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diff --git a/.gitattributes b/.gitattributes new file mode 100644 index 0000000..d7b82bc --- /dev/null +++ b/.gitattributes @@ -0,0 +1,4 @@ +*.txt text eol=lf +*.htm text eol=lf +*.html text eol=lf +*.md text eol=lf diff --git a/LICENSE.txt b/LICENSE.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..6312041 --- /dev/null +++ b/LICENSE.txt @@ -0,0 +1,11 @@ +This eBook, including all associated images, markup, improvements, +metadata, and any other content or labor, has been confirmed to be +in the PUBLIC DOMAIN IN THE UNITED STATES. + +Procedures for determining public domain status are described in +the "Copyright How-To" at https://www.gutenberg.org. + +No investigation has been made concerning possible copyrights in +jurisdictions other than the United States. Anyone seeking to utilize +this eBook outside of the United States should confirm copyright +status under the laws that apply to them. diff --git a/README.md b/README.md new file mode 100644 index 0000000..da24194 --- /dev/null +++ b/README.md @@ -0,0 +1,2 @@ +Project Gutenberg (https://www.gutenberg.org) public repository for +eBook #67397 (https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/67397) diff --git a/old/67397-0.txt b/old/67397-0.txt deleted file mode 100644 index 9a590d0..0000000 --- a/old/67397-0.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,8837 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg eBook of The Rockspur Eleven, by Burt L. -Standish - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and -most other parts of the world 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. If you are not located in the United States, you -will have to check the laws of the country where you are located before -using this eBook. - -Title: The Rockspur Eleven - -Author: Burt L. Standish - -Release Date: February 13, 2022 [eBook #67397] - -Language: English - -Produced by: Carlos Colon, David E. Brown, Harvard University and the - Online Distributed Proofreading Team at - https://www.pgdp.net (This book was produced from images - made available by the HathiTrust Digital Library.) - -*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE ROCKSPUR ELEVEN *** - - - - - - The Rockspur Eleven - - A FINE FOOTBALL STORY FOR BOYS - - BY - BURT L. STANDISH - AUTHOR OF - “_The Merriwell Stories_” - - [Illustration] - - STREET & SMITH, PUBLISHERS - 79-89 SEVENTH AVE., NEW YORK CITY - - - - - Copyright, 1900 - By STREET & SMITH - - The Rockspur Eleven - - - - -Publisher’s Note - - -Notwithstanding the fact that the sales of magazines have increased -tremendously during the past five or six years, the popularity of a -good paper-covered novel, printed in attractive and convenient form, -remains undiminished. - -There are thousands of readers who do not care for magazines because -the stories in them, as a rule, are short and just about the time they -become interested in it, it ends and they are obliged to readjust their -thoughts to a set of entirely different characters. - -The S. & S. novel is long and complete and enables the reader to spend -many hours of thorough enjoyment without doing any mental gymnastics. -Our paper-covered books stand pre-eminent among up-to-date fiction. -Every day sees a new copyrighted title added to the S. & S. lines, each -one making them stronger, better and more invincible. - - - STREET & SMITH, Publishers - 79-89 SEVENTH AVENUE, NEW YORK CITY - - - - -_GREAT STORIES BY A GREAT AUTHOR_ - -_The New Fiction Series_ - -_Issued Quarterly_ :: :: _Price, Fifteen Cents_ - - -Letters of congratulation have been showered upon us from all over the -country by enthusiastic readers who say that had we not announced that -Mr. Cook wrote all of these stories, it would have been very difficult -to determine it. - -The reason is that Mr. Cook is a widely traveled man and has, -therefore, been enabled to lay the plot of one of his stories in the -“land of little rain,” another on the high seas, another in Spain and -Spanish America, and to write a railroad story that a reader of thirty -years’ experience decided must have been written by a veteran railroad -man. If stories of vigorous adventure are wanted, stories that are -drawn true to life and give that thrill which all really good fiction -ought to give, the books listed here are what you want. - - -_ALL TITLES ALWAYS IN PRINT_ - - NOTICE:--If these books are sent by mail, four cents must be added to - the price of each copy to cover postage. - - -_By WILLIAM WALLACE COOK_ - - 1--The Desert Argonaut. - 2--A Quarter to Four. - 3--Thorndyke, of the _Bonita_. - 4--A Round Trip to the Year 2000. - 5--The Gold Gleaners. - 6--The Spur of Necessity. - 7--The Mysterious Mission. - 8--The Goal of a Million. - 9--Marooned in 1492. - 10--Running the Signal. - 11--His Friend, the Enemy. - 12--In the Web. - 13--A Deep Sea Game. - 14--The Paymaster’s Special. - 15--Adrift in the Unknown. - 16--Jim Dexter, Cattleman. - 17--Juggling With Liberty. - 18--Back From Bedlam. - 19--A River Tangle. - 20--An Innocent Outlaw. - 21--Billionaire Pro Tem and the Trail of the Billy Doo. - 22--Rogers of Butte. - 23--In the Wake of the _Simitar_. - 24--His Audacious Highness. - 25--At Daggers Drawn. - 26--The Eighth Wonder. - -To Be Published During July. - - 27--The Catspaw. - -To Be Published During October. - - 28--The Cotton Bag. - -To Be Published During January. - - 29--Little Miss Vassar. - - - - -THE ROCKSPUR ELEVEN. - - - - -CHAPTER I. - -A BOY WITH A TEMPER. - - -Danny Chatterton came up the street whistling a merry tune, while Don -Scott lay under an apple-tree back of his father’s house, munching -an apple and scowling blackly, although the September afternoon was -pleasant and sunny enough to put any boy in an agreeable humor. Judging -by the sour expression on Don’s face one might never have fancied the -half-devoured apple in his hand was sweet. - -Spying the boy beneath the tree, Danny stopped, leaned on the fence, -and called: - -“Hullo, Scotty! What you dud-dud-dud-doing?” - -“Can’t you see?” growled the boy addressed. “I’m eating an apple.” - -“Dud-does it hu-hurt ye much?” grinned the cheerful lad at the fence. -“What do you eat it for if it makes you fur-fur-feel so bad?” - -Don’s answer to this bit of persiflage was a still blacker scowl and -sullen silence. Danny kicked the fence and whistled, a twinkle in his -eyes. - -“Say, gimme an apple,” he entreated. “You’ll mum-mum-mum-make yourself -sus-sick trying to eat the ho-ho-whole of ’em.” - -The boy under the tree picked up an apple and threw it viciously at the -sarcastic fellow outside the fence, who caught it with one hand, crying: - -“Judgment! Out! Gug-gug-great work!” - -Then he gave the apple a wipe on his jacket and took a trial bite out -of it, his manner being suspicious till he had tested it, upon which -his face betrayed satisfaction and he immediately took a still larger -bite. - -“Ji-ji-ji-jimminy!” he stuttered, speaking with his mouth full and -chewing and talking at the same time. “It’s sus-sus-sweet! I never -knew that was a sus-sweet apple tut-tut-tree, and I thought it must be -sus-sour or bub-bub-bitter from the way you looked. If I’d known----” - -“Better not come round here for apples after dark,” grimly warned Don. -“Pat sleeps over the kitchen, and his window looks right out onto this -orchard. He’s got a gun loaded with rock-salt, and he’d shoot just as -quick as he’d take a drink of water.” - -“If that’s the case,” grinned Danny, “judgin’ by the cuc-cuc-color -of his nose, there ain’t no great danger that he’ll ever dud-do any -sus-sus-sus-shooting. But say, ain’t you coming up to the field for -pup-pup-practice?” - -“No!” - -Don replied in such a short, savage manner that Chatterton paused with -his mouth stuffed full and stared. - -“Hey?” he exclaimed. “Wh-why not?” - -“Because I don’t want to.” - -“Well, that’s a gug-good reason, but it ain’t mum-mum-much of an -explanation. We cuc-cuc-can’t do our bub-best without the whole eleven, -and we’ve got to pup-put in some hot pup-practice if we expect to -cuc-cuc-cut any ice with them Ha-Highlanders next Saturday. Sterndale -will lul-look for every mum-man this afternoon.” - -“Let him look and be hanged!” snapped Don, sitting up and clasping -one knee with both hands. “He’ll find out there is one fellow who -won’t stand to be called a chump and a duffer by that cheap city dude, -Renwood.” - -Danny threw the apple-core backward over his shoulder. - -“But Renwood is our cuc-cuc-coach, you know,” he said. “He knows all -abub-bub-bub-about playing football.” - -“He says he does, but I don’t believe he knows half as much as he -pretends to, and I’ll bet he’s a great bluffer. Anyhow, he can’t shoot -off his mouth at me. What’s the matter with Sterndale? He’s captain, -but he permits this Renwood to run things. He makes me sick!” - -“So that’s what ails ye, is it? I knew it was sus-sus-something. You -gug-gug-gug-got mad because Renwood mum-made some talk to ye when you -fur-fur-fumbled his pass last night.” - -“I didn’t fumble it!” snarled Don. “He was to blame himself, for he -didn’t pass it right, and then he tried to lay it all on to me. I won’t -take that kind of talk from anybody, I don’t care who it is!” - -“Bub-bub-bub-but the rest of us have to tut-tut-take it,” chattered -Danny. “He even gave Sus-Sterndale a bub-bub-brushing up abub-bout his -kicking.” - -“And the more fools you for standing it! Just because he’s lived in -Boston and played football on Boston Common, he takes us for a lot of -chumps down here. No stuck-up city chap can lord it over me, and don’t -you forget it!” - -“But he’s our coach!” said Danny, again. “We don’t know much about -fuf-fuf-football, and he knows everything. Highland has a reg’ler -college player for a cuc-cuc-coach, you know.” - -“That’s all right. He doesn’t play with the Highlanders; he only -coaches them; and he knows his business. If we had such a fellow as -that----” - -“You’d get mum-mum-mad the first tut-time he tut-talked straight to ye. -You’re always gug-gug-gettin’ mad and sus-sulking so you sus-sus-spoil -everything you go into. That’s what’s the mum-mum-matter with you.” - -Don sprang to his feet, his face turning pale and his eyes gleaming. -With his hands clenched, he advanced toward the fence. - -“You better go along about your business, Chatterton!” he grated. “I -won’t take that kind of talk from you, either! You can run your old -football team without me, and you’re all a lot of soft-headed chumps to -let Renwood lord it over you. Now, don’t make any back talk to me! Go -on and tell them what I think of them.” - -Danny backed away from the fence and sidled off, as Don came forward -threateningly. - -“I don’t know but we’ll get along bub-bub-better without ye,” he -declared, with a taunting grin. “You’re always rah-rah-raising a -rah-rah-row.” - -Don had reached the fence, and, in a sudden burst of rage, he tore off -a broken picket and flung it after Danny, who skillfully dodged the -missile and then hastily scudded away, still laughing. - -“That’s right--run!” snarled Don, glaring after the little fellow. “If -I had hold of you, I’d make ye laugh out of the other corner of your -mouth!” - -He kicked the fence savagely, and then retreated to the apple-tree once -more, in anything but an agreeable humor. - -Pat, the Irish hostler and man about the place, came round to the front -of the house, leading Dr. Scott’s horse, attached to a light driving -carriage. The doctor, medicine-case in hand, appeared at the front -door; but, instead of descending the walk and entering the carriage at -once, he came down the steps and turned into the orchard back of the -house, where his son was still sulking under the sweet apple-tree. - -“My boy,” said the doctor, a gravely handsome man with iron-gray beard -and dark eyes, which now seemed strangely sad, “sitting there at my -window just now, I happened to overhear your conversation with that -other lad.” - -Don flushed a little, but continued to scowl, though he had risen to -his feet and was standing in a respectful attitude of attention before -his father. - -“I noted,” said the gentleman, “that you were in a very bad humor, and -your words told me why you were angry. I also observed that you flew -into an unreasonable passion at the close of your talk. Now I am not -going to lecture you, Don, but I wish to warn you. You must learn to -govern your temper, my son, or it will control you, to your sorrow and -everlasting regret.” - -“But, father, there are times when it’s impossible not to become -angry,” protested the boy. - -“Perhaps it may seem so, but every time a person gives way to a fit of -anger he weakens his self-control and makes himself less capable of -successfully coping with the trials and emergencies of life.” - -Don made a swift, impatient gesture. - -“I can’t help getting mad!” he cried. “It’s no use for me to try to -restrain my temper; I have tried, and I can’t do it.” - -“It shows how much your will-power is weakened already when you make -such a confession,” said the doctor, regretfully. “I once thought the -same about myself.” - -“You, father?” exclaimed the boy, in surprise. “Why, I never knew you -to lose your temper. I didn’t suppose----” - -“Because I was taught to control my passions at any cost, and a bitter -lesson it was, my son. When I have noted how quick and choleric you -are, I have sometimes been tempted to tell you the whole sad story, but -it is something of which I do not like to think or speak, and so I have -refrained. Perhaps I will do so some day; but, in the meantime, I urge -you, Don, to struggle with yourself to get the mastery of your temper -at any cost, which I sincerely hope may never bring to you such sorrow -as an act of mine, done in a moment of anger, brought upon me.” - -The doctor spoke with such earnestness that Don was greatly impressed, -and he immediately promised: - -“I’ll try, father--I’ll try, though I am afraid I cannot succeed.” - -“You can and must, my boy. Be sure you have my sympathy, for I know you -inherited your passionate temperament from me. Do not fear to come to -me for sympathy and encouragement any time.” - -With those words, the doctor turned away, leaving Don standing there -beneath the tree, watching him depart. The gentleman entered his -carriage, and, with a wave of one gloved hand to his son, drove away. -Don followed the retreating figure with his eyes till it disappeared -from view, and then he earnestly murmured: - -“It doesn’t seem possible that he ever could know what it is to be -really and truly angry, for he is the best and kindest father in the -whole world. For his sake I’ll do my best to control my temper--I’ll do -my best.” - - - - -CHAPTER II. - -ANOTHER BOY. - - -Don’s musings were broken in upon by a familiar voice, which cried: - -“Hello there, old man! What’s the matter with you--in a trance? Come -out of it!” - -Looking up, Don saw Leon Bentley stopping outside the fence. As usual, -Leon was smoking a cigarette. He was dressed in a padded football suit, -with his cap set rakishly over one ear, and his manner was that of one -possessed of unlimited conceit and an overwhelming sense of his own -importance. - -Don had never liked Bentley but his dislike had not been particularly -noticeable, for he was a fellow who, on account of his quick temper and -sulky moods, had few associates and no close companions among the boys -of the village. - -Bentley had a strong taste for flashy clothes and cheap jewelry, being -inclined to swagger and boast and use profane language, so it was not -strange that any thoroughly self-respecting boy in the village did not -care to be regarded as his intimate friend. - -At one time close friendship had seemed to exist between Leon and -Rob Linton, a lad whose bullying inclinations had caused him to be -disliked secretly by those who openly professed admiration and regard -for him; but even Linton, awakened at last to his own faults, sickened -of Bentley and fell to avoiding him as far as possible, which left Leon -casting about for another associate. - -Remembering the words of his father and his own resolution to try to -control his temper, even though Linton’s free-and-easy manner around -within him a feeling of resentment, Don held himself in check, nodded -shortly, and said: - -“Hello, Bentley. Going to practice?” - -“Sure thing,” returned Leon, airily. “Got to do it, I suppose, though -it’s a horrid bore. Fellow has to practice to keep in the swim and be -a real athlete; and he has to be an athlete nowadays, or take part in -athletic sports, at least, in order to stand any show with the girls. -If he isn’t right in it they’ll throw him down for some fellow who is, -even though that fellow may be as long, lank, awkward and clownish as -that duffer John Smith. Why, even a girl like Dora Deland, proud as -she is, has fallen to raving over him since he happened to turn out -something of a baseball pitcher. You must show your skill, old man, if -you hope to cut any figure with Zadia Renwood.” - -Bentley fell to laughing over his final words, as if he regarded them -as a good joke; but he stopped suddenly as he saw Don step quickly -toward the fence, scowling his fiercest. - -“Have a care with that tongue of yours, Bentley!” Scott almost snarled. -“Because I happen to be acquainted with Zadia Renwood does not give you -license to make cheap talk, and I won’t take it from you.” - -Leon whistled softly, and then hastened to declare: - -“I didn’t mean anything, Scott, so what’s the use to flare up and get -mad like that! You ought to take something for that temper of yours. At -the smallest spark you go off like a flash of powder.” - -Don paused, and his flushed face suddenly began to pale, for he -realised how soon he had flown into a passion after vowing to do his -best to control his temper, which filed him with shame and vexation -over his own weakness. - -With an effort, the boy cast out from his soul the anger that had -seized upon him, and he actually forced a faint smile to his face, -which made it seem rather handsome in a dark and cloudy way. - -“You’re right, Bentley,” he said; “I was a fool to become angry over -your careless words, but neither Zadia Renwood nor any other girl -is anything to me, for you know I dislike girls. They’re all silly -creatures.” - -“They may be silly, but they’re sweet,” Bentley grinned, in a manner -that was decidedly repulsive to the other boy. “I tell you, girls are -great inventions, and I know you’d like them, old man, if you’d just -overcome your foolish prejudice against them. And Zadia Renwood is a -peach, too! I’m sure she’s struck on you, and you only have to brace -up----” - -Don stopped the speaker with a gesture. - -“That will do, Bentley!” he exclaimed, harshly, holding himself in -check. “Even if I cared for girls, I’d steer clear of Dolph Renwood’s -sister.” - -“You don’t like him?” questioned Leon, pulling out a package of -cigarettes and selecting one, which he proceeded to roll gently between -the palms of his hands, all the while watching Don with a curious, -cunning look in his washed-out gray eyes. - -“I hate the cad!” broke out Scott; but he suddenly seemed to remember -his failing and got a firm hold on himself. “He puts on too many airs, -Bentley, and he makes a great bluff that he’s a football expert; but it -is my private opinion, which I am willing to express publicly, that he -doesn’t know the rudiments of the game.” - -“I think so, too,” eagerly nodded the lad outside the fence, as, with -his yellow-stained fingers, he nervously pulled a little of the filling -from one end of the paper wrapper. “And Sterndale is a fool to let that -city fop run things the way he does. Never knew Dick to be so soft -before, but I suppose we’ll have to stand it if we wish to play the -game. Come, it’s time we were on the field now.” - -Don hesitated. “I don’t think I’ll go,” he said, in an unsettled manner. - -“Oh, rats!” cried Leon, lighting the prepared cigarette from the -stub of the one he had finished, which he tossed aside. “Come along, -Scott, for you’re needed, and it’s your duty to play for the honor of -Rockspur.” - -“By your own words a few moments ago, you confessed that you are not -going into the game for any such reason, but simply to win admiration -from the girls. I do not believe any fellow who plays football for such -a reason can do his best and be of real value to the team.” - -A suggestion of color mounted to the sallow cheeks of the -cigarette-smoker, and he laughingly retorted: - -“That was talk, Scott; of course I’m going into the game to help the -home team win. We can’t afford to lose any good man, and so you’ll come -along with me. As for Renwood, we’re not the only ones who are sick -of his high-handed style of lording it over us, and we may be able to -bring about a change, if we go at it in the right manner. Get your suit -and come on.” - -Plainly undecided, Don leaned on the fence. - -“My suit is in the dressing-room under the grand-stand,” he said. “I -did make up my mind not to have anything more to do with the team as -long as Renwood was coaching----” - -“That was when you were mad, old man. Of course, I don’t blame you, but -don’t let your temper cause you to go back on your own town. Renwood -doesn’t really belong here, anyhow; he’s only just moved here since his -father, seeing that Rockspur is bound to become a famous summer resort, -has bought up the East Shore land as a speculation. I don’t believe in -letting such an outsider come in and run things. If you and I combine -against him, we can bring enough of the others to our way of thinking -to set him back into the place where he belongs.” - -Don did not fancy the idea of forming such an alliance with Bentley, -but he sought to justify it by telling himself that it was for the good -of the Rockspur football team, and that there was no harm in uniting -with Leon on such an issue. - -“I’ll not become friendly with him,” thought Don, “simply because we -both think the same way about this matter. A man is likely to find -it needful to have business relations with another whom he would not -accept as an associate, and this is purely a matter of business.” - -He was soon to learn that such relations are always to be avoided when -possible, and that, justly or unjustly, a man or a boy is judged by the -company he keeps. - -“Come on,” urged Leon. “We’ll talk it over on our way to the ground.” - -“When I was angry I declared I wouldn’t play on the team with Renwood,” -Don mentally said; “but it is my duty not to let my anger control me.” - -Then, vaulting over the fence, he joined Bentley, and they set off -together toward the football field. - - - - -CHAPTER III. - -THE FOOTBALL FIELD. - - -The Rockspur baseball ground, leveled and fenced through the energies -of Dick Sterndale, captain of the village nine, was also to serve as a -football field. Already Sterndale and Renwood, assisted by others who -were interested and enthusiastic, had measured and lined off the field -and erected the goal-posts at each end. - -The marked-off field was three hundred and thirty feet long and one -hundred and sixty feet in width. The measurements had been obtained by -the aid of a tape, and then lime-lines had been drawn with a marker to -indicate the actual field of play. Outside this field and inside the -fence was a varying amount of room. At one point the fence was only -eight feet from the boundary of the playing field, and this was the -smallest permissible amount of space. - -Having obtained the outer boundaries of the playing field, the tape was -run down the side-lines and wooden pegs were driven into the ground -exactly five yards apart. When the pegs were all down, the tape was -stretched across the field from a peg on one side to a corresponding -peg on the opposite side, and the lime marker was run over the tape, so -the field was marked off with twenty-one lines between the ends, or -twenty-three lines if the end lines were included. - -Then the fifth line out from the end, or the twenty-five yard line, -the point of kick-out, was made broader than the others, so it could -be plainly distinguished. This was done at both ends of the field, and -then the exact centre of the field, on the eleventh five-yard line, was -marked with a large round spot to indicate the place of kick-off. - -With this accomplished, the field was fully laid out, and the setting -of the goal-posts, the most difficult task of all, followed. Sterndale -selected four cedar posts which were long and straight and obtained two -cross-bars which satisfied him in every particular. The posts were cut -to a length of twenty-three feet, which gave an allowance of three feet -to be sunk into the ground, and the cross-bars were somewhat more than -nineteen feet long, as the posts were to be set exactly eighteen feet -and six inches apart, it being necessary for the cross-bars to over -lap, so that they might be securely spiked to the posts. - -In setting the posts, the tape was stretched across the end of the -field and the middle of the line marked, which was a distance of eighty -feet from either side. This done, with the middle mark as a starting -point, nine feet and three inches were measured off in opposite -direction along the line, the two points for the posts being thus -determined. Holes nearly three feet in depth were excavated at these -points and the posts erected in them, the ground being packed solidly -about them, causing them to stand securely without braces, which are -needless and dangerous, as a player might trip over them or be forced -upon them and injured. - -When Scott and Bentley reached the field they found all the members -of the newly-organized Rockspur Eleven were present, besides a number -of youthful spectators and a few who were anxious to be classed as -substitutes. - -A little at one side from the others, Dick Sterndale, the handsome, -manly-looking captain of the team, was essaying the drop-kick, coached -by the boy Don Scott disliked, Dolph Renwood. Renwood was rather -slender, although just now, in his padded football suit, he did not -look so, and he had sharp, blue eyes, which to the village boys often -seemed full of laughing scorn and contempt even while he spoke to them -in a most serious or friendly manner. It was those eyes which caused -the Rockspur lads to distrust Dolph for all of his apparent sincerity -and interest in their sports and pleasures; and those eyes had done not -a little to arouse the resentment of quick-tempered Don Scott, who bore -half-hidden ridicule with less grace than open contempt. - -The players’ bench used by the baseball team had been moved aside -to make room for the football field, but it stood back by the rail -in front of the bleachers, and Don walked toward it, passing close -to Sterndale and Renwood. Having seated himself on the bench beside -two small boys, he was able to overhear Renwood’s instructions to -the captain of the team, although he pretended to be giving them no -attention whatever. - -“There are three ways to make a drop-kick,” Dolph was explaining. “You -can’t do it any old way, Sterndale. In the first place, you must take -hold of the ball right.” - -“How’s that?” the big captain meekly asked. - -“You may hold it with one hand, like this, with the point toward the -goal, and drop it that way, taking a somewhat side-swinging kick; or -you may hold it precisely the same with both hands and drop it; or, -finally, you may hold it with both hands in this manner, pointing it -away from the goal. It must never be dropped flat or directly upon the -end. Now watch.” - -The “coach” dropped the ball and kicked it handsomely, sending it -sailing through the air in a long, graceful arc. It was pursued and -captured by some small boys, who had a scrimmage over it, out of which -one broke with it hugged under his arm and came running back toward -Dick and Dolph. - -“In kicking the ball,” Renwood went on, “you must hit it squarely with -the toe the very instant that it rises off the ground. Now let me see -you try it.” - -Sterndale took the ball from the panting youngster who brought it up, -held it with both hands as directed, and dropped it. In kicking he was -a trifle too quick, and the result was anything but satisfactory. - -“No, no!” exclaimed Renwood, impatiently. “Don’t kick it after it hits -the ground. Can’t you understand that? Your toe must hit it just the -instant it rises from the ground. Try to fix that in your head.” - -“Is that Sterndale?” Don Scott asked himself, in amazement. “Can it be -that he’ll let anybody talk to him in that tone of voice?” - -Dick was the acknowledged leader of the village boys and their accepted -commander in all things. As captain of the baseball nine, he had seemed -to know everything worth knowing about the game, and he had been -skillful in imparting his knowledge to others and in handling his men -to the very best advantage. When the Rockspur lads decided to organize -a regular football team for the first time, Sterndale was unanimously -chosen captain, although he confessed that he was almost unfamiliar -with the game. - -The boys regarded it as a piece of good fortune when Redwood offered to -coach them, claiming to have been a member of the Hyde Park A. A. C. -and to have played in a large number of football games in and around -Boston; but Scott and Bentley were not the only ones who had been -annoyed by the city lad’s supercilious ways and condescending airs, -although the others held their resentment in check, feeling that they -could not afford to antagonize Dolph as long as he was instructing them -in the arts of the game they wished to learn. - -Again Sterndale tried the drop-kick, and this time he was successful, -sending the pigskin sailing through the air in handsome style, so that -Renwood declared: - -“That was good. Try it again.” - -When the ball was returned, the captain made a still better kick, and -again received an expression of approval from the coach. - -“Now,” said Dolph, “all the members of the team seem to be here, so -I think we’d better get them together and put in some practice on -signals. They bungled things terribly last night. I think you’ll find -some of them are no earthly good.” - -As he said this, he turned and looked at Don Scott, who felt on the -instant that the words were meant for him, and a pang of anger shot -through his heart, causing his hands to clench savagely and his jaws to -harden. - -“We have the best fellows in the village on the eleven,” asserted -Sterndale, loyally. - -“Good fellows do not always make good football players,” said Dolph, -knowingly. “But get them together, and we’ll see if they can do any -better than they did last night.” - -Observing Don, Dick called: - -“Come on, Scott. Where’s your suit?” - -“Don’t need it,” returned the boy on the bench. “I’m not going to -practice.” - -“What?” exclaimed Dick, walking over. “Oh, come, that’s nonsense! You -aren’t sick, are you?” - -“Yes.” - -“Well, that’s different,” said the captain, quickly. “If you’re sick, I -don’t expect you to practice.” - -Don rose to his feet. - -“Yes, I’m sick,” he hoarsely declared. “I’m sick of that fellow Renwood -and his airs and insults. I’ve stood them just as long as I can. I know -he meant me when he said some of the men on the team were no earthly -good, and----” - -“I know you’re mistaken,” cut in Dick, quickly. “Now, wait a minute, -Don. It was only a short time ago that we thought of getting the team -together for practice, and he observed that you were not here, and that -Bentley had not arrived. He said we’d better wait, for, while we might -get along without Bent, we needed you in your position as half-back. -That was not all. He said that, whatever changes were made on the team, -he believed you had been given the right position and should be kept -there.” - -For a moment Don found himself at a loss for words, but he finally -muttered: - -“He didn’t mean it. It was just some of his sarcasm.” - -“I am sure it was nothing of the sort. He was in earnest.” - -“Then why did he make such talk to me last night? And why did he look -at me in such a way just now when he said some fellows on the team were -no earthly good?” - -“He didn’t talk to you any plainer than he does to any of the fellows. -They say professional coaches sometimes swear at the men they are -training and are as bad as slave-drivers. You must remember that he has -been coached by a professional on the team he played with in Boston, -and I suppose he considers that the proper way to talk to men. Now, -Don, old man, you know we can’t get along without you on the eleven -any more than we could have made the record we did if you hadn’t been -on the nine. I know you’re loyal to Rockspur, and you’re going to -help us down those Highlanders. Don’t mind the way Renwood gives his -instructions, but just get right into gear and show what you can do. -I’m depending on you, Scott.” - -Dick had a hand resting on Don’s shoulder while speaking, and there -was deep persuasion in his manner and the inflection of his voice. It -was this quality of inducing others to do as he desired that had made -Sterndale a leader. - -Don wavered a moment, the thought coming to him once more that he must -do his best to conquer his temper and that this was another occasion -for him to prove his self-control, whereupon he said: - -“All right, Sterndale; I’ll do it for you. But I can’t stand everything -from Renwood. I’ll get into a suit in a hurry.” - -Then he trotted off toward the dressing-room beneath the grand-stand, -while Dick, following him with his eyes, muttered: - -“Confound your surly temper! I’d like to tell you just what I think of -you, but it isn’t policy now, for we need you on the team.” - - - - -CHAPTER IV. - -DON LEAVES THE TEAM. - - -It did not take Don long to get into his football suit. Danny -Chatterton met him as he was coming from the dressing-room. - -“So you ch-ch-ch-changed your mind?” grinned the little fellow, winking -in a taunting manner. “Must have cuc-cuc-cooled off sus-some after I -left ye. Or was it Bub-Bentley gug-got you to come along? He-he’ll -make a real good ch-ch-chum for you! Tell you what, I’d rather be -fuf-friendly with a stuck-up city chap, as you cuc-cuc-call Renwood, -than to only have a ch-chum like Bub-Bentley.” - -“You mind your own business, Chatterton!” harshly advised Don. “I’m not -making a chum of anybody.” - -“Well, there’s a pup-pup-pup-pretty good reason for that,” returned the -aggravating little rascal, as he sidled away. “If you had a ch-chum, -you’d gug-get mad and eat him inside of th-th-three days.” - -Scott bit his lip, assailed by a sudden conviction. “That’s the reason -I’ve never had a real chum,” he thought. “It’s my temper. I have no one -but myself to blame, I suppose.” - -He was actually feeling humiliated and humble when he joined the -others, who were grouped about Renwood and Sterndale. Dolph and Dick -were talking over the code of signals and the simpler plays to be -learned. - -“Of course,” said Renwood, “when we become familiar with the common -and conventional plays, then we can study up new formations and new -moves in the game. Until we’ve seen just what kind of material we have -and what sort of a team it forms as a whole, we cannot decide upon our -general style of playing. If the men prove to be fast and light on -their feet, we’ll see what we can do in the way of running and surprise -plays. If they are not fast, but are dogged and heavy enough, we’ll see -what kind of a bucking team they’ll make. Or it is possible we may find -that we have a great kicking team. But, no matter what general style of -playing may be decided upon, after getting into a game it may be found -expedient to change to another style in order to best assail the weak -points of the opposing team.” - -This was plain, sensible talk, and the boys, with a single exception, -listened to it attentively. The exception was Roger Ford, a deaf-mute, -surely a peculiar fellow to have upon a football team. Ford, however, -was a real athlete, a great runner and wrestler, and a fellow of nerve, -so that, at his own solicitation, he had been given a place on the -eleven, Sterndale having decided to try him, for all of the fear that -his deafness might prove a serious detriment. - -“Mr. Sterndale, your captain,” continued Dolph, “has familiarized -himself with the signals and certain plays that we are to try -to-day. I presume the rest of you have studied the signal code, so -that you will know just what to do on every occasion. If you wish to -have the team succeed, you must always do your level best to obey -any signal given. The fellow who is looking for individual glory and -an opportunity to show off will prove to be a disadvantage and an -encumbrance to the eleven.” - -As he spoke these words his eyes seemed to rest meaningly on Leon -Bentley, whose thin lips curled and who turned away contemptuously. - -When Renwood had delivered this little lecture, Sterndale called for -the men to line up, which, with some confusion, they proceeded to do at -the centre of the field. The line-up was as follows: - - Sterndale, - F. B. - - Scott, Mayfair, - R. H. B. L. H. B. - - Renwood, - Q. B. - - Smith, Linton, Sprout, Chatterton, Ford, Bentley, Murphy, - R. E. R. T. R. G. Snap-back. L. G. L. T. L. E. - -Among those selected as possible substitutes was Thad Boland, the -laziest boy in town, who, in mockery of his habitual slowness of -movement, was generally called “Old Lighting.” Thad was a big fellow, -besides being wonderfully strong, and, could he be aroused to action, -it was thought he would prove a perfectly irresistible thunder-bolt in -the line; but only something of a most remarkable or alarming nature -could arouse Thad to display his dormant energies, although he enjoyed -watching others indulge in athletic games and contests, and was almost -invariably on hand when anything of the kind was going on. - -The best runners had been placed in the ends of the line. During -the baseball season which had just closed John Smith had shown to -his doubting companions that he was a fellow of courage, nerve and -coolness, and Sterndale had insisted on giving him a position of -prominence on the eleven. - -At John’s side was Rob Linton, his former enemy, now his enemy no -longer; while next came Jotham Sprout, nicknamed “Bubble,” who was -generally regarded as the weakest man in the line, although it was -hoped that his blundering might turn to the advantage of the team, as -often had been the case in games of baseball. - -Danny Chatterton had been placed at centre, where, on the signal, he -was to snap the ball back to Renwood, who would pass it according to -the pre-arranged plan. Danny was rather quick in his movements, and -Sterndale had been convinced that he would be the best man for the -position. - -On the left of Chatterton was the deaf-mute, Ford, who had been given a -position where the plays were nearly all of a simple nature. Bentley, -the cigarette-smoker, was left tackle, and Dennis Murphy, a gritty and -somewhat beligerant Irish youth, stood on the extreme left end. - -Taken all together, the material that composed the team was as good as -most small country towns could furnish. It remained to be demonstrated -what Sterndale and Renwood could make of the material. - -When every player was in position, the ball was placed on the ground -between Chatterton’s feet, and the crouching men waited for the signal. - -“I want you to form and run forward with the ball ten or fifteen feet, -just the same as if you were in a game,” said Dick, now taking command -of them. “Ready!” - -They crouched in anticipation, and then Dick quickly called off several -numbers, whereupon, with a skillful movement, Chatterton snapped the -ball into Renwood’s hand and he passed it to Mayfair, who started like -a flash, hugging it under one arm and plunging after the men who formed -in front of him and rushed forward as interferers. - -Jotham Sprout seemed rather bewildered, and, as a result, he blocked -Linton and fell over his own feet, while the others surged across his -body, giving him several knocks and kicks, which caused him to sit up -and howl. - -“Say, what in time do you fellers take me for? Ev’ry dinged one of you -kicked me or stepped on me! I bet a dollar my wish-bone is dislocated!” -he moaned, rubbing his fat stomach. - -“You’ll have to keep awake if you’re going to play this game,” sharply -declared Renwood. “Better try that over again, Captain Sterndale.” - -“Line up again,” ordered Dick. “Now mind your p’s and q’s. You’ll have -to start quicker, Bubble.” - -“I can’t start as quick as Chat,” confessed Jotham; “but it’s going to -take more to stop me when I get going.” - -When the men were lined up again, the signal was repeated and the play -was carried out in a far more satisfactory manner. Then the signal was -changed so the ball was passed to Scott for practically the same kind -of a play. - -It is possible that Don was nervous, for he fumbled the pass the very -first time, and the ball quite escaped from his clutch. This made him -so angry that he sprang after it and gave it a fierce kick. In a moment -Sterndale was at his side. - -“That won’t do, old man,” said Dick. “Any of us is liable to make a -fumble, so don’t----” - -“Mayfair didn’t!” panted Don, his face flushed and his eyes flashing. -“It wasn’t my fault! I don’t propose to be made a show of!” He gave -Renwood a savage look. - -“Steady!” warned Dick. “You don’t mean that.” - -“Yes, I do! It was the same way yesterday. Put another fellow in -Renwood’s place and I’ll guarantee to get the passes all right.” - -This was enough to arouse Dolph, who promptly said: - -“Don’t try to blame any one else for your own fault, Mr. Scott. I -passed you the ball in exactly the same manner that I passed it to -Mayfair. He took the pass cleanly.” - -“And by that you call me a fumbler, do you? All right! I knew what -would happen!” He took three steps toward Renwood. “I knew you meant -me when you said there were some men on the team who were no earthly -good,” he went on, his anger blazing forth unrestrained. “You don’t -like me, because I won’t bow down and let you walk on my neck. I’m not -one of the bowing kind, Mr. Renwood, and I’m just as good as you are, -if you have played football in Boston. You come down here with your -airs and expect to overawe us because we live in the country, but you -are nothing but a stuck-up----” - -Sterndale grasped with crushing force the arm of the angry and excited -speaker, and he sternly said: - -“Stop right where you are, Scott! You are making a spectacle of -yourself by letting your unreasonable anger run away with your -judgment. Renwood is our coach, accepted by unanimous consent, and as -such he has a right to instruct and criticize us. We should feel under -obligations to him for his kindness, and----” - -“His kindness!” snarled Don. “Bah! He has found an opportunity to show -off, and he’s making the most of it. It is my opinion that we might -do better without his instructions and without him on the team. If -we’ve got to have him, let him go up into the line and take his chance -with the others. He chose his own position, where he’ll always have -something important to do, yet where there is little danger of being -hurt, for he never runs with the ball and he’s not in the front with -the interference. I can see through him, if the rest of you do not.” - -He would have said more, but Dick stopped him again. - -“Not another word of this, Scott!” he cried. “You’ve lost your head -entirely, and you’d better----” - -“Oh, I’ll get out!” grated Scott. “Hands off me, Sterndale! You are not -my master! You can keep your city cad on the team, and I’ll leave! That -will settle it.” - -He tore himself from Sterndale and strode away. Renwood was angry now -and would have followed him, but the boys stopped him. - -“Let him go,” said the captain. “No one can reason with him when he -gets that way.” - -“I don’t want to reason with him,” muttered Dolph, who was pale round -his mouth; “I want to hit him!” - -But Dick used his influence, and Don was permitted to walk away, while -Thad Boland was called in to make up the eleven. Boland was given -Smith’s position on the end, Smith being brought back to the place made -vacant by Don. - -Sitting alone on the bleachers, Don Scott saw the boys line up again -and continue practice without him. He saw them try a number and variety -of plays from signals, and he heard Renwood give them instructions in -forming a wedge and in mass-play. He ground his white teeth together -as he watched them, and the hot fury within him seemed burning and -consuming his very heart. He noted that they seemed to get along -quite well without him, and it was plain that they were beginning to -understand some of the difficult strategy of the game, even if they -could not execute it rapidly. The formation for sending a runner -round the end was tried several times, and then the “criss-cross,” or -double-pass, was essayed until Smith and Mayfair, working together, -seemed to have obtained some skill at it. - -It was gall-and-wormwood for the fiery-tempered youth, who, having put -aside all desire to restrain and control his anger, now entertained -the most bitter and revengeful thoughts. He was angry toward Bentley, -too, for not speaking out and siding with him in his outburst against -Renwood. - -There was quite a gathering of spectators who watched the practice, but -Don noticed them very little, failing to observe that among them were -three girls who were much interested. - -At last the practice was over, Sterndale announcing that they had done -enough for one day. Then, as Renwood was giving them some instructions -about dieting and getting into good condition, Don leaped down from the -bleachers and strode out upon the field. When the group broke up, the -coach found himself face to face with the lad who had withdrawn from -the team. - -The rather handsome face of Don Scott was sullen and scowling, and -there seemed to be a gleam in his black eyes. - -“I have a few more words I want to say to you, Renwood!” he said, his -voice hoarse and unsteady. - -“And I have something I want to say to you!” Dolph flung back -instantly. “A fellow with such a beastly temper as you have isn’t fit -to play football, and the team will be better off without you.” - -With a cry, Don sprang forward and drew back his clenched fist, -intending to strike Renwood full in the face; but a pretty girl with -gold-brown eyes stepped between them, and he saw before him the sister -of the fellow he hated. - - - - -CHAPTER V. - -AN UNFORTUNATE COMPACT. - - -Don’s hand dropped instantly and he fell back a step, gasping and -trembling, startled and abashed. - -The slender left hand of the girl rested on the breast of her brother, -while her right was lifted with the open palm toward his angry enemy, -upon whom her eyes were turned with an appealing look in their -gold-flaked depths. - -“Don’t!” she said, shrinking a little before the clouded face of the -angry lad. - -“Zadia!” exclaimed Dolph. “This is no place for you!” - -She would not let him put her aside. “No, no!” she almost panted; “you -shall not fight! Please, Mr. Scott, don’t fight with Dolph! Promise me -you will not--for my sake.” - -Renwood flushed with shame, thinking the others might fancy he was -seeking protection from his enemy behind his sister’s skirts; and he -begged her to go away, but she remained firm. - -“I am sure it is all a mistake, and there is no reason why you should -be enemies,” she said. “Anyhow, you must not fight. You must promise -me, Dolph, that you will not fight with him.” - -“I can’t do it,” muttered Renwood. “If he’s bound to fight, I shall not -run away. He’ll get all he wants.” - -Immediately the girl turned appealingly to Don. - -“Then you must give me your promise,” she said. “Please do!” - -It was hard to resist such an appeal from such a source, and Don stood -there biting his lip, silent and uncertain. She stepped up to him -boldly, and placed her hands on both his arms, looking up into his -flushed face in supplication. - -“Please promise me!” she breathed. - -He drew a long breath. “All right,” he said, “I’ll promise; but don’t -ask any more of me--don’t expect anything more!” - -“Thank you.” - -“Oh, I don’t deserve any thanks! I shall take care to avoid your -brother, as the easiest way to keep from breaking my promise to you. -I--I’m sorry anything happened--for your sake.” - -His voice that had been harsh seemed to soften with the final words, -but he gave his head a toss as he turned away; and then, without -stopping or heeding anybody, he hurried from the field. - -“I suppose they’ll all say I’m to blame,” he muttered to himself, as he -walked swiftly past the academy and hastened down the hill. “I don’t -care if they do! I couldn’t stand it from that fellow, and that’s all -there is to it.” - -He had gone some distance before he noticed that he was wearing the -football suit and had left his own clothes in the dressing-room beneath -the grand-stand. When he made this discovery, he paused a moment, -tempted to go back at once. - -“No,” he finally said, shaking his head; “they’d be there, and some of -them would be changing their clothes. I don’t want to see any of the -fellows now--I don’t want to talk it over.” - -So he went on. - -Had he returned, he might have arrived at the gate in time to hear an -interesting bit of conversation between three girls. Zadia Renwood was -talking with the two companions who had accompanied her to the field, -Dora Deland and Agnes Mayfair. - -“I’m sorry,” said Agnes, with genuine sympathy expressed on her sweet -face and in her dark eyes. “I’m sorry your brother should have trouble -with any of the boys, Zadia, and I’m sure Don Scott will be sorry when -he gets over being angry.” - -“I’m not very sure about that, myself,” Dora laughed, with curling -lips. “He has a frightful temper, which he never tries to restrain, and -I think he’s just perfectly horrid. I can’t bear him. Of course he was -entirely to blame, and I think----” - -“Perhaps he was not wholly to blame,” interrupted Zadia, generously. -“Even though Dolph is my brother, I know he is not perfect.” - -“I think he’s perfectly splendid,” smiled Dora; “and I know Don Scott -must have been to blame, for he always is. So there!” - -“I shall tell Dolph that you were his champion.” - -“Oh, don’t--not for the world! But I don’t like Don Scott; I never did. -He scowls so, and he looks as if he’d bite anybody.” - -“Now,” said Zadia, with a little laugh, “if I were to confess the -truth, I’d tell you that I think him a handsome fellow--really and -truly I do! Ana he looks the handsomest when he is angry. I don’t -believe he’d be afraid of anything, and I’m sure he’d become a natural -leader if he could master his temper.” - -“Goodness, Zade!” cried Dora. “I really believe you are struck on him!” - -“Oh, no!” protested Dolph’s sister, though she flushed betrayingly. -“But I can’t help liking him, for some reason.” - -Little did Don dream how the sister of the lad he so disliked felt -toward him, and he was convinced in his heart that she must despise -him, which, although he would not confess it even to himself, made him -all the bitterer. - -Concealed by a thick hedge near his home, he saw the boys trooping down -the street from the football field, chatting and laughing. They seemed -to have forgotten about him, and he clenched his hands and ground his -heel into the ground as if crushing out a life beneath his foot. - -“They’re a lot of soft things!” he muttered. “Not one of them has a -mind of his own or any real spirit. I despise them all!” - -The three girls seemed to have found companions suited to their tastes, -for they had paired off with three of the boys. In advance were John -Smith and Agnes Mayfair, the tall lad looking rather awkward beside the -graceful, dark-eyed girl. Just behind them were Dolph Renwood and Dora -Deland, Dora seeming very well satisfied with her conquest, if conquest -it was. - -“They make a good pair,” declared Don to himself, with curling lips. -“She’s called the prettiest girl in the village, and it has spoiled -her, for she thinks every fellow who sees her is struck on her. She -has an idea that the village boys are not good enough for her, so she -always smiles on strangers. Just because Renwood comes from Boston she -has an idea that he’s a superior sort of person. Bah! He is welcome to -her, and she’s welcome to him.” - -Following Dolph and Dora were Dick Sterndale and Dolph’s sister. The -lips of the watching lad tightened and his brows lowered. - -“So she has taken up with Sterndale,” he whispered. “I expected she -would, for he has a way of getting round any girl; but she’s too good -for him, even if she is Renwood’s sister. If she’d ever heard him joke -about his mashes, as I have, she’d take care. She’d better keep away -from him if she values her good name.” - -For all that Dora Deland was the belle of the village, in Don’s eyes -she did not compare at all favorably with the city girl, who carried -herself with more grace and whose clothes had a certain something -about them that bespoke better taste. In fact, there was that marked -difference between the two girls that always distinguishes the -city-bred from those reared in the country. - -Dick’s hearty laugh rang out as his companion made some observation. - -“Yes, that is where he lives,” said the captain of the eleven, with a -motion toward Don’s home. - -The boy behind the hedge neared Dick’s words, and then Zadia said -something he did not hear, but Sterndale laughed again in his hearty -way. - -“Talking about me!” grated Don, his teeth clenched. “She is laughing, -too! I suppose she thinks I’m a common country fool! What do I care for -what she thinks!” - -Still he watched them as they passed onward down the tree-lined street, -and his heart was hot in his bosom. - -“Perhaps she’ll not think so much of herself after she’s been round -with Sterndale a while,” he muttered; “for just as sure as she lets -him hang round her she’ll discover people are talking. Everybody knows -Sterndale, and still it’s the strangest thing in the world that almost -any girl in the village would be glad to take up with him. He has a -way about him that makes them like him, no mater what he does; while -something about me makes folks dislike me, no matter what I do. It’s my -luck to be just as I am! I can’t help it! It’s no use for me to try!” - -His father drove up to the door, having just returned from his -afternoon calls; and Don took pains to keep out of sight while Dr. -Scott surrendered the horse and carriage to Pat and entered the house, -for he was in no mood to meet his father just then. - -When he was satisfied that all the boys had passed, he went round to -the back of the house and threw himself on the ground beneath the sweet -apple-tree, giving himself up entirely to bitter thoughts. - -He was mistaken, however, about all the boys having passed, for he had -not been reclining beneath the tree two minutes before Leon Bentley -appeared, slowly following the others. - -At sight of Bentley, Don sprang up, calling sharply: - -“Look here, Bent, I want to see you. Come over here, where we can talk.” - -Bentley crossed the street and vaulted the fence. The expression on his -sallow face was anything but pleasant. - -“Yes, and I want to see you, too,” he said, apparently paying no -attention to Don’s scowl of anger. “This is our chance to have a little -talk where no one will hear us.” - -“I want to know one thing,” said Don, “and that is if you meant what -you said to me here before we went up to the field to practice.” - -“Of course I meant anything I said,” declared Leon, flinging himself -in a comfortable position on the ground. “What are you driving at, old -man?” - -“You said you did not fancy Renwood’s style of lording it over us.” - -“Well, I’ll stand by that, you can bet your life!” - -“You spoke about combining against him.” - -“Don’t you think it about time to do something of the sort?” - -“And yet,” flared Don, “when he gave me a call-down on the field and we -had our little trouble, you never opened your head. You kept closed up, -like a clam, and it looked as if you sympathized with him. Why didn’t -you stand by me? Why didn’t you show your colors? What ailed you?” - -“Now don’t fly off the handle,” grinned Leon, producing a package -of cigarettes, “You need something to soothe your nerves. Have a -cigarette?” - -“No! I don’t smoke them.” - -“I know; but you’ll find them mighty soothing to the nerves, and you -need something of the sort. Try one.” - -“No; I don’t like the smell of them.” - -“You will after you smoke a few. They’re great, old man. Just try one, -now.” - -“I’m too mad to smoke or do anything else but fight. Take the things -away! Why don’t you answer my question?” - -Leon selected a cigarette and prepared it for lighting. Don found it -hard to restrain himself while the fellow was doing all this. When -Bentley had lighted the cigarette, he took a deep pull at it, inhaled -the smoke, and let it escape from his mouth in little puffs as he asked: - -“What was your question?” - -“I asked you why you didn’t show your colors and stand by me when I had -my quarrel with Renwood.” - -“I didn’t consider it policy just then, Don.” - -“But you saw I was all alone. Everybody seemed against me. If you had -put yourself openly on my side just then I’d appreciated it.” - -“Sometimes it is best not to be too open in such affairs. The matter -with you is that you’re too open in everything. If you hate a fellow, -you let him know it right off, so he’s prepared for any move you make -against him. Now, I don’t believe in that. If I hate a chap, I just -keep still till I get a good chance to soak him, and then I can take -him by surprise.” - -Leon said this with a foxy smile that was rather repulsive to the other. - -“No, I don’t fancy that way of doing things,” admitted Don, promptly. -“If I hate a fellow, I want him to know it. It’s a satisfaction to have -him know just what I think of him.” - -“And it puts him on his guard against you. That’s not my style. I’m -just as sore on Renwood as you are, but I felt that I might hit him -harder if I kept still. I’m onto him, and I know he’s down on me. He -wants to chuck me off the eleven, so I wasn’t going to play right into -his hands by siding openly with you and giving him a good excuse to -turn Sterndale against me.” - -“Confound Sterndale! I’m sick of him! He is letting this city cad -manage him.” - -“Of course he is, but he’d get hot in a minute if anybody told him so.” - -“What makes you think Renwood wants to get you off the eleven?” - -“Why, he’s been throwing out hints. He’s said there were some fellows -on the team who were no earthly good.” - -“I heard him say that!” grated Don; “and he meant me, too!” - -“He may have meant you for one, but I am the other.” - -“How do you know?” - -“Oh, I took pains to get near enough to overhear some things he was -saying to Sterndale after you left the field. They didn’t see me, but I -heard this sneak Renwood say outright that he thought the eleven could -be strengthened by filling my place with somebody else. I felt like -punching his head then and there, but I just kept still and didn’t let -anybody know what I had heard.” - -“I couldn’t have kept still.” - -“That’s where you’re foolish. He said I smoke too many cigarettes. Just -as if that had anything to do with my playing! What rot! And he even -declared that I lack nerve, so that I would weaken in a hard game.” - -At another time Don Scott might have realized that he had entertained -similar convictions regarding Leon, but just now he exclaimed: - -“And you never did a thing? Why, I’d walked out to him and showed him -if I lacked nerve!” - -“And got chucked off the team for your pains. But I’ll show him! I’m -going to stay on the team, and I’ll bet ten dollars Mr. Dolph Renwood -will get