hold the line -sufficiently to prevent Randall from scoring again, making the game a -tie? Or could Randall break through? Those were the questions every one -was asking. - -"Now, fellows, for the 'Conquer or Die' song," called Bean Perkins, and -during a silence that followed a brief consultation between Phil and -Holly Cross there welled out over the gridiron the inspiring strains of -"_Aut Vincere Aut Mori_!" - -"Signal!" cried Phil, and he gave one for a forward pass. He got the -ball off in good shape, but Nottingham, the burly guard of Boxer Hall, -broke through, and jumped right at the quarter-back, hoping to break up -the play. Phil went down under him, and when Kindlings had been stopped, -after a few yards' advance, the quarter-back did not get up. - -"Phil's hurt!" cried Tom, and his heart reproached him for keeping quiet -about the warning. "That was done on purpose!" - -There was a rush to where Phil lay. Nottingham was bending over him. - -[Illustration: "There was a rush to where Phil lay"] - -"By Jove, old man!" he exclaimed contritely. "I didn't mean to hurt you. -Hope I didn't tackle you too hard." - -He began rubbing Phil's hands. Holly Cross passed his fingers over the -quarter-back's head. - -"He got a nasty bump!" he exclaimed. "Bring some water." - -The cold fluid revived the injured lad. He struggled to get up. - -"Lie still!" insisted the captain. - -"I'm--I'm all right," replied Phil, though faintly. "My head hit a -stone, I guess. Give me a little water, and I'll go on with the game!" - -"He's got pluck!" exclaimed Nottingham admiringly, but neither he nor -any of the others knew the full extent of the quarter-back's pluck. "I'm -awfully sorry, old man," went on Nottingham, who was one of the best -fellows in the world. "I didn't mean to come at you so hard." - -"That's all right," spoke Phil gently, and he tried to smile. "We're -going to beat you for that." - -He got to his feet inside the required two minutes. - -"Signal!" he cried, but there was lacking in his tones some of his -old-time vigor. He called for a play between guard and tackle. Right at -Nottingham the play was directed, and Dutch Housenlager was to make -it--big Dutch, who seemed to be all bone, muscle and sinew. A gleam was -in Phil's eyes as he gave the last letter of the signal. - -There were but four yards to go to make a touch-down. Could Randall do -it? "They must do it! They would do it!" Phil was deciding for the whole -team. He felt that they must make that distance, if he had to carry the -entire eleven on his shoulders. Snail Looper was about to snap the ball -back. Boxer Hall was bracing as she had never braced before. It was now -or never. If Randall got a second touch-down it would mean practically -that she would win the game and the championship. - -Back came the ball. Phil passed it to Dutch, and up against the solid -wall of flesh went the big right-tackle. You could almost hear the -impact over in the grandstand. Behind him were his mates. In front of -him, pulling and hauling on him, were more of them. On either side were -the Boxer Hall players, who had been torn from their places to make a -hole. From either side they came leaping in to stop the gap--to stop the -advance of the man with the ball. On and on struggled Dutch. He felt -that he was not himself--that he was but a small part of that seething, -struggling mass--an atom in a crushing, grinding, whirling, heaving, -boiling caldron of human beings. Breaths were coming short and quick, -eyes were flashing. It was push and shove, haul, slip, stumble. Player -was piled on player. Tom Parsons and the other ends were on the outside. -Holly Cross was pushing and shoving, glad if he felt the mass in front -of him give but the fraction of an inch. - -Then, from somewhere beneath that mass of humanity, came the voice of -Dutch Housenlager. - -"Down!" he called faintly. - -The heaving human hill slowly settled down, as when the fire is -withdrawn from under a boiling kettle. - -The whistle blew. Slowly the mass was disintegrated. Sore, bruised, -scratched; bleeding some of them, lame most of them, desperately anxious -all of them, the players fell apart. Dutch was lying on his face, his -big back arched. The ball was not to be seen. Had there been a fumble? -The goal line passed beneath the stomach of the big tackle. Slowly he -arose, and then such a shout as rent the air. - -For the ball was under him! It was over the line! He had made the -touch-down! - -Oh, how the stands vibrated with the yells, the cheers, the songs, the -delirious leaping up and down, the stamping of feet and the clapping of -hands! How the Fairview girls shrilly screamed their college cry! How it -was caught up, swallowed and silenced by the booming cheers from the -Randall