kicked off.” - -Don looked at his companion with new interest. - -“How do you propose to bring that about?” he asked. - -“Well, I don’t know just now, but I’ll do it. I have an idea that -Renwood doesn’t care a snap whether Rockspur beats Highland or not.” - -“Then, why is he coaching the team?” - -“Just to show off what he knows. I tell you, Don, if you and I stand -together, we can floor that fellow.” - -“But I’m out of it; I’m no longer on the team.” - -“I am, and I’ll report to you anything that may be of interest. I’m -going to lay some snares to trip Mr. Renwood, and I may need your help. -If I do, can I count on you?” - -“I don’t know,” was the doubtful answer. “It makes a difference what -you are going to do.” - -“I’ll let you know about that later,” said Bentley, rising. “I want you -to know that I’m your friend, and I sympathize with you in this affair. -We’ll stand by each other to the end. Here is my hand on it, Scott. -We’ll make a compact against Dolph Renwood, and we’ll throw him down, -too. Shake!” - -He held out his right hand, the first two fingers of which were stained -a sickly yellow. - -Don hesitated, something within him revolting against forming a compact -with a fellow so unscrupulous and crafty; but, for all that he would -not confess as much even to himself, he desired sympathy and friendship -from some one, and Leon seemed to be the only one to whom he could turn. - -“Come,” cried Bentley; “I’ll stick by you through thick and thin, old -man, and you will come out on top, too. You’ll find me the best friend -you ever had, Don.” - -The best friend! Never had he known what it was to have a real boy -friend, and now he felt that it would be churlish of him to refuse the -proffered friendship of this lad whose hand was extended to him in his -time of trouble. It was true there were many things about Leon that he -did not admire, but was there not about himself many things that almost -any other lad might dislike? In such a time as this he must not be too -particular. - -Don took Bentley’s hand, but something like a shiver ran over him when -he felt Leon’s cold fingers rest in his hot palm. On the instant he was -almost sorry that he had formed such a compact, but he fancied it was -too late to withdraw. The die was cast, and he could not retreat then. - - - - -CHAPTER VI. - -WORDS OF WISDOM. - - -When Bentley had departed, Don entered the house, intending to go -directly to his own room and change his clothes, after taking a bath. -He had reached the foot of the stairs when his father called to him -from his office, the door of which was standing open. - -Don paused, a sudden thought assailing him and giving him a shock. -He remembered now that his father had returned shortly before the -appearance of Leon and, without doubt, he had been in his office at the -time the two boys were forming their compact beneath the apple-tree. If -so, he had overheard all that passed between them, as, earlier in the -day, he overheard his son’s talk with Danny Chatterton, in which case -he must be aware that Don had given way to a burst of anger, for all of -the promise to try to restrain and govern his temper. - -But that was not all. Despite himself, Don could not help feeling that -there was something censurable, almost reprehensible, in his compact -with Leon Bentley, formed for the purpose of working injury to a lad -whom they hated. For this reason, his face flushed and he was seized by -a sudden dread of his father’s kindly yet searching eyes. - -“Don!” again called that voice. - -“Yes, father,” he answered. - -“Come here a minute. I wish to speak with you.” - -The boy felt like running away, but he summoned his courage and entered -the room which served Dr. Scott as an office. - -The gentleman was sitting at his desk close by the window, which was -screened and curtained. - -“Sit down,” said the doctor, motioning toward a chair. - -“I’ll stand, if you please, father,” said Don. “I am in my football -suit, which I wish to change as soon as possible, for I’m rather -sweaty.” - -“Then you changed your mind about not playing on the eleven? I’m glad -you did so, for I like to see my son interested in the honest and manly -sports which interest other boys of the village.” - -Don was silent. - -“Football is a rather vigorous game, to say the least,” smiled Dr. -Scott, gently. “Some say it is rough and brutal, but, if played -strictly according to the present rules, it is hardly brutal, and it -develops in the player alertness, decision, resolution and courage, -qualities of paramount value to every man who would rise in the world -above the common level of humanity.” - -But for the dread of what he anticipated was to follow, Don himself -might have smiled, thinking as he did how few fathers regarded thus -favorably the game in question. - -“I have taken pains to investigate this matter,” the doctor went on, -“for I have noted the outcry against football coming from various -quarters, and I wished to determine if it is a game suitable for my -son. Baseball meets my hearty approval, although a clean, healthy sport -like that may be carried to excess, and even amateur players should be -properly trained and hardened so that no evil effects may follow the -exertions of the game, which call for sharp runs, straining, jumping, -and so forth. In baseball it occasionally happens that a player is -severely or seriously injured, but the timid lad who avoids the game -because of this is pretty sure to lack courage to fight the battle of -life to a successful consummation.” - -The waiting lad wondered that his father should say all this, for it -had been understood between them that baseball was a game in which Don -might indulge to his full inclination, as long as he did not permit it -to interfere with his studies or other duties. - -“Having taken pains to investigate the records in regard to football,” -continued the doctor, “I have found that there are a large number of -accidents in connection with the game, but I have also found that these -accidents and injuries generally fall to the lot of the untrained and -unprepared. A race horse cannot be kept in running condition unless he -receives proper grooming, diet and exercise. Every day it must be ‘let -out’ for speed, but judgment must be used to work it up to a proper -condition for the great test of the race, when every nerve must be -strained in order to win. Almost any horse could be ruined by putting -it into a single race without proper training. Yet some young men are -foolish enough to fancy they can go into a game of football without -preparation and exert themselves with impunity to their very utmost, -running, kicking, pushing and tackling. Every boy or man who does such -a thing takes his life in his hands. If he is not killed, he stands -a good chance to be injured for life. And it is these unprepared and -foolish persons who receive the most of the injuries. Some lads should -never play football, being physically unfitted for such a game; but, -with proper training and preparation in all cases, I believe accidents -and injuries may be diminished one-half, at least. - -“Now, my son, I am telling you this because I have observed that you -are inclined to be careless. You are impulsive, and you would not -hesitate to take part in a match game of football utterly without -proper training and preparation. Not only that, but, having taken part -in practice that exerts you and covers your body with perspiration, -you are careless of your health. As soon as possible after leaving -the field, you should have removed your clothes, which were damp with -perspiration, taken a bath and a rub-down and donned dry clothes. -Instead of that, you lay down on the ground out there beneath that -apple-tree, where you spent considerable time talking to another boy.” - -“But, father,” said Don, seeking an excuse to get away, “you are -keeping me from my bath now.” - -“If you are to take cold this time, the injury is done already. I -chose to talk to you right now, while the matter was on my mind. Had -I put it off, I might have forgotten all about it. With proper care, -Don, there is little danger that you will take cold, even though you -exercise, practice and play football in any and all kinds of weather. -It is neglect after such efforts that works the injury. In the future -I wish you to be careful, just as I wish you to go ahead and take an -active interest in making the Rockspur Eleven a strong country team. If -possible, I shall take pains to witness one or two of the games, and I -hope to see you doing your level best on the team.” - -It was on Don’s lips to tell his father that he was no longer a member -of the Rockspur Eleven, but, seeing the doctor scrutinizing him closely -and realizing that he must make an explanation in regard to his -withdrawal from the team, which meant a full confession concerning his -loss of temper on the field, he hesitated and was silent. - -Apparently, Dr. Scott had paused to give his son a chance to speak if -he wished, and there was something like a look of disappointment on his -fine face when Don failed to say anything. At least, Don fancied that -his father looked disappointed. - -“In order to become a successful football player, Don,” said the -doctor, breaking his silence when he saw the boy did not intend -to speak, “you must receive instructions from those who know more -about the game than you do, and you must take pains to follow the -instructions as fully and faithfully as possible. A good soldier obeys -his commander implicitly, without question or rebellion. A good -football player should be as obedient as a good soldier. On the field, -in practice and in play, you must let yourself be governed by your -superiors, even though at times you find it necessity to hold yourself -hard to keep from rebelling or from doing things the way you, yourself, -fancy they should be done. No successful organization ever existed that -did not have a commander who was obeyed, and the best commanders are -those who have themselves learned well the lesson of exact and faithful -obedience. If you ever expect or hope to rule others, my son, first -learn the lesson of obedience and learn to rule your own disposition.” - -Don’s face was flushed now, for, although his father had not referred -to it directly, he felt that the open window had betrayed the exact -condition of affairs. The doctor had chosen this indirect method of -reproving his son for permitting himself to be ruled by his anger. - -“That’s all I have to say,” concluded Dr. Scott, “with the exception of -one thing: Shun evil companions. Better no friends than the friendship -of the bad and vicious. Any boy who seeks revenge on another in a -secret, underhand manner is vicious, and his companionship will prove -degrading. Now get your bath, my boy, and change your clothes.” - -Don was relieved to escape from his father’s presence, for his cheeks -were burning and his ears tingling. - - - - -CHAPTER VII. - -A BATTLE IN A HEART. - - -“Hang it!” muttered Don, when he was alone in his room; “I didn’t want -him to know. I’d have given anything rather than have him know, and I’m -sure he does know, from what he said at the end.” - -The bath-room was just outside his door, and he had started the water -running into the porcelain tub. In a savage manner he began to strip -off his football suit. - -“He won’t see me playing on the Rockspur Eleven this year,” he said, -harshly. “I’m done with that crowd, the whole of them!” - -This caused him to think of Leon Bentley and his compact with the -fellow, and he realized that he was not “done” with one member of the -village eleven, at least. - -“I rather father would have known about anything else!” he murmured, -his cheeks burning again. “I was a fool to have anything to do with -Bentley, and I’m beginning to think I’d better withdraw from that -compact, even though it is backing out of an agreement. I hate Renwood, -but I don’t care about getting revenge on him in a sneaking way.” - -He stripped off his damp underclothes and hung them up to dry, after -which he took a towel from a drawer in the dressing-case and started -for the bath-room, which he was able to reach with almost a single step -from his door. - -The water in the tub was cool, almost cold, but he plunged in without -hesitation. The bath was followed by an energetic rub-down with -the rough towel, bringing a glow to his entire body and giving him -a feeling of warmth, freshness and vigor. A mirror showed him a -handsomely-formed lad, like the figure of a youthful athlete cut from -pink marble. - -Don returned to his room and dressed, thinking all the while of his -father’s words, which had impressed him deeply. - -“It’s all right to talk about obeying one’s commander,” he said to -himself, “but Renwood is not my commander. Sterndale is manager and -captain of the eleven. Now, if it had been Sterndale----” - -He paused, assailed by the thought that, under aggravating -circumstances of a similar nature, he might have rebelled against -Sterndale. Besides that, in a certain sense, Renwood was his superior -on the eleven, having been accepted as the regular coach of the team. - -“Oh, of course I’m all to blame!” he half snarled, as he plunged into a -fresh shirt. “Everybody will say so, even my own father.” - -But he softened again, realizing that, even though his father must have -come to understand the truth from the conversation overheard outside -his window, he had not uttered a single word of open reproach. - -“At least,” whispered the boy, softly, “he is my friend, and I must try -hard to please him. He has done enough for me, so that I must do what I -can for him.” - -How few boys feel this way toward their fathers! The fact that Don -Scott could think such a thing at such a time proved his heart was -right, for all of his headstrong disposition and violent temper. - -In his soul Don knew he had been hasty in his actions, though he tried -to convince himself that he had done nothing wrong. However, esteeming -his father as he did, he felt that it was his duty to make a sacrifice, -even though it might be necessary to humble himself to a certain extent -in order to do so. - -“I’ll go to him and tell him everything,” he decided. “He will think -better of me if I do, for it is almost certain that he heard enough -of my talk with Bentley to let him know what has happened. As I kept -silent when he gave me an opportunity to tell him, he’ll think I did -not attempt to keep my promise to try to control my temper, and I’ll -seem like a sneak in seeking to hide the truth from him.” - -Any healthy-minded boy dreads being thought a “sneak,” and regards such -an appellation as almost the greatest possible slur that can be cast -upon him; so it was not strange that, imagining as he did, that his -father might think such a thing of him, Don should wish to set himself -right. - -“I’ll go straight to him as soon as I’m dressed,” he resolved, hastily -getting into his clothes. - -He stood before the glass and carefully knotted a dark-red four-in-hand -necktie, which was his favorite, having been presented to him by his -aunt, sister to his father, who was housekeeper in the Scott home, and -who had tried to be a mother to the doctor’s son since the death of -Mrs. Scott, which took place when Don was a little more than a year old. - -Having knotted the tie with care and thrust a small gold pin through -the knot, he buttoned on his cuffs, donned his coat and vest, and was -ready to go downstairs. - -At the door he paused, overcome for the moment by the thought of -facing his father and making the confession, and there he stood some -little time, forming in his mind the speech he would make. It required -considerable courage on his part to keep from backing out and giving up -his resolution then and there, but he would not permit himself to yield -to such weakness; and so, with renewed determination, he left his room -and lightly descended the carpeted stairs. - -At the door of his father’s office he paused, for the doctor was -standing in the waning light that came from the curtained window, -gazing earnestly upon a gold-framed miniature which he held in his -hand. The boy could not see his father’s face, but, having seen that -miniature before, he knew it was the picture of his dead mother. - -As Don halted in irresolution, a sigh and a half-smothered sob came -from his father, who raised the miniature to his lips, murmuring: - -“Mary, Mary, you forgave me at last, but I’ve never forgiven myself! -But for my act of anger I might have you with me now. Heaven grant his -temper may bring no such sorrow to our son!” - -As quietly as possible, Don stole away and sought his aunt, a rather -stout, pleasant-faced woman, who was getting supper on the table. - -“Goodness, Don!” she exclaimed pretending to be alarmed. “You came in -so still that you frightened me. It’s not your way to creep about like -that.” - -“I didn’t mean to frighten you, Aunt Ella,” he said. “I came to tell -you that I am going out.” - -“Not now? Why, it’s just supper time, and I’ll have everything ready in -a few minutes.” - -“I don’t want anything; I couldn’t eat.” - -“Land! land! What in the world is the matter with you? You’re a -healthy, growing boy, and you generally have an appetite.” - -“I haven’t any to-night, aunt. I couldn’t eat anything; it would choke -me!” - -“Something is the matter! Don, you’re sick!” She was alarmed in a -moment. “I’ll call your father.” - -“Don’t aunt,” interposed Don, stopping her. “I’m not sick--truly I’m -not.” - -“Then what ails ye?” - -“Nothing, only--I’ve lost my appetite. Perhaps if I go for a long walk, -the exercise may give me an appetite.” - -“Haven’t you had any exercise to-day? I saw the boys going to the ball -ground to play football. Didn’t you go?” - -“Yes.” - -“And still you say you haven’t any appetite! Now, I know there’s -something the matter with you. Won’t you tell your old aunt all about -it, Don? You know I’m interested, and----” - -“It’s nothing--noting at all!” declared the boy, somewhat impatiently. -“I just don’t want any supper, that’s all, and I want you to tell -father I’ve gone out for a walk.” - -“Don’t you think you ought to tell him yourself before you go?” - -“No; he’s busy now. I’ve just come from his office, but I didn’t go -in when I saw he was busy. You tell him, aunt. Perhaps I’ll have an -appetite when I come back. Now, that’s a good aunt! Don’t get any queer -notions into your head, for I’m all right, only I don’t feel like -eating.” - -He suddenly caught her in his arms and kissed her. Then he was gone, -leaving her standing there with clasped hands. She listened till the -sound of a closing door told her he had left the house. - -“Just like his father!” she murmured, softly. “Just as his father used -to be, but Lyman has changed greatly since he lost Mary. Will he never -forget?” - -Then she continued the preparations for supper. - -Don walked swiftly away from the house, fearing his aunt might -immediately tell his father, who would call him back. On reaching the -sidewalk, he paused for a moment, glancing down the street toward the -little square in the heart of the village. He saw two youths cross the -square, passing the little fountain. They were Sterndale and Renwood, -and he turned his back toward the square, hurrying up the hill. - -He was grasped by a feverish desire to be all alone and walk, walk, -walk; so he kept on up Academy Hill, passing the white building beneath -the trees. When he reached the fenced-about football field, he turned -to the right and took the road that led toward Wolf’s Head Point. - -He took off his hat to let the cool wind from the open sea fan his hot -forehead as he strode along. All the while his thoughts were busy, and -within his soul a battle was taking place. - -The point was reached. He passed the home of the light-keeper, but, -instead of approaching the light-house, which towered in a white column -on the extremity of the point, he turned to the left and mounted to the -ragged top of a mass of ledges, where he found a seat, with the rising -tide murmuring and swirling amid the crevices and crannies below him. - -Sunset’s after-glow glinted the waves, but afar on the bosom of the sea -lay a purple haze that seemed to blend with sea and sky and connect -both; and out of the purple sea-mist loomed a white-winged vessel, -headed for Rockspur Harbor, which it could not reach before darkness -fell. Away toward the ledges by the harbor mouth some gulls skimmed -the waves, uttering harsh and melancholy cries. Overhead a few vapory -clouds were tinted with pink and edged with burnished gold. - -Don gave little heed to his surroundings as he sat there in the ledge, -staring down at the restless water that ran green and foamy over the -broken rocks, but the expression on his mobile face indicated that the -battle within him was waxing fiercer. - -He had long known that the death of his mother had cast a great shadow -on his father’s life, but never till this day had he suspected that Dr. -Scott held himself in any respect responsible for the loss of his wife. - -Don had discovered that his mother’s miniature, painted on ivory, was -constantly carried near his father’s heart. More than once he had, -without being observed, seen his father gazing sadly and lovingly at -that picture; but on this last occasion the doctor’s murmured words, -unintended for his ears, had given him an inkling of the truth of the -great sorrow that had fallen upon his father. - -Some act of the doctor, done in a moment of anger, had, as he firmly -believed, hastened or brought about the death of his wife. For this -angry deed he had never forgiven himself, and now he was filled with -foreboding and distress because he saw his son had inherited his -ungovernable temper and because he feared the end to which it might -lead. - -“I have no right to cause my father so much pain,” thought Don, -self-reproachfully. “He’s always been kind to me. I--I don’t know about -my mother, for he never told me. I don’t suppose he could bring himself -to talk about it. I must do something to relieve him--something to -assure him that I am trying to govern my temper and master myself. But, -oh, it is hard to humble myself before that fellow Renwood! How can I -do it?” - -The struggle within him continued while the light died slowly in the -western sky, the pink and gold left the clouds dull and lead-colored, -and the blue haze deepened into darkness. - -“I’ll do it!” he finally exclaimed, rising to his feet. “For father’s -sake, I’ll go to Sterndale and say I’m sorry. I’ll even ask Renwood’s -pardon, if I must; but that will be worse than swallowing red-hot iron!” - -Darkness had fallen, but from the light-house on the point a light -shone forth to guide the belated vessel lost to view on the bosom of -the night-encompassed sea. - -In the heart of the boy another light glimmered weakly, seeking to -burst into a bright flame that should guide in the right course his -passion-shrouded soul. - - - - -CHAPTER VIII. - -IN THE CLUB-ROOM. - - -Nearly all the members of the newly-formed Rockspur Athletic Club, of -which Dick Sterndale was the president and ruling spirit, had gathered -in their recently-rented rooms in the loft of a two-story-and-a-half -wooden building next to the post-office. - -The upper floor of the building had been partitioned off into two -rooms for some purpose, one being a small and the other a large room. -The walls were ceiled up with plain boards, and the rafters of the -sloping roof remained unhidden from view; but to the village boys it -seemed an admirable place to meet their requirements for a gymnasium -and club-room, having been obtained for them through the energies of -Sterndale, who had organized the club and raised the needed funds. - -It had long been Sterndale’s ambition to form in Rockspur an amateur -athletic club and build a club-house that should be appointed to meet -the requirements of such an organization. It had seemed like a wild -and foolish dream, but still he clung to it; and now, for the first -time, he was revealing his desire in this line to his companions, who -listened attentively and with growing enthusiasm. - -“By jingoes! that’s great!” cried Jotham Sprout, when Dick had -finished. “I’d never thought of that myself. Fellers, let’s go ahead -and build that club-house.” - -“Yes, let’s!” grunted Thad Boland, who was lolling in a lazy position -on a wooden bench against the partition. “It won’t cost more than two -or three thousand dollars, and we’re all millionaires, so that’ll be a -mere nothing to us.” - -“I didn’t think about what it would cost,” admitted Bubble, with a -crestfallen air. “But of course it wouldn’t be as much as that.” - -“Such a club-house as Sterndale has been talking about would cost -twenty-five hundred dollars, at least,” put in Rob Linton. “It’s no use -to think of such a thing.” - -“Bub-bub-bub-but it’s a pup-pup-pup-perfectly lovely -dud-dud-dud-dream!” sighed Danny Chatterton, opening his eyes and -slowly looking around. “I just hu-hate to wake up.” - -“Go to sleep again,” advised Walter Mayfair. “You’ll never be missed.” - -“It’s a splendid plan,” came, with enthusiasm, from Dolph Renwood, who -was sitting on a rough table, the edge of which he was notching with -his jack-knife. “It’s a pity it can’t be carried out, and I’m not so -sure but it can be.” - -“HOW?” shouted all the others, as one person. - -“If we could get the leading citizens of the town interested, they -might contribute to a fund to----” - -“Contribute to your Aunt Hannah!” grunted Thad Boland, derisively. “I -don’t think you know much about the leading citizens of this town, Mr. -Renwood.” - -“But you must have some rich men who are public-spirited and can -afford to help along such a worthy move? Now, there is Mr. Tuttle, for -instance. They say he has dead loads of money.” - -“Old Tut-Tut-Tuttle!” exploded Chatterton, contemptuously. “Why, he -lul-lul-lul-let his own bub-bub-brother die on the pup-pup-poor-farm! -He’s mum-mean enough to sus-skin a louse for its hide and taller!” - -“Well, there is Eben Snood,” ventured Dolph. “He pretends to take great -interest in the welfare and advancement of the town.” - -“Snood is worse than Tuttle,” asserted Rob Linton. “Before he will let -go of a cent he’ll squeeze it so hard that it looks as if it had been -run over by a railroad train.” - -“I don’t think,” said Sterndale, “that we can expect any assistance -from the people of the village till we show that we are in earnest by -starting the fund ourselves.” - -“Hey?” gasped Old Lightning. “Well, I’ve got seven cents and a -fish-hook that I’ll contribute, if you’re going to take up a -collection.” - -“We’ll not begin by taking up a collection,” Dick declared. - -“Then hu-how can we begin?” asked Danny, earnestly. - -“By saving the money we take at the gate when we play football, -baseball, or anything of that sort; by getting up athletic contests -that will call out paying crowds to witness the sport; and by holding -a series of entertainments in the Town Hall this winter. In that way -we might be able to obtain the beginning of a fund that would in time -become large enough for us to accomplish our purpose and build a -club-house.” - -“It’s too long to wait, b’ys,” murmured Dennis Murphy. “Av we raised -the money thot way, we moight get it in toime to build an ould men’s -home fer some av us, an’ we’d be lucky at thot.” - -“That’s right,” nodded Leon Bentley. “I believe in getting some benefit -from the money as we receive it, and I’m in for using it up. I want to -spend my share.” - -“We haven’t heard from you, Smith,” said Sterndale, addressing a -grave-looking lad, who had been listening without speaking. “What do -you think?” - -“I think it is a great scheme, if it can be carried out,” answered John -Smith. “I believe we should talk this over and investigate it fully. It -does seem rather visionary now, but it may be practical.” - -“I tell you I don’t take any stock in it!” exclaimed Bentley, rather -pettishly. “We can’t hold an organization together long enough to carry -out the scheme. Why, just see how this Don Scott affair has broken -us up already. We don’t know where to get a good man to fill Scott’s -place. Something else may come up later, and the eleven and the club -may disband.” - -“Dud-don’t be forever cuc-cuc-croaking, Bent!” exclaimed Chatterton. -“You’re always expecting something bub-bad to happen.” - -Ford, the deaf-mute, was the only member of the party who had not -expressed an opinion of some sort. He sat there among them, looking on, -his eyes bright and keen, apparently enjoying their society, if not -their conversation. - -Renwood flipped his jack-knife, causing it to strike, point first and -stand up in the soft wood table. - -“If other men of the place would take an interest,” he said, “I believe -I could interest my father.” - -“By George! that’s a handsome knife, old man!” Bentley observed, -reaching over and taking it. “Pearl-handled and four-bladed. Got your -initials on the handle, too. I’d like to have a knife like that. How -much did it cost?” - -“I don’t know. Father gave it to me.” - -“Well, my old man wouldn’t think of giving me a knife like that. He -thinks any kind of an old toad-sticker is good enough for a boy.” - -Bentley seemed to regard the handsome knife with longing eyes, then he -placed it on the table again beside Dolph. - -“This Scott affair is unfortunate, to say the least,” admitted -Sterndale; “but I have no idea that it will cause the breaking up of -the eleven. He is only one man.” - -“Mr. Renwood seems to think there are other men on the team who had -better get off, or who will be fired off,” said Bentley. - -“How do you know I think so?” asked Dolph, quickly. - -“Why, haven’t you said as much?” - -“No. I may have said that some were not much good, but I said nothing -about their getting off or being fired off. If anybody is fired, it -will be his own fault.” - -“Of course it was nobody’s fault but Scott’s that he got off the team?” - -“Surely not. He’s a hot-headed fellow, and he needs to be kept in his -place. He’s had his own way all his life, and he’s spoiled. He insulted -me, the coach of the team, on the field, and I should have demanded -an apology if he had remained on the eleven. He made it plain that it -would be impossible for him and me to pull together on the same team, -and I’m sure we shall get along just as well without him.” - -There was a quick step outside the door, and Don Scott himself came -into the room. The lowering expression on his dark face told that he -had overheard Renwood’s words, and his flashing eyes indicated that -again he was aroused. Fixing his eyes on Dolph, he walked straight up -to the table on which the city lad was seated. - -“You are right, Renwood,” he said, in a voice that quivered from the -tensity of his feelings, “you and I could never pull together on the -same team. That is settled at last for all time, and I now give notice -that I will withdraw from both the eleven and this club. Just as long -as you are a member of either I shall stay out.” - -Don Scott had come there to say something entirely different, but -again that day his passions were aroused, as he had overheard Dolph’s -final speech. - -“I presume you are at liberty to withdraw if you like,” said Renwood. - -Don turned to the captain of the eleven. - -“You may choose between us, Sterndale!” he cried. “I belong in -Rockspur, I am one of the village fellows, and this chap is an -outsider. I don’t believe he really cares a rap whether Rockspur has a -winning team or not. He simply likes to show off what he knows, or what -he pretends to know. If he took a notion, I’ll bet he’d throw a game to -Highland in a minute, and I----” - -Renwood sprang down from the table and seemed on the point of striking -the insulting speaker; but, with a curl of his scornful lips, Don -folded his arms, saying: - -“Strike! You are safe, for you know I can’t hit you back, having -promised your sister that I would not fight with you. Strike!” - -Dolph’s fist fell at his side. - -“Take back your promise!” he panted. “I demand it! You have insulted -me, and you must give me satisfaction!” - -With a show of contempt, Don half-turned his back on the quivering city -youth. - -“I’ve had my say,” he declared. “You may take your time to think it -over, Sterndale.” - -Then he walked out of the room, and they heard him descend the stairs. - -For some moments all in the room seemed to remain motionless and -breathless. Dennis Murphy broke the silence. - -“D’yer moind now, thot b’y is a hot birrud!” he said. - -“I couldn’t hit him!” grated Dolph, still shaking. “He took refuge -behind his promise to my sister. But he’ll have to face me! I’ll force -him to do it!” - -Then came comments and remarks from all quarters, and it was some time -after Scott’s departure before the boys cooled down. As he resumed his -position on the table, Renwood discovered that his knife was missing. - -“What’s become of my knife?” he asked. “It was here on the table.” - -“Didn’t you put it into your pocket?” asked Bentley. - -Dolph shook his head. “No; I left it lying on the table. Scott came in -just a moment after you put it back there.” - -However, he felt through his pockets, but did not find it. Then the -boys searched for the knife, looking under the table and into all sorts -of corners. Again Renwood searched his pockets, turning them wrongside -out one by one, but with no better success than before. - -The knife was not found. - - - - -CHAPTER IX. - -A STRUGGLE IN THE DARK. - - -Straight from Wolf’s Head Point to the club-rooms Don Scott had come, -with a determination to have a talk with Sterndale, express his regret -at what had happened that day on the football field and apologize -to Renwood, if absolutely necessary. This he was resolved to do for -his father’s sake, not wishing to cause the doctor further worry and -distress on his account. - -By chance he had arrived at the club-room just in time to hear Renwood -denounce him as hot-headed and declare they could not both get along on -the eleven. - -Don left the place in no enviable frame of mind, at once turning his -face toward home. - -“It’s no use for me to try!” he muttered, furiously. “I can’t have -anything to do with that fellow, even for father’s sake. I did think I -would, though it was a bitter pill to swallow, but I give it up now. -To-morrow I’ll tell father everything, and I don’t see how he can blame -me very much.” - -When he reached home, he found his aunt had something on the table for -him to eat, and she urged him to sit down. The doctor had been called -out on a critical case, not a little to Don’s relief, for the boy -feared his father might question him. - -Don did not wish to eat anything even then, but his aunt was -persistent, and he sat down to please her. - -“What can be the matter with you, Don?” the good woman asked, watching -him closely. “You’re awful pale, and your hand shakes. I’m afraid -you’re going to be sick.” - -He forced a laugh, difficult though it was to do so, and did his best -to reassure her, though he could not fully allay her anxiety. It was -with no small difficulty that he compelled himself to eat anything, for -anger had robbed him entirely of his appetite. - -As soon as he could get away, he hurried up to his room, where he paced -the floor for a time, thinking unpleasant thoughts and muttering to -himself. - -“I said I was done with the whole of them,” he grated, “and now I’ll -stick by it. Of course I know Sterndale will stand by Renwood. Oh, -they’re a fine set!” - -He opened the closet door and dragged out his football suit. - -“This belongs to the club,” he said, “for it was paid for out of the -general funds. I won’t keep it another hour. My clothes are in the -dressing-room under the grand-stand, but I have a key to the lock. I’ll -take this old suit back and get my own clothes.” - -He made a bundle of the football suit, and, with it under his arm, -slipped downstairs and out of the house. - -Hurrying up the street, he climbed Academy Hill once more that day. The -night was quite dark, for the moon had not yet risen. It was rather -cool, too; but the boy minded this not, for his blood was running -swiftly in his body. - -Reaching the ball ground, he opened the gate and entered. With -noiseless steps, he advanced toward the grand-stand. As he approached -it, he suddenly stopped, fancying he heard a strange sound. After a -moment, however, he advanced to the door of the dressing-room. - -To his surprise, the door was standing wide open. He paused again, -wondering at this, for it was a rule to keep the door locked. - -“A piece of carelessness!” he thought. “Somebody ought to be shot for -it! Why, there’s plenty of stuff here that might be stolen. Somebody -might have taken my clothes.” - -He was startled by the thought. Perhaps somebody had been there and -carried away his clothes, leaving the door standing open. With a little -cry of dismay, he sprang into the dressing-room, intending to light a -match and look about. - -In the darkness he collided violently against a human form, which -caused him to reel backward. - -Some one was in the dressing-room! - -Don heard a smothered exclamation, and then the unknown attempted to -dart past him and escape by the open door. - -Quick as thought, Don dropped the football suit and clutched at the -unseen figure, crying: - -“Hold on! What are you doing in here?” - -He grasped the other, who made a desperate effort to jerk away, but Don -held fast, and directly a fearful struggle took place in the darkness -of the dressing-room. - -Finding that the sole object of the unknown seemed to be to break away -and escape, Don was convinced that the fellow had been doing something -crooked. - -“Let go!” was panted, in a hoarse tone of voice. - -“I guess not!” returned Don. “Just keep still, will you!” - -But the other would not keep still, and Don felt for his throat, -grating: - -“Then I’ll have to choke you till you do keep still!” - -But he could not secure the hold he desired, for his antagonist fought -him off. At last, getting a grasp about the fellow’s body, Don tripped -and threw him heavily, coming down upon him with crushing violence. - -Apparently the fall had stunned the unknown for the moment, at least, -as he lay quite still. Noting this, Don rose to his knees and felt in -his pockets for a match, which he intended to light. - -“We’ll soon see who you are, my fine fellow,” he thought, “and we’ll -learn what sort of a game you were playing all by your lonesome.” - -He was breathing heavily from his exertions and his hands shook -somewhat, for the encounter in the dark with a mysterious antagonist -had been decidedly trying to his nerves. - -To his great disappointment, he failed to find a match in his pockets. - -As he was wondering what he could do, the unknown made a sudden spring -and tried to fling him off. - -“No, you don’t!” hissed Don, again grappling with the fellow. “I’m not -done with you!” - -The struggle was resumed with greater fury than before, for the -mysterious visitor to the dressing-room seemed perfectly frantic in his -desire to break from Scott’s grasp and make his escape. They squirmed -and twisted and thrashed about on the floor, both panting heavily. - -Don’s fighting blood was aroused, as he had recovered from the startled -shock that assailed him when he discovered the intruder in the -dressing-room, and somehow he took almost a fierce joy in this savage -fight in the dark. - -At last he found a grip on the throat of the unknown, determined to -choke the fellow into submission; but then his antagonist struck out -heavily, hitting Don’s shoulder with something that caused a twinge of -pain and produced a ripping sound. - -Instantly Scott released the other’s throat and grasped his arm and -wrist, assailed by the conviction and fear that his foe was armed with -a dangerous weapon. Down to the hand of the unknown Don’s fingers -slipped, and there he found a knife securely clutched. - -Then he knew the fellow had struck at him with the knife, which he had -felt in his shoulder! - -Having made this alarming discovery, Don held fast to the hand that -gripped the knife, not daring to release it for a moment, as the fear -of being stabbed was on him. Up to the moment of finding the knife in -the hand of the unknown he had not fancied he was in deadly danger; but -now his blood was chilled by the horror of this struggle in the dark -with an antagonist desperate enough to use an open knife, and his every -energy was bent to the task of wresting the weapon from his foe. - -In the midst of this fearful struggle the active brain of the boy -pictured a tragic ending for himself. He fancied that his antagonist -would wrest his knife-hand free and strike again and again with the -keen blade, plunging it to the hilt each time, which must soon bring -an end to the struggle. The night would pass, morning come, and then -the searchers would find the dead lad there in the blood-bespattered -dressing-room. His father and his aunt would grieve, but he wondered -how many others would care. - -This grewsome fancy seemed to give him tremendous strength, for he -slowly forced the fingers of the other to unclasp from the handle of -the knife. Once his hand slipped and he felt the blade slash across his -fingers, but he did not pause to wonder how badly he was cut. Believing -he was now fighting for his life, he lost not a moment. - -At last, with a fierce wrench, he forced the knife from the hand of -the unknown; but, having bent all his energies in this direction, he -had given no attention to the task of holding his foe so he could not -escape. With a sudden twist, the fellow flung Don off, then scrambled -up. - -“Stop!” panted Don; but, giving no heed, the mysterious fellow darted -out through the open door and disappeared. - -As soon as possible Don sprang up and followed him. Outside the door, -he halted in the darkness, looking to the right and to the left, but -seeing nothing of his foe. - -“He’s run for the gate,” thought the boy, and he made a dash for the -exit from the field. - -As he reached the gate, he heard a scrambling and knocking sound -against the boards of the fence at the farther side of the field, -following which, for a single moment, he fancied he saw a dark figure -rise to the top of the fence, being dimly discernible against the -sky. An instant later the figure was gone, and Don knew his unknown -antagonist had made good his escape. - -But Don’s bleeding fingers held the knife he had wrested from his -mysterious foe. - - - - -CHAPTER X. - -THE TELL-TALE KNIFE. - - -Filled with wonder and speculation over his unexpected and thrilling -adventure, Don returned to the dressing-room where the desperate -encounter had taken place. The knife he had closed and slipped into his -pocket, and he wound a handkerchief around his cut and bleeding fingers. - -“I’d give something to know what this fellow was up to,” he muttered, -pausing outside the open door and shuddering as he thought of what -had lately taken place within that room. “He fought like the very Old -Scratch, but I don’t think he tried to strike me with the knife till I -got him down and choked him. Wish I had a match.” - -But another search through his pockets failed to bring forth the -article he desired, and so, not without a slight shiver and drawing -back, he again stepped into the darkness of the dressing-room. - -Knowing exactly where his clothes were hanging on a peg against the -wall, it was not difficult for him to find them. Having hurriedly -gathered them and flung them over his arm, he lost little time in -leaving the dressing-room, for he could not cast off the feeling that -he might again be attacked in the darkness of that place. - -Outside he paused long enough to close the door, which fastened with a -spring lock, after which he walked swiftly from the inclosure, shutting -the gate behind him. - -As he reached the road, he heard the sound of voices, causing him to -pause and listen, upon which he made the discovery that several persons -were approaching from the direction of the village. The voices sounded -natural, too, and he decided that, for some reason, a number of boys -were coming toward him. - -Not wishing to be seen by them, he hurried across the road and crouched -behind a clump of bushes, which, together with the darkness, completely -hid him from view. - -As the party approached, he recognized the voices and learned that it -was made up of Sterndale, Mayfair, Murphy and Chatterton. Listening to -their conversation, he heard Mayfair say: - -“You’re right about this thing, Sterndale, and it was a good thought -of yours, for we can take care of the stuff at the club-rooms now, and -everything will be safe.” - -“It’s mesilf that nivver left anything up here at all, at all,” -declared the voice of the Irish lad. - -“And he was so bub-bub-blamed mad over it that there’s no -tut-tut-telling wh-what he might do,” stuttered Chatterton. “I -ru-ruther think you’ve got a right to tut-try somebody else in his -pup-pup-pup-position, Sterndale.” - -“I’ve had my eye on Carter for some time,” the hidden lad plainly heard -the captain of the eleven declare. “He doesn’t mingle with our crowd -much, but he’s a strong, hearty fellow, and he may prove to be a good -man.” - -They passed on and proceeded straight to the gate of the fenced-in -grounds. A moment later the sound of their voices told they had entered -by the gate and were within the grounds, upon which Don rose from his -place of concealment, reached the road and hastened toward home. - -“They were talking about me!” he grated. “So they’re going to put -Harry Carter in my place! He’s a fellow who never seemed to take much -interest in baseball or anything else of the sort, yet they think he’ll -be as good a man as I am!” - -From the disconnected and incomplete bit of conversation that had -reached his ears, he reasoned that the boys must have been speaking of -him; but just why they were visiting the ball ground at that hour was -a question he could not answer. He had permitted all the suspicion, -selfishness and jealousy of his nature to be aroused, and he fancied -his erstwhile companions were ready to do anything to “spite” him. - -His nerves were far from steady, which was not at all strange, taking -into consideration the unexpected and violent struggle from which -he had recently emerged. The mystery of that encounter continued to -bewilder him, but he decided that the unknown must have been a common -thief who had entered the dressing-room for the purpose of securing -whatever plunder he could discover there. - -Under any condition, Don thanked his lucky stars that he had escaped -with his life, for the fellow had been fierce in his final efforts to -strike with the open knife, having found the athletic boy was more -than a master for him. Up to that time it appeared that his sole desire -was to break from Don’s grasp and escape; but, on being thrown down and -choked, he had used the knife. - -Don wondered when the unknown had drawn and opened the knife. It seemed -that the rascal had scarcely been given time to accomplish such an -action after Don’s entrance, for the boy had kept him busy, and he had -struggled madly to free himself and escape. - -“I believe he had that open knife in his hand when I came in on him,” -Don finally decided. - -So busy was he with his thoughts that he did not observe his -handkerchief had slipped from his wounded fingers. He was nearly home -when he made the discovery, finding his hand was wet and sticky with -blood. - -“Let the old handkerchief go,” he muttered. “I’ll find out how much I’m -cut.” - -He succeeded in entering the house quietly, and was hurrying up to his -room, when his father called to him: - -“Is that you, Don?” - -“Yes, sir,” he answered. - -“I thought you were in bed.” - -“I am just going to bed now, sir.” - -“Good-night, my boy.” - -“Good-night, father.” - -He did not wish to stand before his father again that day, for he felt -that he could not carry out his determination to make a confession of -the truth, and a discovery of his injury might lead Dr. Scott to ask -him unpleasant questions. - -In his room, he flung his clothes over the back of a chair, hurriedly -washed the blood from his hand, and examined his fingers, finding that -three of them had been cut, but not seriously. - -“I can attend to them myself,” he said, and he proceeded to do so, -taking from a drawer an old handkerchief, which he tore into strips to -bind about the bleeding digits. - -When this was done, Don took off his coat and discovered in the left -sleeve a long slit from the shoulder nearly to the elbow, made by the -knife of his antagonist that now lay in his pocket. - -This wound in his shoulder proved to be scarcely more than a scratch, -and he easily attended to that with some strips of plaster. - -“But he came near fixing that arm!” he exclaimed, picking up his coat -and looking at the slit in the sleeve. “Jupiter! Just see that! My best -coat, too! What can I tell Aunt Ella? It won’t do to tell her just how -it happened.” - -Happening to glance at a mirror, he found his face was very pale -and that he still showed signs of agitation. He also noted that his -handsome red necktie was gone, having, without doubt, been torn off in -the encounter. - -“I don’t want to lose that necktie,” he said. “I ought to go back, and -look for it.” - -But at that moment he heard his father close and lock the front door, -and he knew the house was being shut up for the night. - -“I’ll look for it in the morning,” he decided. “It isn’t likely I could -find it to-night, anyway.” - -Having flung himself down on an easy-chair, he fell to thinking the -entire adventure over from start to finish, it being of a nature to -take his mind for the time from his trouble with Renwood. When he -had reviewed it up to the moment when he concealed himself behind -the bushes on the approach of four members of the village eleven, he -speculated again over the cause of their visit to the football field -at that hour of the night. Then he remembered that Mayfair had spoken -of their being able to take care of some “stuff” at the club-rooms, -and all at once it dawned on him that they were proceeding to the -dressing-room under the grand-stand with the intention of removing to -the club-rooms the paraphernalia and suits of the football team. - -Then his face hardened, and he sprang to his feet as he thought of -Chatterton’s words. - -“So they had an idea that, because I was angry, I might do some sneaky -thing!” he snarled, his eyes flashing. “I wonder what they thought I’d -do? Did they fancy I’d steal the football and suits? That little cub, -Chatterton, said I was so mad there was no telling what I’d do! I’d -like to wring his neck!” - -The village stammerer might have been handled roughly had he been -within reach of Don Scott at that moment. - -“I’d like to know what cause any one has to think such things of me?” -the doctor’s son muttered, walking up and down the room with quick, -nervous strides. “Even if I have a temper, I’ve never played the sneak, -and no one has a right to even suspect that I’ll begin now!” - -For a time these outraged thoughts prevented his mind from reverting -again to the encounter with the unknown, but at length he came back -to that, and once more fell to wondering over the identity of his -mysterious antagonist. Then he thought of the captured knife, being -seized by a sudden hope that it might reveal to him what he wished to -know, or, at least, serve as a clew. - -In a moment the knife was in his hand. It was covered with blood, -and this Don proceeded to wash away, wiping the knife dry with a -handkerchief. - -“By Jupiter! it’s a beauty!” he exclaimed, regarding it with -admiration. “New, pearl-handled, four-bladed; don’t look as if it’d be -carried for a deadly weapon by a ruffian; looks more like a gentleman’s -knife. Hello! Here are the initials of the owner engraved on the plate -in the handle. What are they? ‘R. G. R.’ Now, what do they stand for?” - -He was silent for a moment, staring at the handsome knife that lay in -his uninjured hand. Of a sudden, he panted: - -“By my life, I have it! Those initials stand for Randolph Grant -Renwood, and this knife belongs to Dolph Renwood!” - -Then, seemingly bewildered by this startling discovery, he sat down and -continued to stare at the tell-tale knife. - - - - -CHAPTER XI. - -SIGNS OF GUILT. - - -It is stating the case tamely to say Don was bewildered, for that does -not at all express his state of mind. He was thunderstruck. Never till -the moment of the surprising discovery had he in any way connected his -desperate antagonist of the dressing-room with the lad whom he hated -with all the intensity of his passionate nature, and even now it did -not seem possible that the fellow who had fought him so furiously in -the darkness of that place could have been Renwood. - -“If it was he, what was he doing there?” was the question Don asked -himself. “He must have been up to something crooked, else he would not -have been so fierce to get away; but what it means is more than I can -conceive.” - -A long time the boy puzzled over the singular affair, without, however, -in the least satisfying himself concerning it. The knife that had -fallen into his possession in such a strange manner seemed to settle -the identity of his antagonist, but it did not betray Renwood’s reason -for secretly visiting the dressing-room under cover of darkness or -reveal why he had fought like a wolf to escape without being recognized. - -“Anyhow, he tried to stab me,” muttered Don. “Is it possible he went -there to steal my clothes? Perhaps he did, and it may be that he -recognized me, even though I didn’t recognize him. That may be why he -fought so and tried to stab me.” - -He was not satisfied with this explanation, and at last, tired of -speculating concerning it, he went to bed. After what he had passed -through, it was but natural that he should dream, nor was it strange -that his dreams were of sanguine encounters with the lad he so disliked. - -Don slept late the following morning, which was the Sabbath; but he was -aroused at last by his aunt outside his door, who told him he would -have to make haste in order to get ready for church. - -Of course, his first waking thoughts were of the unpleasant events of -the previous day and the startling adventure which had capped them all. -As he dressed the tell-tale knife lay on a table before him, and his -eyes often sought it, while his heart was filled with triumph because -he had, he fancied, wrested from his enemy’s hand this proof of his -identity. - -Don gave his aunt no cause to complain about his appetite that morning, -for he ate heartily; but there was a flush in his dark cheeks and -his manner was strangely preoccupied, showing that his thoughts were -wandering. However, he was thoughtful enough to keep his injured hand -in his lap, so it did not attract attention. - -The second bell was ringing when Don came down from his room to join -his father and aunt, who were waiting for him to accompany them to -church. - -“Hello, Don!” exclaimed the doctor. “You have forgotten to put on your -best coat. That one doesn’t match your suit.” - -Don was confused, for he had hoped his father or aunt would not notice -this, and he halted a bit as he said: - -“I think I’ll wear this coat to-day, father.” - -“Why should you? The other coat looks better.” - -“I know, but----” - -“But what?” - -“I--I--my other coat is--I can’t wear it to-day,” blundered the lad. - -“Can’t wear it? Why not? What is the matter?” - -“I--I’ve torn it,” declared Don, feeling his face burning. - -“Torn it? That’s too bad! How did it happen?” - -“I caught the sleeve on a nail,” fabricated the desperate lad, thus for -the first time in his life telling-his father an outright falsehood. - -“Oh, well,” smiled the doctor, thinking his son’s confusion rose -from his reluctance to confess that he had thus damaged his best -coat, “accidents will happen, my boy. We all meet such misfortunes -occasionally.” - -Don felt mean enough, and he regretted that he had thought of trying to -hide the truth from his father, even though telling it might have led -to a complete confession of his utter failure in the attempt to master -his temper. His outraged conscience troubled and tortured him till he -imagined guilt and shame must be written on his face so that all could -see it and understand. - -With this thought in his mind, he followed his father and aunt into the -church, his face flushed and his eyes downcast. As he was about to pass -through the second door, he distinctly heard these whispered words: - -“There he is! Look at him!” - -He lifted his eyes and saw a short distance away Dick Sterndale and -Dolph Renwood, both gazing straight at him. - -Scott’s face had been red before, but now there was such a rush of -blood to his head that it actually turned purple. Involuntarily, he -half lifted his wounded hand which had wrested the betraying knife from -his antagonist, but the bandaged fingers were hidden by a glove, which -he had succeeded in wearing, for all the difficulty in drawing it on. -Then he passed on into the church, but with the desire strong upon him -to confront and accuse his foe then and there. - -“He did it,” said Sterndale, grimly, when Don had vanished. “His face -gave him away.” - -“I don’t like to think it of him even now,” Renwood declared, in a low -tone. “I don’t like the fellow, but I didn’t think he’d stoop to such a -dirty trick.” - -“No more did I think so, but his nasty temper led him into it. He -betrayed his guilt plainly enough when he saw us.” - -“What’ll you do?” - -“Make him settle for the damage.” - -“If he refuses--what then?” - -“His father’ll have a chance to settle. Somebody must pay for last -night’s work.” - -Then they followed Don into the church. - -To the doctor’s son it seemed that the sermon was aimed directly at -him, and all through the discourse he sat with his cheeks alternately -flushing and paling, looking neither to the right nor left. The text, -taken from Revelations, was a body blow, causing the uncomfortable boy -to start when it fell on his ears: “All liars shall have their part -in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone.” The preacher was -relentless in his denunciation of hypocrites and liars, so that Don was -relieved to escape from the church when it was all over. - -When he found himself alone at home, he sought to salve his wounded -conscience and palliate his deception of his father by declaring to -himself that he was not to blame for a falsehood that had been forced -from him by such a combination of circumstances, and which he had told -in order to avert the pain and distress which the truth might bring -upon the doctor. The blame for this act he sought to shift upon his -enemy, who had driven him into such a strait. - -Not that Don had never before perpetrated a deception or uttered -anything savoring of untruth, for, like the average boy, he was not -perfect in this respect, but, up to this time, his intercourse with his -father, whom he held in such deep affection, had been absolutely honest -and truthful, for which reason the falsehood was like a poisoned arrow -rankling in a wound. - -“But I’ve got to keep it up, now that I’ve commenced it,” he told -himself. - -And thus it was that the first false step led to others, as almost -unfailingly happens. - -That afternoon Don sought to forget his troubles by reading, and for -the purpose he resorted to one of Trowbridge’s most thrilling books, -“Cudjo’s Cave.” Absorbed by the breathless flight of Penn, Virginia and -Cudjo through the burning forest, he failed for some time to hear the -whistled signal that came from beneath his window or the tiny pebbles -that clinked against the panes. - -At last, however, having reached the hair-raising climax of the -chapter, where the fear-crazed horse, bearing the unknown rider, -plunges crashing into the depths of the dark ravine, he paused to take -a long breath and heard both the whistle and the rattle against the -window. - -Looking out, he discovered Leon Bentley below. A moment later the -window was open and Leon was saying: - -“Just going to give it up. Thought you must be asleep or dead. Come -down.” - -“Come up,” invited Don. “Father is out and Aunt Ella is lying down. -I’ll let you in by the back door.” - -His resolution to break with Bentley was forgotten, and, for the first -time, he admitted the disreputable fellow to his home and his room. - - - - -CHAPTER XII. - -WHO DID IT? - - -“Say, this is comfortable,” remarked Leon, flinging himself upon the -easiest chair and elevating his polished russet shoes to the top of a -small table. “You’ve got a slick den here, though I don’t like your -pictures much, and I don’t see what you want of so many books. It’s -a bother to read books, and the pictures in my room are of the dead -game sort. Got ’em out of the sporting papers, you know. The walls are -pretty near covered by pictures of prize-fighters, fast trotters and -sporting men. Excuse me if I smoke. I’m dying for a whiff.” - -Without further words, he pulled out a package and selected a -cigarette, which he coolly prepared and lighted. He was returning the -package to his pocket, when Don held out a hand, saying: - -“I believe I’ll try one of those things just for fun.” - -Bentley let his feet fall from the top of the table to the floor, -stared a moment at his companion, then handed over the cigarettes, -laughing: - -“That came near knocking me out. You were so set against cigarettes -yesterday that----” - -“You fancied I’d never change my mind. There is an old saying, ‘it’s -only a fool who never changes his mind.’” - -Don lighted one of the cigarettes, while Leon watched him with a sly, -satisfied smile. - -“You may not like the first one very much,” said the inveterate smoker, -“but you’ll find they’ll grow on ye, and you will like them more and -more, till, after a while, you won’t want to get along without them. I -tell you they are great stuff.” - -With the lighting of that first cigarette, a reckless sensation of -indifference stole over Don, and he began to feel that, considering -the circumstances, he had not done anything worth worrying about in -deceiving his father and telling him a falsehood. In a few moments he -was telling himself that cigarettes truly were, as Leon had declared, -soothing to the nerves. - -“They’re not so bad,” admitted Don; “but I’ll have to give this room a -good airing, so aunt will not smell the smoke.” - -“And you better not smoke too much of the first one,” Leon warned, -craftily. “As you’re not used to ’em, it might make your head feel -queer. After a while, if you keep it up, you can smoke as many as you -like without noticing it at all. In fact, one or two will be just no -satisfaction; more of an aggravation.” - -“How long had you been outside?” asked the doctor’s son. - -“Ten minutes, anyhow. I wanted to have a talk with you. I’d come -over last night after leaving the club, but I thought you’d be abed. -I wanted to tell you about the nasty trick this fellow Renwood is -playing on me. I knew he had it in for me, and I tumbled in a minute -when Sterndale proposed giving Harry Carter a trial in the line. I -pinned him right down and asked him where he proposed trying Carter. -When he said right or left tackle I knew what that meant, for Linton is -solid as right tackle. If Carter shows up all right, I’m to be kicked -out, and Carter goes in as left tackle. Renwood is at the bottom of it, -the dirty cad!” - -His companion’s words brought a feeling of surprise to Don Scott, who -immediately recalled the broken bit of conversation he had overheard -the previous evening as he crouched behind some bushes directly after -leaving the football field. Hearing Sterndale speaking at that time of -giving Carter a trial on the eleven, he had felt certain the new man -was to be given the position made vacant by his resignation from the -team; but now Bentley’s statement seemed to cast a new light on the -captain’s intention. - -“Are you sure you’re right, Bent?” asked the doctor’s son, earnestly. -“Perhaps they’re not going to drop you; they may mean to give you -another position.” - -“Not on your life! When I tumbled to the game, I just demanded to know -what Sterndale meant to do, and I forced him to declare himself.” - -“How? What did he say?” - -“Why, he said he’d keep me if Carter did not prove to be a better man. -As if he thought I’d stand that!” - -“What did you do?” - -“I told him just what I thought about it. I gave him a piece of my -mind, and don’t you forget it! I told him I was done with his old -football team the moment he dropped me off to give Carter or any other -fellow a trial in my position. I tell you, I was mad! Then I got out -and left them to do anything they liked. Now that you’re not going on -the team, Scott, I don’t believe I care a rap about playing with that -gang.” - -Leon made this final declaration in a manner which seemed to indicate -that he regarded Don as his particular friend, for which reason, as Don -had been treated shabbily, he was more than willing to withdraw from -the eleven. - -As he crouched behind the bushes near the football field, Don had -heard Chatterton speak of somebody as being angry enough to do almost -anything, and the listening lad then fancied the stammerer was -referring to him; but now it seemed possible that quite another person -had been the subject of the remark. - -“I had a talk with Chatterton a while ago,” Leon went on, “and I -tried to pump him about Sterndale’s intention in regard to me, but he -pretended not to know what the fellow is going to do. But, say! he -told me something that pretty near took my wind. You can’t guess what -happened last night.” - -“I won’t try to guess. What did happen?” - -“Somebody went into the dressing-room under the grand-stand and raised -the dickens generally.” - -Don felt his heart give a great jump, but he tried to assume an -appearance of calmness as he asked: - -“Raised the dickens how? What did he do?” - -“You know some of the fellows left their suits there, and the football -was left there, too?” - -“Yes.” - -“Well, somebody went in there and took a knife and slit the suits into -ribbons and slashed the football all to pieces.” - -Don sprang to his feet with a cry, for Bentley’s words solved a mystery -that had puzzled him greatly, and now he knew why it was that the -fellow detected by him in the dressing-room had fought so fiercely to -escape without being recognized. - -Leon stared in surprise at his companion, whose face flushed and paled -and who seemed to be shaking with excitement. - -“Well, what’s the matter with you?” he asked. - -“Who did it?” panted Don. “Does Chatterton know? Who was sneak enough -to do such a trick?” - -“I asked Chat if he knew, and he winked and said they had found proofs -enough to hang the fellow who did the job.” - -“What kind of proof?” - -“He wouldn’t tell me. He said the chap must have cut himself, for there -was blood on the floor.” - -Don wondered if his visitor had observed his bandaged fingers; but, if -so, Leon made no sign. - -The doctor’s son walked to the window and looked out. Having opened the -window, he turned back, and there seemed to be a look of triumph on his -dark face. - -“Bentley,” he said, “have you a suspicion who did that job?” - -“Well, I’ve got a sneaking notion,” answered Leon, with a foxy smile, -as he lighted a fresh cigarette. - -“Whom do you suspect?” - -“I questioned Chatterton pretty closely,” declared Bentley, wagging his -head, “and I found out another fellow left the club-room directly after -I did. It is my opinion that he’s none too good to do such a trick, and -I’ll bet they’ll find it out.” - -“Whom do you mean?” - -“Somebody you and I love--I don’t think.” - -“Renwood?” - -“Sure thing.” - -To Bentley’s surprise, his companion sat down, a sudden look of doubt -and perplexity dawning on his face and growing swiftly. - -“What reason have you to think Renwood would do such a thing?” -questioned Don. “What could be his object?” - -“I’ve heard something to-day that’s given me an idea. Renwood is -acquainted with Winston, the Harvard man, who is coaching Highland.” - -“What of that?” - -“I’ve thought all the time that Renwood didn’t care a snap whether -Rockspur won or not, and now I’ll bet my life he’s working to have us -lose to them.” - -“But I fail to see his object,” declared Don. “Why should he want -Rockspur to lose?” - -“That may come out later. If he is a particular friend of this Winston, -he may be playing into Winston’s hands. Perhaps Winston wants to win a -reputation as a coach; perhaps he’s expecting to bet money on the game; -perhaps a lot of things. Anyhow, I’ll bet my pile that Renwood and -Winston have it put up between them to down Rockspur.” - -Don shook his head. A short time before he had been eager to believe -anything bad of Renwood; but, for all that, he was not satisfied with -Bentley’s explanation of Dolph’s reasons for invading the dressing-room -and destroying the football and suits. - -“I can’t see how such a trick would do him any good,” averred the -logical Don. “If he wants to make a lot of flub players out of the -Rockspur crowd, so they will lose the game, I should think he could -find a better way to carry out his purpose. To me it seems that the -destruction of the suits and football was a piece of petty spite, and, -much as I’d like to, I can’t see any reason for such spite on the part -of Renwood.” - -“Then you don’t think he did it?” asked Bentley, in a disappointed way. - -Don’s eyes fell on something that lay upon the table, half concealed -by a magazine, and he suddenly sprang to his feet once more, snatching -up this object and crying: - -“Yes, I believe he did the job, even though I can’t understand why, and -here in my hand is the proof against him!” - -He displayed the handsome knife he had wrested from his antagonist of -the previous night. - -At sight of that knife Leon Bentley gave a start and turned pale. - - - - -CHAPTER XIII. - -DON ACCUSES RENWOOD. - - -Don could scarcely fail to observe his companion’s strange agitation -and pallor. - -“Well, what’s the matter with you?” he exclaimed, wonderingly. - -“That knife!” gasped Leon. “Where did you get it?” - -He snatched it from Don’s hand and examined it closely, his fingers -trembling a little, while his whole manner betrayed both astonishment -and dismay. - -“Have you ever seen that knife before?” questioned the dark-haired boy. - -“I--I--why, I believe I have.” - -“When? Where?” - -“Why, I--er--saw it last night.” - -“You did? Where?” - -“In the club-room.” - -“Who had it?” cried Don, clutching Bentley fiercely by the shoulder. - -“Don’t!” begged the other lad, squirming and dropping his cigarette. -“Great Cæsar! you hurt! Your fingers feel like iron!” - -“Who had that knife?” Don again demanded. “If you saw it in the -club-room, you must have seen it in the possession of some one. Who had -it?” - -“Why, it--it’s Renwood’s knife.” - -“How do you know? Did you see it in his possession?” - -“Yes.” - -“Are you sure? Are you sure?” - -“Yes, I’m sure, for I took it from him and examined it before all the -other fellows. I told him I’d like to have a knife like that, and then -I passed it back to him, and he took it. All the fellows saw me give it -back to him,” Leon concluded, impressively. - -“That settles it!” grated the doctor’s son, his eyes flashing and his -face betraying triumphant satisfaction. “I’m glad they all saw this -knife in that fellow’s possession and that he claimed it as his own. -Even though I cannot understand his motive for doing the dirty job in -the dressing-room, there is no longer a doubt in my mind but he did it.” - -Bentley drew a long breath, looked wonderfully relieved, and a bit of -color returned to his sallow cheeks. Had Don Scott been watching his -visitor closely, he must have wondered somewhat at his manner. - -“But how that knife came into your possession is more than I can -understand,” said Leon, picking up his half-smoked cigarette and -looking at Don askance. - -Then Scott told him the whole story of his adventure in the -dressing-room the night before, and the other listened attentively, -but with his eyes downcast, at times gnawing at his lips in a nervous -manner. - -“That beats the world!” he muttered, when the story was finished. -“But I think it’s a mighty unlucky thing that you turned up there last -night, old man.” - -“Unlucky?” cried Don. “How is that? Didn’t I catch the fellow right in -the act?” - -“Yes; but it might have been better if you had not caught him.” - -“I don’t understand. How could it have been better?” - -“Well, he--er--perhaps he might have--left a--a clew--there in the -dressing-room,” faltered Leon, lamely. “He might have dropped the -knife, you know, and--er--forgotten it.” - -“Not at all likely! If I hadn’t come on him just as I did, he’d done -the job and got away without leaving a trace. No one could have sworn -who did it, and any one else might have been suspected. Why, they might -have suspected me!” - -“I don’t know but you’re right,” slowly admitted Bentley; “still, -something tells me it would have been better if you hadn’t run onto -him.” - -“Why, you’re daffy!” laughed Don, his eyes gleaming. “I have the -fellow--have him foul!” - -“What are you going to do?” - -“Why, I’m going to expose him! I’m going to show him up to the boys! -I’ll show them what sort of a chap they have as coach for the eleven.” - -“That’s all right,” said Bentley; “but what if they don’t believe your -story?” - -“They’ll have to believe it! Here’s the knife, and here are my -fingers, cut in the struggle with him. More than that,” he went on, -striding quickly to the clothes-press, “here is my coat, with a slit -from the shoulder to the elbow, just as he made it when he tried to -stab me.” - -He held up the coat, and the visitor regarded it with no small amount -of curiosity, whistling softly and observing: - -“By gracious! he did come near carving you up.” - -“I believe he knew me!” Don savagely declared. “He must have recognized -me.” - -“Oh, no! it was so dark in there that a fellow couldn’t recognize any -one--at least, you said it was,” Leon hastily added. - -“Still, I believe he knew me, and that was why he tried to cut me. I’ll -square the account with him! Wait till I show him up to-morrow!” - -“Well, I hope you succeed,” said Bentley, sincere in that wish, at -least. “I think I’ll be going. Your old man might come home, and I have -a notion he doesn’t like me.” - -Don did not object to the departure of his visitor, and, having lighted -another cigarette, Leon left, as he had entered, by the back door. - -Don could scarcely wait for the following day, so eager was he to -denounce Renwood. He pictured to himself the sensation his revelation -would create, and in his mind he saw his enemy an outcast, scorned and -taunted and shunned by the village lads. - -It was barely eight o’clock the following morning when Don passed the -fountain in the village square, being on his way to a grocery store to -take an order for his aunt before starting for school. As he came out -of the store, Dick Sterndale called to him from the opposite side of -the street: - -“Come over here, Scott, I want to see you.” - -“And you’re the very fellow I’m looking for,” said Don, promptly -crossing over. - -“I want you to come to the club-room for a short time, Scott,” the -captain of the eleven grimly declared, regarding Don in anything but a -pleasant manner. - -They climbed the stairs, Dick falling in behind. - -“He means to give me a call-down for my talk to Renwood,” thought the -boy in advance, feeling in his pocket for the captured knife. “I’ll -make him change his tune in a hurry.” - -Reaching the club-rooms, they found Mayfair and Chatterton there, both -of whom regarded Don coldly, not even nodding to him. - -“Well, what do you want of me, Sterndale?” demanded the dark-haired -lad, ignoring the others. - -“I have a few questions to ask you,” said Dick, ominously, closing the -door behind them; “and it’s best for you to tell the truth, too.” - -“I am not in the habit of lying!” flared the doctor’s son, his face -turning crimson; “and I won’t take an insinuation of the sort from you -or anybody else, Dick Sterndale! You want to be careful!” - -He was scowling fiercely, but the captain of the eleven, regardless of -his threatening manner, sharply asked: - -“Where did you go directly after leaving this room last night, Scott?” - -“I don’t know that it’s any of your business,” retorted Don, “but I -don’t mind telling you. I went home.” - -“Did you remain there?” - -A sudden sensation of danger assailed Don, and his eyes swiftly scanned -the faces of Sterndale and his companions. He discovered that he was -being regarded with cold scorn, and an intimation of their thoughts -fell upon him. - -“Look here, Sterndale,” he said, quickly, turning to the captain, “if -you have anything to say to me, just say it at once, without beating -round the bush. What are you driving at?” - -From behind the door the captain took down three football suits that -had been cut and slashed into ribbons, and he kicked out before Don the -remains of a football which had been destroyed in a similar manner. - -“Do you know anything about this job?” asked Dick, sternly and -accusingly. - -“Yes!” - -They were somewhat surprised by Don’s answer, and Chatterton whispered -to Mayfair: - -“Bub-bub-by Jinks! he’s gug-going to own up!” - -“Oh, you do?” exclaimed Sterndale. “Well, what do you know about it?” - -“I know who did it,” declared Don. - -“No doubt about that,” muttered Mayfair. - -“Who was it?” demanded Dick, watching Scott closely. - -Just then footsteps sounded outside and the door opened. - -“That fellow there!” rang out Don’s clear voice, as his finger was -pointed accusingly at Dolph Renwood, who stood in the doorway. - - - - -CHAPTER XIV. - -CHARGE AND COUNTERCHARGE. - - -Don’s bold accusation astounded those who heard it, for it was wholly -unexpected. Renwood seemed amazed, Mayfair and Chatterton sprang to -their feet, and Sterndale uttered an exclamation. - -“He’s the sneak who did the dirty work!” cried the doctor’s son. “He -can’t deny it! He slashed those suits and destroyed that football!” - -“You’re a liar!” retorted Dolph, quick as a flash. - -It was well that Sterndale was between them instantly, else Don might -have broken his promise to Renwood’s sister. Finding Dick there, he -restrained himself, laughed harshly and triumphantly, and said: - -“That’s all right; I can afford to take it off you just now. In short -order I’ll show you up as both a liar and a sneak. You followed me from -this room last night, and you can’t deny that.” - -“I don’t wish to deny it. What if I did?” said Dolph. - -“From here you went directly to the dressing-room under the -grand-stand, where you used your handsome pearl-handled knife to slash -these suits and cut up the football. Why you did such a low, sneaking -trick is more than I can understand, unless you were possessed by the -Old Boy himself.” - -Renwood laughed derisively. - -“You have more gall than any fellow I ever saw!” he declared. “I -compliment you on your nerve, Mr. Scott!” - -“How do you know he had such a thing as a pearl-handled knife?” asked -Sterndale. - -“That knife slashed the sleeve of my best coat from shoulder to elbow,” -answered Don. “That knife cut these fingers,” and he displayed his -bandaged digits. “That knife is in my possession!” - -With the final words, he took the knife from his pocket and held it up -before them all, causing every one of them to utter exclamations of -surprise. - -“Let him deny that it is his knife if he can!” challenged the -dark-haired lad. - -“I haven’t the least notion of denying it,” said Dolph, immediately. -“It is my knife, lost last Saturday night.” - -“Yes, lost in the struggle with me in the dressing-room, where I caught -you just after you had finished your dirty work of cutting up the -football and the suits. I left this suit of clothes I am wearing there -Saturday afternoon, and I went up for it that night, after I was here -in this room. I caught you there, and you fought like a fiend to escape -without being recognized. When I had you down and was choking you into -submission, you tried to stab me with the knife, and you did cut my -shoulder a bit, but I got hold of your hand and took the knife from -you. Here it is, and it is proof that you are the fellow I found in the -dressing-room.” - -Don seemed to fancy that he had fastened the deed on Renwood, and -his air was one of satisfied triumph; but he was surprised to observe -that Dolph showed neither confusion nor shame. Instead, the city youth -laughed again, saying: - -“That’s a very clever fairy story, Scott, but you can’t make anybody -believe it.” - -“Hardly,” agreed Mayfair. “It will not go down.” - -“Not mum-much!” scoffed Chatterton. - -“If you had not confessed being in the dressing-room Saturday night,” -said Sterndale, regarding Don with mingled anger and aversion, “we -had sufficient evidence to show you were there. We found this in the -dressing-room.” He held up to view Don’s favorite red necktie. - -“And this just outside the gate to the field,” put in Mayfair, -displaying a blood-stained handkerchief. “It has your monogram on it, -Scott.” - -“Both necktie and handkerchief are mine,” declared Don, without -hesitation. “The necktie was torn off in the struggle. I had the -handkerchief wrapped about my fingers, but lost it on the way home.” - -“Sus-sus-slick yarn,” commented Danny, while the others, with the -exception of Sterndale, smiled scornfully. - -Then, for the first time, Don realized that his words had fallen on -unbelieving ears and his attempt to expose the villainy of Renwood -was a complete failure. More than that, it was plain to him that -circumstantial evidence had convinced these fellows that he was the -dastardly sneak who had destroyed the football and ruined the suits. - -For a moment he turned pale; then all the fury of his fiery nature -burst forth, and he raved against them like a person bereft of reason. -His eyes glared and a white froth formed on his lips, while he shook -all over. It seemed that in his senseless rage he would attack them -all, but he did not. - -The boys were awed by the spectacle, though Sterndale remained grave -and firm, his face expressing no emotion. - -“Fools!” snarled Don. “You’re blind! Think I tore off my own necktie -and left it behind so you might know I’d been there? How do you suppose -I came into possession of that fellow’s knife unless I obtained it just -as I’ve stated?” - -“That was easy,” declared Renwood himself. “I had the knife Saturday -evening just before you entered this room, and I was sitting on that -table over there. The knife was beside me when you came in and walked -over to the table; when you left this room the knife was gone.” - -“That’s right,” nodded Mayfair. “We all hunted for it and couldn’t find -it.” - -“And now we nun-nun-know why we couldn’t fuf-fuf-find it,” asserted -Chatterton, wisely. - -“So you think I stole it?” grated the dark-eyed lad, showing his white -teeth. “All right, think so, if you like! What do I care! You’re a lot -of fools, and you’ll find it out before you are done with Renwood. As -for him, he had better look out for me! I know he did the sneaking work -Saturday night, and I will prove it against him so there will be no -way for him to squirm out of it! Anyhow, I’ll fix him, and you may bet -your lives on that!” - -Don flung the handsome pearl-handled knife on the floor and started -to walk from the room, Renwood having left the doorway free; but Dick -Sterndale blocked his passage, putting out a strong hand to stop him. - -“Wait, Scott,” said the captain of the eleven, grimly. “When are you -going to pay for that football and those suits?” - -The lips of the doctor’s son curled with scorn. - -“When?” he cried. “Never!” - -“Oh, yes, you will,” said Dick, quietly. - -“If I do, I hope I may drop dead the next instant!” panted Don. - -“If you do not,” warned the handsome fellow who blocked his path, “your -father will.” - -“What do you mean? You----” - -“If you refuse to pay, I shall go to your father, tell him the whole -story and demand payment from him.” - -Don caught his breath, and it seemed that he would assault the captain -then and there; but Sterndale showed no wavering nor alarm, and the -attack did not come. - -“Go ahead!” grated the dark-eyed lad. “Go to my father, if you like! -You can’t drive me that way to pay for damage I never did! I’ll die -before I’ll pay one cent!” - -It was plain enough that he meant it then, but Dick said: - -“Perhaps you will change your mind after you think it over. I’ll give -you till to-night. If you do not agree to pay by that time, I’ll call -on your father.” - -He stepped aside, and the suspected youth walked to the door, where -he turned for a last desperate fling at his accusers. His hands were -clenched, his face flushed and his teeth showing as he looked back over -his shoulder. - -“You’re a soft crowd!” he sneered, with curling lips. “If you were not, -you wouldn’t be ready to get down and crawl for a common city cad. -Because his father has some money and he is from Boston, you are ready -to take anything off him and believe any lie he tells. Oh, you make me -sick!” - -Then he went out. - - - - -CHAPTER XV. - -IN THE AUTUMN WOODS. - - -Don did not attend school that day, for he felt that he could not -study, and he wished to be alone. He set out toward the academy, it -is true, but kept on, paying no heed to the boys and girls who were -gathered in groups about the steps and grounds of the white school -building, passed the fenced-in football field, and struck off by a path -that led toward the picnic grove in the vicinity of High Bluff. - -The fields were showing brown in spots, while here and there a tree was -tinted with crimson and gold, the gorgeous banners of advancing autumn. -The sky was blue and cloudless, the air clear and still, transmitting -distant sounds with a softened distinctness that was agreeable to the -ear, while over all seemed to hang the delightful, dreamy languor that -is typical of this season in the country. - -Crickets were chirping merrily in the brown grass beside the path that -led the feet of the unhappy boy toward the picnic grove, but he heard -them not, for in his heart there was a tumult that drowned all other -sounds. From a farm-yard far across the unrippled harbor sounded the -crowing of a cock, mellowed by the distance, but the music of the sound -did not seem to reach Don’s ears. - -In the heart of the grove he found a mossy bed, upon which he threw -himself, giving way to the bitterest reflections. He lay there while -the forenoon slipped away. Squirrels chattered in various parts of the -grove. A mischievous-looking little chipmunk perched on a stub a few -feet away and stared at the reclining lad, observing in an inquiring -manner: “Kuk? Kuk? Kuk?” A bluejay lighted on a branch high above him, -cocked its tufted head to one side, and shrilly screamed: “Wake up! Get -up! Wake up! Come on!” Then, as the lad stirred, he shot away like a -blue arrow from a bow, wildly shrieking: “Phe-phay! Phe-phay!” - -These sights and sounds did not interrupt the tumultuous flow of the -boy’s thoughts, and he was not aroused till the whistles of the mills -far across the river told him that the noon hour had arrived. Then he -sprang to his feet and hurried from the grove, making great haste to -get back to the village. - -There was no one in the vicinity of the academy to observe him as he -reached it and scudded past, but he found his aunt “sputtering” when he -reached home. - -“Goodness sakes! where have you been?” she impatiently exclaimed. “The -other scholars went past twenty minutes ago, and I had dinner all ready -then. Everything will be stone-cold.” - -“I--I staid behind,” said Don. - -“What for?” she questioned, curiously. “Was it something about your -lessons that kept ye?” - -And he answered: “Yes.” Having taken the first step by deceiving -his father and telling him a falsehood, he was surprised to find how -readily this untruth came from his lips. - -The doctor ate dinner with them, but his mind seemed to be occupied, so -that he talked very little, which was decidedly to Don’s satisfaction. - -Leon Bentley was loitering past the house when Don came out, and he -called: - -“Hello, Scott, old man! Where were you this forenoon? Didn’t see you at -school.” - -“Shut up, you idiot!” hissed Don, hurrying down the steps and out to -the sidewalk. “What do you want to come round shouting like that for?” - -“Oh, ho!” grinned Leon. “I catch on! Don’t want your old man to know, -eh? Played hookey, did you?” - -“I didn’t feel like going to school to-day, and so I’m not going.” - -“Then you mean to stay out this afternoon?” - -“Yes.” - -“Well, say, I’m with you. Where’ll we go?” - -Don was not at all pleased, for he did not desire Leon’s company; but -that made no difference to Leon, and, discovering his companion was -determined to hang on like a leech, the doctor’s son said: - -“I’m going anywhere out of the village. I feel like getting off by -myself.” - -“Then, say, let’s go over into the Powder Mill Woods. I’ll get my rifle -and we can have some fun popping at squirrels and birds. We might -strike some partridges. What do you say?” - -“I’d as lief go there as anywhere, but I don’t care about tramping all -the way round by the road.” - -“We’ll get a boat down by Nutt’s Wharf and row over. Let’s turn round -and go back for my rifle.” - -“I’m not going back, for we’ll meet somebody on the way to the academy.” - -“Then I tell you what, you just go straight to the wharf, and I’ll be -along as soon as I can get that rifle. Will you do that? Will you go to -the wharf and wait for me there?” - -“Yes.” - -There was something about Don’s manner of saying this that made Leon -suspicious, and he quickly demanded: - -“Do you mean it? Will you really wait for me at the wharf?” - -Instantly the dark-eyed lad blazed forth: - -“What do you take me for? Do you think I’m a liar, same as all the -others think? Didn’t I say I’d be there?” - -“Yes, but I----” - -“Well, get your old rifle and come along! Hurry up about it, too!” - -“All right,” breathed Leon, hastily. “I’ll hustle, you bet.” - -He turned and ran down the street, while Don sullenly walked on, in -anything but a pleasant mood. At the first corner, he turned to the -left and made for the shore, considering himself lucky when he left -the main streets of the village without meeting any of the scholars -besides Bentley. - -When Leon reached Nutt’s Wharf, he found Don sitting on one of the old -spiles, gazing moodily down into the water that was eddying round the -barnacle-encrusted timbers. Hearing Bentley approaching, Don looked up, -a frown still on his face. - -“Well, where’s your rifle?” he asked. “Couldn’t you get it?” - -“Sure thing,” grinned Leon, unbuttoning his coat and displaying a small -rifle with a detachable stock. “I kept it out of sight by tucking it -under there. Just as well, for I ran into some of the fellows, and they -would have asked questions if they’d seen it.” - -“Now, where’s your boat?” demanded Scott. - -“We’ll take Jeff Tyler’s old dory. I know where he hides the oars.” - -“Did you ask Jeff for her?” - -“What’s the use of asking?” chuckled Bentley. “I’ve used her more than -once, and I never asked yet.” - -“Jeff might not like it if he knew.” - -“What do we care? He’ll never know, for he’s at work over in -Lobsterville. Come on.” - -Don followed Leon, who drew out the oars from their place of -concealment beneath some old timbers piled at one end of the wharf, and -then led the way round to the tagging, slimy steps that enabled them to -reach the dory. Don entered the boat first, Leon casting off the line -and springing in a moment later. - -“We’d better not pull straight across,” said the doctor’s son. “There -goes the academy bell. We might be seen, so let’s pull up the shore to -Duffy’s Nose and keep under the land till after school begins.” - -“All right,” said Leon. “Go ahead. I’ve got to take care of this rifle.” - -He made a pretense of disposing of the rifle, while Don took the oars -and rowed away up the shore. Bentley lighted a cigarette and found a -comfortable position in the stern of the dory. - -“This is great stuff,” he nodded, with satisfaction. “It’s a corking -day. A fellow’s a fool to mope away his time in school on such a day as -this. Say, you can’t guess what the fellows said about you because you -failed to show up this forenoon.” - -“I don’t give a continental what they said!” snapped Don. - -“They said you were afraid,” grinned Leon, exhaling a great breath of -thin, blue smoke. “You stirred up a dickens of a mess when you accused -Renwood of doing that job; but, say, didn’t he come back at you with -both feet! That must have jarred you some.” - -Don had stopped rowing, and his face showed how his companion’s words -had aroused him. - -“So they say I’m afraid?” he muttered, bitterly. “I didn’t think about -that. If I had thought---- But what do I care what they say!” - -“Of course you don’t care, old man. I’m your friend, and I’ll stick by -you. If the whole town says you did that trick, I’ll never believe it. -I know better.” - -Leon said this with such evident earnestness that the unfortunate youth -could not help feeling gratitude and showing it. - -“Thank you, Bent,” he said, his voice being a trifle husky despite -himself. “I’m glad to hear you say that, anyhow. I won’t forget it, -either.” - -“I don’t believe you are the kind to forget easily,” asserted the -crafty Leon. “It wouldn’t be like you to forget that I was the only one -to stand by you and believe in you when almost everybody turned against -you.” - -“No, I do not forget easily, and I’ll not forget Dolph Renwood! My turn -will come, and I’ll soak him when it does! I suppose they were saying -all manner of nasty things about me?” - -“Rather. They said you put up a big bluff, but Sterndale was sure you’d -come round and cave in before night.” - -“He never made a bigger mistake in his life.” - -“But he says he’s going to apply to your father for pay for the -football and suits if you don’t fork over. You don’t want him to do -that, do you?” - -“I don’t want him to, but I’ll never pay to keep him from doing it. -Not in a million years! If he thinks I will, he’ll find he’s awfully -mistaken.” - -Don was rowing again, and he pulled the boat up under the shelter of -the high promontory known as Duffy’s Nose, where they lingered till -they knew the afternoon session at the academy had begun. Then away -across the harbor the boat went, with Scott laboring at the oars and -Bentley lazily smoking in the stern. Into Crab Inlet they steered, -pulling up as far as the bridge across Powder Mill Creek. Having tied -the dory beneath the bridge, where it would remain hidden from view, -they set off on foot toward the Old Powder Mill. - -Leon put his rifle together and loaded it, having brought along a -supply of cartridges, and began to look round for something to shoot. - -“I wouldn’t mind taking a shot at a sheep or a cow, just for fun,” he -grinned. “It would be sport just to wing somebody’s old cow enough to -make her run and kick up.” - -“I fail to see where the fun would come in,” growled Don. - -At the Powder Mill Dam, where the water came rippling over in a shining -sheet, they lingered a while, and Bentley fired at a swimming fish, but -did not touch it. Don would have been content to remain there longer, -but his companion was eager to plunge into the woods and discover -something to shoot. - -The chatter of a squirrel caused Leon to hurry forward eagerly. They -came in sight of the squirrel after a time, a handsome fellow, with -a large, bushy tail, and Bentley began shooting, while Don looked -on. After Leon had fired four times, the squirrel scampered off and -disappeared, quite unharmed. - -“Well, I have my doubts about your being able to hit a cow unless you -put the muzzle of the rifle against her,” said Don. - -Leon flushed, chagrined at his ill success. - -“It’s a pretty good trick to hit a little object like a squirrel with -this kind of a rifle,” he declared. “I bet you can’t do it.” - -“I don’t see the fun in shooting squirrels, anyway,” retorted Don. - -“Oh, you don’t?” grinned Bentley, tauntingly. “That’s because you know -you can’t hit one. You don’t dare to try.” - -He continued to talk in this manner till they came upon another -squirrel, when he held out the rifle and invited Don to show what he -could do. - -“Get out!” retorted the dark-eyed lad. “I don’t want to shoot him. See -how handsome he looks, perched on that limb with his tail up over his -back.” - -Leon sneered and scoffed, persisting that Don did not wish to shoot -because he knew he could not hit the squirrel, till, with an angry -exclamation, the doctor’s son caught the rifle from his companion’s -hand, took careful aim and fired. - -From the limb an object dropped toward the ground, which it struck with -a sodden plump. - -“You got him!” shouted Leon. “Why, you’re a crackajack!” - -He ran forward, and Don followed slowly with the rifle, a strange look -on his face. There was a rustling beneath the tree, and Bentley made a -forward dive, crying: - -“Great smoke! he’s trying to get away! You broke his back!” - -The other boy stood still, his eyes following the crippled squirrel -that was trying to drag itself away to a place of concealment. Leon -headed off the wretched little creature and began poking it about with -a stick he had picked up. - -“Stop that!” snarled Don, springing at his companion, with his eyes -blazing. “Why don’t you kill him? Can’t you see he’s suffering?” - -Then he caught the stick from Leon’s hand and struck the squirrel -till the tiny animal lay motionless and dead at his feet. This done, -Don straightened up and stood staring down at the work of his hand, -his lips quivering queerly, while something seemed to swell up in his -throat and almost choke him. - -“Hoop-la!” shouted the other lad. “You’re a mighty hunter and a dead -shot, but I’ll bet you a quarter you miss the next one you shoot at.” - -“Take your old rifle!” palpitated Don, thrusting the weapon at Leon. “I -wouldn’t shoot at another one for fifty dollars!” - -“Why, it’s sport!” laughed Leon. “That’s what we came over here for.” - -“It’s not sport for me, and I didn’t come here for anything of the -kind. I’m going back to the dam.” - -“Not now? Why, we’re going to hunt through the woods for partridges.” - -“You may go where you like,” said Don, turning away. “When you get -ready to go home, you’ll find me down by the dam.” - -His thin lips curling, Leon stared after Don, who talked swiftly away. -Bentley scornfully muttered: - -“He’s got a soft spot about him, after all, or he’d not act that way -over a common squirrel.” - -Alone by the dam, Don lingered in the sunshine, listening to the -plashing water and the rustling whispers of the wind amid the trees. -His face, that had been hard and angry, was sad and shaded with sincere -regret. - - - - -CHAPTER XVI. - -TEMPTER AND TEMPTED. - - -“What kind of an excuse are you going to make for being absent from -school?” asked Leon, as they were pulling homeward across the harbor -late that afternoon. - -“I don’t know,” answered Don, shortly. - -“You’ll have to tell something.” - -“Yes.” - -“Why don’t you do same as I do?” - -“How is that?” - -“Why, I just write an excuse for myself and take it to old Alden. He -never knows the difference.” - -“I should think he could tell your writing.” - -“Not much! I imitate the old gent’s writing, and I bet it would fool -the old gent himself. Then I put his name to it, and everything is all -slick.” - -“I can’t do that,” said Don. - -“I might do it for yer, if I had a sample of your old man’s penmanship. -It would be dead easy.” - -“I wouldn’t like to do anything like that.” - -“It’s a blamed sight better than being pulled over the coals for -playing hookey, I tell you. Tell you what, I’ll come round this evening -and whistle out back of your house, and you can let me in, same as you -did yesterday. Then, if you want me to, and you can find something -your governor has written, I’ll fix you up an excuse.” - -“You needn’t bother yourself. I shan’t want anything of the kind.” - -“All right,” grinned Leon; “just as you say, old man. But don’t give me -away, so your dad will report that you were out with me.” - -“Don’t be afraid of that.” - -Down past Duffy’s Nose they slipped, creeping along the shore toward -Nutt’s Wharf, the oars clanking in the rowlocks. Seeing no one in the -vicinity of the wharf, they pulled up to the steps and made the dory -fast. - -“Bring the oars,” directed Leon, as, with the rifle buttoned under his -coat, he sprang out and started up the steps. - -“Come back and get the oars, if you want them,” came sharply from Don. -“I’ve done the rowing, and now you may take care of the old oars, or -they’ll stay in the boat.” - -Leon came back and took them as Scott passed them out, observing: - -“You’re in a jolly good temper! Any one ’d never suspect you’d been -playing hookey and having a good time.” - -“Well, I haven’t been having a good time,” muttered the doctor’s son, -as he followed his companion up the steps. - -He did not wait for Leon, but at once set off toward home. As he -reached the corner of Academy street, he met Sterndale, who was coming -down from the football field. - -“One moment, Scott,” said Dick, stopping him. “I want to know if you -mean to pony up for that football and those suits.” - -“If I do,” flared Don, his face flaming red, “I hope I’ll be struck by -lightning!” - -“You’d better,” threatened the captain, grimly, “if you don’t want me -to go to your father at once.” - -“Go to him, and be hanged! You can’t make me pay for damage I didn’t -do, Sterndale, and I didn’t do that piece of dirty work.” - -Dick’s eyes seemed trying to read his thoughts, as if they would probe -his very soul. With indignation, scorn and defiance in his look, Don -met his gaze squarely. - -“All right, Scott,” said the big fellow, after a few moments. “I did -hope you would be reasonable, and you’ll have no one but yourself to -blame if your father learns everything.” - -Not a word in return for these did Don deign to speak, but again went -onward toward home, leaving Sterndale staring after him in mingled -anger and perplexity. - -It was not necessary for Don to make excuses for arriving home late, -as he was in time for supper. He found his father in a particularly -agreeable humor, and he was forced to simulate good nature himself, -although it was a difficult and repugnant task. - -“Well, my boy,” said the doctor, sipping his tea, “how have things gone -with you to-day?” - -“Pretty well,” was the somewhat hesitating answer. - -“He had to stay behind at noon on account of his studies,” put in Don’s -aunt. “That’s what made dinner late. I’m afraid he’s studying too hard, -Lyman.” - -“Nonsense,” laughed Dr. Scott. “He likes outdoor sports too well to let -study do him any damage. He’s one of the shining lights of the great -Rockspur football team, and I expect he’ll make a record to be proud of -when the eleven meets Highland.” - -Don’s eyes were fastened on his plate, and he felt his face beginning -to burn. - -“They do say that football is an awful game, Lyman,” anxiously said -Aunt Ella. “And I’ve read in the papers about how many players get hurt -at it every year. Now, if Don should be killed----” - -“There is not much danger of that,” assured the doctor, still laughing. -“He is training regularly, and he will be in good condition for the -game. A boy who studies hard in school should be permitted to balance -it up by good, healthy sport out of school, and there is seldom any -danger that he will hurt himself.” - -“But it was different when we were young--it was different then,” -sighed the good woman, pouring another cup of tea. “Times have changed, -Lyman.” - -“I think so,” nodded Don’s father, “for the better. Don didn’t miss a -day at school last term, and, unless he is ill, I do not expect him -to miss a day this term. Now, a lad who sticks to his studies like -that deserves to be indulged in his ambitions for athletic games that -will build up his body and strengthen him physically. If I find an -opportunity, I shall attend the first football game in Rockspur, and so -encourage the eleven by my presence.” - -Don was feeling decidedly mean and wretched when he left the table. -Once during the conversation he had sought to summon courage to confess -about remaining out of school that day, but the talk flowed on and his -resolution weakened. The opportunity passed; after that he could not -bring himself to bluntly declare the truth. - -“Anyhow, he’ll find out about it soon enough,” thought the miserable -lad. “Sterndale will come round and give the whole thing away.” - -But the evening passed on and Sterndale did not appear. In his room, -after darkness had fallen, Don tried to read; but he found Henty dull, -Optic tame, Alger insipid, and not even that master of all writers for -youth, Trowbridge, could hold his attention and chain his restless mind. - -At last he heard a sound that caused him to start up. It was a soft, -peculiar whistle beneath his window, and he knew Bentley had arrived. - -For some moments Don stood irresolute, then, as the whistle was -repeated, he slipped down the back stairs and admitted Leon to the -house. - -“Well,” said the visitor, bringing out cigarettes the moment they were -in Don’s room and the door was closed, “you’re dead lucky, old man, and -don’t you forget it.” - -“Lucky?” sneered the doctor’s son, derisively. “Well, I’d like to know -how! I think I’m just about the unluckiest fellow on the face of the -earth.” - -“I don’t suppose you know anything about it,” said Leon, having struck -a match and lighted a cigarette, “but Sterndale’s wilted.” - -“Wilted? In what way?” - -“He’s backed down; he ain’t going to tackle your old man to make him -pay for the football and suits.” - -“How do you know?” gasped Don, in astonishment. - -“Got it straight from Chatterton. I can always pump him. He says -Sterndale talked it over with the fellows. Most of them wanted to carry -the thing through, but Dick said no, and he agreed to pay the damage -himself. You know, he always has his own way, and so that settled it.” - -Don drew a deep breath and sat down, feeling that some of the load had -been lifted from his shoulders. - -“Have a smoke,” invited Leon, grinning. “It will soothe you.” - -Don took a cigarette and lighted it. - -For a long time the boys sat and chatted in low tones. Don told how his -father fancied he was still on the eleven, and how he had failed to -confess about playing hookey. - -“I don’t know how you’re going to keep the old man from finding out -you’re not on the eleven,” said Leon, “but he needn’t know that you -hooked away from school. All you have to do is to get me some paper and -a sample of his writing. I’ll fix it. Just let me show you what I can -do. You don’t have to carry the excuse if you don’t want to, you know.” - -So Don went softly down the carpeted front stairs, discovered his -father was not in his office, slipped in and took an old letter and -some paper from the open desk, and scudded noiselessly back to the room -where his tempter was smoking his fifth cigarette. - -“Well, this is all right,” chuckled Bentley, as he prepared to write -at Don’s desk. “You’ve brought some of the doctor’s letter paper, with -his name and office hours printed at the top. Why, with that, and this -letter to copy from, I can write an excuse that would fool the greatest -handwriting expert in the country. I’ll have to practice a little and -get on to the style of your dad’s chirography.” - -The doctor’s son watched Leon imitating the formation of the letters -and the general style of Dr. Scott’s handwriting, and then, after a -while, saw the visitor slowly and carefully write out on one of the -sheets of letter paper an excuse for Don’s absence from school signing -it with the doctor’s name. - -“There,” said the youthful rascal, surveying with great pride his -handiwork. “I rather think that will do. Bad headache, stomach out of -order, feverish symptoms, thought it best to let you remain away from -school. Isn’t that a bird, old man?” - -“It’s very clever,” admitted Don, “but you had better take care what -you do in this line. Your skill in imitating the writing of other -persons may get you into trouble some day.” - -“Get out! I’m not a fool! Take that to old Alden to-morrow, and he’ll -accept it without a word. That’ll keep your old gent from finding out -anything now, and something may prevent him from taking in any of the -games, so he won’t know you’re not on the eleven. It’s best not to hurt -his feelings by telling him everything. I reckon I’d better be skipping -out.” - -When Leon was gone, Don picked up the forged excuse and looked it over -critically. - -“It would fool me, that’s certain,” he muttered. “The imitation of -father’s writing is perfect. But I can’t carry this to Professor Alden.” - -He took hold of it, as if intending to tear it up, but hesitated, -paused, wavered, then laid it down on the desk. - -The following day, he took it to school and gave it to the professor. - - - - -CHAPTER XVII. - -THE TACKLING MACHINE. - - -Even without a football, Renwood succeeded in getting some profitable -practice out of the eleven. Early on Monday morning he went to -a certain carpenter’s shop in the village and placed before the -proprietor the plan of a somewhat novel arrangement, consisting of two -upright timbers, with guy-ropes and pullies and running lines. - -“It’s rather out of my line to make anything of the sort,” said the -carpenter; “but I guess I can do it if I can git Enos Berry, the -sail-maker, to help me. He knows more about splicin’ ropes and riggin’ -up tackle than anybody round here. If I had anything else to do, I -wouldn’t touch it, but I’ll see what can be done.” - -“I want it all done by to-night,” said Dolph. “We must have it -to-night, and it must be set up on the field.” - -“Well, I don’t agree to have anything to do with your dummy and weight.” - -“I have those over home, and I’ll send for father to have them brought -here. I’ll come in at noon and see how you’re getting along. By that -time I ought to be able to show you just how to fix it so it will work.” - -At noon he visited the shop and found the two men had progressed in -a most satisfactory way with the work, although they were a trifle -foggy in regard to the manner in which the machine was operated. Dolph -carefully and fully explained this to them, and gave them some final -instructions, departing in high spirits. - -But, to his disappointment, when school was over that afternoon, -instead of finding the arrangement set up on the football field, as -he had hoped it would be, it was not completed, another complication -having arisen. So Renwood was not on hand when the boys gathered after -supper for such practice as they could obtain without a ball, and -Sterndale was obliged to do what he could unaided by the coach. This -sort of work was very unsatisfactory, and after a time the boys gave it -up and left the field, all of them wondering what had become of Dolph. - -The field had not been deserted long when Renwood appeared upon it, -accompanied by the men he had employed, and there they labored till -nearly dark. - -Almost all the members of the eleven were in the club-rooms when -Renwood appeared there. - -“Come on, fellows!” he cried. “I have something to show you.” - -“Where?” demanded several. - -“What is it?” asked others. - -“You’ll all find out if you follow me,” answered the coach, -mysteriously. - -“Is it fur?” yawned Thad Boland, wearily. - -“No, it isn’t fur that I’m going to show you,” laughed Renwood. “What -are you looking for--a bearskin coat?” - -“I mean is it fur off,” explained Old Lightning. “’Cause I’m too tired -to walk fur.” - -“You’re alwus tired,” asserted Jotham Sprout. “You was born that way.” - -“Don’t try to be funny, Bubble,” advised Thad; “for when you try to be, -you ain’t funny at all. Sometimes, when you don’t mean to be, you’re -really funny.” - -“Well, are you coming?” demanded Renwood. “If you want to see it -to-night you’ll have to hustle, or it will be too dark.” - -“What is it?” was again asked. - -“Something worth seeing,” was his mysterious assertion, which aroused -their curiosity, and he soon had them following him down the stairs, -even Old Lightning lumbering along grumblingly and wearily in the rear. - -Straight to the field he led them, persistently refusing to enlighten -them on the way. - -“You’ll find out what it is when you see it,” he said. - -On the way they picked up Danny Chatterton, who had been talking with -Leon Bentley. - -“Bent is sore as bub-bub-blazes,” declared Danny. “He says -Sus-Sterndale’s gettin’ to be an old wo-woman, for he lets -somebub-bub-body else ru-run the eleven and ch-changes his mind about -mum-making Scott’s father pup-pup-pup-pay for the fuf-football and -suits. He sus-says he’d ha-ha-had to pay if he’d done it, and he -thinks Sus-Sterndale ought to bub-bub-back up his threat to gug-go to -Scott’s fuf-father.” - -“I wouldn’t have too much to say to that fellow, Chat,” advised Dick. -“You’ll be just as well off if you keep away from him.” - -When the football field was reached, Renwood led them through the gate. -It was already quite dark, and rapidly getting darker. - -“Look there!” he said, with an outward fling of his arm. - -They looked, and what they saw caused some of them to utter -exclamations of astonishment, not unmingled with alarm. Before their -eyes, dimly seen through the gloom, something dangled in the air. And -that something very much resembled a human being, hung by the neck, -with its feet lifted just clear of the ground! - -“Jupiter!” exclaimed Rob Linton. - -“Pwhat is it, Oi dunno?” gasped Dennis Murphy. - -“A mum-mum-mum-man!” fluttered Chatterton. “Hu-hung up by the nun-neck! -Oh, gug-ginger!” His teeth began to chatter and he backed away. - -“It does look like a man,” admitted Water Mayfair. - -Renwood burst out laughing, then suddenly ran forward, flung himself -at the dangling object, clutched it with his arms and came down to the -ground with it immediately. - -“Fair tackle!” laughed Sterndale. “Boys, I know what it is. I’ve heard -of them. It’s a tackling machine.” - -“You’ve hit it,” acknowledged Renwood, getting up, whereupon the -human-looking object that he had dragged down rose like a thing of -life and once more dangled upright in the air, bobbing slightly, as -if dancing on nothing. “I’ve had this put up so that I may teach you -fellows how to tackle correctly without getting you all bruised and -battered and sore in the last few days before the game.” - -“Oi breathe again!” murmured Murphy, in great relief. “Oi wur about to -take to me heels an’ run fer it.” - -“Run for it!” gurgled Jotham Sprout. “By smoke! I was just getting -ready to run the other way.” - -The boys went forward and examined the tackling machine with great -interest. They found two upright timbers had been erected about twenty -feet apart, being connected by a strong rope from the top of one timber -to the top of the other, and held in place by guy-ropes attached to -stout pins that were driven into the ground. On the connecting rope -ran a pulley-truck with an iron hook that held another and smaller -block-pulley, through which passed the rope that suspended at one end -the dummy to be tackled and at the other end the weight that lifted -the dummy clear of the ground. This weight was arranged to drop just -low enough to lift the dummy to the proper distance and then stop. -When the dummy was tackled and brought down, the weight went up, the -rope running through the lower and smaller block. To the upper block a -second rope was made fast, running to small pulleys attached to the -upright timbers a few inches from the top, so that by pulling on either -end of this rope the dummy could be set in motion, drawn along swiftly, -stopped suddenly, and caused to retreat in opposite direction. The -dummy was a stout, heavy figure, made to represent a man dressed in a -padded football suit, but having neither arms nor feet. - -All this was very interesting, and the boys poured out their questions -in single shots, scattering fires and volleys, so that it was not -possible for Dolph to immediately answer them; but he explained that -the dummy was one he had brought with him from Boston, having been -purchased for him by his father, and the machine in a general way -resembled the one invented by Captain Garret Cochran, of the Princeton -University Football Team. - -Then they were eager to try it. - -“Clear the road!” bellowed Jotham Sprout, bracing himself at a distance -of about twenty feet and pulling his cap down over his fat head. “I’m -going to show ye how to tackle the old thing. Just watch me do it.” - -Renwood immediately caught hold of one end of the rope that drew the -dummy along, while the boys stood aside to witness the fat lad’s -tackle. Jotham charged furiously and flung himself at the dummy with -outstretched arms, but Dolph gave a sharp pull on the rope, and the -figure moved aside, so that Sprout clutched nothing but empty air, and -crashed to the ground like a fallen elephant, his breath being driven -from his body in a great grunt of astonishment. - -The boys shouted with laughter, while Jotham sat up and stared in -disgust at the swaying dummy, wheezing: - -“The blamed thing dodged!” - -“Oh, Bubble!” shouted Mayfair. “It’s a wonder you didn’t burst when you -struck the ground. Ha! ha! ha!” - -“He! he! he!” mocked Jotham, sourly. “What made the hanged old thing do -that?” - -“That’s what it’s for,” asserted Renwood. “What would it be good for -if it always hung still and let you tackle? A running man will dodge -you if he can, and the dummy is made to do the same thing. That is so -you’ll tackle quick and sure, and be on the watch for any move the -other fellow may try to make.” - -“Well, it wasn’t fair that time, for I warn’t ready for it to jump like -that,” said Bubble, heavily rising to his feet. - -“Try it again,” urged several. - -“Excuse me!” Jotham protested. “I guess I’ll look on and see some of -the rest of ye try it.” - -“Hurroo!” cried Dennis Murphy, prancing off and spitting on his hands. -“Oi’ll be afther havin’ a go at it, an’ let’s see thot bag av sawdust -dodge me.” - -“All right,” said Renwood. “Go ahead, Murphy.” - -Dennis made a dash at the dummy, expecting Dolph would give it another -pull in the same direction as before, but Sterndale had slipped up and -taken hold of the other end of the rope, and, at the critical moment, -the figure seemed to spring the other way. The result was that the -Irish youth miscalculated entirely and went down, but he came up from -the ground as if he had been thrown erect by springs. - -“Howld on!” he ejaculated, whirling about and glaring at the object, -while the amused lads shouted again. “Is it backward ye dodge, Oi -dunno? Sure, ye’re a shlick crayther, av Oi ivver saw wan, but Oi’ll -down yez av it takes me all noight, so Ol will.” - -He sprang at the dummy again, caught it waist high, and brought it down -immediately. - -After this the boys took turns at it, having it drawn swiftly along and -running at an angle to head it off, pursuing it, meeting it, and coming -at it in various ways. Dolph showed them just how to tackle low and -effectively, and they would not stop till it was too dark for them to -practice on the machine with any success. - -“Let every fellow get up here by seven o’clock to-morrow morning,” -said Sterndale, “and we’ll put in an hour on this