cohorts! - -For Randall had won. Even if she could not kick the goal, she had won, -as there remained but one minute more of play. But the goal was kicked. -Holly Cross saw to that, and then, with a final, useless kick-off, -and after the final whistle had blown, the Randall players gathered -together, their arms about each other, and cheered heartily and mightily -for the victory. - -Dutch was hoisted to the shoulders of his mates protestingly, and -carried about. The Boxer Hall eleven was cheered, and they gave back a -perfunctory, complimentary yell for their opponents. They had been -beaten where they hoped to win. Beaten twice in the season by their -former victims. It was humiliating. - -"Here!" cried Holly Cross. "Up with Phil Clinton. He piloted the team to -victory!" - -"That's right!" shouted Bricktop. "Up with him!" - -But Phil was running toward the grandstand at top speed; toward the A -section where, he had told Tom, Madge and Ruth sat. - -"He's hurrying to receive the congratulations of Madge," thought Tom -bitterly. - -Holly Cross took after the fleeing quarter-back. - -"Come here!" he cried. - -"Can't," answered Phil desperately, and the captain saw that his face -was drawn and strained. - -"Why not?" demanded Holly. - -"Because--read that!" and Phil held out a crumpled telegram. Slowly -Holly deciphered it: - - "Come at once. Your mother is dying." - -It was signed with Phil's father's name. - -"When did you get this?" asked the captain slowly, while the other -players gathered about. - -"It came just--just before the game," answered Phil. "I must go--and -get my sister. We must start for Florida--at once." - -"Just before the game?" said Holly in a low voice. "Just before the -game? And you played, knowing that--that your mother was--was----" - -Holly faltered. There was a huskiness in his voice. - -"I played the game," said Phil simply. "I--I didn't want to tell you -fellows, for fear you'd put a substitute in. But I'm going, now," and he -turned toward the grandstand. - -"Talk about pluck!" exclaimed Holly Cross. "If that isn't the best -exhibition of it, I never want to hear of any." - -"Pluck!" murmured Bricktop Molloy. "He's pluck personified. Poor Phil!" -and the big left-guard turned aside. Slowly Phil's mates watched him -making his way to where his sister sat. The gridiron was swarming with -spectators now. Bean Perkins came running over. - -"We'll have a great celebration to-night!" he cried to the players and -the substitutes. - -"No!" said Holly Cross simply. - -"Why not?" - -"Because Phil's mother is dying. He's got to go to her." - -Up the grandstand leaped Phil. Tom had hurried after him, ready to do -what he could to aid his chum to get a train. Phil saw Ruth and Madge -together. At the sight of her brother Ruth cried: - -"Oh, Phil, wasn't it glorious? I'm so glad you won! Why--wh--what's the -matter?" she gasped at the sight of his pale face. - -"Mother!" he exclaimed huskily. "Didn't--haven't you a telegram?" - -"Yes. Did you get one, too?" and she fumbled in her muff. "Oh, Phil, I'm -so happy! She's all better! The operation was a success, and she's going -to get well! I got mine just before the game, and I supposed you did, -too. I was waiting for you to come to me, but I guess you didn't have a -chance. Oh, I'm so glad!" and she threw her arms around her brother's -neck. - -"Going to get well? Operation a success? Why, I--I didn't get a telegram -like that!" exclaimed Phil in bewilderment. - -"There's mine," said Ruth, producing it. "I left word to forward any -that might come to Fairview to me here. I gave the number of my seat -here to the Fairview operator, and I got the message just before play -began. But didn't you get yours?" - -Before Phil could answer a diminutive messenger boy pushed his way -through the crowd. - -"Is dis Phil Clinton?" he asked boldly. - -"That's me," replied Phil quickly, but he hardly knew what he said. - -"Den here's a message fer youse. I tried t' git it t' youse before de -game, but de cop wouldn't let me in on de grass. So I stayed and seen de -scrap. Hully chee! But it was a peach! I'm glad youse fellers won. Sign -dere!" and the lad held out his book with the message in. - -As in a dream Phil signed, and then tore open the envelope. The message -was a duplicate of the one his sister had. - -"Any answer?" asked the lad, as he gazed in admiration at Phil, and Tom, -who stood close beside him. "Hully chee! But youse is husky brutes," -spoke the modern Mercury, but it was only his way of properly admiring -the football heroes. - -"Yes, there's an answer," said Phil, and he scribbled on a piece of -paper a bystander thrust into his hand this telegram: - - "Dear Dad: Best news I ever got! We won the game!" - -And he signed it with the names of his sister and himself. - -"May I add my good wishes, not only on the recovery of your mother, but -on the way you played the game?" asked Madge, blushing, and holding out -her hand to Phil. He clasped her fingers in his. - -"Same here!" cried Tom, as he caught a roguish glance from the eyes of -Ruth. "Oh, but I'm glad for your sake, old man!" and he gave Phil such a -clap on the back as to make the teeth of the quarter-back clatter. "I'm -so glad!" - -"I know you are," said Phil simply, and as he shook hands with his chum -he knew, somehow, that the little cloud that had come between them had -passed away. - -"Tra, la, la! Merrily do we sing and dance!" cried Tom in the exuberance -of his feelings. "Come down on the field, Phil, Madge, Ruth, and we'll -play 'Ring Around the Rosy'!" - -Laughingly they descended with him, and added to the merriment of the -throng by gaily circling about in it. - -But, with all his joy, Phil was puzzled. Where had the first telegram -come from? Had it been a mistake? Had the operator blundered? He said -nothing to his sister about the message received just before the game. - -The good news quickly spread among the Randall players, and they soon -arranged for a celebration. A big fire was kindled, on it were thrown -their football suits, for the season was over, and then the champion -eleven broke training. A dinner was served that night in the gymnasium, -and many girls from Fairview, including Ruth and Madge, attended. - -"But I can't understand where this message came from," Phil was saying -to Tom and Sid a few hours later in their room. "Jove, but it almost -knocked me out when I got it! But I knew I had to play the game." He was -examining the telegram he had first received. - -"Let's see that message," said Sid, and he scanned it closely. "That's a -fake!" he said suddenly. - -"A fake!" repeated Tom and Phil. - -"Yes. There's no check number on it. No message is ever sent out without -a check number on it. This never came over the wire. Some one got hold -of a receiving blank and an envelope, and played this brutal trick. -Maybe it was one of the Boxer Hall fellows. He wanted to get your nerve, -so you'd drop out of the game." - -"I don't believe it was a Boxer Hall chap," said Phil. - -"Then it was some one who had a grudge against you," insisted Sid. "We -can inquire at the telegraph office and find out, maybe." - -Tom uttered an exclamation. He had suddenly thought of the mysterious -warning he had received. Quickly he brought out the torn pieces of -paper. He saw it all now. The warning had been intended to cover the -telegram--not a physical danger, but a mental one. Rapidly he explained -how he got the note. - -"I didn't say anything to you, Phil," he concluded, "because I was--I -was afraid you'd laugh at me. And I kept my eyes open in the game." - -"I understand," spoke the quarter-back. "But who sent this warning?" - -Sid was eagerly examining it, for Tom had pasted the torn pieces -together. - -"I have it!" cried Sid. "Langridge sent this!" - -"How do you know?" came from Phil and Tom at once. - -"Because that's the kind of paper he uses. It has a peculiar water-mark. -I'll show you. I have an old baseball note I got from him last term." - -Sid brought out his note. The two were compared. The paper was exactly -similar, and there were even some characteristic similarities in the -writing, though one was in script and the other printed. - -"Langridge sent this," decided Sid, and the others agreed with him. - -"Then who sent the fake telegram?" inquired Phil. - -"Gerhart, for all the world!" exclaimed Sid. "The cad! To play such a -brutal trick!" Sid caught up his cap. - -"Where are you going?" asked Tom. - -"I'm going to confront him with this evidence, and have him run out of -college!" burst out Sid. "This ends his course!" - -But Gerhart had anticipated what was coming, when he saw that the cruel -telegram he had sent Phil had had no effect, and that the plucky -quarter-back continued playing. He evidently knew the game was up, and -fled. For, when Sid called at the fashionable eating club, where Gerhart -and Langridge had recently taken a room, he found only the former -'varsity pitcher there. - -"Where's Gerhart?" asked Sid savagely. - -"Gone," said Langridge, and he began to shake. He trembled more when Sid -threw down the incriminating evidence, and blurted out the story. - -"It's all true," confessed Langridge. "Gerhart stole the telegraph blank -and an envelope, while I kept the agent busy talking about some money I -expected to get. Gerhart made me go in the scheme with him, but I--I -couldn't stand it, and I sent Tom the tip. I'm done with Gerhart. He -faked the message to Phil and hired a boy to deliver it. I'm through -with him!" - -"I