machine. We ought to -get our new ball by to-morrow night, and so we’re not going to be hurt -much, as far as practice is concerned, by the destruction of the other -one.” - -In high spirits, they left the field, laughing, joking and singing, -and the sentiment universally expressed was that a fellow who took so -much trouble and interest in coaching them was the right person for the -position. - - - - -CHAPTER XVIII. - -TROUBLE ON THE TEAM. - - -“I did not see you practicing after school to-night with the other -boys, Don,” said Dr. Scott, two evenings later. “I happened to be -driving past the ground, and so I stopped at the gate and looked on a -few moments. I expected to see you in the midst of it. Where were you, -my son?” - -“I--I was not feeling very well,” declared Don, as smoothly as he -could, although he knew his face had flushed, “and so I did not -practice to-night.” - -“There!” exclaimed his aunt; “what did I tell you, Lyman! I knew there -was something the matter with him, as he hasn’t been acting at all -natural for the past few days. I’m afraid, brother, you will have cause -to regret permitting him to indulge indiscriminately in that rough and -dangerous game.” - -“I hardly think there is any cause for alarm,” smiled the doctor. “Any -boy may have a turn at feeling indisposed in the midst of apple-time, -when every orchard is inviting him to gorge himself. You have not been -hurt in practice, have you, Don?” - -“Oh, no, sir! not at all,” was the hasty answer. - -“And you’re feeling all right now?” - -“Yes, sir.” - -“Let me look at your tongue.” - -Don shamefacedly showed his tongue. - -“Slight coat on it,” commented his father. “Stomach a trifle disturbed. -I’ll give you something for that before you go to bed. You’ll be all -right in the morning. It wouldn’t do for you to fall ill now, with the -great game against Highland only four days ahead, would it, my boy?” - -“Hardly,” said Don, intensely disgusted with himself. - -“Let me see, what position are you to play?” asked the doctor, pursuing -the conversation, to the boy’s increasing discomfiture. - -“Half-back,” answered Don. - -“Then you must have considerable running and kicking to do, for I -believe that is one of the most important positions on the team. They -must think pretty well of you, Don, to give you such a prominent place -on the eleven.” - -“Oh, yes, they think well of me!” murmured the uneasy youth, with -hidden bitterness. - -“How is the team coming on in a general way?” persisted the man. “Do -you think it is improving with practice?” - -“I hope so.” - -“But you do not speak in a confident manner. You how, those Highlanders -make a hard crowd to beat.” - -Don was silent. - -“I presume this young Renwood, who is instructing the team, knows all -about the game?” said the doctor, causing his son to writhe inwardly. - -“He thinks he does,” laughed Don, shortly and harshly. - -“Well, he has played it some, and so he must be able to give you many -valuable points. Is he an agreeable sort of fellow?” - -“Not much.” - -“Don’t you like him?” - -“No,” answered Don, speaking the truth this time, at least; “I do not -like him.” - -“That’s unpleasant,” said Dr. Scott, noting with regret the dark look -on the boy’s face, “but you must not permit that to keep you from -doing your level best in practice and in the game. At times it is -necessary for us to put aside all personal likes and dislikes and join -heartily with friends or foes in working together for a result. The -boy who permits his personal feelings to rule his conduct in baseball -or football will never make the highest type of player, and there is -danger that he will not be very successful when he leaves school and -enters on a business or professional career, for he will be ruled by -prejudices and likings and not by sound common sense and reason. My -boy, I want you to promise me that, for all you may dislike one or more -of your associates on the eleven, you will join with the others in -doing your level best under every condition to win from your opponents. -Promise me this, Don.” - -The youth choked a little and turned his eyes away. It was too late -now, he fancied, to reveal to his father the exact condition of -affairs, and so the deception must be continued at any cost of torture -to his outraged conscience. Far better would it have been had he nerved -himself to speak the truth without further subterfuge and falsehood. - -“I’m sure you are the kind of a boy to think first of winning, -regardless of your personal feelings,” asserted the doctor, not, -however, without a shade of anxiety in his voice. “That being the case, -it is your express duty to do everything you can honestly and squarely -do to assist toward the desired result, even though it is necessary to -sacrifice yourself in order to aid an enemy on your own side to make -a successful play. I want you to promise that you will do so if the -occasion arises.” - -“That’s easy,” thought Don, “for I shall not play, and so the occasion -will not arise.” And he gave the desired promise. - -He took the medicine which his father gave him, as he could not easily -avoid doing so, and then retired to his own room, relieved and thankful -to escape. In the seclusion of his room, he seemed to turn in anger and -disgust on himself. - -“Oh, you’re a pretty cheap creature, Don Scott!” he muttered, fiercely. -“You’re getting to be a slick liar! How long will you be able to keep -it up? What will he think of you when he finds out the whole truth?” - -The following night, he remained away from home during the time the -eleven was practicing on the field, being forced to accept Bentley -for a companion. But Don found that by association he was learning to -tolerate Leon far easier than at first, for all that some traits and -actions of the fellow still jarred on his nerves. Misery loves company, -it is said, and both boys had once been members of the eleven, so they -sought a secluded spot where they could smoke and talk and pass the -time away till Don dared venture home. - -Scott did not stop at one cigarette now; he smoked three, and would -have smoked more but that a certain unpleasant sensation warned him to -desist. - -“You’re taking to ’em as a duck takes to water,” declared Leon, -encouragingly. “I rather guess you’ve found they’re good for what ails -yer.” - -“Oh, they give a fellow something to do to pass away the time,” said -Don; “but I don’t care about them.” - -“You will some time,” averred the other. “You’ll want them with you all -the time. But, say, they ain’t having such a slick old time since you -and I left the eleven.” - -“What do you mean?” asked Don, quickly. - -“Oh, they’re not getting along as well as they might. They’ve put Smith -in your place and Linton in mine, with Boland as right tackle. Murphy -couldn’t get along with Old Lightning near him.” - -“Why, I thought Carter was going to take your place.” - -“They found it wouldn’t work, for Old Lightning was too slow for end -work. Carter is filling Smith’s place on the end, but Renwood kicks -like a steer about Boland. Thad is getting sick of it, too, and it -wouldn’t surprise me a bit if he got out. Anyhow, all these changes -have made the right wing of the line awfully weak.” - -“If Boland gets out, they’re up a tree!” exclaimed Don, with a feeling -of unjust triumph. “They haven’t a good substitute now, and it will -break them all up to lose Thad.” - -“That’s right!” cried Bentley, gleefully. “They will be in the soup! -What will they do?” - -“Give it up. What could they do now if a man should be hurt in a game?” - -“They’ve been talking of taking one of the mill fellows along as a -substitute, but they don’t like to do it. There are a dozen fellows who -go to the academy and who might play, but they won’t have anything to -do with the game. They’ve got a scrub team from Lobsterville playing -with them for practice to-night. Perhaps they’ll get somebody out of -that.” - -“Perhaps so, but I doubt it. Sterndale can blame himself for letting -Renwood boss things, if they do happen to get into a box.” - -“One thing is certain,” said Leon, wagging his head; “they won’t get us -to help them out.” - -“It isn’t likely they’ll want us,” muttered Don, bitterly. - -And so they passed the time in talking of these things till the -doctor’s son dared venture homeward. On his way, he dropped into a -tobacco store and, in a very self-conscious, guilty manner, bought a -package of cigarettes, which he slipped into an inner pocket. - -Bentley had spoken the truth in saying the eleven was not progressing -in a satisfactory manner. Renwood had worked hard to teach them, and -they had received instructions in punting, drop-kicking, place-kicking, -passing, tackling and interference; but when it came to working out -the various plays, Thad Boland could not be aroused to the absolute -necessity of quick and decisive action, and he bothered and hindered -the others in a provoking manner. Thad was large enough and heavy -enough to become a good man in the line, but it seemed doubtful if he -would get into action and make himself of the least consequence in -the game. Renwood scolded him and Sterndale coaxed him, but neither -scolding nor soft words brought the desired result. - -That night in the game against the scrub team, which was made up of all -sorts and conditions of boys, there being sixteen in all, instead of -eleven, Thad utterly refused to earnestly exert himself, declaring it -was no use to “slash and tear ’round” in a fooling game of that sort, -nor could any kind of talk or influence affect him. As the regulars -failed to make an entirely satisfactory showing against the scrub, this -was most annoying and not a little disheartening. - -After the game, Sterndale, Renwood, Smith and Murphy drew aside to talk -matters over. - -“Of course we gave the scrub the advantage of numbers and the wind,” -said the coach, somewhat ruefully; “but that is no excuse for our -failure to score oftener.” - -“The right end of the line is terribly weak,” confessed Sterndale, who -looked troubled. “Carter is a new man on the end, Boland is too lazy at -tackle, and Sprout is too fat as guard. We must make a change, Renwood.” - -“It’s pretty late in the day to make a change now, but we may have to -do it. The team was far better as it stood originally, with Smith on -the end and Linton next to him; but you had to pull Smith back to half -to fill Scott’s place.” - -“Perhaps I don’t fill it,” said the tall boy; “but you bet I’ll do my -level best.” - -“You’re all right, John,” declared the captain of the eleven, laying -an arm across Smith’s shoulders with something like affectionate -familiarity. “You’re just as good a man as Scott was at half, but it -has weakened the line taking you off the end.” - -And this was the same John Smith who had once been called the hoodoo -of the baseball nine, derisively nicknamed “Jonah,” and treated with -inconsideration or positive contempt by Richard Sterndale. Having -proved his worth, he was now held in esteem by the very ones who had -entertained nothing but scorn for him, and no more was the opprobrious -nickname applied to him. - -Dennis Murphy beamed with satisfaction and pleasure. In the days of -Smith’s disgrace the Irish lad had been the only one of the village -boys to side with him and stand by him. - -“Thot b’y’s all roight wheriver ye put him, Misthur Sterndale,” he -declared, loyally. - -“Yes, Smith’s all right,” agreed Dolph, promptly; “but we weakened the -line by taking him off. If the Highlanders ever discovered just how -easy our right end is, they could raise hob with us by hammering at it -all the time--and they will discover it, sure as fate.” - -Renwood appeared worried, and his manner impressed the others. - -“What can we do?” asked the captain. “What would you advise, Dolph?” - -“Bentley is a better man than Boland, if he will do his best. If we -could get him back into his old position as left tackle and put Linton -into Boland’s place, it would strengthen the right end some.” - -Sterndale nodded. “Bentley is not a first-class man,” he said, “but he -would be an improvement on Boland. Then, if we could put Smith on the -end again, with Carter in Bubble’s position, we’d be all right as far -as the line is concerned.” - -“But without a right half,” said Renwood. “Now, if Scott----” - -“It’s no use to talk of him!” exclaimed Dick, quickly. “We don’t want -that kind of a fellow on the team. Isn’t that your opinion, Dolph?” - -Renwood did not answer at once. He was aware that the others were -watching him closely and waiting with interest for him to express -himself on that point. At last, he slowly said: - -“It would be better to play with almost anybody than to be badly beaten -just because there was one weak point in the team, you know. If Scott -didn’t have such a beastly temper----” - -“That’s not the worst thing,” the captain grimly asserted. “A fellow -who will do what he did is too nasty to be on the team. And you seem to -forget that he tried to lay it on to you, Dolph.” - -“No, I don’t forget; but I was thinking of the eleven, not of myself.” - -“You’re altogether too generous, old man. But we won’t talk about -Scott; he’s out of the question. However, I’ll see Bentley and tell -him he can come back into his old place. That will set Linton over to -right tackle, which will strengthen that end of the line some. If it -had not been for Dummy and Murphy, who could not get along with Boland, -I should not have shifted Linton into Bentley’s place.” - -“Are you sure Leon will come back?” asked John Smith. “You know he’s -friendly with Scott now, and he’s been saying all kinds of hard things -about you and the rest of us. Won’t he stick by Scott?” - -“Stick by nothing!” exclaimed Dick, with a laugh. “I’ll get him back -on to the team easy enough. He isn’t the kind of a chap to stick by -anybody.” - -“I’d think more of him if he was,” declared Renwood; “but I guess it’s -the best you can do, Captain Sterndale. Better get him back in a hurry, -if you’re going to get him at all, so he will have the advantage of -what little practice we get before Saturday.” - -“I’ll have him up here for practice to-morrow morning,” promised Dick, -confidently. - -And he kept his word. - - - - -CHAPTER XIX. - -THE NET OF DECEPTION. - - -“Look here, Bentley, I want to see you,” called Don Scott, sharply, as -Leon was hurrying homeward from school the following noon. - -Leon cast a backward glance over the shoulder and saw the doctor’s son -coming after him with swinging strides. The day was dark and lowering -and a storm was threatening, but Bentley saw indications of a swifter -and more violent storm in the face of the boy who was hastened to -overtake him, which made him feel like taking to his heels and seeking -shelter from the outbreak. - -“I’m in a hurry,” he cried, half pausing and then quickening his steps -once more. - -“I won’t bother you long,” was the assertion which failed to reassure -him in the slightest degree. “What I have to say to you I can say in -short order. Hold on!” - -“He won’t dare to touch me,” thought Leon, seeking to quiet his own -fears, but not entirely succeeding. “I might as well let him blaze away -and have it over.” - -He paused at a street corner and waited. A wet wind was slashing -viciously at the trees that lined the street, and a yellow leaf, -harbinger of the great flocks to follow, came fluttering like a wounded -bird to Bentley’s feet. - -The pursuer came up with a few swift, firm steps and stopped, -regarding Leon with scorn and anger apparently unspeakable, so that -the vacillating fellow stared at the ground and weakly asked, forcing -himself with a painful effort to utter the words: - -“Well, what do you want?” - -“You’re a nice one, you are!” grated Don, with a motion that caused the -other to start back a bit and lift one hand, like an oft-beaten child -who expects a blow. “Oh, I’m not going to touch you, so don’t cringe -like a whipped cur!” - -“What’s the matter with you?” Bentley snapped, trying to stiffen up and -put on a bold front. “If you have anything to say to me, why don’t you -say it?” - -“I will. You’re a treacherous sneak! You’re a two-faced whelp! That -ought to be plain enough for you to understand.” - -“Oh, come, Scott!” exclaimed Leon, changing his manner. “What reason -have you got to make such talk to me? What have I done?” - -“You know what you’ve done! You pretended to be my friend, and yet----” - -“I am your friend.” - -“You’re nothing of the sort! I wouldn’t own you for a friend! You have -gone back on me!” - -“I suppose I know what you’re driving at. You’re mad because I’ve gone -back onto the eleven.” - -“After swearing over and over that you’d stick to me through thick and -thin! After vowing you’d never play on the team unless I did! I didn’t -ask for all those promises, but you made them.” - -“And I meant to keep them when I made them, Scott----honest I did. But -Sterndale came and offered me my old position, and so----” - -“You went back on your word and quit me.” - -“No, I’ve not quit you; I’m still your friend.” - -“Bah!” cried Don, scornfully. - -“I am!” palpitated Leon, eager to convince his companion. “I’ll prove -it to you, too. You don’t think I went back because I want to help them -win, do you?” - -The doctor’s son did not speak, and Bentley hastened to go on: - -“Not on your life! That wasn’t my little game. I went back because I -can keep track of things better by standing in with the gang. I can -watch Dolph Renwood, and I may get a good chance to give him a dig that -will do him up. Can’t you see I’m liable to get a better chance at him -now? I haven’t forgotten that he got Sterndale to drop me, and I’ll pay -him back.” - -“It’s a case of treachery on one side or the other,” declared Don. “If -you’re not lying to me, you’ve gone back to betray the team, and so -you’re a sneak, just the same.” - -“Well, you beat anything!” gasped Leon, quite unable to understand the -other youth. “You want to see them get it in the neck because Renwood -is coaching them, and yet you turn up your nose at me when you think -there is a chance that I may be able to give them the throw-down. What -are you made of, anyhow?” - -“I hope I’m made of different stuff than you are. I do want them to be -beaten, but I’m not on the eleven. If I were on it, no matter how I -felt, I’d have to do my best to help win. If you do anything else, you -will be a traitor and a sneak.” - -Some color mounted to Bentley’s thin cheeks. - -“You’re the funniest fellow on legs!” he exclaimed. “Of course I -wouldn’t do anything to down the team unless I could throw it all on -Renwood’s shoulders. I’m keeping my eyes open for a chance to show him -up dirty.” - -Don was silent a moment, looking squarely at Leon with those dark, -piercing eyes. - -“Thad Boland may be lazy,” he finally said; “but a lazy man is better -than a sneak and a traitor. Sterndale made a mistake when he took you -back, and I’d tell him so if I thought he’d pay any attention to me.” - -“You’ll be sorry some time for this kind of talk, Scott!” snapped Leon, -in bewildered anger. “There come some girls, and I don’t want to talk -with you any longer.” - -Don saw several girls coming down the street, Dora Deland and Zadia -Renwood among them, and he immediately said: - -“I’m sure I don’t want to be seen talking with you, nor do I want -anything further to do with you. You can keep away from me in the -future. Understand?” - -Without waiting for Leon to answer, he hastened onward toward home, -leaving Bentley to wait for the girls and force himself upon them as a -companion and escort, whether he was wanted or not. - -That afternoon it rained. Don sat at his desk and listened to the dash -of the wind-driven cloud-tears against a near-by window. Sometimes he -studied, but oftener he was thinking of things far removed from books -and recitations. The rain had begun late in the day and was pretty -certain to continue, so there could be no practice for the Rockspur -Eleven that night. - -“They’ve made another shift about since taking Bentley back,” thought -Don, “and every change disturbs them some. There’s little time now for -them to get used to the new line-up.” - -It was not necessary for him to remain away from home on the pretense -of practicing that night, which gave him no small satisfaction. He -passed the evening reading. - -The following day was bright and clear, and the eleven turned out for -morning practice on the field. At school Don fancied the members of the -team showed something like satisfaction, as if things had moved better. -Even Thad Boland seemed relieved and well pleased. - -Saturday came, and as Don came down in the morning, he was greeted by -his father, who cheerfully cried: - -“This is a fine day for the great game, my son--bright, sunny and -cool. Are you feeling in first-class trim for it?” - -“I am feeling first rate,” was the answer. - -“That’s good; but it seems to me that you are not looking as well as -usual. Perhaps regular practice, together with your studies, has taken -hold of you.” - -“Oh, no, not at all,” the boy hastened to declare. “I’m feeling fine as -a fiddle.” - -“Well, I’m glad of that, for you have a hard task before you to beat -Highland on its own ground. I suppose you’ll want an early dinner -to-day, as you always start away by noon when you are going to -Highland?” - -“Yes; half-past eleven will be about right.” - -“I did think of driving over to Highland this afternoon and taking a -look at the game,” said the doctor, causing Don’s heart to stop beating -for a moment; “but I find I shall be unable to do so.” - -The boy breathed again, inwardly thanking fortune. - -“I want you to do your best to-day, my son,” pursued his father; “and -remember to guard your temper and keep your head cool. Promise me that -you will not, under any provocation, permit your temper to master you -to-day, Don.” - -The promise was given, and they sat down to breakfast, during which, to -the continued uneasiness of the youth, Dr. Scott persisted in talking -about football and asking unpleasant questions. Don was glad enough to -escape from the house under pretense of going to the field to put in -some morning practice. - -To him it now seemed necessary to continue the deception as long as -he could, and it is even probable that he hoped his father might -never find out the truth, although this hardly appeared possible. In -the beginning, the deception had seemed a small matter and of little -consequence, but, having taken the first false step, he had been led -on till now the burden of the deceit seemed more than he could bear. -It was wearing on his nerves and blunting all his finer instincts of -honor, for Don was naturally an upright and straightforward youth, who, -despite his violent disposition, detested anything dishonorable. - -Thus it came about that he remained away from home all the forenoon, -shunning and avoiding the other village boys, who shunned and avoided -him. When he came rushing home, it was at the last minute, apparently, -as if the exciting events of the day had caught and carried him away in -their clutches. - -“Land of goodness!” cried his aunt, as he flung himself down at the -table. “Don’t tear the house to pieces!” - -“I’m in a hurry,” he declared. - -“Can’t you wait for your pa? The tea ain’t quite ready.” - -“I can’t wait for anything, and I don’t want any tea.” - -“But you must eat a good hearty dinner, for you’ll need it.” - -“Strictly against orders,” he declared, helping himself to the mashed -potatoes and cold corned beef. “No man is permitted to overload his -stomach on the day of a game.” - -He fell to eating without ceremony and was quite finished when his -father came in at the ringing of the bell. - -“Hello! hello!” exclaimed the doctor. “Have you eaten? Why, you haven’t -been in the house five minutes. I heard you when you came in.” - -“You’ll have to excuse me, father; I didn’t have time to wait for you. -I’m off.” - -“Hold on! Aren’t you going to take your overcoat? It will be chilly -riding home to-night.” - -“I came near forgetting it,” said Don, whose great anxiety was to -get out of the house before his father could ask any more questions. -“Good-by, Aunt Ella.” He kissed her and then dashed up the stairs, -leaving her standing by the table, with uplifted hands, while the -doctor sat down, laughing. - -“Bless us! bless us!” breathed the good woman. “What are boys in these -days coming to? They actually go crazy over baseball, football and such -things. Now, in our day----” - -“Boys played barn tag, three-old-cat, prisoner’s base and games of that -class; now they have something better, sister. There is more sense in -baseball, football, tennis, polo, basket-ball and other modern games.” - -“Well, there may be,” sighed Aunt Ella, sitting down and preparing to -pour the tea; “but I’m sure there’s more danger, and Don gets so crazy -over them that I expect he’ll come home dead some day, or crippled for -life.” - -Don was heard coming swiftly downstairs, taking three at a time. - -“Good-by!” he shouted. “I’m off.” - -“Good luck, my boy,” called the doctor. “Remember my advice. Take care -of yourself, and do your level best to help Rockspur win.” - -The door slammed and Don was gone, but not to play football. - - - - -CHAPTER XX. - -WHILE THE GAME WAS PLAYED. - - -On a jutting ledge far up the side of Ragged Mountain, where he could -overlook the village, harbor, open sea and hilly country to the -westward, a lonely boy sat astride a spur of the blue rock, gazing -downward at a dark object crawling steadily along the brown thread of -a road which led from the village, crooked about the shores of the -amethyst lake and wound into the distance that swallowed it from sight. - -The boy was Don Scott, who had made feverish haste to get out of -Rockspur ahead of the football team, leaving his overcoat at the little -railroad station which he passed on the Lobsterville side. From the -station he had followed the railroad to the foot of the mountain, where -he found a dimly-defined path that led him, panting and toiling, upward -to the ledge on which he was now perched. - -At his feet lay Lake Glenwood, seeming near enough for him to hurl a -pebble into it with no great effort, although he knew it was quite -half-a-mile from the foot of the mountain. His eyes had hastily -followed the road along the shore till they found, far beyond the -middle section of the lake and pursuing the stream that led off from -it, the dark object which he knew was the big buckboard carrying the -members of the Rockspur Eleven to Highland. - -“There they go!” he panted. “Renwood is with them! Bentley is with -them! and I am here!” - -He laughed bitterly, and then became silent as the wind seemed to bring -faintly to his ears the refrain of a familiar song often sung by the -boys on their way to a game or returning from a victorious contest. -He could not distinguish the words, but the indistinct sound of the -chorus, like a momentary murmur of the wind, was enough to cause those -words to flash across his mind. - -“Singing!” he cried, fiercely “Don’t be so sure you’ll ‘win to-day.’ -You can’t tell. Anyhow, I hope you won’t! I hope you’ll be beaten out -of your boots!” - -He sat there and watched till the buckboard disappeared along with -the brown road that had run to a hiding place amid the woods and -hills. Even then he did not stir, but long after that he remained -on the ledge, yet without deriving any pleasure from the beauty of -the scene spread out before him in all the enchanting colors which a -river-threaded, lake-dotted, sea-edged landscape reveals beneath the -midday sun of early autumn. - -At last he left the ledge and came slowly down the mountain. He did -not follow the path all the way to the foot of the descent, but -turned to the left, skirting the base of Round Stone Cliff, where -pleasure-seekers had sent great stones shooting and bounding down the -face of the steep declivity, thundering over the lower slope and -crashing into the tangled thickets below, tearing crooked paths through -the woods to the point where they were piled in confusion into a deep, -dark ravine. - -What if some unseen person, knowing nothing of his presence below, were -to start a huge bowlder rolling from the top of the cliff as he made -his way along its base! He thought of that and laughed! - -“Let ’em come!” he exclaimed. “I can dodge ’em!” - -Nothing of the kind happened, however, which, without doubt, for all of -his confidence in his dodging ability, was fortunate for him. - -Beyond the cliff, after forcing his way through dense and matted -thickets, he came out into the Boxberry Pasture, as it was called by -the boys. This was an elevated spot, where he could still look down on -the harbor and village. The pasture was a mass of stumps and rocks and -knolls, the latter being covered with interwoven vines, which gave to -his nostrils the smell of dried checkerberry, plumes of which showed -here and there in bright red patches. - -Crossing the pasture, he descended to the road that led away to the -Powder Mill Woods, where he felt that he might be alone for the -afternoon. He hoped that he would not meet on the road any one who knew -him, and, to his satisfaction and relief, he did not. - -The woods seemed dark and still when he first entered them, and a -feeling of loneliness beset him; yet there was a subtle something about -the peaceful stillness that soothed his troubled spirit with a gentle -suggestion of sadness that, strangely enough, gave him a sensation of -enjoyment. - -Beneath his feet, where the trees were thick overhead, the ground was -damp and yielding, giving his footfall no sound, save when a twig -snapped with a muffled noise. The air that he breathed was sweet with -the odor of pine and balsam and damp earth. The sunshine did not glare -before his eyes, and the dense shadows added to the tranquillity he -sought. - -So he wandered through the “dim aisles of the woods,” and after a time -he found they were not so lonely and deserted as they appeared. He -paused to watch a tiny black-hooded chickadee that was doing all kinds -of gymnastic tricks upon a bush, clinging to the side of a branch one -moment, hanging upside down the next, and constantly on the move, now -and then gleefully crying: “Chick-a-dee-dee-dee-dee.” He sat on a damp -and rotting log and observed a red-headed woodpecker rat-tat-tatting -away at the trunk of an old dead tree and saw a squirrel skurrying -along the ground. And the hours slipped away with few disturbing -thoughts of the football game that was taking place in Highland. - -When he was tired of wandering in the woods, he sought the favorite -spot by the Powder Mill Dam, where he lay on the ground or sat on the -rocks and watched a speckled trout in a placid pool below the dam. So -the afternoon passed, the sun dropped low, the shadows deepened and -night drew on. - -In the dusk, he returned along the road that led toward the village, -the lights of which were beginning to gleam through the gloom across -the harbor. He did not wish to appear in the village before the members -of the eleven returned from Highland, and he knew they could not get -back till some time after dark. - -Reaching the Highland road, he paused a while, fully satisfied that -neither players nor spectators from Rockspur had passed on the return -journey. He sat on an old stone wall and waited till two village boys -on bicycles, their lanterns making long white streaks of light on the -road before them, came along from the direction of Highland. Although -it was rather dark for him to make out who they were by the aid of his -eyes, he recognized them by their voices, as they were talking about -the game while they sped swiftly past toward the crest of Bloody Hill. - -“Skinny Jones and Pug Andrews,” muttered Don, rising from the wall and -making for the road. “They’ve come in ahead of the others, for Skinny -is a scorcher. There’s time enough to get over the bridge before the -buckboard comes along.” - -But, as he was hurrying down the hill, there was a rattle of carriage -wheels behind him. He looked back and saw a team come over the crest of -the hill. - -“That isn’t the buckboard,” he said. - -But it proved to be a carriage driven by no less a person than Dolph -Renwood, who was accompanied by his sister and Dora Deland. The light -from a window of the railroad station at the foot of the hill shone out -and fell full on Don, so those in the carriage recognized him. - -“Oh, Mr. Scott!” cried a musical voice, “I’m so sorry we didn’t have -you with us! If you had been there, I truly believe we might have won -the game.” - -Then the carriage clattered on, and Don turned in to the station to get -his overcoat. He knew now that Rockspur had lost, but somehow Zadia’s -words had seemed to rob him of the satisfaction he had expected to feel -over such a result. - -“She spoke to me!” he murmured; “she spoke to me, for all that she was -with him!” - -Obtaining the overcoat, he hastened down through Lobsterville to the -bridge, crossed the river, turned to the left and hurried past the -post-office on the corner, then made his way home by a back street. - -Don dreaded to meet his father, for he knew Dr. Scott would question -him about the game. It was his intention to make a pretense of being -so disgusted over the result of the game that he did not wish to say -anything about it; but he wondered what he could do in case his father -pinned him down to tell the exact score. - -Fortunately, his father was not at home, as he found after slipping -quietly into the house, and he learned from his aunt that the doctor -had been called to a neighboring town to consult over a critical case. - -“He said he might not get home before eight or nine o’clock,” said -the thoughtful old soul, who had supper ready to put on the table. -“I s’pose you’re awful hungry? You didn’t get no legs nor arms broke -to-day, did you?” - -“No, I didn’t get hurt at all.” - -“Fortunate--fortunate, indeed! I didn’t know but you’d come home dead.” -Then, after a pause, “I s’pose you beat the Highlanders?” - -“No; they beat us.” - -“I declare!” cried Aunt Ella, sympathetically, stopping half way from -the kitchen door to the dining-room table, the teapot in one hand and a -plate of warm rolls in the other. “Now, that’s too bad! I’m real sorry!” - -“And I’m real hungry. Just hustle on the grub, Aunt Ella, and see me -wreak havoc and destruction on it.” - -“You don’t seem to feel half as bad about losing as I thought you -would,” said she, as she complied with his request. “It’s not like you, -for you used to feel awful cut up when you got beat at baseball.” - -“Oh, well, we’ll even this up with Highland all right next game,” -asserted Don, sitting down to the table. “It’s no use crying over -spilled milk.” - -“You never cry, but you do feel bad, and this is the first time I ever -saw you like this. I don’t understand it.” - -Don came near laughing aloud, but repressed the inclination with an -effort. When he had satisfied his hunger he went up to his room. He -felt like going out to see if he could not find somebody to give him -the particulars of the game, but his pride caused him to decide not to -pursue such a course, as he did not wish any of his former companions -to think he would take that much interest in the affairs of the eleven. - -Some boys in Don’s position would have sought the defeated players -for the purpose of jeering at them and deriding them, and it must be -confessed that Scott was strongly tempted to do so; but he decided that -it would cut them far more if he made a pretension of absolute and -utter indifference, and in this he was right. A person who can deport -himself with an air of indifference and unconcern toward those whom -he dislikes has not only won a victory over himself and his natural -inclinations to show scorn or hatred for his enemies, but he causes -those enemies to feel that he considers them of such small consequence -that he does not even take the trouble to become annoyed or offended at -them. In the long run, indifference is a keener weapon than open scorn -and hatred. - -So Don remained at home, seeking to pass the evening as best he could. -Wishing to do some writing, and finding in his desk no pens to suit -him, he went down into his father’s office. Having lighted the hanging -lamp, he sat down at the doctor’s open desk, and there he was writing -busily some time later when a gentle tapping sounded on the window near -his elbow. Looking round, he saw the outlines of a face close to the -glass and recognized Leon Bentley, who was peering in at him with a -smirking grin of conciliation and friendliness. - - - - -CHAPTER XXI. - -BENTLEY TELLS HOW IT HAPPENED. - - -Don’s first feeling was one of annoyance and anger, and he was about to -sharply command the fellow to go away when he suddenly changed his mind. - -Leon could tell him all about the game, and there was nothing he then -desired to know quite as much as the full particulars of the contest -that had resulted in a victory for the Highlanders. - -“I’ll let him in and find out all about it,” he decided, as Bentley -nodded and beckoned. Then he motioned for the boy outside to come round -to the front door, at which he admitted him a few moments later. - -“Where’s the old gent?” asked Leon, with an assumed air of -carelessness. “I was slipping round to throw some pebbles up against -your window, in which I saw a light, when I happened to notice you in -here.” - -“Father is out,” said Don, somewhat gruffly. “He won’t be back before -ten. Come into the office.” - -Leon followed with a swaggering air, and Don closed the door when they -were in the room. - -“So aunt won’t hear us talking,” he explained. “What do you want, -anyhow?” - -“Oh, I just came round to tell you,” chuckled Leon, coolly -appropriating the office chair in front of the desk, where Don had -been sitting. “It would have done you good to see that game to-day. Oh, -my! but it was a slaughter!” - -“Rockspur was beaten?” said Don, trying to repress a show of eagerness -and great interest, but betraying his exultant satisfaction in his -gleaming eyes. - -“Beaten! I should guess yes. Rockspur wasn’t in it for a minute. It was -a walk-over for Highland.” - -“What was the score?” - -“Thirty-three to nine. How does that suit you? Isn’t that a beautiful -record for Sterndale’s champs? Oh, but Sterndale is sick!” - -“What did you do?” demanded Scott, sharply. “Did you do anything -crooked to help lose the game?” - -“Didn’t have to, my boy,” snickered Bentley. “It was a cinch for -Highland from the start, and you can bet I did my prettiest to make a -good record, for I knew the eyes of several fair maidens from Rockspur -were upon me. I made our only touchdown.” - -“You did?” cried Don, with incredulous emphasis on the pronoun. - -“Sure thing,” nodded Leon. “Oh, I’m one of the heroes of the day! We -didn’t get a goal off that touch, either. It was in the first half, -and the wind was against Sterndale when he kicked, so we got only four -points for the touch.” - -“Then the other five must have been a goal kicked from the field?” - -“It was. Sterndale found in the last half that he could not get the -ball nearer than the fifteen-yard line to save his soul, and so, -in order to make the score look somewhat more respectable, he took -chances on getting a goal from the field, and made it with as pretty a -drop-kick as ever you saw. But it was all chance,” Leon hastily added, -“for he failed once before that and once afterward. All of Renwood’s -coaching hasn’t shown him how to kick.” - -“How did Highland make their points?” - -“Oh, just piled ’em right up. They had a touchdown and goal in less -than three minutes after play began. They made four touchdowns in the -first half, but failed to get goals off two of them.” - -“That was twenty of their thirty-three points. Then Rockspur must have -done better in the second half?” - -“She did, rather,” nodded Leon. “Why, we even had to give Highland two -points by making a safety in order to hold the ball one time in the -first half. That gave them twenty-two points out of the thirty-three.” - -“Then, in the second half, they made only eleven points to Rockspur’s -five.” - -“But they had the advantage and they just fooled with us. They were -playing against the wind, too, same as we were in the first half. But, -you see, we couldn’t do anything, even though we had the wind with us. -Oh, this game has shown up Renwood’s coaching in great style!” - -“What did Renwood do?” - -“Nothing at all that helped us any. Why, he actually blocked Smith once -and spoiled a run that might have meant a touchdown. That was early in -the game, when we had the ball after Highland’s first goal. Of course, -it seemed like an accident that Renwood jumped square in front of -Smith, but I know it was nothing of the kind. After that, when Highland -had made a good lead, it wasn’t necessary for him to spoil any of our -plays, for he saw we weren’t in the game, anyhow.” - -“Then you think it was his intention to throw the game, in case it was -close and he found an opportunity?” - -“I don’t think anything about it, I know it!” declared Bentley, as he -produced a package of cigarettes and prepared to smoke. - -“Hold on!” came sharply from Don; “you can’t do that in here.” - -“Eh? Why not?” - -“Father would smell the smoke. Put them up.” - -“But I’m dying for a whiff.” - -“You’ll have to die or go outside. I’m not fooling. I won’t have one of -those things lighted in here.” - -So Leon was compelled to reluctantly abandon the intended smoke, -although he did so grumblingly. - -“What makes you so positive that Renwood meant to throw the game?” -asked Don, with mingled eagerness and doubt. “He couldn’t do such a -thing all by himself.” - -“Not unless it happened to be close and he found a good chance. But I -know that’s what he’d done, just the same.” - -“How do you know it?” - -“Oh, I have a way of keeping my eyes and ears open,” wisely asserted -Leon, piling his feet upon the doctor’s desk in the midst of the papers. - -“Then you saw something?--you heard something?” - -“I should say I did.” - -It was impossible for Don to repress his eagerness. Leon’s -free-and-easy manner annoyed him, but he greatly wished to know just -what the fellow had seen and heard that made him so absolutely positive -of Renwood’s treachery. - -Don forgot for the time, at least, that only a few days before he had -told Leon that he wished to have nothing further to do with a fellow -of his sort. Having again admitted the foxy young rascal to his home, -having apparently accepted him once more as a friend, his greatest -desire seemed to be to learn the full extent of the accusation Bentley -could make against Renwood. - -Leon saw this. At first he had been somewhat surprised by Don’s -readiness to take him back on the old footing without a show of -continued resentment and anger, and he had anticipated that he would -have to whet Scott’s appetite by hinting at the queer things he could -tell him about the game at Highland. Already devoured by curiosity and -a longing to know the full particulars of the affair, Don had welcomed -Leon almost with open arms, and Bentley believed friendly relations -between them had been re-established. - -“What did you see and hear?” breathed the doctor’s son. “Tell me all -about it.” - -“Well, just as soon as we arrived in Highland, I left the others and -hustled right up to the field where we were to play. Renwood, with -his sister and Dora Deland, had passed us on the road, and he was in -Highland when we got there. I got to the field ahead of the others, and -there was Renwood talking with Winston, the Harvard man, who has been -coaching the Highlanders.” - -“What of that?” - -“They had their heads close together,” Bentley went on, “and they were -talking low. They didn’t see me, and I just walked past them, stepping -soft. I heard something.” - -“Yes!” panted Don. “What did you hear?” - -“I heard Winston say: ‘It means a heap to me if Highland wins, and you -don’t care a rap if Rockspur loses.’ Renwood answered: ‘Not a rap,’ and -he laughed.” - -“The sneak! the traitor!” cried Don, springing to his feet. “Did you -hear anything more?” - -“Yes. Winston said: ‘These country yokels of mine can’t kick much, and -the centre of the line is weak. Just get your captain to let the centre -alone. Keep him trying to go round the ends. Where is your weak point?’” - -“Did Renwood tell him?” demanded Scott, clutching his companion -fiercely by the shoulder. - -“Ouch!” exclaimed Leon, with a squirm. “I hurt that to-day! Don’t! Yes, -he told him all about it.” - -“What did he tell?” - -“He said: ‘Our right end is weak, and the backs can’t catch punts for a -cent. As you say your men can’t kick, you’ll have to keep hammering at -our right end.’” - -“Is that all?” panted Don. - -“Oh, Winston said: ‘Much obliged, old man; I won’t forget it.’ And -Renwood returned: ‘That’s all right; I haven’t forgotten what you did -for me once.’ That was all.” - -“It was enough!” Don snarled, driving his clenched right fist into the -open palm of his left hand with a cracking smack. “I’m beginning to see -through that dirty dog Renwood! At first I didn’t understand why he -should do anything to damage the team with which he was playing, but -now it’s plain enough that Winston has done him some favor that he is -trying to return in this treacherous manner. And Sterndale thinks more -of him than of me! Did you tell Sterndale about this?” - -“I tried to, but he wouldn’t hear a word against Renwood, and told me -I’d better keep still. I saw it was no use, and so I closed up.” - -“He’s a fool!” raved Scott. “I’d like to tell him so!” - -“That wouldn’t do any good. The only way to convince him is to show -Renwood up so he can’t get around it.” - -“How can that be done?” - -“I don’t know now,” admitted Leon; “but I may find a way.” - -He had picked up Dr. Scott’s check-book and was coolly looking it over, -which, being in an excited condition, Don did not observe for some -time. When he did become aware what Leon was doing, after storming -about a while, he exclaimed: - -“Put that down! What are you handling that for?” - -“Oh, I just happened to pick it up by accident,” said the visitor, -tossing it back on the desk. - -“Don’t be so free with your hands!” advised the doctor’s son. - -“Don’t get so excited,” calmly retorted Leon, fishing into the -waste-paper basket and pulling out a sheet of paper on which there was -some writing. “Say, your old man’s scrawl is rather queer, ain’t it? -But I guess I hit his style all right in that note I faked up for you -to carry to old Alden, didn’t I?” - -“That was all right,” admitted Don, shortly, not fancying the reference -to that matter; “but you won’t have to write any more for me.” - -“You never can tell, my boy,” chirped Bentley. “Say, these are odd -pens your dad uses. I rather like them, and I think I’ll just take one -to try it.” Whereupon he calmly slipped one of the pens into his vest -pocket. - -For some time the boys talked over the football game and Renwood’s -treachery, as charged by Bentley. Finally, Don said: - -“You’d better be getting out, Bent; father’s liable to come pretty -soon.” - -“Well, I don’t care about being seen by him,” grinned Leon. “I know he -doesn’t love me a great deal for some reason or other.” - -He arose to go. Neither of the boys had heard the sound of wheels -outside, being absorbed in their talk about Renwood and the game, and -now both were startled by a footfall beyond the door. - -“It’s aunt!” breathed Don. - -But it was not. The door opened, and Dr. Scott stood before them. - - - - -CHAPTER XXII. - -THE DOCTOR’S STORY. - - -The doctor was surprised, and a cloud came to his face as his eyes fell -on Leon Bentley. - -“Hello!” he exclaimed. “What are you doing in here, Don?” - -“Why--why,” stammered the boy questioned, “Leon happened over, and we -were just talking about the game, you know.” - -“Yes,” hastily put in the uneasy visitor, “I was just telling him about -it.” - -“Telling him about it?” repeated the doctor, while Don’s heart seemed -to jump into his throat and throb there. “Why, wasn’t he--I don’t -understand.” - -“Leon means we were talking over the plays and trying to figure out -just why we lost the game to-day, father,” put in Don, with a warning -glance at Bentley. - -“Oh, then you lost the game, did you?” - -“Yes, sir.” - -“That’s too bad; but you might have discussed it elsewhere than in my -private office. Was it necessary to bring your caller in here, my son?” - -“No, but he--he just dropped in for a minute. I was writing a letter -here, and----” - -“Very well,” said the doctor; “but you know I do not wish you to take -visitors into my private office. I have told you so before.” - -The manner in which his father spoke these words brought a hot flush to -Don’s cheeks, but he bit his lip and kept silent. Bentley sidled toward -the door, saying: - -“I guess I’ll be going.” - -Don followed him to the front door and let him out. Outside, Leon -paused and snickered, observing: - -“You’ll catch it! The old duffer’s hot under the collar, and he’ll give -you a raking down.” - -“I’ll thank you not to call my father an old duffer!” flashed Don, in a -fierce whisper. “I had no business to take you in there, anyway.” - -“I don’t see that it did any harm, but I wouldn’t be in your shoes for -a quarter.” Then Bentley scudded away and Don closed the door. - -The boy was about to go upstairs when his father called for him to come -into the office, and he did so with reluctance; for, although he knew -the doctor would speak with calmness and deliberation, he dreaded none -the less what might be said to him. - -“Sit down, my son,” said the doctor, who had taken off his overcoat and -was seated before his desk. “Are you on very friendly terms with that -Bentley boy?” - -“Well--not very,” hesitated Don, feeling his face burning, while he -failed to meet the calm, steady eyes that were regarding him intently. - -“Not very friendly, still you invited him into the house. My son, I do -not like that boy. I believe he is a bad boy. He dresses extravagantly, -though in poor taste, for all that his parents are poor. Yet he never -does any work to earn money with which to get his clothes, rings, pins -and trinkets. He wears his hat tipped far over one ear, loafs around -the corners, smokes cigarettes and talks slang. Not only that, but he -uses low and profane language. He has a treacherous face and shifty -eyes. Now, Don, I think such a boy is a very good person for you to -avoid, don’t you?” - -Don did not know what to say, and so he remained silent, whereupon his -father spoke again: - -“I want to speak to you of this matter at this time, my son, because I -believe it may in a great measure concern your future welfare. I wish -to impress upon you the importance of shunning evil companions, and, -at the same time, I will warn you again to guard your temper. I am not -going to preach a sermon, but I have decided to tell you a story. I -shall make it brief as possible, for it is a painful matter, of which I -do not like to think or talk.” - -For a single moment the doctor lifted his hand to his bosom, where, -within an inner pocket, close to his heart, rested the gold-bound -miniature of Don’s mother. The boy knew his father had chosen this time -to unbosom himself in regard to an affair that doubtless had cast a -shadow over his life. - -Despite his curiosity to know the truth of that affair, Don was ill at -ease and would have given much to escape for the time the revelation. -However, it was necessary for him to sit still and listen, and, with as -good grace as possible, he composed himself to do so. - -“You, Don,” pursued Dr. Scott, lightly stroking his well-trimmed -iron-gray whiskers, “have the same thoughtless, impetuous, passionate -disposition that was mine in my youthful days. It did not seem possible -for me to control my temper, which led me into doing many things that I -afterward regretted; but little did I dream that, in a sudden outburst -of anger, I was destined to commit an act that would cause me long -years of unspeakable regret and sorrow. - -“Your mother was a gentle woman, with a mild and loving disposition, -and I have often wondered if she would have married me had she -understood how thoroughly unreasonable I could be when I gave way to my -uncontrollable temper. But I loved her, Don, and I tried to make her -happy. I believe I did during the first years of our married life. It -was only by one rash act of mine that I brought sorrow to us both. - -“She had a brother who was much younger than herself; in fact, a mere -boy when we were married. His name was Charlie, and he was a bright, -happy, jovial youngster, full of life and good nature. Shortly after -I married your mother, her father died, leaving Charlie an orphan and -almost homeless, his mother, your grandmother, having been dead some -years. He might have found a home with relatives in California, but I -offered him a home with me, for I had taken a strong fancy to the lad. -Of course this greatly pleased your mother, who set about the task of -bringing Charlie up in the proper manner. - -“At that time I was a young physician, practicing my profession in -a small town in another State. I sent Charlie to school, and, as he -seemed unusually bright in his studies, I resolved to give him the very -best education possible. This matter I talked over with your mother, -and we decided that he should be advanced as rapidly as possible -without injury to himself and should finally be sent to one of the -leading colleges of the country. - -“Your mother became deeply absorbed in this project, for she loved her -brother with all the depth of her tender nature, and she was ambitious -for his success in the world as a man of brains and education. -Unfortunately, there was in that town, small though it was, a fast set -of boys a little older than Charlie. They smoked and drank and gambled, -and they were proud to be known as the ‘sporty set.’ Charlie began to -associate with them, and I found it out. I was angry, and I talked to -him harshly. I know now that I did not in the right manner go about -showing him the error of his ways. I angered him, and, as a result, -instead of trusting me, he began to deceive me, associating without my -knowledge with the same set of bad boys. It did not seem to him that it -was very bad to smoke a little, to swear occasionally, to take a drink -now and then, or to play a game of penny poker, with a ten-cent limit. -He was only sixteen years old when he began to do these things. - -“I said nothing to your mother about it, for I knew it would worry and -distress her, and, for some time, I fancied my talk to him had been -productive of good results. But I was wrong, for I finally learned -that he still associated with his bad companions, which made me more -angry than before. I did not tell his sister, but I threatened to turn -him out of doors. To my astonishment, he was defiant and told me to go -ahead and turn him out. It was with difficulty that I kept my hands off -him then, but I did so. - -“After that he did not take so much pains to hide from me the fact that -he still preferred for companions the fast set of the little village. -He neglected his studies and would not attend school regularly. One -day I missed some money, and, in a towering rage, I accused Charlie of -taking it. Then, becoming angry, he called me a bad name, whereupon I -drove him from the house. - -“This scene was witnessed by your mother, Don, who could not believe me -when I told her the truth regarding her brother. She was certain that I -must be mistaken, and she set about searching for the lost money. She -found it where I had dropped it at the bath-room door, and then, of -course, she was doubly certain that I was mistaken in regard to the -other charges I had made against Charlie. - -“By that time I was ashamed and sorry, and I was willing to try to -rectify my mistake. I was also willing for her to continue to think her -brother too good to choose evil associates who smoked, swore, drank -and gambled. So I went to Charlie, told him I had found the money, and -asked him to forget. It was a difficult thing for me to do, but I did -it for love of your mother, my son. - -“From that time on, however, Charlie disliked me more than ever. He -did not reform, and his gambling assumed a more serious nature. The -time came when he was in desperate straits for money. At this time he -was seventeen, being large for his years. Coming home unexpectedly one -day, I found him in my private office, with the safe door open. He was -stooping before the safe when I entered, but he sprang up and wheeled -about, and in his hand was some money he had taken from the safe.” - -As the doctor paused, the listening boy noticed a quiver of the hand he -again lifted to stroke his beard. The expression on his fine face was -one of mingled pain and sorrow. - -“I scarcely know what followed,” he resumed. “Of course I had caught -him in the act, and I called him a thief. He said I had called him that -before, and he was bound not to have the name without the game. Then I -sprang upon him in a perfect tempest of fury. As I said, he was large -and strong for his years, and he gave me a severe tussle for a few -moments, but I succeeded in getting him by the throat and throwing him. -As he fell his head struck against a sharp corner of the safe. When he -struck the floor, he lay there still and limp, the color going out of -his face. There was a shriek behind me, and I turned to see your mother -in the door, brought to the spot by the sounds of our struggle. She -sprang over and lifted the head of her brother, staining her hands and -her dress with his blood, for the corner of the safe had cut a gash in -the back of his head. I can never forget the terrible look she gave me. -‘You have murdered Charlie!’ she hoarsely cried, and then she swooned.” - -Again the man stopped, deeply affected by the tragic picture painted -for him by memory as he told of this fateful encounter which had -brought upon him the sorrow of his life. For some moments he turned -about in his office chair and stared at the window, as if trying to -gaze out into the darkness, lifting to his face one hidden hand, while -the other shook as it reached out to rest upon his desk. - -Don’s sympathies were stirred most profoundly, for he saw how much pain -it was costing his father to relate to him this story of which he had -never spoken. Unable to keep still, the boy impulsively cried: - -“Don’t tell me any more, father! That is enough.” - -Dr. Scott turned back from the window. - -“There is not much more to tell,” he said, “so I will complete the -story now. I called assistance and sent for medical aid. Your mother -was taken to her room, where she lay unconscious so long that I feared -she might never recover. When at last she again came to herself, she -lay like one dazed until I entered the room, when she shrieked, covered -her face and would not look at me. In her condition, it was necessary -for me to leave her before she would become quiet. That night, my son, -you came into the world.” - -“But Charlie,” palpitated Don, “was he--dead?” - -“No; but he was seriously injured--how seriously could not be told -at the time. He slowly recovered his physical strength, but the blow -from the sharp point of the safe had clouded his mind and he was -insane--violently so at times. It was necessary that he should be -confined, for he was dangerous when violent, so he was placed in a -private asylum. - -“Oh, my son! you can never know how much I regretted my outbreak of -anger that had caused me to attack him and bring this about! That is, -you can never know unless some rash act of your own shall bring an -equal sorrow upon you. I had everything possible done to make poor -Charlie comfortable.” - -“But he was to blame--he was to blame for it all!” panted the listening -lad. - -“I have tried to think so,” confessed the doctor, “but in my sober -moments of reason I found it impossible. Bad company led him into bad -ways, it is true; but I was not patient with him, and I did not talk -to him in the right spirit when I discovered that he was associating -with bad boys. I permitted my anger to govern me, and thus, instead of -influencing him to do better, I aroused in him anger and resentment -against me. When I did that, my power over him was gone, and I never -recovered it. It is thus, I believe, that in many cases parents lose -influence and power over their children. They give themselves over -to anger in attempting to reprimand their sons or daughters for -wrong-doing, and their unrestrained temper produces resentment and -anger, instead of regret and resolution to do better, in the ones whom -they reprimand. My son, guard your temper and keep it in subjection, -for to one of your fiery and unreasoning disposition it is your worst -enemy.” - -“Mother,” murmured Don, “did--did she----” - -“She recovered for the time, but the shock had shattered her health, -and she was never herself again. Even the sight of her aroused Charlie, -so that the manager of the asylum ceased, after a time, to permit -her to visit him. At sight of me he had convulsions. My practice was -ruined, and it became necessary for me to seek another field. Then, my -son, we came here, where we have remained ever since. Your mother grew -weaker and weaker day by day. I doctored her as best I could, seeking -the advice and assistance of the most skilled physicians obtainable; -but it was useless, for her ailment was not of the body, but of the -mind. She forgave me everything, but I lost her, Don, and I can never -forgive myself.” - -Again the doctor turned his sad, handsome face away, and father and son -sat in silence, the only sound being the steady, solemn ticking of the -old-fashioned clock that stood outside in the hall. After some minutes, -the boy ventured to ask: - -“Is Charlie still crazy?” - -“No,” answered the doctor; “it was less than a year after the death of -your mother that a certain great surgeon operated upon him and restored -him to reason. Oh, how much would I have given had Mary lived till that -day!” - -“Where is he now?” - -“In California, whither he went immediately on regaining his reason and -liberty. I offered him a home as long as he wished to remain with me, -but he chose to go to California. - -“This is all the story, my son, and, having completed it, I am not -going to moralize. Think it over. I hope it may serve to open your eyes -to the perils of keeping bad company, and I pray that it may teach you -to guard your temper.” - -The doctor arose and held out his hand, as one man offers his hand to -another, upon which Don sprang forward impulsively, clasping it with -both of his own. The boy longed to express his sympathy in words, -but something choked him, and he gazed through a misty cloud at the -sadly handsome face of his father, while the pressure of their hands -alone spoke more directly to their hearts than aught words could have -expressed. - -“Good-night, Don, my boy!” - -“Good-night, father--good-night!” - -Don turned from the room and ascended the stairs, while his father, -left alone, drew from that pocket near his heart the gold-bound -miniature, which, with a smothered sob, he lifted to his lips. - - - - -CHAPTER XXIII. - -THE DEFEATED ELEVEN. - - -Twelve boys of various ages and sizes, their faces expressing untold -disgust, sat around in the so-called “reading-room” of the Rockspur -Athletic Club. They were seated on the table, benches and chairs, and -a woe-be-gone, disheartened-appearing set of fellows they were. The -big Rochester kerosene lamp with a smoky chimney shed over them a -melancholy light that seemed quite befitting to their mood. Finally, -Sterndale looking around at his companions, and finding something -decidedly comical in their aspect, laughed aloud. - -“Kill him!” cried Jotham Sprout. - -“I don’t see anything to laugh at,” groaned Walter Mayfair. - -“I’m too sus-sus-sore to laugh, anyway,” sighed Danny Chatterton. - -“An’ Oi feel loike foightin’!” burst from Dennis Murphy. - -“I’m so lame I can hardly draw my breath,” confessed Rob Linton. “I’m -lame from my head to my heels.” - -“I have bruises and contusions and gashes all over me,” declared John -Smith. - -“I raked my right arm from the wrist to the elbow when I made that -touchdown,” put in Leon Bentley, in a manner that called attention to -the accomplishment. - -“That was the greatest fluke of the game,” said Sterndale. “It was a -streak of luck for the ball to roll right out of a scrimmage, in which -you were carefully taking no part, just so you could pick it up with a -clear field ahead of you and get over Highland’s line with it.” - -“No fluke about it!” flared Leon. “No luck about it, either! I wasn’t -going into the thing pell-mell, like the rest of you fellows, and I had -my eyes open. That’s how it happened.” - -“I noticed that you didn’t go into much of anything pell-mell,” yawned -Thad Boland, sleepily. “You kept out of danger.” - -“Bah! What have you got to say about it? You wouldn’t know a good play -if you saw it, you big, lazy duffer!” - -Thad pulled himself together somewhat and gave Leon a look. - -“You better not get too gay with your mouth,” he drawled, “or I may -take a notion to shake you. It would be lots of trouble, but I can’t -swallow too much of your sass.” - -Bentley did not care to arouse the lazy lad, for Boland had the -strength of a young giant, though it was on very rare occasions that he -saw fit to display it; so Leon lighted a fresh cigarette, contenting -himself by saying: - -“You’re all jealous of me, but I don’t care.” - -“Jealous of you!” came derisively from Rob Linton. “That would make a -cat laugh!” - -“Well, what did you do in the game?” demanded Bent. - -“Oh, I did something! Didn’t I tackle Dow and keep him from making a -touchdown?” - -“But Hartford got one two minutes later.” - -“The trouble with you, Bent,” said Rob, “is that you think you are the -only thing that ever happened.” - -“The trouble with you,” retorted Leon, quickly, “is that you think you -are the whole menagerie.” - -“Don’t sus-sus-see ha-how he can think so wh-when you’re round,” -chuckled Danny Chatterton. “He-he-his eyes must sus-sus-show him there -is another mum-mum-monkey in the show.” - -Bentley did not relish the laughter that followed this, and he growled -and grumbled to himself, after which he smoked and sulked in silence. - -“Ford hasn’t expressed his opinion of the game,” grinned Sprout, who -was chewing gum and eating peppermint candy at the same time, has fat -cheeks shaking as he wagged his jaws. - -They looked at the mute, who seemed to understand on the instant what -had been said, and he made a gesture expressive of dejection and -disgust, slowly shaking his head. - -“Misther Rinwood isn’t afther sayin’ a great dale,” observed Dennis -Murphy, a sly twinkle in his eyes. - -Renwood was sitting astride a chair, his elbows on the back of it, his -chin resting on his hands. He grinned in a sickly manner, showing his -lips were battered and bruised, the under one being swelled till it -projected almost as far as his nose. - -“My lips are too sore to make much talk,” he declared, rather thickly. -“And some of my teeth are so loose I’m afraid they’ll fall out when I -open my mouth.” - -“Well, fellows,” said Sterndale, “we’re a sorry-looking crowd, but it’s -no use to mope over being defeated. That’s only one out of three with -Highland, and they took the first ball game last summer.” - -“But they didn’t snow us under,” came quickly from Mayfair. “They -barely won by a fluke.” - -“And I made the fluke,” acknowledged John Smith, smiling grimly at the -remembrance. - -“But you saved us on the last game of the series by your great work in -the box,” Mayfair hastened to assert. “You made up for that first game, -old man.” - -“And he did some splendid work in our game to-day,” said the captain of -the eleven. “If we’d all done as well as Smith, we might have won the -game.” - -John flushed with pleasure, for such praise from Sterndale was most -agreeable. Leon Bentley looked through a cloud of blue smoke, his lips -curling scornfully, but he remained silent. - -“That’s right, Sterndale,” agreed Dolph Renwood. “Smith was a perfect -whirlwind. Several times he did great work at interference, even -though he was playing back of the line. If he’d been in his old -position----” - -Renwood stopped, and Harry Carter spoke up at once: - -“I did the best I could, fellows. I know I made some bad blunders, but -I didn’t shirk, and----” - -“You’re all right,” Dolph interrupted; “but you haven’t had the -practice, and you were given a hard position in the line. Now, if you -had been placed next to the end, with Smith on the end----” - -“Are you digging at me?” asked Bentley, snappily. “I was playing next -to the end.” - -“I am not digging at anybody,” calmly answered the quarter-back of the -team; “but I know we should have had Smith on that end.” - -“There’s been too much shifting about,” said Leon. “You fellows took -in Boland and Carter, and then you tried Linton at right tackle till -you found Ford wouldn’t work beside Old Lightning. That made you shift -back, and finally you decided you couldn’t get along without me, after -all, which caused another change.” - -“We’ve not had enough time for practice,” Sterndale asserted. - -“You’ve had as much as Highland,” grinned Leon, lighting another -cigarette. - -“No, not by a whole week.” - -“That’s a lot!” - -“It counts when all the practice a team gets is secured in two or -three weeks. College teams begin to practice months ahead.” - -“And sometimes there are changes in the make-up of a college team one -day before a great game,” put in Renwood. - -“I presume you know all about it,” purred Leon, with a sneer. - -“Well, I know something about it. I’ve had a chance to see considerable -of Harvard’s training work, and some of the Harvard men are my friends.” - -“For instance, Phil Winston, who is the Highland coach. I suppose he is -one of your friends.” - -“I happen to know Winston,” confessed Dolph, “but that is all. We are -not friends.” - -“Oh,” said Bentley, queerly, “I didn’t know but you were.” And the tone -and manner in which the words were spoken attracted attention. - -Renwood gave Leon no further notice, but turned to the others, saying: - -“I tell you what it is, fellows, we met with a big loss when Scott got -his back up and left the eleven. With that fellow in his old position -and Smith back on the end, I believe we might give Highland a hot game -a week from to-day.” - -“It’s no use to talk about that,” said Sterndale, gloomily. “Scott -won’t come back.” - -“That’s right,” nodded Leon. “I just saw him by accident a little -while ago, and he’s in high spirits because we got beaten. He says -he’ll never play again on any kind of a team with Renwood or Sterndale.” - -“I’ve heard fuf-fellows make that kuk-kind of tut-talk before,” said -Chatterton, sprawling out on the top of the reading table. - -“But he means it,” cried Bent. “When Scott gets his back up, he sticks -to a thing.” - -“It’s too bad,” declared Renwood, tenderly touching his damaged lips. -“I don’t know of a man who can fill his place.” - -“He’s changed his tune about Scott lately,” whispered Leon, giving -Jotham Sprout a nudge in the ribs with his elbow, upon which the fat -boy fell off the end of the bench and landed on the floor with a crash -that shook the building. - -“Don’t you do that again!” gasped Bubble, sitting up and choking, -having swallowed his gum in the midst of the catastrophe. “I’d like to -know who you think you’re pushin’! I won’t set side of you no more!” -Then he proceeded to make himself comfortable on the floor. - -“If you don’t want to ‘set’ beside me, you may ‘lay’ on the floor,” -grinned Bentley, looking around to see if anybody present took notice -of the pun. - -“Egg-egg-eggs-actly,” cackled Chatterton. Then he quickly put up his -hands, crying: “Don’t sus-sus-shoot!” - -“Somebody oughter hit you with a good, hard piece of iron,” slowly -declared Thad Boland. “You committed a crime.” - -Sterndale stood up. - -“We must do something, fellows,” he said. “There is no question about -that. Unless the team is strengthened greatly, Highland will have -another easy time when we meet them next Saturday. If they win that -game, it settles the series, and there’ll be no need to play the third -game.” - -“If necessary,” said Redwood, “and if you fellows think it best, I’ll -go to Scott and see if I can’t get him to come back onto the team. I -should hate to do anything of the sort, but I’m willing to do ’most -anything that is honest so that we may win the next game.” - -Leon Bentley groaned, softly and derisively. - -“That sounds first rate,” he muttered, “but you can’t fool some people.” - -The words were spoken loudly enough for some of the boys to understand -them, but Dolph, who was at the farther side of the room, did not catch -them distinctly. - -“What’s that you say, Bentley?” he demanded, sharply. - -“I say that sounds first rate, but you can’t get Scott if you go down -on your knees to him.” - -“Perhaps that was what you said,” admitted Renwood; “but it didn’t -sound like it. I’m not going down on my knees to Scott, but I am going -to speak to him, no matter what he may do.” - -“I wouldn’t do that, Renwood,” said Sterndale, scowling a little. “If -anybody says anything to that fellow, it is my place to do so. I have -not yet decided that I’d take him back onto the eleven if he came and -asked to play.” - -“Of course you wouldn’t!” exclaimed Leon, promptly, showing -satisfaction. “The team is all right just as it is, if it gets the -right kind of practice work.” - -“Perhaps you mean that I have not been giving it the right kind of -practice?” Dolph cried. “Perhaps you know more about coaching a team -than I do!” - -“I didn’t say that, either,” grinned Bentley. - -“You seldom say anything point-blank to a man’s face, but you insinuate -and insinuate, and you talk behind his back.” - -“Look here, Mr. Renwood,” Leon angrily snapped, “I don’t fancy that! -I’ve always used you all right, and you have no reason for making that -kind of talk. I won’t stand any more of it, either.” - -Renwood shrugged his shoulders and turned to Sterndale, with whom he -began to talk earnestly. - -“Ginger!” cried Carter, starting up as the town clock in the Baptist -church tower began to strike. “It’s nine o’clock! I told mother I’d be -back before this. I’ve got some groceries to take home, and the stores -will be closed. Good-night, fellows.” - -He was hurrying out when Bentley also arose and remarked that he was -going home, following Harry down the stairs. As Carter came out upon -the street, Leon overtook him and grasped his arm. - -“Look here, Cart,” he said, “can’t you see through this little game?” - -“What game?” asked the boy addressed, turning sharply and shaking off -the hand of his follower, whom he did not like. “What do you mean?” - -“Why Renwood’s game, of course. It’s plain enough. He doesn’t want -Rockspur to win, for all that he makes the bluff that he does. He has -Sterndale on a string, and he’s the real manager and captain of the -eleven. It was through him that all the shifting about on the team has -come, and now he wants to make another shift. He’s sore because I made -that touchdown, so he’s going to try to push me off. He’ll try to get -Scott back into your place; then where will you be? He is going to keep -this thing up just so that the team will be unsettled all the time, and -that will fix us so that we’ll never win a game. Now, Carter, are you -going to stand it? That’s the question.” - -Leon had tried to appear very earnest and sincere, but he made very -little impression on the listening youth. - -“I don’t take any stock in that stuff, Bentley,” declared Harry, -promptly. “I know I’m not as good a man as Scott on the team, which -makes me willing to get off any time Sterndale wants to fill my place.” - -“Yah!” snarled Leon, showing his yellow teeth. “You’re just like all -the rest; you’ll let Dick Sterndale wipe his feet all over you. I’m -sick of the whole crowd; but I’m just as good a man as anybody on that -team, and I’ll show Dolph Renwood up if he comes any sneaky business -to throw me down!” - -Then, lighting a fresh cigarette, and hearing other boys descending the -stairs from the club-room, he hurried away, muttering to himself. - -“Those nasty things he is smoking are turning his head,” said Carter, -to himself. “If he doesn’t stop using so many of them, he’ll go daffy, -for I can see that he’s getting worse and worse every day.” - - - - -CHAPTER XXIV. - -FANNING THE FLAMES. - - -Leon was waiting for Don at the first corner when the latter started -for school the following Monday morning. As usual, he was puffing -a cigarette. The sight of him angered Don, who would have hurried -straight on without speaking, but Bentley joined him, saying: - -“I was watching for you, old man. Got something to tell you. I went -down to the club-room after your dad came in on us so jerky Saturday -night, and I found all the gang there, weeping over their defeat. It -would have done you good to see them. A big lot of cry-babies! They had -something to say about you, too.” - -He had hurried on with his words, being shrewd enough to observe that -the doctor’s son was in no very agreeable mood, and, as he anticipated, -the final statement aroused Don’s curiosity, although an attempt was -made to conceal it. - -“What do you suppose I care what they say about me!” growled the -dark-eyed lad, with a toss of his head. “They can say any old thing -they like.” - -But he slackened his pace somewhat and did not try to shake off his -unwelcome companion. - -“They were saying every old thing,” asserted Leon. “I tell you, they -gave you a raking down behind your back.” - -“That didn’t hurt me any. I wasn’t on their old team, so they couldn’t -blame me for their defeat.” - -“But they did, just the same.” - -Don stopped short and looked at Bentley, his face growing hard. - -“How the dickens could they do that?” he snapped. - -“Why, they said you acted like a fool in getting your back up and -leaving the team. They said they were glad enough to get rid of you, -but they’d ought to have fired you in the first place. As it was, you -left at a bad time, making it necessary to shift the men around, so -there was no time to get the team back in shape, and, for that reason, -you were responsible for the loss of the game.” - -Leon told this lie glibly and with a show of truthfulness that aroused -no suspicion in the mind of the hearer; but the falsehood did the work -Bentley wished it to do, and the black look deepened on the rather -handsome face of Don Scott, marring his good looks and making his -aspect repellent. - -“Who said this, Bentley?” he demanded, harshly. “Was it that -treacherous snake, Renwood?” - -“Sure thing,” nodded Leon. “He blames it all onto you, but he ain’t the -only one. The others agreed with him, and I told them what I thought of -it. I don’t often get right up and speak out in meeting,” the fellow -went on, “but I couldn’t keep still this time, so I said enough to get -them all mad at me. Now, I hear that they’re going to kick me out -again. What do you think of that, Don?” - -“I think it serves you right for going back onto the team,” was the -unsympathetic answer. - -“What? You say that after I stood up for you? Well, I never thought -such a thing of you, Scott!” Leon assumed an injured air, giving Don a -look of deep reproach. - -“The trouble with you is that you’re altogether too shifty,” said the -doctor’s son. “When you do a thing, stick to it. But I’m not kicking at -you. I’d like to hit Renwood for wagging his mouth about me so much!” - -“It’s what you ought to do. Of course he would deny it, but you know -what he is. Why, he even denied to you that he meant you when he said -there were some men on the team who were no earthly good, but he’s -laughed about it since, saying he didn’t think you’d tumble to yourself -so quickly.” - -A sound of grating teeth came from Don’s mouth, delighting Leon with -the knowledge that he had reawakened to the full extent the hatred of -the dark-eyed youth for Dolph Renwood. - -“There’ll come a day of settlement!” Scott panted. - -“Now that he is sore on me, you can’t imagine what he proposes to do,” -snickered Bentley. “Why I have it straight that he’s going to come to -you and try to get you back onto the eleven, just so he can kick me -out.” - -“Let him come!” cried Don. “That is what I want. I’ll tell him a few -things!” - -They had proceeded up the hill till they were in sight of the white -academy, which showed through the trees of the grounds. Now, fully -satisfied with himself and what he had done, Bentley stopped, saying: - -“Perhaps we’d better not go up together. The fellows have charged me -with carrying things to you, and they may suspect that I’ve put you -onto Renwood’s game. You go ahead.” - -So Don walked on and Leon came up later. Knowing Bentley as he did, it -was rather surprising that the doctor’s son permitted himself to be -deceived by the fellow; but he was ready to believe almost anything bad -of Renwood, which, with his hatred and prejudice, blinded his sense of -perception. - -Renwood had not arrived at the academy and did not appear till a few -moments before the beginning of the morning session, giving him no -opportunity to speak with Scott, in case he desired to do so. That -noon, however, the coach of the eleven was talking with Chatterton -beneath one of the large oaks near the entrance to the grounds, when -Don came through the gate. Perceiving Scott, Dolph immediately advanced -toward him, calling: - -“I’d like to speak with you, Scott, if you’ll wait a minute. We can -talk here without being overheard by the fellows up by the steps.” - -“I have nothing to say to you that I’m not willing anybody should -hear,” declared Don, holding himself in check, for Leon’s warning -had informed him what was coming, and he was glad of the opportunity -to again express himself to this fellow whom he hated with all the -intensity of his nature. - -“Still, it’s better to talk the matter over out here away from the -others,” said Dolph, rather nervously, his manner seeming to betray to -the boy with the searching eyes a self-consciousness of guilt. “I am in -hopes we can come to an understanding.” - -Don said nothing, but continued to watch Renwood’s face. - -“There is something about me,” Dolph continued, seeming troubled to -find words to express himself, “that caused you to take a strong -dislike to me almost the first time you saw me. I knew it, for you are -not a chap to conceal your feelings. I have some pride and spirit of my -own, and I’m not the kind of a fellow to try to curry favor with those -who dislike me, for which reason I had very little to do with you till -the football team was organized, and I was selected as coach. Then it -became necessary for me to have some dealings with you. One thing I -want to claim right here is, that I never tried to injure you in any -way.” - -There was curling scorn in the movement of Don’s lips, but he continued -silent, apparently waiting with some impatience for Renwood to finish. -Dolph saw and understood the expression on the face of his enemy, but -he pretended to take no note of it, hurrying on with scarcely a break: - -“When Sterndale was making up the team, I suggested that you be -tried in the position you were given, one of the most prominent and -difficult places on an eleven. I had observed that you could run like -a deer, could dodge and handle yourself gracefully, and I fancied you -possessed, or could develop, other requirements that would make you -a first-class man at half. I made one mistake,” the coach confessed, -“for, in instructing the team, I did not take into consideration the -fact that you might be easily angered, so that you would quit the -eleven and refuse to come back. I don’t think I quite understood you in -that respect. Anyhow, you got mad with me, which has raised hob with -everything. I used you just exactly the same as I did others on the -team, but you seemed to think I had some spite against you. You were -wrong, Scott; I had nothing in the world against you.” - -“By that,” said Don, with a sneer, “I presume you infer that I was -wholly to blame for everything that occurred? When you jumped on me and -made your insulting remarks to me before the eleven and the whole crowd -of spectators, I had no right to resent it! I should have curled up and -taken it, like a meaching cur! But I’m not that kind of a huckleberry! -I don’t belong to the whipped-cur breed, Mr. Dolph Renwood!” - -“I made a mistake,” Dolph again acknowledged, still speaking calmly. -“You must remember that I belonged to a city team, and that team was -coached by a professional. You should have heard him talk to us! -Why, there wasn’t a man in the whole bunch that he didn’t give a -tongue-lashing. If I had begun to talk that way to the boys here----” - -“You started in,” declared Don. “Just because a professional coach -could talk that way, you tried to show off by doing so; but you found -out it wouldn’t go in this town, and so you had to come down some. -That’s about the size of it.” - -Renwood’s face had been pale, but now a sudden flush burned in his -cheeks, making it plain that Scott’s words and bearing were arousing -his pride and anger. - -“Let’s not talk of that,” he cried, perceiving it would do no good. “We -were beaten at Highland, Saturday, and the eleven must be strengthened -somehow if we are to stand a show with them when they come here next -Saturday. If we had you back in your old position, I think there would -be a chance of making the team strong enough to meet those fellows. -I confess that I’m sorry I offended you. I’ll even apologize if you -demand it! I’ll do anything to make the team strong enough to beat -Highland.” - -Don laughed harshly. “You don’t know me, Renwood,” he declared. “I have -said I was done with you, and I mean it. I’ve said I’d show you up as a -sneak and a traitor, and I meant that, too! I know you for just what -you are. You pretend that you are anxious to beat Highland. Bah! You’re -hand-and-glove with Phil Winston, the Highland coach. You owe him -favors, which you are trying to pay by throwing down Rockspur. I know -it! That strikes home, doesn’t it! Wait--keep still! I’m going to say -all I have to say to you right here and now. You must think me a soft -fool to come back onto the team with you after what I know about you! -You know that I know it, too! You know I know you slashed the suits and -cut up the football in the dressing-room under the grand-stand! Yet you -had the crust to face me and try to paste that onto me! As far as you -have been able you have hurt me, for the most of the boys are idiots -enough to believe I did that job. Now, you are sore on Bentley because -he happened to get a touchdown in the Highland game, and you want to -dump him off the team. You see that you must do something to hold your -grip with the boys and make them believe you are trying hard to put a -winning eleven on the field, and so you’ve planned to dump Bent and -make a bluff at doing something all at one lick. Renwood, you’re so -thin I can see through you like window-glass. Some day all the fellows -will see through you. I’ve told you just what I think of you, and you -can chew on it.” - -Don was about to turn away, but, panting and pale, Dolph caught him by -the arm, huskily exclaiming: - -“Stop! I’ve got something more to say to you! I see I’ve made a fool -of myself for nothing. I might have known you were unreasonable and -obstinate enough to keep the thing up. Talk about bluffing! You are -the champion! After stealing my knife right from under my nose in the -club-room, you saw a way to hurt me, as you fancied, and you went up -to the field and slashed the suits and cut up the football with that -knife, which you left there so that it would seem I did it. Then you -told a preposterous story about encountering me in the room and tried -to make the boys believe I attempted to stab you. I was willing to -overlook all that, not because I forgave you, but because I was anxious -for the good of the eleven; but now I want to tell you just what I -think, as you have pretended to tell me. You’re a miserable----” - -“Dolph! Dolph!” cried a voice, and Zadia, having entered by the gate, -accompanied by other girls, rushed between the two panting lads, who -were about to fly at each other’s throats. Putting a hand against the -breast of each, she held them apart with all her strength, gasping: -“You shall not! You shall not! Stop this minute. Remember your promise -to me, Don Scott!” - -Don did not draw back immediately, but at last he took his eyes, full -of intense rancor, from the face of Renwood and turned them upon -Dolph’s pretty, trembling, imploring sister. Swiftly he melted before -her entreating gaze, but he could not resist the impulse to hurl a -last savage shot at the fellow he hated. - -“Some time, Renwood,” he said, “your sister will not be at hand to come -between us. Then look out for yourself!” - -With which, he turned toward the academy. - - - - -CHAPTER XXV. - -DON DECIDES TO PLAY. - - -Sterndale came down from the football field in a discouraged condition, -although he tried not to betray his feelings. He could see the boys had -lost confidence in themselves, with the exception of Bentley, who was -full of conceit and arrogance, seeming to regard himself as the only -player of consequence on the team. - -On his way home, Dick almost ran against Don Scott. It was growing -dark, and something was the matter with the street lamp on that corner. - -“Say, Scott, wait a minute!” exclaimed the captain of the nine, -catching hold of the other. - -“I’m in a hurry,” muttered Don. - -“Never mind; you can give me five minutes for old times’ sake. You -and I got along pretty well on the baseball team. We never had any -particular trouble, did we?” - -“No.” - -“Well, this trouble on the eleven is all nonsense.” - -“Needn’t been any trouble only for that sneak Renwood, Sterndale.” - -“I know how it was. See here, Scott, do you want to see Highland -get the best of us and crow over us just because you had a row with -Renwood?” - -“No, but----” - -“I know you don’t!” declared Dick, with a show of satisfaction. “I’ve -felt it all along! I was sure that, deep down in your heart, you wanted -us to win.” - -“It’s only Renwood,” muttered Don, hesitatingly. “If you hadn’t had -him----” - -“We had to, old man. We didn’t know beans about football, and he did. -We couldn’t afford to hire a coach, and he’s coached us for nothing. -There we were.” - -“But he hasn’t tried to coach you to win. I know it! He’s standing in -with Winston, who is working for a rep. I have it straight, Sterndale. -The sooner you get rid of Renwood the better off the eleven will be.” - -“I can’t think that. I want proof. Prove what you say and I’ll kick him -out on the jump.” - -“If I bring a man who heard him talking with Winston--who heard enough -to learn there is an understanding between them?” - -“If I’m satisfied the man isn’t lying, I’ll kick Renwood off the team,” -declared Dick. - -Don realized on the instant that the captain would not believe Leon -Bentley, so it was useless to bring Bentley forward. - -“But I don’t believe it, Scott,” the big leader of the village boys -went on. “You have misjudged Dolph Renwood. He feels as bad as anybody -over our defeat, and he’ll work hard to help us win, Saturday. But -there’s a weakness in our team. We want you back at half, and then we -can put Smith on the end of the line, where he was in the first place. -Can’t you let bygones be bygones, old man, and come back and help pull -us out of the hole? You can bet your life I’ll appreciate it if you do! -Now, don’t say you won’t, Don! I’ve favored you before now, and I’m -ready to do it again. Of course you’ll do this for me! I know you will!” - -There was something almost irresistible in Sterndale’s manner, so that -Don found it nearly impossible to refuse his entreaty; but the doctor’s -son was not to be turned thus easily from his determination to keep off -the eleven as long as Renwood had anything to do with it, and he grimly -shook his head. - -“I can’t do it,” he muttered, sullenly. “It’s no use to ask me.” - -“Not even for me? Not even to save Rockspur from being defeated by -Highland?” - -“Not even for anything!” - -Dick was disappointed and nettled, but he held his anger in check, -though he betrayed his disappointment plainly enough. Almost always -the village boys were ready to obey his beck and call, and he found it -decidedly provoking to have Scott refuse in this case to come back onto -the eleven at his request. - -“You’ll think better of it,” the captain said, not willing to give up -defeated. “I’m your friend; I’ve proved it, too.” - -Dick did not say outright that he had proved it by not going to Don’s -father about the ruined suits and destroyed football, but his meaning -was plain enough, and Scott cried: - -“You’re no friend of mine if you think I did that dirty piece of -business! That was one of Renwood’s tricks, as you’ll find out some -day.” - -“I’m not saying you did it,” the captain instantly cut in. “I don’t -know who did it. I don’t want to think that either you or Renwood would -do a thing like that.” - -“One of us did it, and it wasn’t me,” assented Don. - -“Well, never mind that now. I want you back on the team, and you are -coming back. We can’t get along without you, Scott, old man! You can -save us from defeat. We can’t shift all over again, but we can put the -men back in their original positions, and we’ll beat the stuffing out -of Highland. I’m going to see you again about this, so think it over. -Remember, that I am asking this of you.” - -Then he got hold of Don’s hand, shook it warmly, said something -pleasant, and they parted. - -“I hated to refuse him,” muttered Don, who still felt the effect of -Dick’s influence and magnetism, “but I had to do it.” - -He remained obstinate when Sterndale approached him again on the -following day, and there seemed little prospect that he would give in -and resume his old position on the eleven. - -The boys practiced faithfully every day, regardless of weather; but -Scott kept away from the field and Bentley was well satisfied. - -It was Thursday morning at breakfast that Dr. Scott, who was looking -over the little country newspaper published at Highland, suddenly -lowered the paper and, glancing keenly at Don, observed: - -“How is this, my son? Didn’t you do anything worthy of note in the game -at Highland last Saturday?” - -The boy nearly dropped the glass of milk he had been lifting to his -lips, for he instantly realized that his father had been reading an -account of the game. - -“Why, no--I--that is--not much of anything,” he stammered. - -“I see the _Register_ does not even mention your name,” smiled the -doctor. “It speaks of the plays of a number of men on both sides, but -nothing is said of a chap by the name of Scott.” - -“Does it give the line-up of the two teams?” breathlessly questioned -Don, his heart standing still. - -“No,” was the answer. “It seems to me a very careless piece of -reporting, and it’s plain the fellow who did it doesn’t know much about -football.” - -The boy breathed again, but he still shook a little, feeling a clammy -perspiration on his face. He had kept up the deception so long that the -horror of the seemingly inevitable discovery was wearing on his nerves. - -“Let me see,” said the doctor, still regarding Don closely; “what -position did you fill, my son?” - -“I was right half-back,” came, rather faintly, from Don’s lips. Then he -took a swallow of milk and choked over it. - -“But it says here that Smith, the right half-back of the Rockspurs, -took the ball round Highland’s end for a gain of twelve yards before -being tackled and brought to earth by Garrison, Highland’s left half. -What does that mean?” - -“It’s another blunder of the reporter’s,” asserted Don, boldly. “He got -twisted somehow. Smith is on the right end of the line.” - -“It’s too bad there could not have been a good report of the game,” -said the doctor. “I hope you fellows will do better next Saturday, for -I’m going to see that game if I can possibly get to it. You want to -remember that I’ll be watching you, and brace up, my boy. I suppose you -want to see the account of the game. There it is.” - -He passed the paper over, but it was some moments before Don could read -a word, although he sat staring at the print, which ran together in a -confused mass. At last the boy’s brain cleared, and he slowly perused -the report of the game. - -“That’s sloppy,” he commented, handing the paper back. “That reporter -ought to write up one more game of football and then go off somewhere -and die. He didn’t get half of it correct.” - -As soon as possible, he left the table and the house. - -“Ginger! I thought the jig was up!” he muttered, hastening away. -“It will be up next Saturday.” Then he halted, his hands thrust deep -into his pockets, his eyes fastened on the ground. “It’ll be all up, -unless----” There was another pause, and, all at once, as if relieved, -he cried: “I’ve got to do it, that’s all! If I do, he may never know -I’ve fooled him.” - -Then he lost no time in finding Sterndale and informing him that he had -decided to play on the team in the game against Highland the following -Saturday. - - - - -CHAPTER XXVI. - -THE PROOF AGAINST RENWOOD. - - -“What’s this I hear, Scott?” cried Leon Bentley, rushing up to him as -he appeared at the academy that noon. “They say you practiced with the -team this morning. I was away--went to see my aunt over at Freeport -last night, and didn’t get back in time for school this forenoon. They -lie about you, don’t they? You didn’t practice with the team, did you?” - -“What if I did?” demanded Don. - -“Why, hang it! you said you wouldn’t--you said nothing could induce you -to! You gave me fits for going back.” - -“Well, you’re not the only fellow who has a privilege to change his -mind.” - -“Then you have?” gasped Leon. “I never thought it of you! After all -Renwood’s said, too! You’ll be chumming with him next.” - -Scott’s face grew dark. “Let up on that!” he grated. “I won’t take it -from you! I hate him just as much as I ever did!” - -“Well, they’ll kick me off the team now,” said Bentley. “You’ve helped -him carry out his plan to do that, anyhow. I never thought it of you,” -he again declared, with unspeakable reproach. “Anyhow, I’ll bet my -money on Highland, and I’ve got some to bet, too.” - -As he made this statement, Leon produced a roll of bills, which he -flourished before Don, grinning triumphantly. The doctor’s son was -surprised to see so much money in the possession of Bentley, but he -made no comment, not a little to Leon’s disappointment. - -“Why don’t you ask me where I got it?” he demanded. “My aunt’s been -keeping it for me, to make me a present on my birthday that comes next -Tuesday. She was going to get me a suit of clothes, shoes, hat and full -rig with it, but I got the old lady to cough it up to me and let me buy -my own stuff. If I can catch any suckers, I’m going to bet the whole -pile on Highland.” - -“And I hope you’ll lose it!” exclaimed Don. - -“That’s nice!” sneered Leon. “But I won’t. Highland will have a snap, -same as she did before, and it won’t make any difference if you are on -the team.” - -“It’s not Rockspur I’m sore on,” declared Don. “It’s only that cad, -Renwood.” - -“And still you’re going to play with him.” - -“I have a reason for that. You know my father doesn’t suspect I left -the team, and I don’t propose to let him know it. He’s going to see the -game, Saturday.” - -Leon whistled. “Oh, that’s your little game! Well, I didn’t think you’d -go back, even for that. What do you care if he does find out?” - -“I wouldn’t have my father know I lied to him for anything.” - -“What if somebody told him?” grinned Bentley. - -Don had the fellow by the collar in a moment. “Don’t you dare peach on -me!” he hissed. “If you do, I’ll give you the worst thrashing you ever -had.” - -“Oh, I won’t say a word!” promised the frightened fellow. “Don’t choke! -Ain’t I your friend? What’s the matter with you?” - -“That’s all right,” said Don, releasing his hold. “But you want to -remember what I said. If it gets to my father in any way, and I find -out who caused it, I’ll do just what I said.” Then he entered the -academy. - -“Oh, yes, I’m your friend!” whispered Leon, glaring after Scott with a -sidelong look and showing his yellow teeth. “I’m your friend just as -long as it’s any advantage to be. I don’t like you. You’re too ready -with your threats to thrash somebody.” - -That night Don practiced with the team again, and, as Leon had -expected, Carter was given the position of left tackle, Smith played in -his original position on the right end, and Bentley was left off the -eleven. Leon left the field in a huff, and the boys did better work -after he departed. - -“Good riddance to bad rubbish,” said Dennis Murphy, as Leon departed. -“Talk about yer hoodoos, begorra, he’s it.” - -Don practiced with all the vim and vigor he could command, and during -the final brush with the scrub he particularly distinguished himself in -various ways. - -When the boys left the field that night confidence had returned to -them in a great measure, and Sterndale praised them freely. There had -been nothing like a clash between Renwood and Scott, which had been -dreaded, and every one felt relieved. - -Scott was invited to come round to the club-room that evening, but he -declined, saying it was necessary for him to study. However, he did -not do much studying, for, as he was alone in his room shortly after -reaching home, there came a signal he could not misunderstand. Some -small pebbles rattled against his window and a peculiar whistle sounded -below. - -“Now, what the dickens does that fellow want?” muttered Don, half -resolved to pay no attention to the signal. Then, fearing his father -might discover Leon, he thrust up the window and called down, in a -guarded tone: “What are you prowling round here for?” - -“I’ve got something to show you--something that you’ll like to see,” -replied the dusky form below. “Your old man’s gone out; I saw him go -five minutes ago. I have the absolute proof against Renwood.” - -Don hesitated no longer, but hurried down to let Bentley in; and, a -few minutes later, the boys were together in Scott’s room, with the -window-shades tightly drawn. - -“Now, where is your absolute proof?” demanded the doctor’s son, -eagerly. “I want to see it. How did you get hold of it?” - -“It’s the tail end of a letter,” said Leon, “which I picked up under -Renwood’s desk, where he dropped it. I saw him drop it, too, and I -wondered if it amounted to anything. I hung round till he left after -school, and then I gobbled it. Here it is.” - -He brought out a sheet of crumpled note-paper, on which there were -a few lines of writing in a clear, bold hand, and passed it to Don. -The page was numbered “3,” and the writing began in the middle of a -sentence. This was what Scott read: - - “take no chances, so Highland must win again Saturday, and you must - tip me off to any particular weakness of the Rockspur team, as you - did before. I shall expect a letter from you Friday. Your friend, - P. W.” - -“That’s it!” cried Don, exultantly--“that’s the proof! This is the last -of a letter to Renwood from Phil Winston, the Highland coach! Now, I -can show the fellow up to Dick Sterndale, for I’m going to take this -straight to him.” - -“Hold on,” said Bentley, with a knowing grin. “You hadn’t better do -that.” - -“Why not?” - -“How are you going to satisfy Sterndale that the letter this came from -was sent to Renwood? Renwood’s name is not mentioned. He may simply -refuse to believe that fellow knows anything about it, and you’ll -simply balk yourself.” - -“Well, what am I to do?” exclaimed the doctor’s son, after a moment -of silence. “Sterndale will have to believe it, that’s all. If he -doesn’t, he’s a bigger fool than I take him to be.” - -“But we might just as well fix it so he can’t help believing, even if -he wanted to.” - -“How can that be done?” - -“Why, it’s dead easy. I’ve got some samples of Renwood’s handwriting -here, and I rather think I can get up a reply to that letter that will -fool anybody.” - -“That would be forgery.” - -“No more than the note you took to old Alden. Besides that, it would be -for a good purpose, so there wouldn’t be anything wrong in it. I tell -you, it’s the only way to do Renwood up good and solid.” - -“What’ll you do with the letter after it’s written?” - -“That’s where you come in. The fellows invited you down to the club -to-night. I want you to go down and drop the letter on the floor, where -it’ll be picked up by somebody besides Renwood. Whoever gets it will -have to read it to see what it is, which will give the whole thing -away. Will you do it?” - -Don’s nature rebelled against such an act, and Leon saw he was wavering. - -“Think what he’s done to you!” urged the tempter. “He’s covered you all -over with dirt. He’s made the fellows believe you slashed the suits and -destroyed the football. It’s your only chance to get even. Have you got -the nerve?” - -“Yes!” grated Don. “Go ahead and fake up that letter. I’ll drop it -where it will fall into the hands of Sterndale himself.” - -“Good!” laughed Bentley. “Mr. Dolph Renwood is as good as done for! -Bring on the paper, pen and ink, and watch your old side-partner do the -trick. The world is ours, and Renwood isn’t in it!” - - - - -CHAPTER XXVII. - -THE FORGERY DISCOVERED. - - -The second bell was ringing when Don entered the academy the following -morning. As he stepped through the doorway he felt a pull at his -sleeves and a well-known voice whispered in his ear: - -“Well, did you do it, Scott?” - -Bentley had been waiting for him, and Don saw the fellow’s face over -his shoulder. - -“Yes,” he answered quickly, in a low tone. “I got a good chance last -night, for I waited with Sterndale till after the others were all gone -home, pretending I wanted to have a talk with him. Then, when he didn’t -see me, I dropped the letter just where Renwood had been sitting, and I -saw him pick it up.” - -“Good!” chuckled Leon. “Something will drop on Mr. Renwood to-day! You -did a good job, old man.” - -But Don had already begun to regret his action, having found time to -think it over soberly when his blood had cooled somewhat, and he was -not at all proud of what Bentley called “a good job.” His hatred for -Renwood had not abated in the least, but his conscience told him he -had made a false step. Had he by any honest means obtained possession -of a letter from Dolph to Phil Winston in which the Rockspur coach -betrayed to Winston the weak points of the Rockspur team, he would -have denounced the traitor openly before the members of the eleven, -backing up his charges with the letter. But, in a way that now seemed -sneaking and underhand, he had succeeded in causing the letter forged -by Bentley to fall into the hands of the captain of the team, and, even -though he had no doubt of Renwood’s guilt, he now saw that he would not -stand in a very favorable light were the whole matter made public. More -than that, he felt that he had, to a certain extent, placed himself in -Bentley’s power. - -Leon, however, troubled by no such prickings of his conscience, -chuckled inwardly as he entered the school-room. - -“If it’s found out that the letter ain’t genuine, nobody can lay it -onto me,” he thought. “I wasn’t around the old club-room to drop it -there.” - -To the surprise of both Scott and Bentley, the forenoon passed without -any reference being made to the letter by Sterndale. The expected -exposure did not come, and Leon was greatly disappointed. He hurried -after and overtook Don as the doctor’s son was walking swiftly homeward. - -“Are you sure Sterndale got hold of that letter?” asked the youthful -rascal. - -“I saw him pick it up,” asserted Don. - -“Did he read it?” - -“He looked at it, started, and then quickly put it into his pocket.” - -“Well, it’s mighty queer, that’s all,” said Leon. “Why didn’t he jump -on Renwood? He didn’t say a word--not a blessed word!” - -“It is queer,” admitted Don; “but I think it’ll come out before -night. He may be waiting to jump on Renwood to-night when we go up to -practice.” - -“Oh, I’ll be there!” sang Leon, as he skipped off at a corner on his -way home. - -Arriving home, Don ran lightly up the stairs to his room, the door -of which he found standing slightly ajar. When he entered, he was -surprised and startled to see his father standing by a window with a -crumpled sheet of writing-paper in his hand. Instantly the boy felt -that some unusual thing had brought the doctor to that room just then, -and he halted, his face turning somewhat pale. - -The doctor, likewise pale, regarded his son with searching eyes, making -Don feel that his very thoughts were bring scrutinized. - -“My son,” said the physician, calmly, “how does it happen that I find -this half-written letter of mine in your waste-basket? I am sure I did -not place it there.” - -It was some seconds before the abashed youth found his voice, which did -not sound quite natural when he finally spoke. - -“I--I don’t know, father,” he said. “Let me see. Oh, yes! Why, I went -down to your desk for some writing-paper one evening, and that was -with the sheets when I brought them up here. I thought it didn’t amount -to anything, so I threw it into the waste-basket.” - -The doctor still regarded his son steadfastly, causing the blood to -mantle Don’s cheeks, driving away the pallor and making his face very -red. He felt for the first time in his life that he was not believed -by his father, and the shame and humiliation of that feeling burned -like coals of fire within his swelling bosom. No greater punishment for -his wrong-doing, deception and falsehoods could have been inflicted -upon him than befell at that moment, when he realized that his father -doubted his statement and had lost confidence in him. In those few -moments he suffered more keenly than ever before in all his life. - -The doctor stepped toward Don slowly, placed a hand gently on his -shoulder, and, in a low voice, said: - -“My son, I am very sorry.” - -Then he went out of the room and descended the stairs, leaving the -stricken lad standing there, his hands clenched, his teeth set, his -whole body trembling. - -“He knows!” panted the miserable boy--“he has found out about the -forged excuse! The jig is up, and my father knows just what kind of a -wretched liar and two-faced hypocrite I am! Oh, I wish I were dead! I -wish I’d never been born.” - -He walked the floor, his soul torn by the poignant anguish that he -had brought upon himself by his own false steps. Fancying he could -never again look his father in the face, he thought of running away, of -drowning himself, of doing anything to escape the mortification of the -ordeal. - -Then came a sudden, fierce surge of anger. “Renwood is to blame for it -all!” he panted. “But for him I’d never done any of these things, for -I’d stayed on the eleven, and it would not have been necessary! Oh, how -I hate him! How I hate him!” - -He made no attempt to reason calmly, therefore it was not possible for -him to see the unjustness of his position. His eyes were not yet fully -opened to his own moral weakness, nor had this exposure unveiled to him -all the pitfalls of the crooked road into which he had been led by his -ungoverned anger and by the craft of a bad companion. - -As he was fuming about Renwood, he heard somebody leave the house. -Hurrying through the hall to the front of the house, he looked out -from a window in time to see his father pass through the front gate -and join a bearded man who had paused on the sidewalk to wait for him. -The bearded man was Simeon Drew, the deputy sheriff of the village of -Rockspur. The two men walked away toward the village, Dr. Scott talking -earnestly and Drew listening. - -“Now, what does that mean?” wondered Don, beset by a sudden, vague -sense of peril. “I don’t understand why Sim Drew waited for father at -the gate, and I’d give a dollar to know what father is telling him.” - -Having watched them till they disappeared from view, he hurried -downstairs, where dinner was waiting, and Aunt Ella was in a state of -flustered worriment. - -“I can’t understand it,” declared the flushed woman. “Something has -happened that worries Lyman, and he hasn’t told me what it is. He -didn’t even wait to eat dinner, yet I’m sure he ain’t going to see a -patient.” - -Don did not eat much himself, but, after swallowing a few mouthfuls, he -got away from the house, fearing his father might return and find him -there. - -The boys were practicing in the academy yard when he arrived, nearly -all of the eleven having eaten with great haste and returned. He -joined them, but somehow his work lacked the dash and vim he had put -into it the previous night, his heart being gnawed by hatred for the -quarter-back of the eleven. - -It was plain Sterndale had remained silent about the letter, for -Renwood continued to coach, apparently greatly in earnest, although Don -was satisfied that all his earnestness was false pretense. - -Scott found an opportunity to say a word to Bentley before the -afternoon session began. - -“A nice scrape you’ve got me into!” he guardedly snapped. - -“Hey?” said Leon, showing his teeth. “What are you talking about?” - -“About the forgery.” - -“Forgery!” gasped the young rascal, his face turning yellowish-white. -“Why--what--what forgery? You don’t mean----” - -“I mean that excuse to the professor. My father has found out about -that.” - -“Oh!” said Leon, with a long breath of relief. “I thought you -meant--something else. I thought you meant--er--that letter.” - -“No; but I wouldn’t be surprised if that came out, too. I wish I’d -never had anything to do with you!” - -“But you did, and you’re just as deep in the mud as I am in the mire. -You can’t peach now without giving yourself away.” He grinned as he -said this, and, with an angry growl, Don hastened into the academy, -fully expecting to be called up before the professor and questioned -about the forged excuse. - -To his surprise, nothing of the kind happened that afternoon. After -school he went directly to the football field with the others of -the team, where the usual amount of practice was obtained; but Don -continued to worry, which made it impossible for him to appear at -his best. Bentley kept away from the field, and still Dick Sterndale -remained silent about the letter that had been prepared for the undoing -of Renwood. - -Puzzled, apprehensive, distressed, Don came down from the field and -encountered Simeon Drew, who seemed to be waiting for him. The boy’s -heart gave a heavy thump as the officer spoke to him. - -“I won’t detain ye but jest a minute,” said Drew; “but I want to talk -with ye private. Jest come over here to Robinson’s barn.” - -Don followed, feeling both dread and wonder. He could not understand -how the deputy sheriff might be concerned with the affair of the forged -excuse, yet he feared that somehow he had done something that brought -him beneath the ban of the law. - -“Set down,” invited Drew, when they were in the barn, the door of which -stood wide open. “I want to ax ye a few questions.” He pointed to a -feed-box, while he picked up a stick, took out his knife and leisurely -planted himself in the most comfortable position possible for him to -assume upon a saw-horse, which he tipped down on its side. - -Don remained standing. “What do you want of me?” he asked, nervously. - -“I want to find out what you know about this here forgin’ business,” -explained Sim, beginning to whittle. “I’ve kinder figgered it out that -you know somethin’, an’ you might jest as well tell all ye know. It’ll -be the best thing to do.” - -It had come at last, and the boy braced himself to meet the emergency. - -“I’d like to know what you have to do with it, anyway,” he said. - -“Me?” cried Sim, looking up from his whittling. “Well, I guess, b’ Jim, -I’ve gut somethin’ to do with it! I’m an officer of the law, an’ I’m -goin’ to ’rest the forger.” - -“Why you can’t arrest him for that little thing!” - -“Can’t? Well, you don’t know much about law! It’s a State’s prison -offense.” - -Don gasped, but he quickly decided that the man was trying to frighten -him, and he forced a laugh, which, however, sounded faint and unnatural. - -“Get out!” he said. “I know better! It’s something for my father to -settle with Professor Alden, and you don’t have anything to do with it.” - -“Hey? Well, by Jing! I’d like to know what Professor Alden has ter do -with it! It don’t consarn him nohow.” - -“Why, the excuse was given to him.” - -“The what? What be you talkin’ about? I don’t know northin’ about no -excuse.” - -“You don’t?” cried the astonished boy. “Then what are you talking -about?” - -“About that check for twenty-five dollars with your father’s name -forged onto it,” answered the deputy sheriff. - - - - -CHAPTER XXVIII. - -BREAKING THE FETTERS. - - -Don actually staggered, and for some moments he was unable to speak a -word. To the deputy sheriff the boy’s agitation seemed a confession -that he knew all about the matter in question, and so Drew said: - -“The hull business has come out, ye see, so you might jest as well tell -the truth about it. Of course your father’ll pertect you, but the other -feller that passed the check over to Freeport will hev to smart.” - -“Why, I don’t know anything about a forged check!” exclaimed Don, in a -flutter. “That’s the honest truth, Mr. Drew.” - -“Oh, come!” drawled the man. “It ain’t no use to try to squiggle -round it. The check come back to the bank to-day, an’ your father -was straightenin’ out his accounts this forenoon, so he gut holt of -it right off. Reuben Gray, over to Freeport, tuck it, and he sent it -over here by Jeff Lander to git it cashed at the bank, as Jeff was -comin’ over on business. It was jest a happenstance that your father -diskivered it so soon.” - -Now Don understood why his father had looked on him with such sad -reproach after discovering the crumpled letter in his waste-basket, and -the boy was horrified by the knowledge that the doctor suspected him of -participating in such a crime. He realized, also, that all this had -come about through his association with an evil companion, against whom -his father had warned him. - -Being entirely innocent in regard to the forged check, Don became both -vehement and indignant in his protestations. It was useless for Simeon -Drew to try to coax or frighten a confession from him, and the deputy -sheriff finally gave over the attempt in disgust. - -“It would hev bin better for ye if you’d jest told everything ye knowed -about it,” the man declared; “but, anyhow, I’ll hev the other feller -nabbed before night.” - -As Don continued on his way home, his brain in a whirl over the affair, -the whole truth came to him like a flash of light. He recalled the -fact that on the evening after the football game at Highland, while he -was talking with Bentley in his father’s office, he had caught Leon -examining Dr. Scott’s check-book and had angrily ordered the fellow to -let it alone. - -“He tore a blank check from it then!” palpitated Don. “He is the -forger! He could imitate father’s writing, for he faked up that excuse -for me. He went to Freeport, Thursday, and when he came home he had -lots of money, which he said his aunt had given him for a birthday -present.” - -Everything seemed plain enough in a moment, and he understood why it -was suspected that he had known something about the affair. Immediately -he resolved to face Bentley in the matter and force