should think you would be!" burst out Sid, walking about the room. It -was in confusion, for Gerhart had hurriedly departed. Sid's eye saw a -bottle on the closet shelf. "What's this, Langridge?" he asked. "Why, -it's liniment! The same kind Phil had, and which stiffened my hand! How -did it get here? It's the same bottle that was broken--no, it can't be, -yet there's the same blot on the label. How in thunder----" - -Then Langridge confessed to that trick of Gerhart's also. - -"He ought to be tarred and feathered!" cried the angry Sid. "If I had -him here! But you're almost as bad, Langridge. You helped him!" - -"I know it. I'm going to leave college, if you'll only keep still about -this. Will you?" pleaded the cringing lad. - -"Yes; for the sake of the college, not for you," spoke Sid, and that is -how only the three chums knew the real story of the dastardly meanness -of the two cronies. They thought they were well rid of their enemies, -but they were mistaken. Those of you who care to read further of the -happenings at Randall College may do so in the next book, to be called -"Batting to Win." In that volume we shall meet all our friends again, -and learn what Sid did during the greatest baseball game of the next -season, and when the collegiate championship hung in the balance. - -"Well, it's all over but the shouting," said Phil to his chums, as they -sat in their room that night. From without came the joyous cries of -those who were celebrating the football victory. - -"All but putting a bronze tablet in the gym, to commemorate the pluck -you showed," added Tom. - -"Aw, forget it!" spoke Phil, as he got into a more comfortable position -on the creaking sofa. "Anybody would have done the same to see his team -win." - -"Maybe," said Sid softly as he got up from the easy chair to look at his -favorite football picture. - -Then came a silence in the room, and the fussy little alarm clock had -matters all to itself. It ticked away at a great rate. - -Tom, who had been standing near the window, crossed to the opposite -wall, and stood before the picture of a laughing girl. Phil saw him, -smiled, and then, he, too, slowly arose from the decrepit sofa and went -closer to a photograph of another girl. Thus the three stood, and the -clock ticked on with quick, impatient strokes, and not a word was -spoken. - - -THE END - - - - -THE COLLEGE SPORTS SERIES - -BY LESTER CHADWICK - -_12mo. Cloth. Illustrated. Jacket in Colors_ - -_=Price per volume, $1.00, postpaid=_ - - -[Illustration] - -_Mr. Chadwick has played on the diamond and on the gridiron himself._ - - - 1. THE RIVAL PITCHERS - _A Story of College Baseball_ - -Tom Parsons, a "hayseed," makes good on the scrub team of Randall -College. - - - 2. A QUARTERBACK'S PLUCK - _A Story of College Football_ - -A football story, told in Mr. Chadwick's best style, that is bound to -grip the reader from the start. - - - 3. BATTING TO WIN - _A Story of College Baseball_ - -Tom Parsons and his friends Phil and Sid are the leading players on -Randall College team. There is a great game. - - - 4. THE WINNING TOUCHDOWN - _A Story of College Football_ - -After having to reorganize their team at the last moment, Randall makes -a touchdown that won a big game. - - - 5. FOR THE HONOR OF RANDALL - _A Story of College Athletics_ - -The winning of the hurdle race and long-distance run is extremely -exciting. - - - 6. THE EIGHT-OARED VICTORS - _A Story of College Water Sports_ - -Tom, Phil and Sid prove as good at aquatic sports as they are on track, -gridiron and diamond. - - -_Send For Our Free Illustrated Catalogue_ - - -CUPPLES & LEON COMPANY, Publishers New York - - - - -THE JACK RANGER SERIES - -BY CLARENCE YOUNG - -_12mo. Cloth. Illustrated. Jacket in Colors_ - -_=Price per volume, $1.00, postpaid=_ - - -[Illustration] - -_Lively stories of outdoor sports and adventure every boy will want to -read._ - - - 1. JACK RANGER'S SCHOOL DAYS - _or The Rivals of Washington Hall_ - -You will love Jack Ranger--you simply can't help it. He is bright and -cheery, and earnest in all he does. - - - 2. JACK RANGER'S WESTERN TRIP - _or From Boarding School to Ranch and Range_ - -This volume takes the hero to the great West. Jack is anxious to clear -up the mystery surrounding his father's disappearance. - - - 3. JACK RANGER'S SCHOOL VICTORIES - _or Track, Gridiron and Diamond_ - -Jack gets back to Washington Hall and goes in for all sorts of school -games. There are numerous contests on the athletic field. - - - 4. JACK RANGER'S OCEAN CRUISE - _or The Wreck of the Polly Ann_ - -How Jack was carried off to sea against his will makes a "yarn" no boy -will want to miss. - - - 5. JACK RANGER'S GUN CLUB - _or From Schoolroom to Camp and Trail_ - -Jack organizes a gun club and with his chums goes in quest of big game. -They have many adventures in the mountains. - - - 6. JACK RANGER'S TREASURE BOX - _or The Outing of the Schoolboy Yachtsmen_ - -Jack receives a box from his father and it is stolen. How he regains it -makes an absorbing tale. - - -_Send For Our Free Illustrated Catalogue_ - - -CUPPLES & LEON COMPANY, Publishers New York - - - - -THE GREAT MARVEL SERIES - -BY ROY ROCKWOOD - -_12mo. Cloth. Illustrated. Jacket in Colors_ - -_=Price per volume, $1.00, postpaid=_ - - -[Illustration] - -_Stories of adventures in strange places, with peculiar people and queer -animals._ - - - 1. THROUGH THE AIR TO THE NORTH POLE - _or The Wonderful Cruise of the Electric Monarch_ - -The tale of a trip to the frozen North with a degree of reality that is -most convincing. - - - 2. UNDER THE OCEAN TO THE SOUTH POLE - _or The Strange Cruise of the Submarine Wonder_ - -A marvelous trip from Maine to the South Pole, telling of adventures -with the sea-monsters and savages. - - - 3. FIVE THOUSAND MILES UNDERGROUND - _or The Mystery of the Center of the Earth_ - -A cruise to the center of the earth through an immense hole found at an -island in the ocean. - - - 4. THROUGH SPACE TO MARS - _or The Most Wonderful Trip on Record_ - -This book tells how the journey was made in a strange craft and what -happened on Mars. - - - 5. LOST ON THE MOON - _or In Quest of the Field of Diamonds_ - -Strange adventures on the planet which is found to be a land of -desolation and silence. - - - 6. ON A TORN-AWAY WORLD - _or Captives of the Great Earthquake_ - -After a tremendous convulsion of nature the adventurers find themselves -captives on a vast "island in the air." - - - 7. THE CITY BEYOND THE CLOUDS - _or Captured by the Red Dwarfs_ - -The City Beyond the Clouds is a weird place, full of surprises, and the -impish Red Dwarfs caused no end of trouble. There is a fierce battle in -the woods and in the midst of this a volcanic eruption sends the -Americans sailing away in a feverish endeavor to save their lives. - - -_Send For Our Free Illustrated Catalogue_ - - -CUPPLES & LEON COMPANY, Publishers New York - - - - -_The Boy Hunters Series_ - -_By Captain Ralph Bonehill_ - -12mo. Illustrated. Price per volume, $1.00, postpaid. - - -[Illustration] - - FOUR BOY HUNTERS - _Or, The Outing of the Gun Club_ - -A fine, breezy story of the woods and waters, of adventures in search of -game, and of great times around the campfire, told in Captain Bonehill's -best style. In the book are given full directions for camping out. - - - GUNS AND SNOWSHOES - _Or, The Winter Outing of the Young Hunters_ - -In this volume the young hunters leave home for a winter outing on the -shores of a small lake. They hunt and trap to their heart's content, and -have adventures in plenty, all calculated to make boys "sit up and take -notice." A good healthy book; one with the odor of the pine forests and -the glare of the welcome campfire in every chapter. - - - YOUNG HUNTERS OF THE LAKE - _Or, Out with Rod and Gun_ - -Another tale of woods and waters, with some strong hunting scenes and a -good deal of mystery. The three volumes make a splendid outdoor series. - - - OUT WITH GUN AND CAMERA - _Or, The Boy Hunters in the Mountains_ - -Takes up the new fad of photographing wild animals as well as shooting -them. An escaped circus chimpanzee and an escaped lion add to the -interest of the narrative. - - -CUPPLES & LEON CO., Publishers NEW YORK - - - - -THE BOB DEXTER SERIES - -BY WILLARD F. BAKER - -_12mo. Cloth. Illustrated. Jacket in Colors_ - -_=Price per volume, $1.00, postpaid=_ - - -[Illustration] - -_This is a new line of stories for boys, by the author of the Boy -Ranchers series. The Bob Dexter books are of the character that may be -called detective stories, yet they are without the objectionable -features of the impossible characters and absurd situations that mark so -many of the books in that class. These stories deal with the up-to-date -adventures of a normal, healthy lad who has a great desire to solve -mysteries._ - - - 1. BOB DEXTER AND THE CLUB-HOUSE MYSTERY - _or The Missing Golden Eagle_ - -This story tells how the Boys' Athletic Club was despoiled of its -trophies in a strange manner, and how, among other things stolen, was -the Golden Eagle mascot. How Bob Dexter turned himself into an amateur -detective and found not only the mascot, but who had taken it, makes -interesting and exciting reading. - - - 2. BOB DEXTER AND THE BEACON BEACH MYSTERY - _or The Wreck of the Sea Hawk_ - -When Bob and his chum went to Beacon Beach for their summer vacation, -they were plunged, almost at once, into a strange series of events, not -the least of which was the sinking of the Sea Hawk. How some men tried -to get the treasure off the sunken vessel, and how