the fellow to -exonorate him. He hurried straight to Leon’s home, but Mrs. Bentley, -a pale-faced, worried-appearing woman, announced that her son had not -appeared since school that afternoon. - -As Don was departing he found himself again confronted by Simeon Drew, -who had followed him without his knowledge. The officer looked at him -in a stern, accusing manner that was also full of triumph. - -“I kinder jedged you’d hurry to tell t’other feller all about it,” he -said. “Now, you kin see you might as well own up.” - -“I’ll never own up to a thing I did not do!” cried Don. “You can’t -make me, either! If Leon Bentley says I had anything to do with that -business, he lies!” - -“All right,” grinned the man. “He’ll hev a chanct to tell his story -purty soon. You better go hum and keep still.” - -Don went home, fully resolved to find his father and make a full -confession of everything. Unfortunately, Dr. Scott was not there, -having been called on a very serious case, and it was possible that he -might not return until late at night. - -Restless and excited, his face flushing and paling by turns, Don found -himself unable to eat much supper, which convinced his aunt that a -serious illness threatened him. - -“It’s that dreadful football,” she asserted, positively. “You’re all -worked up over it. I knew it would make you sick, and I told Lyman so. -There’s no sense in you’re staving yourself to pieces morning, noon and -night the way you’ve been doing for the last three weeks.” - -Don might have told her everything then, but it was hard enough to have -to tell it to his father, and he thought it useless to distress his -aunt over a matter she could not remedy. After supper he went out into -the village and tried to find Bentley, but it was a long time before -he met any one who could give him any information concerning the young -rascal. - -The doctor’s son was not dull, even though he had been deceived by the -crafty Leon, and, in thinking the whole matter over, he was assailed -by a doubt concerning the genuineness of the portion of a letter that -Bentley claimed to have found beneath Renwood’s desk. - -“That may have been a forgery, too,” thought Don. “How do I know? I -wish I’d never agreed to do that other business of dropping the letter -to Winston where Sterndale could find it. Oh, I’ve got myself into a -pretty mess, and all because I had anything to do with Bentley. But -Renwood is back of it all! He started it! He is to blame!” - -Always he came round to this mental assertion, but now, for the first -time, he found it was not at all satisfying to himself. He was struck -by the thought that in this manner he was trying to shift the blame for -his own weakness on to the shoulders of another, which made him feel -mean and small and more wretched than ever. - -Then he thought of his father’s story and of Charlie, who had been -ruined by associating with evil companions, suddenly feeling that the -similarity of his position to that of Charlie when first accused of -stealing was something startling. Charlie had associated with bad boys, -but he had not actually stolen when first charged with theft. Don’s -father had been taught a lesson by that terrible experience, and his -lips had not harshly charged his son with participating in the crime of -forgery, but his eyes had spoken quite as distinctly as words. - -“But I’ll not be like Charlie!” the tortured boy mentally cried. “I see -my mistake now, and I’ll have no more to do with Leon Bentley.” - -He felt in a pocket of his coat and found a half-consumed package of -cigarettes, which he took out and flung away. Leon’s father and mother -were respectable, hard-working, honest people, and it now began to seem -to Don that somehow all the degraded qualities of the son had developed -under the brain-weakening, conscience-deadening, manhood-destroying -thrall of that opium-tainted creation of evil, the paper-covered -cigarette. Don wondered now that he had ever been tempted to smoke one -of the vile-smelling things, and wondered still more that, having found -neither satisfaction nor pleasure in the first one, he had persisted -in their use; but he was thankful in his heart that the dreadful habit -had not fixed itself firmly upon him, though he tried to assure himself -that he would have broken it at any cost of self-denial and distress. -His heart, however, declared to him that one of his passionate, -impulsive disposition, one who could not control his fiery temper, -would surely have found it hard to break clear from a habit with such -power to fasten itself on its victims and bind them with chains soft as -silk and strong as iron. - -With the casting away of those cigarettes a feeling of partial relief -came to him, for it seemed that he had broken the unsuspected bond that -somehow connected him with the unscrupulous fellow he now despised. - -As he was wandering about the streets, thinking of this thing and -hoping to run across Bentley, he met Danny Chatterton, who seemed -flushed, excited and in a great hurry. - -“Hello, Scott!” called Chatterton, seeing him. “Have you heard the -nun-nun-nun-news?” - -“What news?” asked Don. - -“Abub-bub-about Bentley.” - -Don started. “No. What is it?” - -“He’s sus-skipped out.” - -“Skipped out? You mean----” - -“He’s run away. I don’t nun-nun-know what he’s done, but it’s -sus-something cuc-cuc-crooked, and he’s run for it. He sus-stole -Sus-Skinny Jones’ bicycle and run away on that. Sim Drew has tut-took a -tut-team and put after him. I’m going to the cuc-cuc-cuc-club to tell -the bub-boys. Come on.” - -But Don declined to accompany the little fellow, and Danny skipped -away to carry the news to the boys at the club. - -Scott turned toward home, for there was no longer any chance that he -would meet Leon on the street that night. His father was still away. -Till nearly ten o’clock he sat up and waited, still determined to -confess everything; but the doctor did not return, and at last Don -crept to bed to spend a wretched night--the night before the football -game. - - - - -CHAPTER XXIX. - -ON THE GRIDIRON. - - -The day, the afternoon, the hour of the game had arrived. Not even at -the deciding game for the baseball championship between Highland and -Rockspur had a larger crowd gathered to witness the struggle on the -field. The sun was shining, but there was a strong, cool wind from -the west, and the air was as invigorating as a delightful tonic. The -exhilaration of the atmosphere and the occasion had entered into the -hearts of the assembled throng, which buzzed with expectancy, ready -to laugh, to shout, to cheer, to go wild with enthusiasm over some -brilliant play or plucky stand of the favorites in the game. - -Ropes had been stretched to hold the crowd back, but they were surged -against till they threatened to give way. It was amazing to see in -that small country village such a great concourse of people gathered -to witness a game of football between two bands of smooth-faced, -clear-eyed, clean-limbed lads. Fathers and brothers and sisters were -there, to say nothing of many mothers, who had been unable to remain -away and who had come to see their favorite sons struggle like youthful -gladiators with the sons of other mothers, equally affectionate, but -lacking the courage to witness the rush, the clash, the shock and -tumult of battle in which these lads would hurl themselves at one -another like human catapults. - -Highland apparently had sent over nearly all its boys and girls between -twelve and twenty to cheer its eleven. They had gathered in a compact -body on the bleachers to the left of the grand-stand, and already they -were singing a song of victory, which some rhymester had composed to -the tune of “Marching Through Georgia.” They were prepared for the -occasion with megaphones and crimson pennants and unlimited confidence -in the ability of their boys to win from Rockspur on the home ground of -the latter team. - -On the opposite side had collected the adherents and supporters of -the Rockspur Eleven, but, although they were in the majority, they -could not drown the noise made by the visitors. Everybody seemed -good-natured, and there was bantering and bandying of words. - -The grand-stand and much of the standing room to the ropes was filled -with older persons, who, however, seemed scarcely less excited and -eager than the boys and girls, and who joked with each other and -anxiously discussed the possibilities of the game. - -The field lay stretched before them like a white-ribbed skeleton, the -goal-posts rising at either end. It was in splendid condition, and all -were certain that a battle royal must take place there that day. - -Suddenly a new sound arose, and then, as onto the field trotted eleven -shaggy-headed lads, togged in their football suits, dirt-stained, -mud-bespattered garments of victory, there was a great upheaval to the -left of the grand-stand, and the mass of fresh-faced, youthful humanity -broke into a wildly swaying surge of crimson, while the Highland cheer -sounded short and sharp and clear, like the barking of hundreds of -wolves on a still winter’s night. - -“’Rah! ’rah! ’rah! Here we are! High-land, my land! ’Rah! ’rah! ’rah!” - -Instantly this was drowned by another sound, deeper, intenser, more -like thunder, as the Rockspur Eleven quickly followed their antagonists -onto the chalk-marked gridiron. There was another upheaval, mightier -than the first, and the blue-and-white was waving here in a dense -mass, there in streaks, yonder in spots, but all round the field. The -Rockspur cheer of greeting was like rolling thunder, the rattle of -musketry, the starward hiss of red rockets and the boom of cannon. - -“Boo, bum, burr! Rick, rock, spur! Rockspur--s-s-s-ss! Rockspur--boom! -Rockspur!” - -How the blood tingled! How one thrilled to the very finger tips! -Carried away by the enthusiasm of the moment, staid, middle-aged men -forgot themselves and their dignity, and when they realized what they -were doing, found they were swinging their hats and yelling at the -top of their voices, the sound being swallowed up and drowned in the -general uproar. Youth, incarnate, never-dying, all-powerful, imbued -by conscious vigor and power, invested with confidence and courage -unshattered by the buffets of Time; youth, the little-prized, the -fleeting, the sadly-regretted, the vainly-sought; youth, the beautiful -and glorious--it was there, and the great crowd offered homage to it. - -In the lull that followed after some moments of tumult, a white-haired -citizen of Rockspur, who had passed the three-score mark, flourished -his cane in the air and shrilly cried: - -“Them’s our boys, an’ they kin beat at football jest the same as they -beat at baseball, an’ don’t you fergit it!” - -This caused a burst of laughter, and somebody shouted: - -“Hooray for Uncle Ike! He always stands by the boys! Give him a rouser, -fellows! Ready--let ’er go!” - -They did “let ’er go,” and the cheer for the old man must have warmed -his heart--that rare old heart that had never forgotten its youth, -and thus, with advancing years, had found its owner a place in the -affections of the generations that followed him. In acknowledgment of -the tribute he bowed, with uncovered head, and some dust, or the sun, -or something got into his eyes, causing him to brush his hand across -them while he laughed. - -Youth once lost may never be regained; but youth firmly planted in the -heart may remain there, though the body wither beneath the blighting -touch of age. - -In their heavily-padded suits the boys looked stout and stocky. A ball -being tossed in among them, they began to chase it about and fall on it -as a sort of warming-up. - -Don Scott was there, looking rather pale, his dark hair and eyes -accentuating the whiteness of his face. His worriment and a restless -night had told on him, and his manner seemed full of lassitude! - -Don had not made a confession to his father. With the passing of the -weary night also passed his strength and determination to reveal -everything and seek forgiveness. He told himself that he was blameless -in the thing of which he was suspected, and time would prove him so; -therefore, it might simply add to his father’s belief in his guilt if -he told him then of his deceptions and falsehoods. He resolved to wait -until it was plainly proven that he was in no way concerned with the -forgery of the check, promising himself that he would then make a clean -breast of everything. - -So, as much as possible, he avoided his father, which was not -difficult, the doctor being very busy that Saturday forenoon. Don had -expected that Bentley would be reported in custody that morning, but, -to his surprise and dissatisfaction, nothing had been heard of either -Leon or the deputy sheriff since one left the village hotly pursued by -the other the night before. - -As Don paused on the field, adjusting his belt, his eyes roved over -the great throng of people who were roaring a greeting to the young -gladiators of the gridiron. While flags, hats and hands were waving -it was almost impossible to recognize anybody in the crowd, but when -the commotion subsided somewhat, he saw two girls in the midst of the -Rockspur Academy delegation on the blue-and-white bleachers, and one of -them seemed looking straight at him. Their eyes met; she smiled; she -waved her flag in his direction. - -“That can’t be for me!” thought Don, with a little color coming to his -cheeks. “Zadia Renwood would not do that for me.” - -But then he saw the other girl glance toward him, toss her head and say -something in a spiteful manner to her companion, which caused Zadia to -shake her head and blush. Then he knew that Dora Deland also fancied -Zadia had waved to him. - -The cheering broke out again after Uncle Ike’s little speech, and Don -looked about for his father. In time he found the doctor, who was -watching his son steadily. The doctor smiled a bit and waved his hand, -but Don seemed to feel reproach in the smile and it hurt him. - -“But I’ll do my best,” he muttered. “Perhaps I may be able to make him -proud of me some way.” - -The excitement was still great when the two captains drew aside with -the referee, who sent a coin fluttering into the air. - -“Heads,” said Walker, the Highland captain, and the Goddess of Liberty -looked up at him from the ground. - -“Your choice,” smiled Sterndale, as the referee picked up the piece of -silver. - -The wind was now blowing quite strongly from the west, and the Highland -captain immediately selected the west goal to defend, giving the ball -to Rockspur. The pigskin was placed on the spot in the exact centre of -the field, and the two teams lined up amid another uproar of cheering -and all kinds of noises. - -There was a sudden lull. Those two lines of youthful tigers were -gathering themselves for the clash, crouching a bit, leaning forward, -teeth set, muscles taut. Sterndale eyed the ball critically, settled -himself carefully, went at it and smashed it down the field against the -wind with a beautiful kick. - -With the plunk of Sterndale’s foot against the leather, which sailed -into the air in a long graceful curve, the uproar broke forth again. - -The game was on. - - - - -CHAPTER XXX. - -THE FIRST HALF. - - -Stubby Fisher, the Highland quarter-back, was under that ball, and he -caught it cleanly, passed it instantly to Walker, who, like Sterndale, -was playing full back, and Walker smashed the oval with such furious -force that Sterndale was compelled to try to take it on the run, the -result being a muff. The Highlanders came surging down like a flood -from a broken dam, but Don Scott was on hand, and he fell on the ball, -while Jack Powell, Highland’s left tackle, leaped upon him like a -panther. The ball was down on Rockspur’s thirty-yard line, but the home -team had it, and there was great cheering from the bleachers on both -sides. - -“Clever, Scott--clever!” said Sterndale, approvingly, as the men -untangled. “The right man in the right place.” - -The players lined up quickly, Chatterton preparing to snap the ball -back. They crouched close together, facing each other, each Highlander -watching his man, each Rockspurite ready to do his part in handling -the ball or in the work of interference. It was a thrilling spectacle, -and again the uproar lulled somewhat, so that Sterndale was heard -distinctly giving the signals. - -There was a sudden, quick movement. Chatterton snapped to Renwood, -who fumbled and lost the ball; Highland’s left guard, Hartford, came -through on the jump, got it, but--also fumbled. Renwood redeemed -himself by recovering the oval almost before the spectators could -realize he had lost it, and it went to Scott, who tried Powell and made -two yards. - -This was football! It was electrifying in its swift changes. The groan -caused by Renwood’s fumble had barely reached the lips of the Rockspur -spectators when it changed to a shout of joy on seeing him immediately -recover the pigskin and carry out the captain’s signaled directions. - -But two yards was not a gain worth mentioning, and Scott had found -Powell there to stay. He felt like immediately making another try at -the fellow, but Sterndale decided otherwise. - -“Good boy, Renwood!” breathed the captain. “Saved yourself prettily. -It’s all right.” - -But Dolph shook his head, evidently little pleased with himself. Again -the crouching men were waiting, and Dick fell back. As the signal came, -the ball went flying back to the big captain, who punted; but it was an -inferior kick, and Garrison, left half for Highland, caught the leather -in the middle of the field, where he was downed in a flash by John -Smith. - -Highland began the attack, but it was quickly over, for Garrison lost -the ball on his first plunge into Rockspur’s line, having been sent -across against Ford, the deaf-mute, who seemed rooted in the ground -like an iron post, and Murphy came down on the yellow oval like a load -of rocks, with six men on top of him. - -In this savage business Rockspur made no delays. This time Mayfair -was given a trial, and, aided by his interferers, smashed hard into -Highland’s centre, but was beaten off. Immediately he went at the -visitors’ right tackle, but two yards was the best he could do, and the -second down left Rockspur with three yards to gain. - -Sterndale was given a meaning look by Renwood, who received a nod, -and then Dick called the signal for a double-pass. A moment later -the ball was snapped back, sent to Scott, and Don started across for -Highland’s right end. As he shot by Dolph he returned the ball to the -quarter-back, and Renwood darted toward the visitors’ left wing. - -The trick was not successful, however; in fact, it was disastrous, for -Jack Powell came through the interference like a leaping greyhound, -tackled Dolph and actually carried him back for a loss of ten yards, -which gave the ball to Highland. - -How they shouted from the crimson bleachers! They roared forth their -cheer, ending with Powell’s name; and the Rockspur crowd was silenced -for the moment. - -Don had successfully performed his part of the work in the double-pass, -but he was assailed by a suspicion that Renwood, knowing what -was coming, had managed to signal the play to Highland and had -deliberately permitted himself to be carried backward for a loss. - -“Some of his treachery!” thought Scott, giving the quarter-back a black -look. “I can’t understand why Sterndale didn’t do anything about that -letter. The fellow will throw this game--if he can.” - -There was little time for such thoughts as these in the rush and whirl -of the game, and every Rockspur man was eager to know what the enemy -would try to do. They soon found out, for Garrison was sent through -clean to the home team’s forty-yard line before being held and forced -to take a down. - -“Hold ’em here!” panted Sterndale. “Don’t let them cut any deeper into -our pasture!” - -The defenders of the blue-and-white responded nobly. The line was like -a stone wall when Morse, Highland’s right half, was driven against -it. Only two yards were gained on a try at the home team’s centre by -Walker, and the oval was down again. The same trick being repeated, a -yard was lost, upon which the ball went to Rockspur on downs. - -Now the blue-and-white bleachers took a turn at cheering, hoping to -give the home boys encouragement and vim. The flags waved and the -megaphones blared. - -The rival gladiators were facing each other near the centre of the -field, though on Rockspur’s territory. It had been sharp work, but -nothing of a sensational nature had taken place thus far. Sensations -were to follow, however. - -Rockspur had discovered that Highland’s centre was strong enough to -stop the plays that had been aimed against it, and so the ball was -flashed back to Sterndale, who punted beautifully, sending the pigskin -into the grasp of Garrison; but the Highland left half was downed -almost in his tracks by John Smith, and the referee’s whistle sounded. - -Then the referee declared Highland had been off side when this play -began, whereupon the visitors suffered a loss of ten yards, and the -ball was carried back. - -“Smith, you’re a corker!” Sterndale found time to say, and the tall boy -who had once been called a hoodoo blushed in confusion. - -Thus far the Rockspur boys had played with a savage determination that -astonished the Highlanders, who, remembering the last game, counted -on an easy victory; and now the home team began an attack that proved -positively irresistible. - -The ball was given to Scott, and, with it hugged tight, he lowered his -head and bowled the terrible Powell over, making four yards. Right on -top of this, he made one yard through Hartford and Davis, who were -playing strong as left guard and centre. - -Sterndale showed his fine white teeth in an approving way, and the -signal that followed told his men he would make a try on the right -end of the enemy’s line. The ball came flying back to him, and he -smashed his magnificent body into Sawyer and Dickens, right guard and -right tackle, gaining six yards and setting the entire gathering of -spectators to yelling like wild Indians at a war dance. - -There was hardly a lull, and now came the first hair-raising play of -the game, and Don Scott was in it. Everything indicated that Sterndale -rather foolishly contemplated a kick, so Highland braced for that kind -of a play. It was a clever piece of strategy to fool the visitors that -way, for Scott was given a third opportunity to show what he could -do, and, with his head encased in some sort of helmet, which he had -adjusted unseen, he took the ball and dashed off toward Highland’s -right end. Ahead of him ran a wall of interferers, blocking off the -Highland tacklers with the skill of veterans. With the line broken -through, Scott still sped on. The backs were hurled aside, and yet he -did not stop. Then it was seen that he would have an almost clear run -to the enemy’s goal line, and every man and woman and child rose up and -shrieked; but the cries from the crimson bleachers were those of alarm -and horror. - -Walker got past Renwood in some way and made a headlong flying tackle -at the runner, but he missed, though his hands touched Don. Then it -seemed that Highland’s last hope of preventing a touchdown had been -lost. - -The ten-yard line was reached, when from somewhere Davis bobbed up at -the very heels of the runner. He got one hand on Don’s arm, and the -desperate lad with the ball could not fling him off, though he tried. -That hand went down as the other came forward, and both fastened like -hooks upon Rockspur’s right half-back, dragging, him to earth exactly -one yard from Highland’s goal line. - -For some moments it was impossible to hear anything. A mighty cheer -greeted this splendid tackle, but the Rockspur spectators were mad -with excitement, even though the run had not resulted in a touchdown. -Nothing could quiet them, even though Sterndale made the request that -they keep still. - -“I told ye our boys could do it!” Uncle Ike screamed; but his words -were not heard by three persons, so great was the uproar. - -Highland prepared to make the most desperate sort of resistance, while -Rockspur was equally determined to succeed, being overflowing with -courage at this moment. The lines formed, panting, crouching, ready. -With a quick movement, Scott was hurled like a battering ram against -the enemy’s centre. When the ball was forced down on the hold, it was -just one foot from Highland’s goal line. - -“Nun-next time we gug-go over, boys!” panted Chatterton, who found it -impossible to keep still. - -But he was mistaken, for not a fraction of an inch could they gain when -Don once more was flung against the visitors’ barrier. It was like -trying to butt a hole through a wall of granite. - -There was a brief pause. Sterndale seemed to hesitate, and then---- - -They were at it again. A surprise play had been attempted, for the ball -had been snapped to Morse and then passed to Renwood, who got it firmly -under his arm and went slamming into the Highlanders. This was their -last chance. They must put the ball over or lose it. And so, with the -aid of a revolving formation, Dolph was jammed across the line, Don -Scott being ahead of him and pulling him by the collar. - -Rockspur had made a touchdown, and the members of the eleven were -leaping and hugging each other, while down across the field rolled -the reverberant, roaring, booming yell of victory from the side where -fluttered and flaunted one great mass of blue-and-white. - -But, despite all he had done, Don Scott’s heart was sore. His was the -gallant run that placed success within the grasp of his team, but the -lad he hated with all his heart had, on the third try, been given the -ball and literally rammed over the line. The touchdown was Renwood’s, -but Don was certain he could have made it just as well with the aid -of that revolving formation, and he felt that he had been robbed of a -right that belonged to him. - -However, despite the fact that he had been assailed by this feeling, -the moment he heard the signal for Renwood to advance the ball he -did his level best to put Dolph over the line, and Dolph afterward -confessed that, more than anything else, it was Scott’s terrific surge -at his collar that dragged him across. - -The ball had been carried over at the southwest corner of the field, -and Sterndale punted it out with a beautiful kick, Renwood catching it -directly in front of the goal-posts. - -Then came the try for a goal. Having made the touchdown, Renwood was -permitted to hold the ball. He stretched himself on the ground, with -his right side toward the goal-posts, while the boys lined out even -with his body, but slightly behind the dirt-stained pigskin. Dolph -held the ball with his left hand undermost, his elbow resting on the -ground and his hand lifted a trifle. The fingers of his right hand -steadied the ball on its upper side, and then, with the utmost care, -as if handling something intensely delicate and breakable, he lowered -his hand to the ground, flattening it out, guarding against letting -the ball touch the ground, which would have given Highland liberty to -charge. - -Sterndale sighted along the seam of the ball, which was uppermost. He -drew back his right arm and advanced his left, his fists clenched. -A second later, he went leaping at it, his heavy toe caught it fair -and handsomely, and the anxious hush that had fallen on the field was -broken by a roar when the oval sailed, twisting and whirling over the -cross-bar and between the goal-posts, which made the score six to -nothing in favor of the home team. - -The crowd felt like rushing onto the field and hugging the boys, and -it was difficult for two men wearing badges to hold it back. As both -sides returned to the centre of the field, Don looked round for his -father and found the doctor watching him with an expression of great -satisfaction and pride, while Zadia Renwood waved her flag and laughed -in his direction. - -But the game was not over; not even the first half was over, and -there was to be a most surprising turn about in a very few moments. -The Highland boys were not “quitters,” and every man wore a ferocious -look when they lined up with the ball at the centre of the field. The -captain had been saying something to some of the men, and the visitors -were ready to give the over-confident home team a hustle during the -remainder of the first period. - -When everything was ready, Walker kicked off, and again those -twenty-two men were leaping at each other’s throats like famished -wolves. The fortunes of war varied till, by a splendid round-the-end -run, Garrison took the oval well into Rockspur’s territory, being -brought to the earth by Sterndale himself. Then Walker booted the -pigskin straight into Renwood’s clutch; but Dolph fumbled, and Dow, -Highland’s left end, fell on the ball like a carload of steel rails. -Again it seemed to Scott that Renwood was playing into the hands of the -enemy. - -However, though this advantage had been gained, though the crimson -bleachers were shrieking like mad, though they tried their best men -against Rockspur’s line, the boys from the hills could not get another -foot. Three times they were held and beaten off, and the ball went to -the home team on downs, which brought a roar of satisfaction from the -blue-and-white and caused the crimson to groan. - -“Get into ’em! get into ’em!” grated Sterndale, just loud enough for -his men to hear. “We must do it!” - -Five seconds later, the ball was sent to Scott, who, with teeth set, -neck-cords strained, eyes bulging, went across and round Highland’s -right end for a gain of seventeen yards. There he was forced out of -bounds, and the ball was brought in and put down for a scrimmage, out -of which another advance was made, which gave the Rockspur spectators -still greater opportunity to breathe freely. - -“It’s no use!” squealed Uncle Ike, waving his crooked cane. “They jest -can’t do it! Our boys won’t hev it!” - -It was too soon to crow, however, as the blue-and-white admirers -quickly found out. Highland took a “brace,” and the fiercest hammering -failed to give the necessary gain, so the visitors again obtained the -ball. - -Then a kicking duel took place, in which Walker got the best of -Sterndale at the end, though it was nip and tuck at first. The visitors -having the advantage of the wind, Walker made the most of it. At the -conclusion of this volleying, Renwood was downed with the ball in -his grasp on Rockspur’s ten-yard line, and once more the fighting was -uncomfortably near the goal-posts of the home team. - -The Highland rushers were desperate, and they tore through Rockspur’s -interference with a fierceness that could not be resisted. It was -impossible to make a gain by a hard drive at Highland’s centre, and, -fearing to lose the ball there, Sterndale punted. - -It was an unfortunate kick, for the ball flew low and Powell jumped -in front of it. It struck him on the chest and bounded back over -Rockspur’s goal line. There was a mad scramble, from the midst of which -Stubby Fisher wiggled out like a slippery eel, and a moment later was -sprawling spider-fashion on the ball. - -Then a wild yell of triumph went up to the blue sky from the crimson -bleachers, for the ball was down behind the home team’s line and Fisher -had it. The players themselves seemed dazed for a moment, and the faces -of the Rockspur lads were full of dismay. - -There was no delay. The ball was not punted out, but Fisher brought it -straight on to the field from the spot where the touchdown had been -secured, although that made it necessary to try from a difficult angle. -The men lined up, and the stocky little Highland quarter-back squared -himself for a try at the goal. - -A sudden hush, a quick twinkling of Fisher’s short legs, a desperate -kick, and away flew the yellow egg. Seconds before it reached the -posts, as it seemed, the crowd saw it was a miss, and a mingled yell -of satisfaction and shout of dismay arose. - -The ball fell to the ground, leaving the score 6 to 4 in favor of the -home team. - -“It’s all right, fellows,” breathed Sterndale. “They’ll never overtake -us now.” - -It was his manner of trying to give confidence to his men. - -When all was ready, he kicked off, driving straight to Fisher, who -passed the leather quickly to Garrison. Highland’s left half-back was -somewhat flustered, and he kicked the ball out of bounds at Rockspur’s -thirty-yard line. Scott had it, and he announced an intention of -bringing it in ten yards for a scrimmage. - -Rockspur now endeavored to smash a road up the field by a series -of furious plunges, making ten yards in this manner; but there the -Highland line became rooted, and Sterndale was forced to punt. Murphy -came to the fore again by nailing Morse on Highland’s forty-yard line. - -But Highland had the ball. Apparently Walker was getting ready to punt, -and that was what Rockspur expected. Then it was that the visitors gave -the home team a dose of its own medicine by surprising them with a -sudden rush through centre that carried the leather down the field to -Rockspur’s thirty-five-yard line. Right there the rush stopped and two -mad lunges failed to gain a single foot. - -Then Walker gave the signal for Garrison to try for a goal from the -field, knowing that the first half must terminate in a very short time. -The Rockspur men saw what their opponents contemplated, and some of -them laughed outright over the folly of an attempt to drop-kick a goal -from such a distance. Every man of the rushers prepared to try to go -through and down Garrison the moment the ball was snapped, while the -Highlanders braced themselves to hold the enemy in check long enough -for Phil to make a fair try of it. - -Again a hush, and then a quick movement and a clash. The ball flew to -Highland’s left half-back, who took it with the utmost coolness, poised -it carefully, dropped it, and the moment it rose from the ground kicked -it with all the force and accuracy he could command. Then some of those -panting tigers came through and slammed him to the earth, but they were -too late. - -Away sailed the pigskin, turning over and over, rising higher and -higher, a beautiful kick. There was a craning of necks and an upturning -of white, anxious faces. - -“It’s over!” - -Over it was, fairly and beautifully. Barely had it touched the ground -when the referee’s whistle told the first half was ended, and Highland -had a lead of three points, the score being 6 to 9. - - - - -CHAPTER XXXI. - -THE SECOND HALF. - - -Under the grand-stand the perspiring, blood-stained, dirt-bedaubed -young heroes were being rubbed down by their admiring friends, while -outside the Highland crowd sang pæans of victory. - -“We’ll win this game, fellows, just as true as we play the next half to -win,” said Sterndale, undaunted. - -He never seemed to lose courage, but some of those tired fellows hung -their heads. - -“They can out-kick us,” muttered Rob Linton. - -“Well, if we’ve found our weakness there, we must avoid kicking,” said -the captain, guarding his words so none of the Highlanders would hear. -“Perhaps they don’t know how weak we are.” - -“Don’t fool yourself,” grated Scott, flashing a look in the direction -of Renwood. “They were informed of all our weak points before they came -to Rockspur to-day.” - -“How do you know that?” demanded Dick, putting peculiar emphasis on the -“you.” - -Don realized that this was something he could not explain, and so he -muttered: - -“Never mind. I know a thing or two, and I’ve caught on to some things -in this game that ought to be plain enough to you, Sterndale, if you -are not stone-blind.” - -“You’re all wrong, Scott, and you’ll find it out,” said Dick, -positively. “The sooner you get over that feeling the better it will be -for you and the team.” - -Scott flushed. “Do you mean to hint that I haven’t done my level best?” -he harshly demanded. - -“Not a bit of it,” Dick instantly answered. “I don’t know where we -would have been without you. And I’ve given you chances enough, too.” - -“But you gave the ball to Renwood on the third try when the touchdown -was made--and that after my run.” - -“It was a trick to bother Highland some. Besides that, you were tired, -and I had sent you against them twice.” - -“Tired! Bah! I was over the line ahead of Renwood, and----” - -“I don’t believe I’d got over at all if you hadn’t yanked me across,” -broke in the voice of Renwood himself, who had overheard Don’s words by -accident. “I was stuck fast when you gave that surge and seemed to pull -me right through Hartford. The entire credit of that touchdown belongs -to you, Scott.” - -This was so frank and honest that Don was silenced for a moment, but he -finally muttered: - -“Well, I didn’t get it.” - -There the matter dropped for a time, the men receiving notice to get -onto the field again, the ten minutes of rest being over; but Don had -not changed his mind in the least. - -The two teams were given tumultuous greetings by their respective -admirers, and, as they lined up for the concluding half, it was -observed that Rockspur had not substituted a man, while three new -players appeared for Highland, being Pell at right guard, Hardoak at -right tackle and McCord at right half-back. It was plainly an attempt -to strengthen the right wing of the visiting eleven. - -“Now, git in, boys--git in an’ win!” cried old Uncle Ike. “Jest show -’em the kind of stuff you’re made of!” - -It was Highland’s kick-off, and Walker drove the ball to Mayfair, who -attempted to run with it, but was downed by Pell and Johnson on the -home team’s thirty-five-yard line. The referee, however, announcing -that Hardoak was off side, the ball was called back, Highland losing -five yards as a penalty. Therefore, it was from the visitors’ -fifty-yard line that Walker made his second kick, which Carter caught. -Once more the game was on in all its fury, and the tide of battle ebbed -and flowed with heart-breaking irregularity. - -Garrison was full of confidence, having been petted and congratulated -and complimented, and seven minutes after the second half began he made -another try to drop-kick a goal from the field. This time, however, -not being favored by the wind, he missed the goal-posts by two yards, -though he came near enough to give Rockspur something of a scare. - -Sterndale had been nettled by the ineffective kicking of his team, and, -now, with the wind favoring him, he punted out in a manner calculated -to show what he could do. It was the longest kick of the day, for the -ball actually came down on Highland’s thirty-yard line. One of the -visitors would have gathered it in, but he was checked by cooler heads, -and the leather was permitted to roll on over the goal line for a -touchback, which counted for nothing. - -Highland suddenly seemed to realize that facing the wind meant -different kind of playing, whereupon a time-killing game was -inaugurated right away. It was not long before Sterndale saw through -this, and he resolved to give the enemy such hot work that they would -find time-killing would not do. - -As soon as the ball again came into the possession of the home team, -Dick sent Mayfair against the new men in the right wing of the Highland -line to try the mettle of those substitutes. The interference was poor, -and Rockspur’s left half-back was blocked without a gain. Again this -play was tried, but the result was the same, and Sterndale was forced -to kick. - -For a second time the big captain of the Rockspur Eleven booted out a -distance annihilator, and for a second time Highland permitted the ball -to roll across the goal line, which was foxy and scientific defense, -showing that the coaching of Winston had borne excellent fruit. Only a -small number of the spectators appreciated the quality of the playing -they were witnessing, but the Harvard coach saw it with satisfaction -that he was unable to express. - -With the resumption of play, Walker kicked from his kick-out line, -but the oval went out of bounds and Powell crashed into Ford, who -was trying to pick the ball up. The mute was stretched out for a few -seconds, but he quickly recovered and resumed his place, a grim look of -mingled pain and courage on his face. - -“They’re trying to knock us out,” thought Don. “If they can cripple us, -they’ll have the advantage, and they know it.” - -This made him intensely angry, and his dark eyes glowed with a -dangerous fire. He had hoped that Rockspur would be able to give -Highland a severe drubbing, for all of the supposed treachery of -Renwood, but that hope was growing fainter as the minutes passed and -the home team gained no decided advantage in the second half. All -through the game Powell had shown himself to be the most dangerous man -to encounter in the line of the visiting team, and now Don fancied the -fellow was using his brute strength in an endeavor to put some of the -Rockspur players out of the game. - -With this idea firmly planted in his head, Scott aimed for Powell in -the very next scrimmage. When the energetic Highlander attempted to -shoulder him aside, Scott lost his temper completely and struck Powell -a heavy blow on the neck. - -Instantly the whistle of the keen-eyed referee sounded, and, as a -penalty for this foul, Rockspur was put back a distance of ten yards, -with an equal advance for the visitors. - -“Don’t do a thing like that again, old man!” exclaimed Sterndale. “We -can’t afford it. Hold steady.” - -“But don’t you see what that fellow is trying?” palpitated Don, who -already was ashamed of his angry action. “He’s doing his best to -cripple some of our men.” - -“Then let him do the fouling,” returned the captain. “We can’t afford -such business.” - -There was no time for further words. Scott was deeply humiliated, -for he knew he had, in a burst of ungoverned anger, done something -that seemed to brand him as a ruffian. And this had happened after he -was beginning to congratulate himself on his ability to control his -passions when he resolutely set about doing so, for was he not playing -football on the same eleven with the one fellow he hated more than all -others in the world--had he not done his level best to drag that fellow -into the glory of a touchdown? - -Now, all in a moment, he realized that very little credit was due him -for holding in check his hatred toward Renwood. The scales dropped from -his eyes, and he saw it was to avoid humiliation and shame before his -father that he was on the team, not because he had resolved to restrain -the animosity for Renwood that had leaped to life within him. Of course -his father had seen that wretched blow at Powell, and Don dared not -look in his direction. He hung his head and was most crestfallen in -appearance. - -Before he knew it the Highlanders were smashing through Rockspur’s -right wing, Powell was upon him, and then he was trampled down as the -whirling mass of humanity swept on like a twisting tornado. When this -storm had passed, a human figure was seen prostrate and motionless on -the torn and trampled turf. - -“Scott’s down! He’s hurt! Stop the game!” - -Cries of alarm went up, the whistle sounded, and several men bent over -Don. - -“Give him air! Where is a doctor?” - -Then Dr. Scott hurried onto the field and knelt by his son, lifting -Don’s head to his knee. The boy’s eyes opened and he gasped painfully, -seeming dazed for a moment. - -“Where are you hurt, Don?” asked the doctor, in a steady voice. - -“Hurt? I’m not hur---- It’s my side--and head!” - -The injured lad had tried to start up, but a sharp pain caught him -in his side and his head went round and round, while a black shadow -dropped like a curtain before his eyes. Blood trickled from his -nostrils, his father wiping it away. - -“It’s a shame!” grated Sterndale, through his clenched teeth. “Scott’s -strengthened the weak spot on the team and made the best record of -anybody to-day. With him out, we’re beaten!” - -These words were spoken low into the ears of Mayfair and intended for -no other, but they pierced that black curtain and reached the dazed -brain of the boy on the ground, arousing all his wonderful will-power -and bringing him back from the brink of unconsciousness. - -“I’m not knocked out!” he whispered. “Give me some water! I’ll play -this game out if I die for it!” - -Water was placed to his lips, his face was wet with it, and then he -got up, with his father’s arm about him. The breathless spectators saw -him push that arm off and step away, staggering a bit, but gathering -himself and growing steadier. Then, after a last moment of hesitation, -the doctor turned away and the players prepared to resume the game. - -The Rockspur yell came over the field, with Scott’s name exploding at -the end like a huge firecracker. It was a sound to stir the blood, and -it seemed to restore the right half-back of the home team to complete -strength. - -Then the game was resumed. Don caught a look of satisfaction from -Powell, and he knew the Highland left tackle felt that he had evened -the score. - -The pluck of Scott gave Rockspur new life, the onslaught of the -visitors being checked. But time was flying, and, as yet, no -opportunity had arrived for the home team to make the coveted score. -Highland was fighting beautifully to hold her own till the time was up. - -There were many swift changes, but most of the struggle took place near -the middle of the field, and the hopes of the Rockspur spectators -fell lower and lower as the second half waned and drew near a close. -With every sharp play by the visitors the bleachers to the left of the -grand-stand heaved with crimson and shrieked with joy. The bleachers -on the other side tried to keep it up, but a note of doubt and failing -confidence had crept into the cheering. Old Uncle Ike, however, -remained undaunted, declaring over and over that, “Our boys will git -there yit.” - -“It’s a shame!” fluttered Dora Deland; “but I felt sure we’d lose when -I heard they’d taken Don Scott back. Just see how he lost ten yards for -us by striking that Highland fellow!” - -“As it happened, that made no difference,” said Zadia Renwood, -immediately. “I think you are unjust to Don Scott. He has played -splendidly.” - -“What has he done? He hasn’t made a touchdown. Dolph did that.” - -“After Don Scott’s run had made it possible. Rockspur owes to Scott the -points it has made.” - -“You’re just the queerest girl, Zade!” exclaimed Dora. “You know Don -Scott hates your brother.” - -“Is that a good reason why I should be unjust to him? Look! look! He -downed that Highland fellow that time!” - -Don had been waiting for the opportunity, and, with the ball tucked -under his arm, he shot out from the midst of the interference, lowered -his head and bowled Powell over handsomely. He made a gain of ten -yards before being stopped by Walker. - -After that, Scott felt a little better, for he had shown that -Highland’s left tackle was vulnerable. - -In the next scrimmage Jotham Sprout was put out of the game with an -injured back, and it was necessary to fill his place with Thad Boland. -Boland had the brawn to stop the gap in the line, but his slowness was -well known to Highland, and they tried to take advantage of it, which -brought the brunt of the battle on the right wing of the home team and -gave Scott all he could do. - -With only five minuses of play remaining, neither side had scored in -the second half, and there seemed no prospect that a further score -would be made. - -“It’s no use,” said some of the Rockspur spectators. “We can beat those -chaps at baseball, but they are too much for us in this kind of a game.” - -Highland had the ball, and was playing to hold it as long as possible. -Don saw this, and he fairly ached in his desire to get hold of the -leather. The ball was down for a scrimmage, and he pressed up into -the line between Linton and Boland. He heard the signal and fancied -he understood it. Then Davis snapped back to Fisher, and Highland’s -quarter-back attempted a long pass to Powell, who had dropped slightly -behind the line for the ball. - -The play was balked, for right through between Hartford and Dow shot -a pantherish figure, and the oval did not reach Powell’s clutch. Don -Scott had intercepted the pass, and he went by Garrison like an -express train overdue and trying to make up time. But the hopes of the -Rockspur spectators were dashed when he was brought down by Walker on -Highland’s forty-yard line. It seemed that the last chance ended right -there. - -“Oh, you can’t do it, you know!” sang the visitors on the bleachers. - -Sterndale lost not a second. He tried to get Scott round Highland’s -end, but no gain was made. Next he gave the ball to Mayfair and smashed -into the enemy’s centre, getting five yards. - -Once more the Highlanders became rooted. It was impossible to jar them. -Already some of the visiting spectators were pressing toward the gate, -regarding the game as won by their team, for but one minute of play -remained. Having given up hope, not a few of the Rockspurites were -leaving the grounds, unwilling to remain and witness the rejoicing of -the victorious Highlanders. - -“The boys did well,” they were saying, “but they were outclassed.” - -Then there was a hush. Something was going to happen. What could it be? - - - - -CHAPTER XXXII. - -THE FINISH AND THE BLOW. - - -What was up? The Highland spectators watched the men on the field with -languid interest, regarding the game as safely won. Somebody declared -it was “all over but the shouting.” The one who said this already was -so hoarse from shouting that his voice sounded like the croaking of a -huge frog. The blue-and-white was down; the crimson was aloft. - -Don Scott, his breast heaving from recent exertions, was seen to poise -himself securely on his pins, while Renwood crouched just behind -Chatterton, who dallied with the ball between his feet. - -“They’re going to try a drop-kick from the field,” laughed somebody on -the Highland bleachers. “It’s the last gasp of the dying calf.” - -Flip went the ball, but Renwood handled it awkwardly in his excitement -and made a poor pass to Scott. Don, however, for all of his fiery -nature, now seemed calm as an old-fashioned clock, and he gathered in -the quarterback’s pass, deliberately turning and poising the leather -while the Highland rushers were fighting madly to tear their way to him. - -The great egg dropped, struck, and then was lifted with a clean, -swinging kick. It flew over the hands outstretched to stop it, -carrying with it the fortunes of this remarkable game. The hush -suddenly became intense as all eyes followed the oval, which went -straight and true as a cannon ball between the goal-posts and over the -cross-bar. When it struck the ground pandemonium broke loose, for this -beautiful kick in the last minute of the game had given Rockspur five -more points and placed them ahead, the score being 11 to 9. - -The game was won, and Dick Sterndale gathered Don Scott in his arms and -hugged him with a bear-hug, while the mad crowd bellowed and thundered -and the bleachers to the right of the grand-stand became a heaving sea -of blue-and-white billows. - -But there could be no delay, for thirty seconds of play remained, and -the ball was brought back to centre for Highland to kick-off. With -tears in his eyes, Lee Walker kicked the ball in a half-hearted manner. -It was captured by Mayfair, and then the whistle sounded and the end -had come. - -Onto the field poured the roaring crowd, while the players caught Scott -up to their shoulders and bore him aloft, cheering and singing. Such -handshaking, such hugs, such dances of joy! Everybody tried to reach -the hero of the day. It was remarkable how two girls made their way -through that swaying, seething mass of humanity, but they did so, and -when Don was lowered for a moment he discovered Zadia Renwood clasping -both his hands and congratulating him. His face burned like fire, and -he found himself unable to utter a word in response. - -Although they felt bad over losing the game at the last moment, the -Highland players congratulated the victors, ending with a promise to -beat them in the third and concluding game of the series. - -Then there was more cheering, more handshaking and demonstrations of -joy, and the boys finally found their way to the dressing-room beneath -the grand-stand, where scores of admirers were ready to rub them down. - -Among the Rockspur players was but one man who did not seem bubbling -with satisfaction and happiness. Scott observed that Renwood did not -seem elated, and his heart swelled with mingled anger and satisfaction, -as he fancied the fellow had been completely balked in his treacherous -designs. - -In the midst of the chatter of voices somebody announced that Leon -Bentley had been captured by Sim Drew, brought back under arrest and -confined in the village lock-up. - -This information re-awoke Don to his own troubles and reminded him that -his father had not appeared to congratulate him after the game was -over. Immediately he decided that the doctor, receiving information -of the arrest of Bentley, had at once left the field to interview the -captured rascal. This being true, it seemed certain that he still -suspected his son and had hastened to learn from Leon’s lips if his -suspicions were well founded. - -“He might have waited a little!” the boy mentally cried. “But I suppose -he thought we had lost the game anyway, so he failed to see the finish. -I’m sorry. He’ll get the whole thing out of Bentley; but, unless, the -fellow lies, no matter what else he learns, he’ll find out I had no -part in the forgery of that check.” - -The possibility that, to partly shield himself, thinking the doctor -could not be so severe if Don should be implicated, Leon might assert -that Don was associated with him in the check business startled and -appalled Scott. - -“He won’t dare!” he panted, half aloud. “If he does----” - -“What ails you, old man?” asked Sterndale. “One’d never dream by the -look on your face that you won the game for us to-day. You took that -pass splendidly, and----” - -“Saved me the disgrace of making a foozle at the critical moment,” said -Renwood, coming up with half his clothes on. “I owe you thanks, Scott.” - -“You owe me nothing!” Don blazed, instantly. “I rather fancy you would -have felt more like thanking me if I had fumbled your pass.” - -Dolph turned pale and stared hard at the lad who had won the game. - -“What do you mean?” he asked. “Do you insinuate that I----” - -“I insinuate nothing,” interrupted Don, hotly; “but I think what I -like. We didn’t lose the game to-day, Renwood, for all of the traitor -on the team.” - -There could be no misunderstanding his meaning. Dolph’s voice shook as -he said: - -“You are insinuating, and I want to tell you now that if you mean to -cast that slander on me, you lie!” - -Don was on his feet, and he had fallen back against the board wall of -the dressing-room. His right hand gripped something that was standing -there, and then the demon of uncontrollable anger possessed and -mastered him. - -The next moment, with a stick of wood, he struck Renwood to the floor! - - - - -CHAPTER XXXIII. - -THE CONFESSION. - - -All alone, his face drawn and white, moving like one in a trance, the -hero of the football game went down the hill. It seemed strange that -he was not in the midst of a throng of admirers, all eager to be near -him and bask in the sunlight of his glory. It seemed strange that not -one of his late companions on the field accompanied him. But it seemed -stranger still that his eyes were full of despair and his appearance -was that of one who had met crushing and overwhelming defeat. - -He had met defeat in his soul, and he knew it; but out of that defeat -was to come the great victory of his life. - -He had seen the victim of his cowardly blow carried away in the arms of -horrified friends, his eyes closed, his face ghastly, one arm dangling -limply. The dreadful picture was before him now, and it sickened his -soul. - -He knew Sterndale had stopped him outside the dressing-room, but had -stood off without touching him, as if afraid of contamination--the same -Sterndale who had hugged him a short time before in the presence of -all the players and the great crowd of spectators. In a dull way, he -had heard the captain tell him what a contemptible person he was, and -he had felt that every word was true. He had not denied it when Dick -accused him of dropping the forged letter that was meant to destroy -Renwood’s reputation with the members of the eleven. He made no sign -when Sterndale declared he had seen through the wretched trick from the -first, and would have kicked him off the team but for the disruption -another change must have brought about. When the captain had finished, -Don turned away, without a word in his own defense. - -A groan came from Don’s blue lips as he thought of his father’s story -and warning, which he had utterly disregarded, to his complete downfall -and disgrace. His heart was wrung with anguish at the thought that he -had brought another great sorrow upon that father who had suffered so -much, and with that he began to think of others more than himself. -Renwood--ah! that was the worst! Just then he would have given his life -to undo that passionate act. - -“You’re the feller I’m lookin’ fer.” - -Simeon Drew’s hand dropped on the boy’s shoulder. Don looked at the -man, who had overtaken him as he reached the front gate of his home. - -“You have come to arrest me?” said the miserable lad, huskily. “All -right; I’m ready to go.” - -“I ain’t come to ’rest ye,” denied the officer. “I thought you said you -was innercent?” - -“I did it.” - -“Well, by Halifax!” gasped Drew. “An’ Bentley said he was the one.” - -“Bentley?” muttered Don, staring at the man, uncomprehendingly. “Why, -he wasn’t there! I struck the blow.” - -“I dunno what you’re drivin’ at,” admitted the puzzled deputy; “but I -do know that Bentley wants to see ye an’ hev a talk with ye. He begged -me to hunt ye up. I’ll take ye in to see him.” - -The boy’s head cleared a bit, but he accompanied Drew without further -words, and soon he was standing before Leon Bentley, who, wild-eyed -and fear-shaken, paced the narrow confines of his prison, smoking a -cigarette. - -“I’m glad you came, Don!” cried Leon, trying to catch his hand. “I was -afraid you wouldn’t!” - -The doctor’s son refused to permit his hand to be taken. - -“What do you want?” he coldly asked. - -“Don’t look like that!” Leon whimpered. “We’ve been friends, and I’ve -tried to do you some good turns.” - -“You have done me the greatest possible harm, but I am willing to -forget and try to forgive if you tell nothing but the truth now.” - -“Oh, I’ll tell the truth!” cried the nerveless prisoner; “but you must -help me. Promise that you will help me!” - -“How?” - -“With your father. I think I can fix it about the bicycle, if I can get -your father to go easy with me. I’m sorry, and I’ll try to do better. -Please help me with your old man, Don!” - -“If I promise to try, you swear to tell the whole truth and nothing but -the truth?” - -“Yes! yes!” - -“I’ll do all I can, then. I have been accused of knowing something -about that forged check.” - -“You didn’t, Don--you didn’t know a thing about it!” declared Leon, -instantly. “I hooked it from your governor’s check-book the night I -came over to tell you about the game at Highland. I had the doctor’s -writing down fine from practicing on that excuse business, and I forged -the check. Then I didn’t dare to get it cashed here, so I took it over -to Freeport, where I bought some stuff and got a man to take the check -and give me the difference in money. He must have got nervous about it -afterward, or he’d never hurried it back here the way he did.” - -Don did not even look at Simeon Drew, who was leaning against the door, -wagging his jaws over a chew of tobacco and listening to every word -that passed between the boys. He was certain now that the suspicion of -this crime would be lifted from him, but there was yet another thing -about which he wished to know the truth. - -“How about that remnant of a letter you claimed you picked up from -beneath Renwood’s desk?” he asked. - -“Why, what does that have to do with this business?” - -“You have promised to tell me the truth in everything,” said Don, -grimly. “If you do not--if you hold back or lie about a single thing, -I’ll not speak one word to help you! Was that remnant of a letter -genuine?” - -“No,” admitted the young scamp, trying to force a grin; “I faked that -up.” - -Don steadied himself on his feet, feeling that the ground on which he -had fancied he stood securely was dropping from beneath him bit by bit. - -“And you led me into the dirty trick of dropping that letter for -Sterndale!” he finally said, harshly. “You wished somehow to get me -concerned in your low business!” - -“But you hated Renwood just as much as I did!” cried Leon. “It was to -down him.” - -“And failed. Sterndale tumbled to the trick. Is that all you can tell? -Is there nothing more?” - -“That’s all.” - -The manner in which Leon uttered those two words convinced Don that it -was not all, and he instantly said: - -“If you hold back anything, you want to remember that I will not help -you. The truth is bound to come out, and so you may as well confess the -whole business. Is that all?” - -“Yes, it is--all except one thing.” - -“What is that?” - -“It’s about the cutting up of those suits and that football.” - -Don steadied himself again, feeling his last foothold crumbling, and -his voice almost failed him as he asked: - -“What about that? Speak out, fellow!” - -“It--it was a mistake, Don,” faltered Bentley, keeping his eyes -downturned. “You see, it was this way: Just before you dropped into the -club that night, Renwood had his knife out. It was on the table when -you had that little jaw with him, and I took it, thinking he wouldn’t -notice it was gone. He did notice it after you went out, and we all -hunted for it, but, of course, we didn’t find it. Later, when they -proposed to give Carter a try on the team, I got mad, for I saw I’d be -dropped if Carter got on. I told them what I thought and got out. Then -I wanted to do something to get even with somebody, and I knew Renwood -was the one who was trying to bounce me. I remembered how you thought -he was a traitor, and an idea struck me. I went up to the dressing-room -under the grand-stand and slashed up the suits and the football with -Renwood’s knife, which I meant to leave right there, hoping he’d be -suspected; but, just as I finished the job, somebody came right in by -the door and bumped against me. I couldn’t see who it was in the dark, -and I tried to jump and scoot. The other fellow grabbed me, and we had -it. You bet I didn’t want to be caught in that job, so I fought for all -I was worth; but the other fellow was too much for me, and he had me -down and was choking me to death when I struck at him with the knife. -I didn’t know it was you, Don--truly I didn’t! I thought I was being -killed. You know the rest; you know how you got the knife and I managed -to slip away. That’s the whole truth, Don, and now you must help me, -just as you promised you would.” - -The listening lad sat down weakly on a box, feeling that he had been -robbed of everything. He beheld himself in the true light at last, and -the spectacle was so repulsive that he shuddered and grew cold. When he -lifted his eyes, Bentley cowered beneath the terrible look he received. - -“Don’t!” he whimpered once more--“don’t look at me that way! I’ve told -you the truth, and now you must help me! Think of the terrible scrape -I’m in!” - -“You!” cried Don, rising and flinging the other off, so that he reeled -up against the wall, his cigarette flying from his fingers. “The -terrible scrape you are in! Why, I have killed Renwood!” - -Then he went out, Bentley’s prayers and pleadings falling on ears that -were deaf. - - - - -CHAPTER XXXIV. - -REPENTANCE AND VICTORY. - - -It was some time after dark that, having till then wandered aimlessly -about by himself, Don Scott turned in at the gate of his home, passed -up the gravel walk and entered the front door. His heart felt like a -stone within him, without life even to give a fluttering start when he -found himself face to face with his father, who seemed to be waiting in -the hall. - -“My son!” cried the doctor, catching him by the arm, “where have you -been? When I came home, I expected to find you here to tell me all -about it.” - -“Oh, I can’t tell you!” groaned Don. “I can’t think about it! How you -must loathe me!” - -The doctor was astounded. “My boy, my boy!” he exclaimed; “what do you -mean? It is you who must shrink from me, for I have heard how Leon -Bentley has confessed, clearing you of everything. I can never forgive -myself for permitting a suspicion of your possible guilt to creep into -my mind. And they say you won the game to-day by a wonderful kick after -I was suddenly called to attend a patient. I’m sorry I could not have -been there, but I’m proud of you, my son--proud of you!” - -Don choked, beginning to tremble in every limb. He suffered then such -anguish and remorse as seldom comes to a person more than once in a -lifetime. - -“You don’t know, father,” he said, hoarsely; “you haven’t heard----” - -“They told me all about it,” insisted the doctor. “And you had genuine -grit to get up and continue playing after you were stunned. Do you feel -your injury much now?” - -It was not an injury to his body that was giving the boy such exquisite -pain; it was a far deeper wound. - -“Oh, I don’t care for that!” he cried, despair in his voice and manner. - -“Then you should be happy,” declared his father, wondering and -perplexed over the boy’s appearance. “You were not hurt as badly as -young Renwood. Why, they had to take him home in a carriage. I met them -on the road, and they had me attend him. It was a bad knock on the -head, and might have caused concussion of the brain, but he came round -all right, and he’ll be well as ever in a day or two.” - -The strength went out of Don’s legs, and he dropped heavily on the hall -seat. Up to that moment, he had thought Dolph Renwood’s blood was on -his hands. - -“Father!” he panted, “is it--is it--true? Are you sure I didn’t kill -him?” - -“Of course it is true; he is not seriously injured. But what are you -saying? Do you mean----” - -“I struck him after the game was over. That was what ailed him.” - -“And they never told me a word! Struck him, Don--with what?” - -“A baseball bat,” whispered the unfortunate lad. “Oh, I’m a bad, wicked -boy! I’m not fit to be your son! I wish I’d never been born!” - -Then he burst into tears, which, more than anything else, were -compelled by the relief in learning that he had not the crime of -homicide on his soul, and he was shaken by a perfect tempest of emotion. - -The doctor lifted his remorseful son and led the boy into his private -office, closing the door behind them. And there in the seclusion of -that room Don unbosomed himself fully, holding nothing back, and found -relief and consolation and forgiveness. - -“I know I was all wrong; I see it now,” said Don, when he had ended. -“Father, what can I do?” - -“You must go to Renwood, confess everything as you have confessed to -me, humble yourself and ask his forgiveness. That is the least you can -do. In this there is one good feature, at least; Bentley’s story will -prove to the other boys that they were wrong in believing you destroyed -the football and the suits. Will you go to see Renwood, my son?” - -“I’ll go, father--I’ll do anything! And as long as I live I’ll never -forget the lesson. I was to blame for everything!” - -“You were to blame in letting your temper get the best of you, but you -were led into wrong-doing by your bad companion. Now you can see the -danger in associating with such a fellow.” - -“I’m going to see Renwood to-night--now!” cried Don, springing up. “I -can’t sleep unless I see him!” - -“Go, my boy; I think he will be in condition to see you. Go!” - -Father and son walked to the front door together, the arm of the former -across the shoulders of the latter. Then the boy went out into the -darkness and hurried away. - -Don feared he would not be admitted to see Dolph, but his fears were -groundless. There was some delay, and he waited anxiously in the hall; -then the maid came and conducted him to Renwood’s room. - -Dolph was there, reclining on a Morris chair, wrapped in a -dressing-gown. He was pale, and there was a bandage about his head. He -looked at his visitor in speechless inquiry, while Don stood with his -head bowed and his face flushed with shame. - -Renwood was the first to speak. “I’m glad you’ve come,” he said, “for -I’m aching to tell you just what I think of you; but I declare I didn’t -think you’d have the crust to show yourself here!” - -His voice was full of the scorn and contempt which the persistent -injustice of his enemy had aroused to its fullest extent. The other -lad shrank a bit, lifting one hand. - -“That’s right!” he hoarsely exclaimed; “you can’t say anything too mean -about me, call me what you like! I deserve it all--and more!” - -Renwood was astonished by this altered attitude of his enemy, but -fancied it was fear of reprisal that had brought the boy who dealt -the blow hurrying to see him. However, before he could say anything -further, Don went on: - -“I thought I was right in hating you, for I had been led to believe -you a sneak and a traitor. I have a nasty temper that it has been -impossible for me to govern in the past, but I’ll master it in the -future--or die! You have every reason to hate and despise me; but you -cannot hate and despise me more than I hate and despise myself. I -thought I had killed you, and I suffered just what I merited. But even -then I did not know what a miserable wretch I was till I went to see -Bentley in the lock-up and heard his confession.” - -Renwood’s wonder was growing, for this humility and repentance were so -genuine that his doubts were dying. - -“Bentley,” he muttered. “They said he had been arrested.” - -“Yes, and I want you to hear just what he told me. Will you listen?” - -“Go ahead.” - -Then, as well as he could in his excited condition, Don told of the -confession Leon had made; and a change came over the face of the -injured lad who listened, for Dolph began to see how this repentant boy -who stood before him had been misled by his own passions and by the -deceptions of an unscrupulous and rascally companion. Don did not spare -himself in the least, and he did not try to shoulder all the blame onto -Bentley. When he told of the forged letter, he was astounded to find -that Dolph knew absolutely nothing about it. Fearing to bring further -discord into the team, Sterndale had told Renwood nothing of that -letter. - -Some moments after this, on her way downstairs, Zadia Renwood passed -the door of her brother’s room. That door was ajar, so that, glancing -in, she saw two boys standing face to face, the one with his head -bandaged having both hands on the shoulders of the other, and she heard -her brother saying: - -“It was a misunderstanding and a mistake, Scott, that’s all. It’s all -right now, and I think we’ll know each other better in the future. -Let’s forget it.” - -When Don Scott came down from Dolph’s room, his face wore a look of -relief that was almost happiness. He found Renwood’s sister in the -hall, and she let him out. - -“I’m so glad!” she said, giving him a happy smile; “I’m so glad you and -Dolph are to be friends now. I’m sure you’ll like each other.” - -Alone in the night, Don halted, took off his hat and lifted his -throbbing forehead to the cool wind that came off the open sea roaring -along the Eastern Shore. The sky was heavily overcast with clouds, but, -as he looked upward, they broke and parted in one place, and through -the rift he saw a calm, pure white star. - - * * * * * - -The following is quoted from the Highland _Register_, published eleven -days later: - -“The third and final football game of the series between Highland and -Rockspur was played last Saturday before a great crowd of spectators -in Highland, and the boys from the coast won by a score of 17 to 12. -It was a fast and furious battle from start to finish, the youngsters -on both sides fighting as if for their very lives and displaying at -times such vim, dash and courage that the witnesses were aroused to -the greatest enthusiasm and cheered themselves hoarse. Of course, it -is greatly regretted that our boys lost after being trained by such a -thoroughly experienced and capable coach as Mr. Winston; but Rockspur -also had a first-class coach in young Renwood, who played quarter-back -on the team, and the improvement of the visitors since their first -appearance here this season was something remarkable. Still, it may be -justly claimed that luck had much to do with the result of the game, -for it was Garrison’s fumble within four minutes of the close of the -game that gave Rockspur the ball and enabled the visitors to obtain the -final touchdown and goal that cooked Highland’s goose. At the time -this accident happened Highland was in the lead, the score standing 12 -to 11. - -“The first half was a battle of giants. Several times it seemed that -one side or the other must make a touchdown, but something happened to -prevent anything of the kind taking place, and it was a case of taking -a desperate chance after the second down, when Scott tried a drop-kick -for a goal from the twenty-five-yard line. He made it beautifully, and -the half ended with the points 5 to 0 in favor of the enemy. - -“In the second half Highland put some new men on the field, and one of -the substitutes, Hardoak, soon found an opportunity to show his mettle -by going round Rockspur’s left end for a touchdown that resulted in a -goal, giving the home team a lead of one point, 6 to 5. But this simply -seemed to awaken eleven tigers from Rockspur, and the way they tore -great holes in the right wing of the Highland line was heartrending -to witness. Whenever he was given the ball to advance, Scott seemed a -perfect demon of fury, and once he actually made fourteen yards with -half the home team apparently riding on his back and shoulders. He was -finally crushed to the earth by sheer weight of numbers, but even then -he managed to squirm along for a foot or two before they could pin him -fast. And he finally slammed himself over the line for a touchdown that -netted a goal and gave his team the lead once more, 11 to 6. - -“At this stage the game was most exciting, for Walker was begging his -men to take a brace and win out, and every fellow responded nobly. In -a kicking battle Highland got the advantage, and the ball was held in -Rockspur’s territory. Then, after several minutes of varying fortune, -Morse found a hole between Ford and Carter and got over the goal line -of the visitors for another touchdown, from which Walker kicked the -handsomest and most difficult goal of the day. That gave Highland -12 points and Rockspur had 11. Not a great margin, but the game was -drawing toward the end, and it seemed enough. - -“Our boys fought for time, but Sterndale’s men pushed the battle with -a sort of mad fury that it was hard to withstand. When the ball came -into Highland’s possession she endeavored to retain it till the finish -of the game, and there was but four more minutes of play when Garrison -fumbled in a scrimmage and Renwood captured the ball and wiggled out -of the squirming knot of players. He got a fair start, but even then -he could not have made a goal without the assistance of Scott, who was -the only interferer that ran with him. Powell had been doing masterly -work in the way of tackling, but Scott bowled Jack over and saved -Rockspur’s quarter-back from being brought to the turf. Walker came -next, and somehow Scott had recovered from the collision with Powell -enough to be on hand and block Lee quite as effectively. Then the two -men went down a clear field, with all the others stringing after them -like a pack of hounds and the Rockspur spectators roaring like mad. -Pell had great speed, and it seemed that he was going to overtake the -runner for a tackle, but somehow Scott looked over his shoulder and got -the range of the pursuer. When Pell leaped Scott sprang sidelong before -him, and it was Scott that the tackler brought down, while Renwood ran -on and crossed Highland’s goal line with the ball. From that a goal was -kicked, with the final result as stated above; but it is to the amazing -interference of Scott more than to the run of Renwood that Rockspur -must give the glory for winning the game.” - - -THE END. - - - - -TRANSCRIBER’S NOTES: - - - Italicized text is surrounded by underscores: _italics_. - - Obvious typographical errors have been corrected. - - Inconsistencies in hyphenation have been standardized. - - Archaic or alternate spelling has been retained from the original. - -*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE ROCKSPUR ELEVEN *** - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions will -be renamed. - -Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright -law 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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Standish</p> -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and -most other parts of the world 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 <a href="https://www.gutenberg.org">www.gutenberg.org</a>. If you -are not located in the United States, you will have to check the laws of the -country where you are located before using this eBook. -</div> - -<p style='display:block; margin-top:1em; margin-bottom:1em; margin-left:2em; text-indent:-2em'>Title: The Rockspur Eleven</p> -<p style='display:block; margin-top:1em; margin-bottom:0; margin-left:2em; text-indent:-2em'>Author: Burt L. Standish</p> -<p style='display:block; text-indent:0; margin:1em 0'>Release Date: February 13, 2022 [eBook #67397]</p> -<p style='display:block; text-indent:0; margin:1em 0'>Language: English</p> - <p style='display:block; margin-top:1em; margin-bottom:0; margin-left:2em; text-indent:-2em; text-align:left'>Produced by: Carlos Colon, David E. Brown, Harvard University and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net (This book was produced from images made available by the HathiTrust Digital Library.)</p> -<div style='margin-top:2em; margin-bottom:4em'>*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE ROCKSPUR ELEVEN ***</div> - - -<div class="figcenter"><img src="images/cover.jpg" width="40%" alt="" /></div> - -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="figcenter"><img src="images/i_title.jpg" alt="" /></div> - -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="titlepage"> - -<h1>The Rockspur Eleven</h1> - -<p><span class="large">A FINE FOOTBALL STORY FOR BOYS</span></p> - -<p>BY<br /> -<span class="large">BURT L. STANDISH</span><br /> -AUTHOR OF<br /> -<span class="large">“<i>The Merriwell Stories</i>”</span></p> - -<div class="figcenter"><img src="images/i_titlelogo.jpg" alt="" /></div> - -<p>STREET & SMITH, PUBLISHERS<br /> -79-89 SEVENTH AVE., NEW YORK CITY</p> -</div> - -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> -<div class="chapter"> -<p class="center"> -Copyright, 1900<br /> -By STREET & SMITH<br /> -<br /> -The Rockspur Eleven</p> -</div> - -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<h2 class="nobreak">Publisher’s Note</h2> -</div> - - -<p>Notwithstanding the fact that the sales -of magazines have increased tremendously -during the past five or six years, the popularity -of a good paper-covered novel, -printed in attractive and convenient form, -remains undiminished.</p> - -<p>There are thousands of readers who do -not care for magazines because the stories -in them, as a rule, are short and just about -the time they become interested in it, it -ends and they are obliged to readjust their -thoughts to a set of entirely different -characters.</p> - -<p>The S. & S. novel is long and complete -and enables the reader to spend many -hours of thorough enjoyment without doing -any mental gymnastics. Our paper-covered -books stand pre-eminent among -up-to-date fiction. Every day sees a new -copyrighted title added to the S. & S. -lines, each one making them stronger, -better and more invincible.</p> - - -<p class="center">STREET & SMITH, Publishers<br /> -79-89 SEVENTH AVENUE, NEW YORK CITY</p> - - -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<p class="ph1"><i>GREAT STORIES BY A GREAT AUTHOR</i></p> -</div> - -<p class="ph2"><i>The New Fiction Series</i></p> - -<p class="center"><i>Issued Quarterly</i> :: :: <i>Price, Fifteen Cents</i></p> - -<div class="blockquot"> - -<p>Letters of congratulation have been showered upon us from all -over the country by enthusiastic readers who say that had we not -announced that Mr. Cook wrote all of these stories, it would have -been very difficult to determine it.</p> - -<p>The reason is that Mr. Cook is a widely traveled man and has, -therefore, been enabled to lay the plot of one of his stories in the -“land of little rain,” another on the high seas, another in Spain -and Spanish America, and to write a railroad story that a reader -of thirty years’ experience decided must have been written by a -veteran railroad man. If stories of vigorous adventure are wanted, -stories that are drawn true to life and give that thrill which all -really good fiction ought to give, the books listed here are what -you want.</p> - - -<p class="center"><i>ALL TITLES ALWAYS IN PRINT</i></p> - - - -<p>NOTICE:—If these books are sent by mail, four cents must be added -to the price of each copy to cover postage.</p> -</div> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p class="ph1"><i>By WILLIAM WALLACE COOK</i></p> - -<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" summary="table"> - -<tr><td class="tdr">1—</td><td>The Desert Argonaut.</td><td class="tdr">14—</td><td>The Paymaster’s Special.</td></tr> -<tr><td class="tdr">2—</td><td>A Quarter to Four.</td><td class="tdr">15—</td><td>Adrift in the Unknown.</td></tr> -<tr><td class="tdr">3—</td><td>Thorndyke, of the <i>Bonita</i>.</td><td class="tdr">16—</td><td>Jim Dexter, Cattleman.</td></tr> -<tr><td class="tdr">4—</td><td>A Round Trip to the Year 2000. </td><td class="tdr">17—</td><td>Juggling With Liberty.</td></tr> -<tr><td class="tdr">5—</td><td>The Gold Gleaners.</td><td class="tdr">18—</td><td>Back From Bedlam.</td></tr> -<tr><td class="tdr">6—</td><td>The Spur of Necessity.</td><td class="tdr">19—</td><td>A River Tangle.</td></tr> -<tr><td class="tdr">7—</td><td>The Mysterious Mission.</td><td class="tdr">20—</td><td>An Innocent Outlaw.</td></tr> -<tr><td class="tdr">8—</td><td>The Goal of a Million.</td><td class="tdr" valign="top">21—</td><td>Billionaire Pro Tem and the<br /> Trail of the Billy Doo.</td></tr> -<tr><td class="tdr">9—</td><td>Marooned in 1492.</td><td class="tdr">22—</td><td>Rogers of Butte.</td></tr> -<tr><td class="tdr">10—</td><td>Running the Signal.</td><td class="tdr">23—</td><td>In the Wake of the <i>Simitar</i>.</td></tr> -<tr><td class="tdr">11—</td><td>His Friend, the Enemy.</td><td class="tdr">24—</td><td>His Audacious Highness.</td></tr> -<tr><td class="tdr">12—</td><td>In the Web.</td><td class="tdr">25—</td><td>At Daggers Drawn.</td></tr> -<tr><td class="tdr">13—</td><td>A Deep Sea Game.</td><td class="tdr">26—</td><td>The Eighth Wonder.</td></tr> -</table> - - -<p class="center">To Be Published During July.<br /> - -27—The Catspaw.</p> - - -<p class="center">To Be Published During October.<br /> - -28—The Cotton Bag.</p> - - -<p class="center">To Be Published During January.<br /> - -29—Little Miss Vassar.</p> - - -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<span class="pagenum" id="Page_9">[9]</span> - -<p class="ph3">THE ROCKSPUR ELEVEN.</p> - -<h2 class="nobreak">CHAPTER I.<br /> - - -<small>A BOY WITH A TEMPER.</small></h2> -</div> - -<p>Danny Chatterton came up the street whistling a merry -tune, while Don Scott lay under an apple-tree back of his -father’s house, munching an apple and scowling blackly, -although the September afternoon was pleasant and -sunny enough to put any boy in an agreeable humor. -Judging by the sour expression on Don’s face one might -never have fancied the half-devoured apple in his hand -was sweet.</p> - -<p>Spying the boy beneath the tree, Danny stopped, leaned -on the fence, and called:</p> - -<p>“Hullo, Scotty! What you dud-dud-dud-doing?”</p> - -<p>“Can’t you see?” growled the boy addressed. “I’m eating -an apple.”</p> - -<p>“Dud-does it hu-hurt ye much?” grinned the cheerful -lad at the fence. “What do you eat it for if it makes you -fur-fur-feel so bad?”</p> - - - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_10">[10]</span>Don’s answer to this bit of persiflage was a still blacker -scowl and sullen silence. Danny kicked the fence and -whistled, a twinkle in his eyes.</p> - -<p>“Say, gimme an apple,” he entreated. “You’ll mum-mum-mum-make -yourself sus-sick trying to eat the ho-ho-whole -of ’em.”</p> - -<p>The boy under the tree picked up an apple and threw -it viciously at the sarcastic fellow outside the fence, who -caught it with one hand, crying:</p> - -<p>“Judgment! Out! Gug-gug-great work!”</p> - -<p>Then he gave the apple a wipe on his jacket and took -a trial bite out of it, his manner being suspicious till he -had tested it, upon which his face betrayed satisfaction -and he immediately took a still larger bite.</p> - -<p>“Ji-ji-ji-jimminy!” he stuttered, speaking with his -mouth full and chewing and talking at the same time. -“It’s sus-sus-sweet! I never knew that was a sus-sweet -apple tut-tut-tree, and I thought it must be sus-sour or -bub-bub-bitter from the way you looked. If I’d -known——”</p> - -<p>“Better not come round here for apples after dark,” -grimly warned Don. “Pat sleeps over the kitchen, and -his window looks right out onto this orchard. He’s got a -gun loaded with rock-salt, and he’d shoot just as quick as -he’d take a drink of water.”</p> - -<p>“If that’s the case,” grinned Danny, “judgin’ by the -cuc-cuc-color of his nose, there ain’t no great danger that<span class="pagenum" id="Page_11">[11]</span> -he’ll ever dud-do any sus-sus-sus-shooting. But say, ain’t -you coming up to the field for pup-pup-practice?”</p> - -<p>“No!”</p> - -<p>Don replied in such a short, savage manner that Chatterton -paused with his mouth stuffed full and stared.</p> - -<p>“Hey?” he exclaimed. “Wh-why not?”</p> - -<p>“Because I don’t want to.”</p> - -<p>“Well, that’s a gug-good reason, but it ain’t mum-mum-much -of an explanation. We cuc-cuc-can’t do our bub-best -without the whole eleven, and we’ve got to pup-put -in some hot pup-practice if we expect to cuc-cuc-cut any -ice with them Ha-Highlanders next Saturday. Sterndale -will lul-look for every mum-man this afternoon.”</p> - -<p>“Let him look and be hanged!” snapped Don, sitting -up and clasping one knee with both hands. “He’ll find -out there is one fellow who won’t stand to be called a -chump and a duffer by that cheap city dude, Renwood.”</p> - -<p>Danny threw the apple-core backward over his shoulder.</p> - -<p>“But Renwood is our cuc-cuc-coach, you know,” he -said. “He knows all abub-bub-bub-about playing football.”</p> - -<p>“He says he does, but I don’t believe he knows half as -much as he pretends to, and I’ll bet he’s a great bluffer. -Anyhow, he can’t shoot off his mouth at me. What’s the -matter with Sterndale? He’s captain, but he permits this -Renwood to run things. He makes me sick!”</p> - -<p>“So that’s what ails ye, is it? I knew it was sus-sus-something.<span class="pagenum" id="Page_12">[12]</span> -You gug-gug-gug-got mad because Renwood -mum-made some talk to ye when you fur-fur-fumbled his -pass last night.”</p> - -<p>“I didn’t fumble it!” snarled Don. “He was to blame -himself, for he didn’t pass it right, and then he tried to -lay it all on to me. I won’t take that kind of talk from -anybody, I don’t care who it is!”</p> - -<p>“Bub-bub-bub-but the rest of us have to tut-tut-take it,” -chattered Danny. “He even gave Sus-Sterndale a bub-bub-brushing -up abub-bout his kicking.”</p> - -<p>“And the more fools you for standing it! Just because -he’s lived in Boston and played football on Boston -Common, he takes us for a lot of chumps down here. No -stuck-up city chap can lord it over me, and don’t you forget -it!”</p> - -<p>“But he’s our coach!” said Danny, again. “We don’t -know much about fuf-fuf-football, and he knows everything. -Highland has a reg’ler college player for a cuc-cuc-coach, -you know.”</p> - -<p>“That’s all right. He doesn’t play with the Highlanders; -he only coaches them; and he knows his business. If -we had such a fellow as that——”</p> - -<p>“You’d get mum-mum-mad the first tut-time he tut-talked -straight to ye. You’re always gug-gug-gettin’ -mad and sus-sulking so you sus-sus-spoil everything you -go into. That’s what’s the mum-mum-matter with you.”</p> - -<p>Don sprang to his feet, his face turning pale and his<span class="pagenum" id="Page_13">[13]</span> -eyes gleaming. With his hands clenched, he advanced -toward the fence.</p> - -<p>“You better go along about your business, Chatterton!” -he grated. “I won’t take that kind of talk from you, -either! You can run your old football team without me, -and you’re all a lot of soft-headed chumps to let Renwood -lord it over you. Now, don’t make any back talk to me! -Go on and tell them what I think of them.”</p> - -<p>Danny backed away from the fence and sidled off, as -Don came forward threateningly.</p> - -<p>“I don’t know but we’ll get along bub-bub-better without -ye,” he declared, with a taunting grin. “You’re always -rah-rah-raising a rah-rah-row.”</p> - -<p>Don had reached the fence, and, in a sudden burst of -rage, he tore off a broken picket and flung it after Danny, -who skillfully dodged the missile and then hastily scudded -away, still laughing.</p> - -<p>“That’s right—run!” snarled Don, glaring after the little -fellow. “If I had hold of you, I’d make ye laugh out -of the other corner of your mouth!”</p> - -<p>He kicked the fence savagely, and then retreated to the -apple-tree once more, in anything but an agreeable humor.</p> - -<p>Pat, the Irish hostler and man about the place, came -round to the front of the house, leading Dr. Scott’s horse, -attached to a light driving carriage. The doctor, medicine-case -in hand, appeared at the front door; but, instead of -descending the walk and entering the carriage at once, he -came down the steps and turned into the orchard back<span class="pagenum" id="Page_14">[14]</span> -of the house, where his son was still sulking under the -sweet apple-tree.</p> - -<p>“My boy,” said the doctor, a gravely handsome man -with iron-gray beard and dark eyes, which now seemed -strangely sad, “sitting there at my window just now, I -happened to overhear your conversation with that other -lad.”</p> - -<p>Don flushed a little, but continued to scowl, though he -had risen to his feet and was standing in a respectful attitude -of attention before his father.</p> - -<p>“I noted,” said the gentleman, “that you were in a very -bad humor, and your words told me why you were angry. -I also observed that you flew into an unreasonable passion -at the close of your talk. Now I am not going to lecture -you, Don, but I wish to warn you. You must learn to -govern your temper, my son, or it will control you, to -your sorrow and everlasting regret.”</p> - -<p>“But, father, there are times when it’s impossible not -to become angry,” protested the boy.</p> - -<p>“Perhaps it may seem so, but every time a person gives -way to a fit of anger he weakens his self-control and -makes himself less capable of successfully coping with the -trials and emergencies of life.”</p> - -<p>Don made a swift, impatient gesture.</p> - -<p>“I can’t help getting mad!” he cried. “It’s no use for -me to try to restrain my temper; I have tried, and I can’t -do it.”</p> - -<p>“It shows how much your will-power is weakened already<span class="pagenum" id="Page_15">[15]</span> -when you make such a confession,” said the doctor, -regretfully. “I once thought the same about myself.”</p> - -<p>“You, father?” exclaimed the boy, in surprise. “Why, -I never knew you to lose your temper. I didn’t suppose——”</p> - -<p>“Because I was taught to control my passions at any -cost, and a bitter lesson it was, my son. When I have -noted how quick and choleric you are, I have sometimes -been tempted to tell you the whole sad story, but it is -something of which I do not like to think or speak, and so -I have refrained. Perhaps I will do so some day; but, -in the meantime, I urge you, Don, to struggle with yourself -to get the mastery of your temper at any cost, which -I sincerely hope may never bring to you such sorrow as -an act of mine, done in a moment of anger, brought upon -me.”</p> - -<p>The doctor spoke with such earnestness that Don was -greatly impressed, and he immediately promised:</p> - -<p>“I’ll try, father—I’ll try, though I am afraid I cannot -succeed.”</p> - -<p>“You can and must, my boy. Be sure you have my -sympathy, for I know you inherited your passionate temperament -from me. Do not fear to come to me for sympathy -and encouragement any time.”</p> - -<p>With those words, the doctor turned away, leaving Don -standing there beneath the tree, watching him depart. The -gentleman entered his carriage, and, with a wave of one -gloved hand to his son, drove away. Don followed the retreating<span class="pagenum" id="Page_16">[16]</span> -figure with his eyes till it disappeared from view, -and then he earnestly murmured:</p> - -<p>“It doesn’t seem possible that he ever could know what -it is to be really and truly angry, for he is the best and -kindest father in the whole world. For his sake I’ll do -my best to control my temper—I’ll do my best.”</p> -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<span class="pagenum" id="Page_17">[17]</span> - -<h2 class="nobreak">CHAPTER II.<br /> - - -<small>ANOTHER BOY.</small></h2> -</div> - -<p>Don’s musings were broken in upon by a familiar voice, -which cried:</p> - -<p>“Hello there, old man! What’s the matter with you—in -a trance? Come out of it!”</p> - -<p>Looking up, Don saw Leon Bentley stopping outside -the fence. As usual, Leon was smoking a cigarette. He -was dressed in a padded football suit, with his cap set -rakishly over one ear, and his manner was that of one -possessed of unlimited conceit and an overwhelming sense -of his own importance.</p> - -<p>Don had never liked Bentley but his dislike had not -been particularly noticeable, for he was a fellow who, on -account of his quick temper and sulky moods, had few -associates and no close companions among the boys of -the village.</p> - -<p>Bentley had a strong taste for flashy clothes and cheap -jewelry, being inclined to swagger and boast and use profane -language, so it was not strange that any thoroughly self-respecting -boy in the village did not care to be regarded -as his intimate friend.</p> - -<p>At one time close friendship had seemed to exist between -Leon and Rob Linton, a lad whose bullying inclinations<span class="pagenum" id="Page_18">[18]</span> -had caused him to be disliked secretly by those -who openly professed admiration and regard for him; but -even Linton, awakened at last to his own faults, sickened -of Bentley and fell to avoiding him as far as possible, -which left Leon casting about for another associate.</p> - -<p>Remembering the words of his father and his own resolution -to try to control his temper, even though Linton’s -free-and-easy manner around within him a feeling of resentment, -Don held himself in check, nodded shortly, and -said:</p> - -<p>“Hello, Bentley. Going to practice?”</p> - -<p>“Sure thing,” returned Leon, airily. “Got to do it, I -suppose, though it’s a horrid bore. Fellow has to practice -to keep in the swim and be a real athlete; and he -has to be an athlete nowadays, or take part in athletic -sports, at least, in order to stand any show with the girls. -If he isn’t right in it they’ll throw him down for some -fellow who is, even though that fellow may be as long, -lank, awkward and clownish as that duffer John Smith. -Why, even a girl like Dora Deland, proud as she is, has -fallen to raving over him since he happened to turn out -something of a baseball pitcher. You must show your -skill, old man, if you hope to cut any figure with Zadia -Renwood.”</p> - -<p>Bentley fell to laughing over his final words, as if he -regarded them as a good joke; but he stopped suddenly -as he saw Don step quickly toward the fence, scowling -his fiercest.</p> - - - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_19">[19]</span>“Have a care with that tongue of yours, Bentley!” Scott -almost snarled. “Because I happen to be acquainted with -Zadia Renwood does not give you license to make cheap -talk, and I won’t take it from you.”</p> - -<p>Leon whistled softly, and then hastened to declare:</p> - -<p>“I didn’t mean anything, Scott, so what’s the use to -flare up and get mad like that! You ought to take something -for that temper of yours. At the smallest spark -you go off like a flash of powder.”</p> - -<p>Don paused, and his flushed face suddenly began to -pale, for he realised how soon he had flown into a passion -after vowing to do his best to control his temper, which -filed him with shame and vexation over his own weakness.</p> - -<p>With an effort, the boy cast out from his soul the anger -that had seized upon him, and he actually forced a faint -smile to his face, which made it seem rather handsome in -a dark and cloudy way.</p> - -<p>“You’re right, Bentley,” he said; “I was a fool to become -angry over your careless words, but neither Zadia -Renwood nor any other girl is anything to me, for you -know I dislike girls. They’re all silly creatures.”</p> - -<p>“They may be silly, but they’re sweet,” Bentley grinned, -in a manner that was decidedly repulsive to the other boy. -“I tell you, girls are great inventions, and I know you’d -like them, old man, if you’d just overcome your foolish -prejudice against them. And Zadia Renwood is a peach,<span class="pagenum" id="Page_20">[20]</span> -too! I’m sure she’s struck on you, and you only have to -brace up——”</p> - -<p>Don stopped the speaker with a gesture.</p> - -<p>“That will do, Bentley!” he exclaimed, harshly, holding -himself in check. “Even if I cared for girls, I’d steer -clear of Dolph Renwood’s sister.”</p> - -<p>“You don’t like him?” questioned Leon, pulling out a -package of cigarettes and selecting one, which he proceeded -to roll gently between the palms of his hands, all -the while watching Don with a curious, cunning look in -his washed-out gray eyes.</p> - -<p>“I hate the cad!” broke out Scott; but he suddenly -seemed to remember his failing and got a firm hold on -himself. “He puts on too many airs, Bentley, and he -makes a great bluff that he’s a football expert; but it -is my private opinion, which I am willing to express publicly, -that he doesn’t know the rudiments of the game.”</p> - -<p>“I think so, too,” eagerly nodded the lad outside the -fence, as, with his yellow-stained fingers, he nervously -pulled a little of the filling from one end of the paper -wrapper. “And Sterndale is a fool to let that city fop -run things the way he does. Never knew Dick to be so -soft before, but I suppose we’ll have to stand it if we -wish to play the game. Come, it’s time we were on the -field now.”</p> - -<p>Don hesitated. “I don’t think I’ll go,” he said, in an -unsettled manner.</p> - -<p>“Oh, rats!” cried Leon, lighting the prepared cigarette<span class="pagenum" id="Page_21">[21]</span> -from the stub of the one he had finished, which he tossed -aside. “Come along, Scott, for you’re needed, and it’s -your duty to play for the honor of Rockspur.”</p> - -<p>“By your own words a few moments ago, you confessed -that you are not going into the game for any such reason, -but simply to win admiration from the girls. I do not believe -any fellow who plays football for such a reason can -do his best and be of real value to the team.”</p> - -<p>A suggestion of color mounted to the sallow cheeks of -the cigarette-smoker, and he laughingly retorted:</p> - -<p>“That was talk, Scott; of course I’m going into the -game to help the home team win. We can’t afford to -lose any good man, and so you’ll come along with me. -As for Renwood, we’re not the only ones who are sick -of his high-handed style of lording it over us, and we may -be able to bring about a change, if we go at it in the right -manner. Get your suit and come on.”</p> - -<p>Plainly undecided, Don leaned on the fence.</p> - -<p>“My suit is in the dressing-room under the grand-stand,” -he said. “I did make up my mind not to have -anything more to do with the team as long as Renwood -was coaching——”</p> - -<p>“That was when you were mad, old man. Of course, I -don’t blame you, but don’t let your temper cause you to go -back on your own town. Renwood doesn’t really belong -here, anyhow; he’s only just moved here since his father, -seeing that Rockspur is bound to become a famous summer -resort, has bought up the East Shore land as a speculation.<span class="pagenum" id="Page_22">[22]</span> -I don’t believe in letting such an outsider come -in and run things. If you and I combine against him, we -can bring enough of the others to our way of thinking to -set him back into the place where he belongs.”</p> - -<p>Don did not fancy the idea of forming such an alliance -with Bentley, but he sought to justify it by telling himself -that it was for the good of the Rockspur football team, -and that there was no harm in uniting with Leon on such -an issue.</p> - -<p>“I’ll not become friendly with him,” thought Don, “simply -because we both think the same way about this matter. -A man is likely to find it needful to have business -relations with another whom he would not accept as an -associate, and this is purely a matter of business.”</p> - -<p>He was soon to learn that such relations are always -to be avoided when possible, and that, justly or unjustly, -a man or a boy is judged by the company he keeps.</p> - -<p>“Come on,” urged Leon. “We’ll talk it over on our -way to the ground.”</p> - -<p>“When I was angry I declared I wouldn’t play on the -team with Renwood,” Don mentally said; “but it is my -duty not to let my anger control me.”</p> - -<p>Then, vaulting over the fence, he joined Bentley, and -they set off together toward the football field.</p> -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<span class="pagenum" id="Page_23">[23]</span> - -<h2 class="nobreak">CHAPTER III.<br /> - - -<small>THE FOOTBALL FIELD.</small></h2> -</div> - -<p>The Rockspur baseball ground, leveled and fenced -through the energies of Dick Sterndale, captain of the -village nine, was also to serve as a football field. Already -Sterndale and Renwood, assisted by others who -were interested and enthusiastic, had measured and lined -off the field and erected the goal-posts at each end.</p> - -<p>The marked-off field was three hundred and thirty feet -long and one hundred and sixty feet in width. The -measurements had been obtained by the aid of a tape, and -then lime-lines had been drawn with a marker to indicate -the actual field of play. Outside this field and inside the -fence was a varying amount of room. At one point the -fence was only eight feet from the boundary of the playing -field, and this was the smallest permissible amount of -space.</p> - -<p>Having obtained the outer boundaries of the playing -field, the tape was run down the side-lines and wooden -pegs were driven into the ground exactly five yards apart. -When the pegs were all down, the tape was stretched -across the field from a peg on one side to a corresponding -peg on the opposite side, and the lime marker was run -over the tape, so the field was marked off with twenty-one<span class="pagenum" id="Page_24">[24]</span> -lines between the ends, or twenty-three lines if the end -lines were included.</p> - -<p>Then the fifth line out from the end, or the twenty-five -yard line, the point of kick-out, was made broader than -the others, so it could be plainly distinguished. This was -done at both ends of the field, and then the exact centre of -the field, on the eleventh five-yard line, was marked with -a large round spot to indicate the place of kick-off.</p> - -<p>With this accomplished, the field was fully laid out, and -the setting of the goal-posts, the most difficult task of all, -followed. Sterndale selected four cedar posts which were -long and straight and obtained two cross-bars which satisfied -him in every particular. The posts were cut to a -length of twenty-three feet, which gave an allowance of -three feet to be sunk into the ground, and the cross-bars -were somewhat more than nineteen feet long, as the posts -were to be set exactly eighteen feet and six inches apart, -it being necessary for the cross-bars to over lap, so that -they might be securely spiked to the posts.</p> - -<p>In setting the posts, the tape was stretched across the -end of the field and the middle of the line marked, which -was a distance of eighty feet from either side. This done, -with the middle mark as a starting point, nine feet and -three inches were measured off in opposite direction -along the line, the two points for the posts being thus determined. -Holes nearly three feet in depth were excavated -at these points and the posts erected in them, the -ground being packed solidly about them, causing them to<span class="pagenum" id="Page_25">[25]</span> -stand securely without braces, which are needless and -dangerous, as a player might trip over them or be forced -upon them and injured.</p> - -<p>When Scott and Bentley reached the field they found -all the members of the newly-organized Rockspur Eleven -were present, besides a number of youthful spectators and -a few who were anxious to be classed as substitutes.</p> - -<p>A little at one side from the others, Dick Sterndale, the -handsome, manly-looking captain of the team, was essaying -the drop-kick, coached by the boy Don Scott disliked, -Dolph Renwood. Renwood was rather slender, although -just now, in his padded football suit, he did not -look so, and he had sharp, blue eyes, which to the village -boys often seemed full of laughing scorn and contempt -even while he spoke to them in a most serious or friendly -manner. It was those eyes which caused the Rockspur -lads to distrust Dolph for all of his apparent sincerity and -interest in their sports and pleasures; and those eyes had -done not a little to arouse the resentment of quick-tempered -Don Scott, who bore half-hidden ridicule with less -grace than open contempt.</p> - -<p>The players’ bench used by the baseball team had been -moved aside to make room for the football field, but it -stood back by the rail in front of the bleachers, and Don -walked toward it, passing close to Sterndale and Renwood. -Having seated himself on the bench beside two -small boys, he was able to overhear Renwood’s instructions<span class="pagenum" id="Page_26">[26]</span> -to the captain of the team, although he pretended to -be giving them no attention whatever.</p> - -<p>“There are three ways to make a drop-kick,” Dolph was -explaining. “You can’t do it any old way, Sterndale. In -the first place, you must take hold of the ball right.”</p> - -<p>“How’s that?” the big captain meekly asked.</p> - -<p>“You may hold it with one hand, like this, with the -point toward the goal, and drop it that way, taking a -somewhat side-swinging kick; or you may hold it precisely -the same with both hands and drop it; or, finally, -you may hold it with both hands in this manner, pointing -it away from the goal. It must never be dropped flat or -directly upon the end. Now watch.”</p> - -<p>The “coach” dropped the ball and kicked it handsomely, -sending it sailing through the air in a long, graceful -arc. It was pursued and captured by some small -boys, who had a scrimmage over it, out of which one -broke with it hugged under his arm and came running -back toward Dick and Dolph.</p> - -<p>“In kicking the ball,” Renwood went on, “you must hit -it squarely with the toe the very instant that it rises off -the ground. Now let me see you try it.”</p> - -<p>Sterndale took the ball from the panting youngster who -brought it up, held it with both hands as directed, and -dropped it. In kicking he was a trifle too quick, and the -result was anything but satisfactory.</p> - -<p>“No, no!” exclaimed Renwood, impatiently. “Don’t<span class="pagenum" id="Page_27">[27]</span> -kick it after it hits the ground. Can’t you understand -that? Your toe must hit it just the instant it rises from -the ground. Try to fix that in your head.”</p> - -<p>“Is that Sterndale?” Don Scott asked himself, in amazement. -“Can it be that he’ll let anybody talk to him in that -tone of voice?”</p> - -<p>Dick was the acknowledged leader of the village boys -and their accepted commander in all things. As captain -of the baseball nine, he had seemed to know everything -worth knowing about the game, and he had been skillful -in imparting his knowledge to others and in handling his -men to the very best advantage. When the Rockspur lads -decided to organize a regular football team for the first -time, Sterndale was unanimously chosen captain, although -he confessed that he was almost unfamiliar with the -game.</p> - -<p>The boys regarded it as a piece of good fortune when -Redwood offered to coach them, claiming to have been -a member of the Hyde Park A. A. C. and to have played -in a large number of football games in and around Boston; -but Scott and Bentley were not the only ones who -had been annoyed by the city lad’s supercilious ways and -condescending airs, although the others held their resentment -in check, feeling that they could not afford to antagonize -Dolph as long as he was instructing them in the -arts of the game they wished to learn.</p> - -<p>Again Sterndale tried the drop-kick, and this time he<span class="pagenum" id="Page_28">[28]</span> -was successful, sending the pigskin sailing through the -air in handsome style, so that Renwood declared:</p> - -<p>“That was good. Try it again.”</p> - -<p>When the ball was returned, the captain made a still -better kick, and again received an expression of approval -from the coach.</p> - -<p>“Now,” said Dolph, “all the members of the team seem -to be here, so I think we’d better get them together and -put in some practice on signals. They bungled things -terribly last night. I think you’ll find some of them are -no earthly good.”</p> - -<p>As he said this, he turned and looked at Don Scott, who -felt on the instant that the words were meant for him, and -a pang of anger shot through his heart, causing his hands -to clench savagely and his jaws to harden.</p> - -<p>“We have the best fellows in the village on the eleven,” -asserted Sterndale, loyally.</p> - -<p>“Good fellows do not always make good football players,” -said Dolph, knowingly. “But get them together, -and we’ll see if they can do any better than they did last -night.”</p> - -<p>Observing Don, Dick called:</p> - -<p>“Come on, Scott. Where’s your suit?”</p> - -<p>“Don’t need it,” returned the boy on the bench. “I’m -not going to practice.”</p> - -<p>“What?” exclaimed Dick, walking over. “Oh, come, -that’s nonsense! You aren’t sick, are you?”</p> - -<p>“Yes.”</p> - - - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_29">[29]</span>“Well, that’s different,” said the captain, quickly. “If -you’re sick, I don’t expect you to practice.”</p> - -<p>Don rose to his feet.</p> - -<p>“Yes, I’m sick,” he hoarsely declared. “I’m sick of -that fellow Renwood and his airs and insults. I’ve stood -them just as long as I can. I know he meant me when he -said some of the men on the team were no earthly good, -and——”</p> - -<p>“I know you’re mistaken,” cut in Dick, quickly. “Now, -wait a minute, Don. It was only a short time ago that -we thought of getting the team together for practice, and -he observed that you were not here, and that Bentley had -not arrived. He said we’d better wait, for, while we -might get along without Bent, we needed you in your -position as half-back. That was not all. He said that, -whatever changes were made on the team, he believed you -had been given the right position and should be kept -there.”</p> - -<p>For a moment Don found himself at a loss for words, -but he finally muttered:</p> - -<p>“He didn’t mean it. It was just some of his sarcasm.”</p> - -<p>“I am sure it was nothing of the sort. He was in -earnest.”</p> - -<p>“Then why did he make such talk to me last night? -And why did he look at me in such a way just now when -he said some fellows on the team were no earthly good?”</p> - - - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_30">[30]</span>“He didn’t talk to you any plainer than he does to any -of the fellows. They say professional coaches sometimes -swear at the men they are training and are as bad as -slave-drivers. You must remember that he has been -coached by a professional on the team he played with in -Boston, and I suppose he considers that the proper way to -talk to men. Now, Don, old man, you know we can’t -get along without you on the eleven any more than we -could have made the record we did if you hadn’t been -on the nine. I know you’re loyal to Rockspur, and -you’re going to help us down those Highlanders. Don’t -mind the way Renwood gives his instructions, but just get -right into gear and show what you can do. I’m depending -on you, Scott.”</p> - -<p>Dick had a hand resting on Don’s shoulder while -speaking, and there was deep persuasion in his manner -and the inflection of his voice. It was this quality of -inducing others to do as he desired that had made Sterndale -a leader.</p> - -<p>Don wavered a moment, the thought coming to him -once more that he must do his best to conquer his temper -and that this was another occasion for him to prove his -self-control, whereupon he said:</p> - -<p>“All right, Sterndale; I’ll do it for you. But I can’t -stand everything from Renwood. I’ll get into a suit in a -hurry.”</p> - -<p>Then he trotted off toward the dressing-room beneath<span class="pagenum" id="Page_31">[31]</span> -the grand-stand, while Dick, following him with his eyes, -muttered:</p> - -<p>“Confound your surly temper! I’d like to tell you just -what I think of you, but it isn’t policy now, for we need -you on the team.”</p> -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<span class="pagenum" id="Page_32">[32]</span> - -<h2 class="nobreak">CHAPTER IV.<br /> - - -<small>DON LEAVES THE TEAM.</small></h2> -</div> - -<p>It did not take Don long to get into his football suit. -Danny Chatterton met him as he was coming from the -dressing-room.</p> - -<p>“So you ch-ch-ch-changed your mind?” grinned the little -fellow, winking in a taunting manner. “Must have -cuc-cuc-cooled off sus-some after I left ye. Or was it -Bub-Bentley gug-got you to come along? He-he’ll make -a real good ch-ch-chum for you! Tell you what, I’d -rather be fuf-friendly with a stuck-up city chap, as you -cuc-cuc-call Renwood, than to only have a ch-chum like -Bub-Bentley.”</p> - -<p>“You mind your own business, Chatterton!” harshly -advised Don. “I’m not making a chum of anybody.”</p> - -<p>“Well, there’s a pup-pup-pup-pretty good reason for -that,” returned the aggravating little rascal, as he sidled -away. “If you had a ch-chum, you’d gug-get mad and -eat him inside of th-th-three days.”</p> - -<p>Scott bit his lip, assailed by a sudden conviction. -“That’s the reason I’ve never had a real chum,” he -thought. “It’s my temper. I have no one but myself to -blame, I suppose.”</p> - -<p>He was actually feeling humiliated and humble when -he joined the others, who were grouped about Renwood<span class="pagenum" id="Page_33">[33]</span> -and Sterndale. Dolph and Dick were talking over the -code of signals and the simpler plays to be learned.</p> - -<p>“Of course,” said Renwood, “when we become familiar -with the common and conventional plays, then we can -study up new formations and new moves in the game. -Until we’ve seen just what kind of material we have and -what sort of a team it forms as a whole, we cannot decide -upon our general style of playing. If the men prove to -be fast and light on their feet, we’ll see what we can do -in the way of running and surprise plays. If they are -not fast, but are dogged and heavy enough, we’ll see -what kind of a bucking team they’ll make. Or it is possible -we may find that we have a great kicking team. -But, no matter what general style of playing may be decided -upon, after getting into a game it may be found -expedient to change to another style in order to best assail -the weak points of the opposing team.”</p> - -<p>This was plain, sensible talk, and the boys, with a -single exception, listened to it attentively. The exception -was Roger Ford, a deaf-mute, surely a peculiar fellow -to have upon a football team. Ford, however, was -a real athlete, a great runner and wrestler, and a fellow -of nerve, so that, at his own solicitation, he had been -given a place on the eleven, Sterndale having decided to -try him, for all of the fear that his deafness might prove -a serious detriment.</p> - -<p>“Mr. Sterndale, your captain,” continued Dolph, “has -familiarized himself with the signals and certain plays<span class="pagenum" id="Page_34">[34]</span> -that we are to try to-day. I presume the rest of you have -studied the signal code, so that you will know just what to -do on every occasion. If you wish to have the team succeed, -you must always do your level best to obey any -signal given. The fellow who is looking for individual -glory and an opportunity to show off will prove to be a -disadvantage and an encumbrance to the eleven.”</p> - -<p>As he spoke these words his eyes seemed to rest meaningly -on Leon Bentley, whose thin lips curled and who -turned away contemptuously.</p> - -<p>When Renwood had delivered this little lecture, Sterndale -called for the men to line up, which, with some confusion, -they proceeded to do at the centre of the field. -The line-up was as follows:</p> - -<table border="0" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="2" summary="table"> - -<tr><td class="tdc" colspan="7">Sterndale,</td></tr> -<tr><td class="tdc" colspan="7">F. B.</td></tr> - -<tr><td class="tdc" colspan="3">Scott,</td><td> </td><td class="tdc" colspan="3">Mayfair,</td></tr> -<tr><td class="tdc" colspan="3">R. H. B.</td><td> </td><td class="tdc" colspan="3"> L. H. B.</td></tr> - -<tr><td class="tdc" colspan="7">Renwood,</td></tr> -<tr><td class="tdc" colspan="7">Q. B.</td></tr> - -<tr><td class="tdc">Smith,</td><td class="tdc"> Linton,</td><td class="tdc"> Sprout,</td><td class="tdc"> Chatterton,</td><td class="tdc"> Ford,</td><td class="tdc"> Bentley,</td><td class="tdc"> Murphy,</td></tr> -<tr><td class="tdc">R. E.</td><td class="tdc"> R. T.</td><td class="tdc"> R. G.</td><td class="tdc"> Snap-back.</td><td class="tdc"> L. G.</td><td class="tdc"> L. T.</td><td class="tdc"> L. E.</td></tr> -</table> - -<p>Among those selected as possible substitutes was Thad -Boland, the laziest boy in town, who, in mockery of his -habitual slowness of movement, was generally called “Old -Lighting.” Thad was a big fellow, besides being wonderfully -strong, and, could he be aroused to action, it was -thought he would prove a perfectly irresistible thunder-bolt -in the line; but only something of a most remarkable<span class="pagenum" id="Page_35">[35]</span> -or alarming nature could arouse Thad to display his dormant -energies, although he enjoyed watching others indulge -in athletic games and contests, and was almost invariably -on hand when anything of the kind was going -on.