Bob and his chum -foiled them, and learned the secret of the lighthouse, form a great -story. - - - 3. BOB DEXTER AND THE STORM MOUNTAIN MYSTERY - _or The Secret of the Log Cabin_ - -Bob Dexter came upon a man mysteriously injured and befriended him. This -led the young detective into the swirling midst of a series of strange -events and into the companionship of strange persons, not the least of -whom was the man with the wooden leg. But Bob got the best of this -vindictive individual, and solved the mystery of the log cabin, showing -his friends how the secret entrance to the house was accomplished. - - -_Send For Our Free Illustrated Catalogue_ - - -CUPPLES & LEON COMPANY, PUBLISHERS New York - - - - -THE MOTOR BOYS SERIES - -BY CLARENCE YOUNG - -_12mo. Illustrated. Price per volume, $1.00, postpaid_ - - -[Illustration] - - THE MOTOR BOYS - _or Chums Through Thick and Thin_ - - THE MOTOR BOYS OVERLAND - _or A Long Trip for Fun and Fortune_ - - THE MOTOR BOYS IN MEXICO - _or The Secret of the Buried City_ - - THE MOTOR BOYS ACROSS THE PLAINS - _or The Hermit of Lost Lake_ - - THE MOTOR BOYS AFLOAT - _or The Cruise of the Dartaway_ - - THE MOTOR BOYS ON THE ATLANTIC - _or The Mystery of the Lighthouse_ - - THE MOTOR BOYS IN STRANGE WATERS - _or Lost in a Floating Forest_ - - THE MOTOR BOYS ON THE PACIFIC - _or The Young Derelict Hunters_ - - THE MOTOR BOYS IN THE CLOUDS - _or A Trip for Fame and Fortune_ - - THE MOTOR BOYS OVER THE ROCKIES - _or A Mystery of the Air_ - - THE MOTOR BOYS OVER THE OCEAN - _or A Marvelous Rescue in Mid-Air_ - - THE MOTOR BOYS ON THE WING - _or Seeking the Airship Treasure_ - - THE MOTOR BOYS AFTER A FORTUNE - _or The Hut on Snake Island_ - - THE MOTOR BOYS ON THE BORDER - _or Sixty Nuggets of Gold_ - - THE MOTOR BOYS UNDER THE SEA - _or From Airship to Submarine_ - - THE MOTOR BOYS ON ROAD AND RIVER - _or Racing to Save a Life_ - - THE MOTOR BOYS AT BOXWOOD HALL - _or Ned, Bob and Jerry as Freshmen_ - - THE MOTOR BOYS ON A RANCH - _or Ned, Bob and Jerry Among the Cowboys_ - - THE MOTOR BOYS IN THE ARMY - _or Ned, Bob and Jerry as Volunteers_ - - THE MOTOR BOYS ON THE FIRING LINE - _or Ned, Bob and Jerry Fighting for Uncle Sam_ - - THE MOTOR BOYS BOUND FOR HOME - _or Ned, Bob and Jerry on the Wrecked Troopship_ - - THE MOTOR BOYS ON THUNDER MOUNTAIN - _or The Treasure Box of Blue Rock_ - - -CUPPLES & LEON COMPANY, Publishers New York - - - - -THE BASEBALL JOE SERIES - -BY LESTER CHADWICK - -_12mo. Illustrated. Price per volume, $1.00, postpaid_ - - -[Illustration] - - 1. BASEBALL JOE OF THE SILVER STARS - _or The Rivals of Riverside_ - -Joe is an everyday country boy who loves to play baseball and -particularly to pitch. - - - 2. BASEBALL JOE ON THE SCHOOL NINE - _or Pitching for the Blue Banner_ - -Joe's great ambition was to go to boarding school and play on the school -team. - - - 3. BASEBALL JOE AT YALE - _or Pitching for the College Championship_ - -In his second year at Yale Joe becomes a varsity pitcher. - - - 4. BASEBALL JOE IN THE CENTRAL LEAGUE - _or Making Good as a Professional Pitcher_ - -From Yale College to a baseball league of our Central States. - - - 5. BASEBALL JOE IN THE BIG LEAGUE - _or A Young Pitcher's Hardest Struggles_ - -From the Central League Joe goes to the St. Louis Nationals. - - - 6. BASEBALL JOE ON THE GIANTS - _or Making Good as a Twirler in the Metropolis_ - -Joe was traded to the Giants and became their mainstay. - - - 7. BASEBALL JOE IN THE WORLD SERIES - _or Pitching for the Championship_ - -What Joe did to win the series will thrill the most jaded reader. - - - 8. BASEBALL JOE AROUND THE WORLD - _or Pitching on a Grand Tour_ - -The Giants and the All-Americans tour the world. - - - 9. BASEBALL JOE: HOME RUN KING - _or The Greatest Pitcher and Batter on Record_ - -Joe becomes the greatest batter in the game. - - - 10. BASEBALL JOE SAVING THE LEAGUE - _or Breaking Up a Great Conspiracy_ - -Throwing the game meant a fortune but also dishonor. - - - 11. BASEBALL JOE CAPTAIN OF THE TEAM - _or Bitter Struggles on the Diamond_ - -Joe is elevated to the position of captain. - - - 12. BASEBALL JOE CHAMPION OF THE LEAGUE - _or The Record that was Worth While_ - -A plot is hatched to put Joe's pitching arm out of commission. - - - 13. BASEBALL JOE CLUB OWNER - _or Putting the Home Town on the Map_ - -Joe developes muscle weakness and is ordered off the field for a year. - - -_Send For Our Free Illustrated Catalogue_ - - -CUPPLES & LEON COMPANY, Publishers New York - - - - -SEA STORIES FOR BOYS - -BY JOHN GABRIEL ROWE - -_Large 12mo. Cloth. Illustrated. Colored jacket_ - -_=Price per volume, $1.00 Net=_ - - -[Illustration] - -_Every boy who knows the lure of exploring, and who loves to rig up huts -and caves and tree-houses to fortify himself against imaginary enemies -will enjoy these books, for they give a vivid chronicle of the doings -and inventions of a group of boys who are shipwrecked and have to make -themselves snug and safe in tropical islands where the dangers are too -real for play._ - - - 1. CRUSOE ISLAND - -Dick, Alf and Fred find themselves stranded on an unknown island with -the old seaman Josh. Their ship destroyed by fire, their friends lost, -they have to make shift for themselves for a whole exciting year before -being rescued. - - - 2. THE ISLAND TREASURE - -With much ingenuity these boys fit themselves into the wild life of the -island they are cast upon in storm. They build various kinds of -strongholds and spend most of their time outwitting their enemies. - - - 3. THE MYSTERY OF THE DERELICT - -Their ship and companions perished in tempest at sea, the boys are -adrift in a small open boat when they spy a ship. Such a strange -vessel!--no hand guiding it, no soul on board,--a derelict. It carries a -gruesome mystery, as the boys soon discover, and it leads them into a -series of strange experiences. - - -_Send For Our Free Illustrated Catalogue_ - - -CUPPLES & LEON COMPANY, PUBLISHERS New York - - - - -THE BOMBA BOOKS - -BY ROY ROCKWOOD - -_12mo. Cloth. Illustrated. With colored jacket_ - -_=Price per volume, 65 cents, postpaid=_ - - -[Illustration] - -_Bomba lived far back in the jungles of the Amazon with a half-demented -naturalist who told the lad nothing of his past. The jungle boy was a -lover of birds, and hunted animals with a bow and arrow and his trusty -machete. He had a primitive education in some things, and his daring -adventures will be followed with breathless interest by thousands._ - - - 1. BOMBA THE JUNGLE BOY - _or The Old Naturalist's Secret_ - -In the depth of the jungle Bomba lives a life replete with thrilling -situations. Once he saves the lives of two American rubber hunters who -ask him who he is, and how he had come into the jungle. He sets off to -solve the mystery of his identity. - - - 2. BOMBA THE JUNGLE BOY AT THE MOVING MOUNTAIN - _or The Mystery of the Caves of Fire_ - -Bomba travels through the jungle, encountering wild beasts and hostile -natives. At last he trails the old man of the burning mountain to his -cave and learns more concerning himself. - - - 3. BOMBA THE JUNGLE BOY AT THE GIANT CATARACT - _or Chief Nascanora and His Captives_ - -From the Moving Mountain Bomba travels to the Giant Cataract, still -searching out his parentage. Among the Pilati Indians he finds some -white captives, and an aged opera singer who is the first to give Bomba -real news of his forebears. - - - 4. BOMBA THE JUNGLE BOY ON JAGUAR ISLAND - _or Adrift on the River of Mystery_ - -Jaguar Island was a spot as dangerous as it was mysterious and Bomba was -warned to keep away. But the plucky boy sallied forth and met adventures -galore. - - - 5. BOMBA THE JUNGLE BOY IN THE ABANDONED CITY - _or A Treasure Ten Thousand Years Old_ - -Years ago this great city had sunk out of sight beneath the trees of -the jungle. A wily half-breed and his tribe thought to carry away its -treasure of gold and precious stones. Bomba follows. - - -_Send For Our Free Illustrated Catalogue_ - - -CUPPLES & LEON COMPANY, Publishers New York - - - - -THE BOY RANCHERS SERIES - -BY WILLARD F. BAKER - -_12mo. Cloth. Illustrated. Jacket in full colors_ - -_=Price per volume, 65 cents, postpaid=_ - - -[Illustration] - -_Stories of the great west, with cattle ranches as a setting, related in -such a style as to captivate the hearts of all boys._ - - - 1. THE BOY RANCHERS - _or Solving the Mystery at Diamond X_ - -Two eastern boys visit their cousin. They become involved in an exciting -mystery. - - - 2. THE BOY RANCHERS IN CAMP - _or The Water Fight at Diamond X_ - -Returning for a visit, the two eastern lads learn, with delight, that -they are to become boy ranchers. - - - 3. THE BOY RANCHERS ON THE TRAIL - _or The Diamond X After Cattle Rustlers_ - -Our boy heroes take the trail after Del Pinzo and his outlaws. - - - 4. THE BOY RANCHERS AMONG THE INDIANS - _or Trailing the Yaquis_ - -Rosemary and Floyd are captured by the Yaqui Indians but the boy -ranchers trailed them into the mountains and effected the rescue. - - - 5. THE BOY RANCHERS AT SPUR CREEK - _or Fighting the Sheep Herders_ - -Dangerous struggle against desperadoes for land rights brings out heroic -adventures. - - - 6. THE BOY RANCHERS IN THE DESERT - _or Diamond X and the Lost Mine_ - -One night a strange old miner almost dead from hunger and hardship -arrived at the bunk house. The boys cared for him and he told them of -the lost desert mine. - - - 7. THE BOY RANCHERS ON ROARING RIVER - _or Diamond X and the Chinese Smugglers_ - -The boy ranchers help capture Delton's gang who were engaged in -smuggling Chinese across the border. - - -_Send For Our Free Illustrated Catalogue_ - - -CUPPLES & LEON COMPANY, Publishers New York - - - - - Transcriber's Notes: - - --Text in italics is enclosed by underscores (_italics_); text in - bold by "equal" signs (=bold=). - - --Printer, punctuation and spelling inaccuracies were silently - corrected. - - --Archaic and variable spelling has been preserved, except as noted - below. - - --Variations in hyphenation and compound words have been preserved. - - --Standardized instances of "Westcott" (p. 220, p. 222) to the more - frequent "Wescott" University. - - --Retained author's long dash style. - - - - - -End of Project Gutenberg's A Quarter-Back's Pluck, by Lester Chadwick - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK A QUARTER-BACK'S PLUCK *** - -***** This file should be named 40668-8.txt or 40668-8.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/4/0/6/6/40668/ - -Produced by Donald Cummings and the Online Distributed -Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net - - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions -will be renamed. - -Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no -one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation -(and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without -permission and without paying copyright royalties. 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You may copy it, give it away or -re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included -with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org - - -Title: A Quarter-Back's Pluck - A Story of College Football - -Author: Lester Chadwick - -Release Date: September 5, 2012 [EBook #40668] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK A QUARTER-BACK'S PLUCK *** - - - - -Produced by Donald Cummings and the Online Distributed -Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net - - - - - - -</pre> - - +<div>*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK 40668 ***</div> <div class="figcenter" style="width: 508px;"> <img src="images/cover.jpg" width="508" height="600" alt="cover" title="cover" /> @@ -5677,7 +5639,7 @@ to be in it, don’t you?”</p><p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_1 <p>“Of course,” answered Tom. “We have not forgotten that we were once freshmen, and that we had many clashes with the second-years. Now -we will play the latter rôle. Lead on, Macduff, +we will play the latter rôle. Lead on, Macduff, and he be hanged who first cries: ‘Hold! Enough!’ We’ll make the freshies wish they had never seen Randall College.”</p> @@ -6303,7 +6265,7 @@ gritting his teeth.</p> <p>“For a couple of days,” added Sid. “But it strikes me, old chap, that last term you played the -rôle of the aforesaid freshies to perfection.”</p> +rôle of the aforesaid freshies to perfection.”</p> <p>“Oh, that was different. But let them wait.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_169" id="Page_169">[169]</a></span> We’ll put the kibosh on their fun in a few days. @@ -6893,7 +6855,7 @@ cried as he leaped out.</p><p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_186" id="Page_ snake!” and reaching down between the sheets, he pulled out a long reptile.</p> -<p>“Cæsar’s Haywagon!” cried Phil. “I’ve drawn +<p>“Cæsar’s Haywagon!” cried Phil. “I’ve drawn something, too!” and with that he held up a mudturtle.</p> <p>“Ten thousand thistles!” yelled Tom as he began @@ -8769,7 +8731,7 @@ away, leaving a shimmering track.</p> think!” exclaimed the proctor, who had a horror of such things. “Take them away at once, Mr. Henderson!” And Sid went down on his knees to -gather up the <i>helix molluscæ</i>, while Professor Tines +gather up the <i>helix molluscæ</i>, while Professor Tines hurried from the room.</p> <p>“Do you want to see the picture of the fox?” @@ -11723,380 +11685,6 @@ smuggling Chinese across the border.</p></li> <p>Retained author’s long dash style.</p> </div> - - - - - - - -<pre> - - - - - -End of Project Gutenberg's A Quarter-Back's Pluck, by Lester Chadwick - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK A QUARTER-BACK'S PLUCK *** - -***** This file should be named 40668-h.htm or 40668-h.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/4/0/6/6/40668/ - -Produced by Donald Cummings and the Online Distributed -Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net - - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions -will be renamed. - -Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no -one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation -(and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without -permission and without paying copyright royalties. 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