</p> - -<p>The best runners had been placed in the ends of the -line. During the baseball season which had just closed -John Smith had shown to his doubting companions that -he was a fellow of courage, nerve and coolness, and -Sterndale had insisted on giving him a position of prominence -on the eleven.</p> - -<p>At John’s side was Rob Linton, his former enemy, now -his enemy no longer; while next came Jotham Sprout, -nicknamed “Bubble,” who was generally regarded as the -weakest man in the line, although it was hoped that his -blundering might turn to the advantage of the team, as -often had been the case in games of baseball.</p> - -<p>Danny Chatterton had been placed at centre, where, on -the signal, he was to snap the ball back to Renwood, who -would pass it according to the pre-arranged plan. -Danny was rather quick in his movements, and Sterndale -had been convinced that he would be the best man for the -position.</p> - -<p>On the left of Chatterton was the deaf-mute, Ford, who -had been given a position where the plays were nearly all -of a simple nature. Bentley, the cigarette-smoker, was left -tackle, and Dennis Murphy, a gritty and somewhat beligerant -Irish youth, stood on the extreme left end.</p> - - - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_36">[36]</span>Taken all together, the material that composed the team -was as good as most small country towns could furnish. -It remained to be demonstrated what Sterndale and Renwood -could make of the material.</p> - -<p>When every player was in position, the ball was placed -on the ground between Chatterton’s feet, and the crouching -men waited for the signal.</p> - -<p>“I want you to form and run forward with the ball ten -or fifteen feet, just the same as if you were in a game,” -said Dick, now taking command of them. “Ready!”</p> - -<p>They crouched in anticipation, and then Dick quickly -called off several numbers, whereupon, with a skillful -movement, Chatterton snapped the ball into Renwood’s -hand and he passed it to Mayfair, who started like a flash, -hugging it under one arm and plunging after the men who -formed in front of him and rushed forward as interferers.</p> - -<p>Jotham Sprout seemed rather bewildered, and, as a result, -he blocked Linton and fell over his own feet, while -the others surged across his body, giving him several -knocks and kicks, which caused him to sit up and howl.</p> - -<p>“Say, what in time do you fellers take me for? Ev’ry -dinged one of you kicked me or stepped on me! I bet a -dollar my wish-bone is dislocated!” he moaned, rubbing -his fat stomach.</p> - -<p>“You’ll have to keep awake if you’re going to play this -game,” sharply declared Renwood. “Better try that over -again, Captain Sterndale.”</p> - - - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_37">[37]</span>“Line up again,” ordered Dick. “Now mind your p’s -and q’s. You’ll have to start quicker, Bubble.”</p> - -<p>“I can’t start as quick as Chat,” confessed Jotham; -“but it’s going to take more to stop me when I get going.”</p> - -<p>When the men were lined up again, the signal was repeated -and the play was carried out in a far more satisfactory -manner. Then the signal was changed so the ball -was passed to Scott for practically the same kind of a -play.</p> - -<p>It is possible that Don was nervous, for he fumbled the -pass the very first time, and the ball quite escaped from -his clutch. This made him so angry that he sprang after -it and gave it a fierce kick. In a moment Sterndale was -at his side.</p> - -<p>“That won’t do, old man,” said Dick. “Any of us is -liable to make a fumble, so don’t——”</p> - -<p>“Mayfair didn’t!” panted Don, his face flushed and his -eyes flashing. “It wasn’t my fault! I don’t propose to -be made a show of!” He gave Renwood a savage look.</p> - -<p>“Steady!” warned Dick. “You don’t mean that.”</p> - -<p>“Yes, I do! It was the same way yesterday. Put another -fellow in Renwood’s place and I’ll guarantee to get -the passes all right.”</p> - -<p>This was enough to arouse Dolph, who promptly said:</p> - -<p>“Don’t try to blame any one else for your own fault, -Mr. Scott. I passed you the ball in exactly the same -manner that I passed it to Mayfair. He took the pass -cleanly.”</p> - - - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_38">[38]</span>“And by that you call me a fumbler, do you? All -right! I knew what would happen!” He took three -steps toward Renwood. “I knew you meant me when -you said there were some men on the team who were no -earthly good,” he went on, his anger blazing forth unrestrained. -“You don’t like me, because I won’t bow -down and let you walk on my neck. I’m not one of the -bowing kind, Mr. Renwood, and I’m just as good as you -are, if you have played football in Boston. You come -down here with your airs and expect to overawe us because -we live in the country, but you are nothing but a -stuck-up——”</p> - -<p>Sterndale grasped with crushing force the arm of the -angry and excited speaker, and he sternly said:</p> - -<p>“Stop right where you are, Scott! You are making a -spectacle of yourself by letting your unreasonable anger -run away with your judgment. Renwood is our coach, -accepted by unanimous consent, and as such he has a -right to instruct and criticize us. We should feel under -obligations to him for his kindness, and——”</p> - -<p>“His kindness!” snarled Don. “Bah! He has found -an opportunity to show off, and he’s making the most of -it. It is my opinion that we might do better without his -instructions and without him on the team. If we’ve got -to have him, let him go up into the line and take his -chance with the others. He chose his own position, where -he’ll always have something important to do, yet where -there is little danger of being hurt, for he never runs<span class="pagenum" id="Page_39">[39]</span> -with the ball and he’s not in the front with the interference. -I can see through him, if the rest of you do -not.”</p> - -<p>He would have said more, but Dick stopped him again.</p> - -<p>“Not another word of this, Scott!” he cried. “You’ve -lost your head entirely, and you’d better——”</p> - -<p>“Oh, I’ll get out!” grated Scott. “Hands off me, -Sterndale! You are not my master! You can keep your -city cad on the team, and I’ll leave! That will settle it.”</p> - -<p>He tore himself from Sterndale and strode away. Renwood -was angry now and would have followed him, but -the boys stopped him.</p> - -<p>“Let him go,” said the captain. “No one can reason -with him when he gets that way.”</p> - -<p>“I don’t want to reason with him,” muttered Dolph, -who was pale round his mouth; “I want to hit him!”</p> - -<p>But Dick used his influence, and Don was permitted to -walk away, while Thad Boland was called in to make -up the eleven. Boland was given Smith’s position on the -end, Smith being brought back to the place made vacant -by Don.</p> - -<p>Sitting alone on the bleachers, Don Scott saw the boys -line up again and continue practice without him. He -saw them try a number and variety of plays from signals, -and he heard Renwood give them instructions in forming -a wedge and in mass-play. He ground his white teeth together -as he watched them, and the hot fury within him -seemed burning and consuming his very heart. He noted<span class="pagenum" id="Page_40">[40]</span> -that they seemed to get along quite well without him, -and it was plain that they were beginning to understand -some of the difficult strategy of the game, even if they -could not execute it rapidly. The formation for sending -a runner round the end was tried several times, and then -the “criss-cross,” or double-pass, was essayed until Smith -and Mayfair, working together, seemed to have obtained -some skill at it.</p> - -<p>It was gall-and-wormwood for the fiery-tempered -youth, who, having put aside all desire to restrain and -control his anger, now entertained the most bitter and revengeful -thoughts. He was angry toward Bentley, too, -for not speaking out and siding with him in his outburst -against Renwood.</p> - -<p>There was quite a gathering of spectators who watched -the practice, but Don noticed them very little, failing to -observe that among them were three girls who were -much interested.</p> - -<p>At last the practice was over, Sterndale announcing -that they had done enough for one day. Then, as Renwood -was giving them some instructions about dieting -and getting into good condition, Don leaped down from -the bleachers and strode out upon the field. When the -group broke up, the coach found himself face to face with -the lad who had withdrawn from the team.</p> - -<p>The rather handsome face of Don Scott was sullen and -scowling, and there seemed to be a gleam in his black -eyes.</p> - - - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_41">[41]</span>“I have a few more words I want to say to you, Renwood!” -he said, his voice hoarse and unsteady.</p> - -<p>“And I have something I want to say to you!” Dolph -flung back instantly. “A fellow with such a beastly -temper as you have isn’t fit to play football, and the team -will be better off without you.”</p> - -<p>With a cry, Don sprang forward and drew back his -clenched fist, intending to strike Renwood full in the face; -but a pretty girl with gold-brown eyes stepped between -them, and he saw before him the sister of the fellow he -hated.</p> -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<span class="pagenum" id="Page_42">[42]</span> - -<h2 class="nobreak">CHAPTER V.<br /> - - -<small>AN UNFORTUNATE COMPACT.</small></h2> -</div> - -<p>Don’s hand dropped instantly and he fell back a step, -gasping and trembling, startled and abashed.</p> - -<p>The slender left hand of the girl rested on the breast of -her brother, while her right was lifted with the open -palm toward his angry enemy, upon whom her eyes were -turned with an appealing look in their gold-flaked -depths.</p> - -<p>“Don’t!” she said, shrinking a little before the clouded -face of the angry lad.</p> - -<p>“Zadia!” exclaimed Dolph. “This is no place for -you!”</p> - -<p>She would not let him put her aside. “No, no!” she -almost panted; “you shall not fight! Please, Mr. Scott, -don’t fight with Dolph! Promise me you will not—for -my sake.”</p> - -<p>Renwood flushed with shame, thinking the others might -fancy he was seeking protection from his enemy behind -his sister’s skirts; and he begged her to go away, but -she remained firm.</p> - -<p>“I am sure it is all a mistake, and there is no reason -why you should be enemies,” she said. “Anyhow, you -must not fight. You must promise me, Dolph, that you -will not fight with him.”</p> - - - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_43">[43]</span>“I can’t do it,” muttered Renwood. “If he’s bound to -fight, I shall not run away. He’ll get all he wants.”</p> - -<p>Immediately the girl turned appealingly to Don.</p> - -<p>“Then you must give me your promise,” she said. -“Please do!”</p> - -<p>It was hard to resist such an appeal from such a source, -and Don stood there biting his lip, silent and uncertain. -She stepped up to him boldly, and placed her hands on -both his arms, looking up into his flushed face in supplication.</p> - -<p>“Please promise me!” she breathed.</p> - -<p>He drew a long breath. “All right,” he said, “I’ll -promise; but don’t ask any more of me—don’t expect -anything more!”</p> - -<p>“Thank you.”</p> - -<p>“Oh, I don’t deserve any thanks! I shall take care to -avoid your brother, as the easiest way to keep from breaking -my promise to you. I—I’m sorry anything happened—for -your sake.”</p> - -<p>His voice that had been harsh seemed to soften with -the final words, but he gave his head a toss as he turned -away; and then, without stopping or heeding anybody, -he hurried from the field.</p> - -<p>“I suppose they’ll all say I’m to blame,” he muttered to -himself, as he walked swiftly past the academy and hastened -down the hill. “I don’t care if they do! I -couldn’t stand it from that fellow, and that’s all there is -to it.”</p> - - - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_44">[44]</span>He had gone some distance before he noticed that he -was wearing the football suit and had left his own clothes -in the dressing-room beneath the grand-stand. When he -made this discovery, he paused a moment, tempted to go -back at once.</p> - -<p>“No,” he finally said, shaking his head; “they’d be -there, and some of them would be changing their -clothes. I don’t want to see any of the fellows now—I -don’t want to talk it over.”</p> - -<p>So he went on.</p> - -<p>Had he returned, he might have arrived at the gate in -time to hear an interesting bit of conversation between -three girls. Zadia Renwood was talking with the two -companions who had accompanied her to the field, Dora -Deland and Agnes Mayfair.</p> - -<p>“I’m sorry,” said Agnes, with genuine sympathy expressed -on her sweet face and in her dark eyes. “I’m -sorry your brother should have trouble with any of the -boys, Zadia, and I’m sure Don Scott will be sorry when -he gets over being angry.”</p> - -<p>“I’m not very sure about that, myself,” Dora laughed, -with curling lips. “He has a frightful temper, which he -never tries to restrain, and I think he’s just perfectly horrid. -I can’t bear him. Of course he was entirely to -blame, and I think——”</p> - -<p>“Perhaps he was not wholly to blame,” interrupted -Zadia, generously. “Even though Dolph is my brother, -I know he is not perfect.”</p> - - - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_45">[45]</span>“I think he’s perfectly splendid,” smiled Dora; “and I -know Don Scott must have been to blame, for he always -is. So there!”</p> - -<p>“I shall tell Dolph that you were his champion.”</p> - -<p>“Oh, don’t—not for the world! But I don’t like Don -Scott; I never did. He scowls so, and he looks as if he’d -bite anybody.”</p> - -<p>“Now,” said Zadia, with a little laugh, “if I were to -confess the truth, I’d tell you that I think him a handsome -fellow—really and truly I do! Ana he looks the handsomest -when he is angry. I don’t believe he’d be afraid -of anything, and I’m sure he’d become a natural leader if -he could master his temper.”</p> - -<p>“Goodness, Zade!” cried Dora. “I really believe you -are struck on him!”</p> - -<p>“Oh, no!” protested Dolph’s sister, though she flushed -betrayingly. “But I can’t help liking him, for some -reason.”</p> - -<p>Little did Don dream how the sister of the lad he so -disliked felt toward him, and he was convinced in his -heart that she must despise him, which, although he -would not confess it even to himself, made him all the -bitterer.</p> - -<p>Concealed by a thick hedge near his home, he saw the -boys trooping down the street from the football field, chatting -and laughing. They seemed to have forgotten about -him, and he clenched his hands and ground his heel into -the ground as if crushing out a life beneath his foot.</p> - - - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_46">[46]</span>“They’re a lot of soft things!” he muttered. “Not one -of them has a mind of his own or any real spirit. I -despise them all!”</p> - -<p>The three girls seemed to have found companions suited -to their tastes, for they had paired off with three of -the boys. In advance were John Smith and Agnes Mayfair, -the tall lad looking rather awkward beside the -graceful, dark-eyed girl. Just behind them were Dolph -Renwood and Dora Deland, Dora seeming very well satisfied -with her conquest, if conquest it was.</p> - -<p>“They make a good pair,” declared Don to himself, -with curling lips. “She’s called the prettiest girl in the -village, and it has spoiled her, for she thinks every fellow -who sees her is struck on her. She has an idea that the -village boys are not good enough for her, so she always -smiles on strangers. Just because Renwood comes from -Boston she has an idea that he’s a superior sort of person. -Bah! He is welcome to her, and she’s welcome to him.”</p> - -<p>Following Dolph and Dora were Dick Sterndale and -Dolph’s sister. The lips of the watching lad tightened -and his brows lowered.</p> - -<p>“So she has taken up with Sterndale,” he whispered. -“I expected she would, for he has a way of getting round -any girl; but she’s too good for him, even if she is Renwood’s -sister. If she’d ever heard him joke about his -mashes, as I have, she’d take care. She’d better keep -away from him if she values her good name.”</p> - -<p>For all that Dora Deland was the belle of the village,<span class="pagenum" id="Page_47">[47]</span> -in Don’s eyes she did not compare at all favorably with -the city girl, who carried herself with more grace and -whose clothes had a certain something about them that -bespoke better taste. In fact, there was that marked difference -between the two girls that always distinguishes -the city-bred from those reared in the country.</p> - -<p>Dick’s hearty laugh rang out as his companion made -some observation.</p> - -<p>“Yes, that is where he lives,” said the captain of the -eleven, with a motion toward Don’s home.</p> - -<p>The boy behind the hedge neared Dick’s words, and -then Zadia said something he did not hear, but Sterndale -laughed again in his hearty way.</p> - -<p>“Talking about me!” grated Don, his teeth clenched. -“She is laughing, too! I suppose she thinks I’m a common -country fool! What do I care for what she thinks!”</p> - -<p>Still he watched them as they passed onward down the -tree-lined street, and his heart was hot in his bosom.</p> - -<p>“Perhaps she’ll not think so much of herself after she’s -been round with Sterndale a while,” he muttered; “for -just as sure as she lets him hang round her she’ll discover -people are talking. Everybody knows Sterndale, -and still it’s the strangest thing in the world that almost -any girl in the village would be glad to take up with him. -He has a way about him that makes them like him, no -mater what he does; while something about me makes -folks dislike me, no matter what I do. It’s my luck to<span class="pagenum" id="Page_48">[48]</span> -be just as I am! I can’t help it! It’s no use for me to -try!”</p> - -<p>His father drove up to the door, having just returned -from his afternoon calls; and Don took pains to keep -out of sight while Dr. Scott surrendered the horse and -carriage to Pat and entered the house, for he was in no -mood to meet his father just then.</p> - -<p>When he was satisfied that all the boys had passed, -he went round to the back of the house and threw himself -on the ground beneath the sweet apple-tree, giving himself -up entirely to bitter thoughts.</p> - -<p>He was mistaken, however, about all the boys having -passed, for he had not been reclining beneath the tree two -minutes before Leon Bentley appeared, slowly following -the others.</p> - -<p>At sight of Bentley, Don sprang up, calling sharply:</p> - -<p>“Look here, Bent, I want to see you. Come over here, -where we can talk.”</p> - -<p>Bentley crossed the street and vaulted the fence. The -expression on his sallow face was anything but pleasant.</p> - -<p>“Yes, and I want to see you, too,” he said, apparently -paying no attention to Don’s scowl of anger. “This is -our chance to have a little talk where no one will hear -us.”</p> - -<p>“I want to know one thing,” said Don, “and that is if -you meant what you said to me here before we went up -to the field to practice.”</p> - -<p>“Of course I meant anything I said,” declared Leon,<span class="pagenum" id="Page_49">[49]</span> -flinging himself in a comfortable position on the ground. -“What are you driving at, old man?”</p> - -<p>“You said you did not fancy Renwood’s style of lording -it over us.”</p> - -<p>“Well, I’ll stand by that, you can bet your life!”</p> - -<p>“You spoke about combining against him.”</p> - -<p>“Don’t you think it about time to do something of the -sort?”</p> - -<p>“And yet,” flared Don, “when he gave me a call-down -on the field and we had our little trouble, you never -opened your head. You kept closed up, like a clam, and it -looked as if you sympathized with him. Why didn’t you -stand by me? Why didn’t you show your colors? What -ailed you?”</p> - -<p>“Now don’t fly off the handle,” grinned Leon, producing -a package of cigarettes, “You need something to -soothe your nerves. Have a cigarette?”</p> - -<p>“No! I don’t smoke them.”</p> - -<p>“I know; but you’ll find them mighty soothing to the -nerves, and you need something of the sort. Try one.”</p> - -<p>“No; I don’t like the smell of them.”</p> - -<p>“You will after you smoke a few. They’re great, old -man. Just try one, now.”</p> - -<p>“I’m too mad to smoke or do anything else but fight. -Take the things away! Why don’t you answer my question?”</p> - -<p>Leon selected a cigarette and prepared it for lighting. -Don found it hard to restrain himself while the fellow<span class="pagenum" id="Page_50">[50]</span> -was doing all this. When Bentley had lighted the cigarette, -he took a deep pull at it, inhaled the smoke, and let -it escape from his mouth in little puffs as he asked:</p> - -<p>“What was your question?”</p> - -<p>“I asked you why you didn’t show your colors and -stand by me when I had my quarrel with Renwood.”</p> - -<p>“I didn’t consider it policy just then, Don.”</p> - -<p>“But you saw I was all alone. Everybody seemed -against me. If you had put yourself openly on my side -just then I’d appreciated it.”</p> - -<p>“Sometimes it is best not to be too open in such affairs. -The matter with you is that you’re too open in everything. -If you hate a fellow, you let him know it right -off, so he’s prepared for any move you make against -him. Now, I don’t believe in that. If I hate a chap, I -just keep still till I get a good chance to soak him, and -then I can take him by surprise.”</p> - -<p>Leon said this with a foxy smile that was rather repulsive -to the other.</p> - -<p>“No, I don’t fancy that way of doing things,” admitted -Don, promptly. “If I hate a fellow, I want him to know -it. It’s a satisfaction to have him know just what I think -of him.”</p> - -<p>“And it puts him on his guard against you. That’s not -my style. I’m just as sore on Renwood as you are, but -I felt that I might hit him harder if I kept still. I’m -onto him, and I know he’s down on me. He wants to -chuck me off the eleven, so I wasn’t going to play right<span class="pagenum" id="Page_51">[51]</span> -into his hands by siding openly with you and giving him a -good excuse to turn Sterndale against me.”</p> - -<p>“Confound Sterndale! I’m sick of him! He is letting -this city cad manage him.”</p> - -<p>“Of course he is, but he’d get hot in a minute if anybody -told him so.”</p> - -<p>“What makes you think Renwood wants to get you off -the eleven?”</p> - -<p>“Why, he’s been throwing out hints. He’s said there -were some fellows on the team who were no earthly -good.”</p> - -<p>“I heard him say that!” grated Don; “and he meant me, -too!”</p> - -<p>“He may have meant you for one, but I am the other.”</p> - -<p>“How do you know?”</p> - -<p>“Oh, I took pains to get near enough to overhear some -things he was saying to Sterndale after you left the field. -They didn’t see me, but I heard this sneak Renwood say -outright that he thought the eleven could be strengthened -by filling my place with somebody else. I felt like punching -his head then and there, but I just kept still and -didn’t let anybody know what I had heard.”</p> - -<p>“I couldn’t have kept still.”</p> - -<p>“That’s where you’re foolish. He said I smoke too -many cigarettes. Just as if that had anything to do with -my playing! What rot! And he even declared that I -lack nerve, so that I would weaken in a hard game.”</p> - -<p>At another time Don Scott might have realized that he<span class="pagenum" id="Page_52">[52]</span> -had entertained similar convictions regarding Leon, but -just now he exclaimed:</p> - -<p>“And you never did a thing? Why, I’d walked out to -him and showed him if I lacked nerve!”</p> - -<p>“And got chucked off the team for your pains. But I’ll -show him! I’m going to stay on the team, and I’ll bet -ten dollars Mr. Dolph Renwood will get kicked off.”</p> - -<p>Don looked at his companion with new interest.</p> - -<p>“How do you propose to bring that about?” he asked.</p> - -<p>“Well, I don’t know just now, but I’ll do it. I have an -idea that Renwood doesn’t care a snap whether Rockspur -beats Highland or not.”</p> - -<p>“Then, why is he coaching the team?”</p> - -<p>“Just to show off what he knows. I tell you, Don, if -you and I stand together, we can floor that fellow.”</p> - -<p>“But I’m out of it; I’m no longer on the team.”</p> - -<p>“I am, and I’ll report to you anything that may be of -interest. I’m going to lay some snares to trip Mr. Renwood, -and I may need your help. If I do, can I count on -you?”</p> - -<p>“I don’t know,” was the doubtful answer. “It makes a -difference what you are going to do.”</p> - -<p>“I’ll let you know about that later,” said Bentley, rising. -“I want you to know that I’m your friend, and I sympathize -with you in this affair. We’ll stand by each other -to the end. Here is my hand on it, Scott. We’ll make -a compact against Dolph Renwood, and we’ll throw him -down, too. Shake!”</p> - - - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_53">[53]</span>He held out his right hand, the first two fingers of -which were stained a sickly yellow.</p> - -<p>Don hesitated, something within him revolting against -forming a compact with a fellow so unscrupulous and -crafty; but, for all that he would not confess as much -even to himself, he desired sympathy and friendship from -some one, and Leon seemed to be the only one to whom -he could turn.</p> - -<p>“Come,” cried Bentley; “I’ll stick by you through thick -and thin, old man, and you will come out on top, too. -You’ll find me the best friend you ever had, Don.”</p> - -<p>The best friend! Never had he known what it was to -have a real boy friend, and now he felt that it would be -churlish of him to refuse the proffered friendship of this -lad whose hand was extended to him in his time of trouble. -It was true there were many things about Leon that -he did not admire, but was there not about himself many -things that almost any other lad might dislike? In such -a time as this he must not be too particular.</p> - -<p>Don took Bentley’s hand, but something like a shiver -ran over him when he felt Leon’s cold fingers rest in his -hot palm. On the instant he was almost sorry that he -had formed such a compact, but he fancied it was too -late to withdraw. The die was cast, and he could not -retreat then.</p> -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<span class="pagenum" id="Page_54">[54]</span> - -<h2 class="nobreak">CHAPTER VI.<br /> - - -<small>WORDS OF WISDOM.</small></h2> -</div> - -<p>When Bentley had departed, Don entered the house, intending -to go directly to his own room and change his -clothes, after taking a bath. He had reached the foot of -the stairs when his father called to him from his office, -the door of which was standing open.</p> - -<p>Don paused, a sudden thought assailing him and giving -him a shock. He remembered now that his father had -returned shortly before the appearance of Leon and, without -doubt, he had been in his office at the time the two -boys were forming their compact beneath the apple-tree. -If so, he had overheard all that passed between them, as, -earlier in the day, he overheard his son’s talk with Danny -Chatterton, in which case he must be aware that Don had -given way to a burst of anger, for all of the promise to -try to restrain and govern his temper.</p> - -<p>But that was not all. Despite himself, Don could not -help feeling that there was something censurable, almost -reprehensible, in his compact with Leon Bentley, formed -for the purpose of working injury to a lad whom they -hated. For this reason, his face flushed and he was -seized by a sudden dread of his father’s kindly yet searching -eyes.</p> - -<p>“Don!” again called that voice.</p> - -<p>“Yes, father,” he answered.</p> - - - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_55">[55]</span>“Come here a minute. I wish to speak with you.”</p> - -<p>The boy felt like running away, but he summoned his -courage and entered the room which served Dr. Scott as -an office.</p> - -<p>The gentleman was sitting at his desk close by the window, -which was screened and curtained.</p> - -<p>“Sit down,” said the doctor, motioning toward a chair.</p> - -<p>“I’ll stand, if you please, father,” said Don. “I am in -my football suit, which I wish to change as soon as possible, -for I’m rather sweaty.”</p> - -<p>“Then you changed your mind about not playing on the -eleven? I’m glad you did so, for I like to see my son -interested in the honest and manly sports which interest -other boys of the village.”</p> - -<p>Don was silent.</p> - -<p>“Football is a rather vigorous game, to say the least,” -smiled Dr. Scott, gently. “Some say it is rough and brutal, -but, if played strictly according to the present rules, it -is hardly brutal, and it develops in the player alertness, -decision, resolution and courage, qualities of paramount -value to every man who would rise in the world above -the common level of humanity.”</p> - -<p>But for the dread of what he anticipated was to follow, -Don himself might have smiled, thinking as he did how -few fathers regarded thus favorably the game in question.</p> - -<p>“I have taken pains to investigate this matter,” the -doctor went on, “for I have noted the outcry against football -coming from various quarters, and I wished to determine<span class="pagenum" id="Page_56">[56]</span> -if it is a game suitable for my son. Baseball -meets my hearty approval, although a clean, healthy sport -like that may be carried to excess, and even amateur -players should be properly trained and hardened so that -no evil effects may follow the exertions of the game, -which call for sharp runs, straining, jumping, and so -forth. In baseball it occasionally happens that a player is -severely or seriously injured, but the timid lad who avoids -the game because of this is pretty sure to lack courage to -fight the battle of life to a successful consummation.”</p> - -<p>The waiting lad wondered that his father should say all -this, for it had been understood between them that baseball -was a game in which Don might indulge to his full -inclination, as long as he did not permit it to interfere -with his studies or other duties.</p> - -<p>“Having taken pains to investigate the records in -regard to football,” continued the doctor, “I have found -that there are a large number of accidents in connection -with the game, but I have also found that these accidents -and injuries generally fall to the lot of the untrained and -unprepared. A race horse cannot be kept in running condition -unless he receives proper grooming, diet and exercise. -Every day it must be ‘let out’ for speed, but judgment -must be used to work it up to a proper condition for -the great test of the race, when every nerve must be -strained in order to win. Almost any horse could be -ruined by putting it into a single race without proper -training. Yet some young men are foolish enough to<span class="pagenum" id="Page_57">[57]</span> -fancy they can go into a game of football without preparation -and exert themselves with impunity to their very -utmost, running, kicking, pushing and tackling. Every -boy or man who does such a thing takes his life in his -hands. If he is not killed, he stands a good chance to be -injured for life. And it is these unprepared and foolish -persons who receive the most of the injuries. Some lads -should never play football, being physically unfitted for -such a game; but, with proper training and preparation -in all cases, I believe accidents and injuries may be -diminished one-half, at least.</p> - -<p>“Now, my son, I am telling you this because I have -observed that you are inclined to be careless. You are -impulsive, and you would not hesitate to take part in a -match game of football utterly without proper training -and preparation. Not only that, but, having taken part -in practice that exerts you and covers your body with -perspiration, you are careless of your health. As soon as -possible after leaving the field, you should have removed -your clothes, which were damp with perspiration, taken a -bath and a rub-down and donned dry clothes. Instead -of that, you lay down on the ground out there beneath -that apple-tree, where you spent considerable time talking -to another boy.”</p> - -<p>“But, father,” said Don, seeking an excuse to get away, -“you are keeping me from my bath now.”</p> - -<p>“If you are to take cold this time, the injury is done -already. I chose to talk to you right now, while the<span class="pagenum" id="Page_58">[58]</span> -matter was on my mind. Had I put it off, I might have -forgotten all about it. With proper care, Don, there is -little danger that you will take cold, even though you -exercise, practice and play football in any and all kinds of -weather. It is neglect after such efforts that works the -injury. In the future I wish you to be careful, just as -I wish you to go ahead and take an active interest in -making the Rockspur Eleven a strong country team. If -possible, I shall take pains to witness one or two of the -games, and I hope to see you doing your level best on the -team.”</p> - -<p>It was on Don’s lips to tell his father that he was no -longer a member of the Rockspur Eleven, but, seeing the -doctor scrutinizing him closely and realizing that he must -make an explanation in regard to his withdrawal from -the team, which meant a full confession concerning his -loss of temper on the field, he hesitated and was silent.</p> - -<p>Apparently, Dr. Scott had paused to give his son a -chance to speak if he wished, and there was something -like a look of disappointment on his fine face when Don -failed to say anything. At least, Don fancied that his -father looked disappointed.</p> - -<p>“In order to become a successful football player, Don,” -said the doctor, breaking his silence when he saw the boy -did not intend to speak, “you must receive instructions -from those who know more about the game than you do, -and you must take pains to follow the instructions as fully -and faithfully as possible. A good soldier obeys his commander<span class="pagenum" id="Page_59">[59]</span> -implicitly, without question or rebellion. A good -football player should be as obedient as a good soldier. -On the field, in practice and in play, you must let yourself -be governed by your superiors, even though at times you -find it necessity to hold yourself hard to keep from rebelling -or from doing things the way you, yourself, fancy -they should be done. No successful organization ever -existed that did not have a commander who was obeyed, -and the best commanders are those who have themselves -learned well the lesson of exact and faithful obedience. -If you ever expect or hope to rule others, my son, first -learn the lesson of obedience and learn to rule your own -disposition.”</p> - -<p>Don’s face was flushed now, for, although his father had -not referred to it directly, he felt that the open window -had betrayed the exact condition of affairs. The doctor -had chosen this indirect method of reproving his son for -permitting himself to be ruled by his anger.</p> - -<p>“That’s all I have to say,” concluded Dr. Scott, “with -the exception of one thing: Shun evil companions. Better -no friends than the friendship of the bad and vicious. -Any boy who seeks revenge on another in a secret, underhand -manner is vicious, and his companionship will prove -degrading. Now get your bath, my boy, and change your -clothes.”</p> - -<p>Don was relieved to escape from his father’s presence, -for his cheeks were burning and his ears tingling.</p> -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<span class="pagenum" id="Page_60">[60]</span> - -<h2 class="nobreak">CHAPTER VII.<br /> - - -<small>A BATTLE IN A HEART.</small></h2> -</div> - -<p>“Hang it!” muttered Don, when he was alone in his -room; “I didn’t want him to know. I’d have given anything -rather than have him know, and I’m sure he does -know, from what he said at the end.”</p> - -<p>The bath-room was just outside his door, and he had -started the water running into the porcelain tub. In a -savage manner he began to strip off his football suit.</p> - -<p>“He won’t see me playing on the Rockspur Eleven this -year,” he said, harshly. “I’m done with that crowd, the -whole of them!”</p> - -<p>This caused him to think of Leon Bentley and his compact -with the fellow, and he realized that he was not -“done” with one member of the village eleven, at least.</p> - -<p>“I rather father would have known about anything -else!” he murmured, his cheeks burning again. “I was a -fool to have anything to do with Bentley, and I’m beginning -to think I’d better withdraw from that compact, even -though it is backing out of an agreement. I hate Renwood, -but I don’t care about getting revenge on him in a -sneaking way.”</p> - -<p>He stripped off his damp underclothes and hung them -up to dry, after which he took a towel from a drawer in<span class="pagenum" id="Page_61">[61]</span> -the dressing-case and started for the bath-room, which he -was able to reach with almost a single step from his door.</p> - -<p>The water in the tub was cool, almost cold, but he -plunged in without hesitation. The bath was followed by -an energetic rub-down with the rough towel, bringing a -glow to his entire body and giving him a feeling of -warmth, freshness and vigor. A mirror showed him a -handsomely-formed lad, like the figure of a youthful athlete -cut from pink marble.</p> - -<p>Don returned to his room and dressed, thinking all the -while of his father’s words, which had impressed him -deeply.</p> - -<p>“It’s all right to talk about obeying one’s commander,” -he said to himself, “but Renwood is not my commander. -Sterndale is manager and captain of the eleven. Now, if -it had been Sterndale——”</p> - -<p>He paused, assailed by the thought that, under aggravating -circumstances of a similar nature, he might have -rebelled against Sterndale. Besides that, in a certain -sense, Renwood was his superior on the eleven, having -been accepted as the regular coach of the team.</p> - -<p>“Oh, of course I’m all to blame!” he half snarled, as he -plunged into a fresh shirt. “Everybody will say so, even -my own father.”</p> - -<p>But he softened again, realizing that, even though his -father must have come to understand the truth from the -conversation overheard outside his window, he had not -uttered a single word of open reproach.</p> - - - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_62">[62]</span>“At least,” whispered the boy, softly, “he is my friend, -and I must try hard to please him. He has done enough -for me, so that I must do what I can for him.”</p> - -<p>How few boys feel this way toward their fathers! The -fact that Don Scott could think such a thing at such a -time proved his heart was right, for all of his headstrong -disposition and violent temper.</p> - -<p>In his soul Don knew he had been hasty in his actions, -though he tried to convince himself that he had done -nothing wrong. However, esteeming his father as he did, -he felt that it was his duty to make a sacrifice, even -though it might be necessary to humble himself to a certain -extent in order to do so.</p> - -<p>“I’ll go to him and tell him everything,” he decided. -“He will think better of me if I do, for it is almost certain -that he heard enough of my talk with Bentley to let him -know what has happened. As I kept silent when he gave -me an opportunity to tell him, he’ll think I did not attempt -to keep my promise to try to control my temper, and -I’ll seem like a sneak in seeking to hide the truth from -him.”</p> - -<p>Any healthy-minded boy dreads being thought a -“sneak,” and regards such an appellation as almost the -greatest possible slur that can be cast upon him; so it was -not strange that, imagining as he did, that his father -might think such a thing of him, Don should wish to set -himself right.</p> - - - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_63">[63]</span>“I’ll go straight to him as soon as I’m dressed,” he resolved, -hastily getting into his clothes.</p> - -<p>He stood before the glass and carefully knotted a dark-red -four-in-hand necktie, which was his favorite, having -been presented to him by his aunt, sister to his father, -who was housekeeper in the Scott home, and who had -tried to be a mother to the doctor’s son since the death of -Mrs. Scott, which took place when Don was a little more -than a year old.</p> - -<p>Having knotted the tie with care and thrust a small -gold pin through the knot, he buttoned on his cuffs, -donned his coat and vest, and was ready to go downstairs.</p> - -<p>At the door he paused, overcome for the moment by -the thought of facing his father and making the confession, -and there he stood some little time, forming in his -mind the speech he would make. It required considerable -courage on his part to keep from backing out and giving -up his resolution then and there, but he would not permit -himself to yield to such weakness; and so, with renewed -determination, he left his room and lightly descended the -carpeted stairs.</p> - -<p>At the door of his father’s office he paused, for the doctor -was standing in the waning light that came from the -curtained window, gazing earnestly upon a gold-framed -miniature which he held in his hand. The boy could not -see his father’s face, but, having seen that miniature before, -he knew it was the picture of his dead mother.</p> - - - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_64">[64]</span>As Don halted in irresolution, a sigh and a half-smothered -sob came from his father, who raised the miniature -to his lips, murmuring:</p> - -<p>“Mary, Mary, you forgave me at last, but I’ve never -forgiven myself! But for my act of anger I might have -you with me now. Heaven grant his temper may bring -no such sorrow to our son!”</p> - -<p>As quietly as possible, Don stole away and sought his -aunt, a rather stout, pleasant-faced woman, who was getting -supper on the table.</p> - -<p>“Goodness, Don!” she exclaimed pretending to be -alarmed. “You came in so still that you frightened me. -It’s not your way to creep about like that.”</p> - -<p>“I didn’t mean to frighten you, Aunt Ella,” he said. “I -came to tell you that I am going out.”</p> - -<p>“Not now? Why, it’s just supper time, and I’ll have -everything ready in a few minutes.”</p> - -<p>“I don’t want anything; I couldn’t eat.”</p> - -<p>“Land! land! What in the world is the matter with -you? You’re a healthy, growing boy, and you generally -have an appetite.”</p> - -<p>“I haven’t any to-night, aunt. I couldn’t eat anything; -it would choke me!”</p> - -<p>“Something is the matter! Don, you’re sick!” She was -alarmed in a moment. “I’ll call your father.”</p> - -<p>“Don’t aunt,” interposed Don, stopping her. “I’m not -sick—truly I’m not.”</p> - -<p>“Then what ails ye?”</p> - - - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_65">[65]</span>“Nothing, only—I’ve lost my appetite. Perhaps if I go -for a long walk, the exercise may give me an appetite.”</p> - -<p>“Haven’t you had any exercise to-day? I saw the boys -going to the ball ground to play football. Didn’t you -go?”</p> - -<p>“Yes.”</p> - -<p>“And still you say you haven’t any appetite! Now, I -know there’s something the matter with you. Won’t you -tell your old aunt all about it, Don? You know I’m interested, -and——”</p> - -<p>“It’s nothing—noting at all!” declared the boy, somewhat -impatiently. “I just don’t want any supper, that’s -all, and I want you to tell father I’ve gone out for a walk.”</p> - -<p>“Don’t you think you ought to tell him yourself before -you go?”</p> - -<p>“No; he’s busy now. I’ve just come from his office, -but I didn’t go in when I saw he was busy. You tell him, -aunt. Perhaps I’ll have an appetite when I come back. -Now, that’s a good aunt! Don’t get any queer notions -into your head, for I’m all right, only I don’t feel like -eating.”</p> - -<p>He suddenly caught her in his arms and kissed her. -Then he was gone, leaving her standing there with -clasped hands. She listened till the sound of a closing -door told her he had left the house.</p> - -<p>“Just like his father!” she murmured, softly. “Just as -his father used to be, but Lyman has changed greatly -since he lost Mary. Will he never forget?”</p> - - - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_66">[66]</span>Then she continued the preparations for supper.</p> - -<p>Don walked swiftly away from the house, fearing his -aunt might immediately tell his father, who would call -him back. On reaching the sidewalk, he paused for a -moment, glancing down the street toward the little square -in the heart of the village. He saw two youths cross -the square, passing the little fountain. They were Sterndale -and Renwood, and he turned his back toward the -square, hurrying up the hill.</p> - -<p>He was grasped by a feverish desire to be all alone and -walk, walk, walk; so he kept on up Academy Hill, passing -the white building beneath the trees. When he -reached the fenced-about football field, he turned to the -right and took the road that led toward Wolf’s Head -Point.</p> - -<p>He took off his hat to let the cool wind from the open -sea fan his hot forehead as he strode along. All the while -his thoughts were busy, and within his soul a battle was -taking place.</p> - -<p>The point was reached. He passed the home of the -light-keeper, but, instead of approaching the light-house, -which towered in a white column on the extremity of the -point, he turned to the left and mounted to the ragged top -of a mass of ledges, where he found a seat, with the rising -tide murmuring and swirling amid the crevices and crannies -below him.</p> - -<p>Sunset’s after-glow glinted the waves, but afar on the -bosom of the sea lay a purple haze that seemed to blend<span class="pagenum" id="Page_67">[67]</span> -with sea and sky and connect both; and out of the purple -sea-mist loomed a white-winged vessel, headed for Rockspur -Harbor, which it could not reach before darkness -fell. Away toward the ledges by the harbor mouth some -gulls skimmed the waves, uttering harsh and melancholy -cries. Overhead a few vapory clouds were tinted with -pink and edged with burnished gold.</p> - -<p>Don gave little heed to his surroundings as he sat there -in the ledge, staring down at the restless water that ran -green and foamy over the broken rocks, but the expression -on his mobile face indicated that the battle within -him was waxing fiercer.</p> - -<p>He had long known that the death of his mother had -cast a great shadow on his father’s life, but never till this -day had he suspected that Dr. Scott held himself in any -respect responsible for the loss of his wife.</p> - -<p>Don had discovered that his mother’s miniature, painted -on ivory, was constantly carried near his father’s heart. -More than once he had, without being observed, seen his -father gazing sadly and lovingly at that picture; but on -this last occasion the doctor’s murmured words, unintended -for his ears, had given him an inkling of the truth -of the great sorrow that had fallen upon his father.</p> - -<p>Some act of the doctor, done in a moment of anger, had, -as he firmly believed, hastened or brought about the death -of his wife. For this angry deed he had never forgiven -himself, and now he was filled with foreboding and distress -because he saw his son had inherited his ungovernable<span class="pagenum" id="Page_68">[68]</span> -temper and because he feared the end to which it -might lead.</p> - -<p>“I have no right to cause my father so much pain,” -thought Don, self-reproachfully. “He’s always been kind -to me. I—I don’t know about my mother, for he never -told me. I don’t suppose he could bring himself to talk -about it. I must do something to relieve him—something -to assure him that I am trying to govern my temper and -master myself. But, oh, it is hard to humble myself before -that fellow Renwood! How can I do it?”</p> - -<p>The struggle within him continued while the light died -slowly in the western sky, the pink and gold left the -clouds dull and lead-colored, and the blue haze deepened -into darkness.</p> - -<p>“I’ll do it!” he finally exclaimed, rising to his feet. -“For father’s sake, I’ll go to Sterndale and say I’m sorry. -I’ll even ask Renwood’s pardon, if I must; but that will -be worse than swallowing red-hot iron!”</p> - -<p>Darkness had fallen, but from the light-house on the -point a light shone forth to guide the belated vessel -lost to view on the bosom of the night-encompassed -sea.</p> - -<p>In the heart of the boy another light glimmered weakly, -seeking to burst into a bright flame that should guide in -the right course his passion-shrouded soul.</p> -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<span class="pagenum" id="Page_69">[69]</span> - -<h2 class="nobreak">CHAPTER VIII.<br /> - - -<small>IN THE CLUB-ROOM.</small></h2> -</div> - -<p>Nearly all the members of the newly-formed Rockspur -Athletic Club, of which Dick Sterndale was the president -and ruling spirit, had gathered in their recently-rented -rooms in the loft of a two-story-and-a-half wooden building -next to the post-office.</p> - -<p>The upper floor of the building had been partitioned off -into two rooms for some purpose, one being a small and -the other a large room. The walls were ceiled up with -plain boards, and the rafters of the sloping roof remained -unhidden from view; but to the village boys it seemed an -admirable place to meet their requirements for a gymnasium -and club-room, having been obtained for them -through the energies of Sterndale, who had organized the -club and raised the needed funds.</p> - -<p>It had long been Sterndale’s ambition to form in Rockspur -an amateur athletic club and build a club-house that -should be appointed to meet the requirements of such an -organization. It had seemed like a wild and foolish -dream, but still he clung to it; and now, for the first time, -he was revealing his desire in this line to his companions, -who listened attentively and with growing enthusiasm.</p> - -<p>“By jingoes! that’s great!” cried Jotham Sprout, when<span class="pagenum" id="Page_70">[70]</span> -Dick had finished. “I’d never thought of that myself. -Fellers, let’s go ahead and build that club-house.”</p> - -<p>“Yes, let’s!” grunted Thad Boland, who was lolling in -a lazy position on a wooden bench against the partition. -“It won’t cost more than two or three thousand dollars, -and we’re all millionaires, so that’ll be a mere nothing to -us.”</p> - -<p>“I didn’t think about what it would cost,” admitted Bubble, -with a crestfallen air. “But of course it wouldn’t be -as much as that.”</p> - -<p>“Such a club-house as Sterndale has been talking about -would cost twenty-five hundred dollars, at least,” put in -Rob Linton. “It’s no use to think of such a thing.”</p> - -<p>“Bub-bub-bub-but it’s a pup-pup-pup-perfectly lovely -dud-dud-dud-dream!” sighed Danny Chatterton, opening -his eyes and slowly looking around. “I just hu-hate to -wake up.”</p> - -<p>“Go to sleep again,” advised Walter Mayfair. “You’ll -never be missed.”</p> - -<p>“It’s a splendid plan,” came, with enthusiasm, from -Dolph Renwood, who was sitting on a rough table, the -edge of which he was notching with his jack-knife. “It’s -a pity it can’t be carried out, and I’m not so sure but it -can be.”</p> - -<p>“HOW?” shouted all the others, as one person.</p> - -<p>“If we could get the leading citizens of the town interested, -they might contribute to a fund to——”</p> - -<p>“Contribute to your Aunt Hannah!” grunted Thad Boland,<span class="pagenum" id="Page_71">[71]</span> -derisively. “I don’t think you know much about -the leading citizens of this town, Mr. Renwood.”</p> - -<p>“But you must have some rich men who are public-spirited -and can afford to help along such a worthy move? -Now, there is Mr. Tuttle, for instance. They say he has -dead loads of money.”</p> - -<p>“Old Tut-Tut-Tuttle!” exploded Chatterton, contemptuously. -“Why, he lul-lul-lul-let his own bub-bub-brother -die on the pup-pup-poor-farm! He’s mum-mean enough -to sus-skin a louse for its hide and taller!”</p> - -<p>“Well, there is Eben Snood,” ventured Dolph. “He -pretends to take great interest in the welfare and advancement -of the town.”</p> - -<p>“Snood is worse than Tuttle,” asserted Rob Linton. -“Before he will let go of a cent he’ll squeeze it so hard -that it looks as if it had been run over by a railroad -train.”</p> - -<p>“I don’t think,” said Sterndale, “that we can expect any -assistance from the people of the village till we show that -we are in earnest by starting the fund ourselves.”</p> - -<p>“Hey?” gasped Old Lightning. “Well, I’ve got seven -cents and a fish-hook that I’ll contribute, if you’re going -to take up a collection.”</p> - -<p>“We’ll not begin by taking up a collection,” Dick declared.</p> - -<p>“Then hu-how can we begin?” asked Danny, earnestly.</p> - -<p>“By saving the money we take at the gate when we -play football, baseball, or anything of that sort; by getting<span class="pagenum" id="Page_72">[72]</span> -up athletic contests that will call out paying crowds -to witness the sport; and by holding a series of entertainments -in the Town Hall this winter. In that way we -might be able to obtain the beginning of a fund that -would in time become large enough for us to accomplish -our purpose and build a club-house.”</p> - -<p>“It’s too long to wait, b’ys,” murmured Dennis Murphy. -“Av we raised the money thot way, we moight get it in -toime to build an ould men’s home fer some av us, an’ -we’d be lucky at thot.”</p> - -<p>“That’s right,” nodded Leon Bentley. “I believe in -getting some benefit from the money as we receive it, and -I’m in for using it up. I want to spend my share.”</p> - -<p>“We haven’t heard from you, Smith,” said Sterndale, -addressing a grave-looking lad, who had been listening -without speaking. “What do you think?”</p> - -<p>“I think it is a great scheme, if it can be carried out,” -answered John Smith. “I believe we should talk this over -and investigate it fully. It does seem rather visionary -now, but it may be practical.”</p> - -<p>“I tell you I don’t take any stock in it!” exclaimed Bentley, -rather pettishly. “We can’t hold an organization together -long enough to carry out the scheme. Why, just -see how this Don Scott affair has broken us up already. -We don’t know where to get a good man to fill Scott’s -place. Something else may come up later, and the eleven -and the club may disband.”</p> - -<p>“Dud-don’t be forever cuc-cuc-croaking, Bent!” exclaimed<span class="pagenum" id="Page_73">[73]</span> -Chatterton. “You’re always expecting something -bub-bad to happen.”</p> - -<p>Ford, the deaf-mute, was the only member of the party -who had not expressed an opinion of some sort. He sat -there among them, looking on, his eyes bright and keen, -apparently enjoying their society, if not their conversation.</p> - -<p>Renwood flipped his jack-knife, causing it to strike, -point first and stand up in the soft wood table.</p> - -<p>“If other men of the place would take an interest,” he -said, “I believe I could interest my father.”</p> - -<p>“By George! that’s a handsome knife, old man!” Bentley -observed, reaching over and taking it. “Pearl-handled -and four-bladed. Got your initials on the handle, too. I’d -like to have a knife like that. How much did it cost?”</p> - -<p>“I don’t know. Father gave it to me.”</p> - -<p>“Well, my old man wouldn’t think of giving me a knife -like that. He thinks any kind of an old toad-sticker is -good enough for a boy.”</p> - -<p>Bentley seemed to regard the handsome knife with -longing eyes, then he placed it on the table again beside -Dolph.</p> - -<p>“This Scott affair is unfortunate, to say the least,” admitted -Sterndale; “but I have no idea that it will cause -the breaking up of the eleven. He is only one man.”</p> - -<p>“Mr. Renwood seems to think there are other men on -the team who had better get off, or who will be fired off,” -said Bentley.</p> - - - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_74">[74]</span>“How do you know I think so?” asked Dolph, quickly.</p> - -<p>“Why, haven’t you said as much?”</p> - -<p>“No. I may have said that some were not much good, -but I said nothing about their getting off or being fired -off. If anybody is fired, it will be his own fault.”</p> - -<p>“Of course it was nobody’s fault but Scott’s that he got -off the team?”</p> - -<p>“Surely not. He’s a hot-headed fellow, and he needs -to be kept in his place. He’s had his own way all his life, -and he’s spoiled. He insulted me, the coach of the team, -on the field, and I should have demanded an apology if he -had remained on the eleven. He made it plain that it -would be impossible for him and me to pull together on -the same team, and I’m sure we shall get along just as -well without him.”</p> - -<p>There was a quick step outside the door, and Don Scott -himself came into the room. The lowering expression on -his dark face told that he had overheard Renwood’s words, -and his flashing eyes indicated that again he was aroused. -Fixing his eyes on Dolph, he walked straight up to the -table on which the city lad was seated.</p> - -<p>“You are right, Renwood,” he said, in a voice that -quivered from the tensity of his feelings, “you and I could -never pull together on the same team. That is settled at -last for all time, and I now give notice that I will withdraw -from both the eleven and this club. Just as long as -you are a member of either I shall stay out.”</p> - -<p>Don Scott had come there to say something entirely<span class="pagenum" id="Page_75">[75]</span> -different, but again that day his passions were aroused, as -he had overheard Dolph’s final speech.</p> - -<p>“I presume you are at liberty to withdraw if you like,” -said Renwood.</p> - -<p>Don turned to the captain of the eleven.</p> - -<p>“You may choose between us, Sterndale!” he cried. “I -belong in Rockspur, I am one of the village fellows, and -this chap is an outsider. I don’t believe he really cares a -rap whether Rockspur has a winning team or not. He -simply likes to show off what he knows, or what he pretends -to know. If he took a notion, I’ll bet he’d throw a -game to Highland in a minute, and I——”</p> - -<p>Renwood sprang down from the table and seemed on -the point of striking the insulting speaker; but, with a curl -of his scornful lips, Don folded his arms, saying:</p> - -<p>“Strike! You are safe, for you know I can’t hit you -back, having promised your sister that I would not fight -with you. Strike!”</p> - -<p>Dolph’s fist fell at his side.</p> - -<p>“Take back your promise!” he panted. “I demand it! -You have insulted me, and you must give me satisfaction!”</p> - -<p>With a show of contempt, Don half-turned his back on -the quivering city youth.</p> - -<p>“I’ve had my say,” he declared. “You may take your -time to think it over, Sterndale.”</p> - -<p>Then he walked out of the room, and they heard him -descend the stairs.</p> - - - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_76">[76]</span>For some moments all in the room seemed to remain -motionless and breathless. Dennis Murphy broke the silence.</p> - -<p>“D’yer moind now, thot b’y is a hot birrud!” he said.</p> - -<p>“I couldn’t hit him!” grated Dolph, still shaking. “He -took refuge behind his promise to my sister. But he’ll -have to face me! I’ll force him to do it!”</p> - -<p>Then came comments and remarks from all quarters, -and it was some time after Scott’s departure before the -boys cooled down. As he resumed his position on the -table, Renwood discovered that his knife was missing.</p> - -<p>“What’s become of my knife?” he asked. “It was here -on the table.”</p> - -<p>“Didn’t you put it into your pocket?” asked Bentley.</p> - -<p>Dolph shook his head. “No; I left it lying on the table. -Scott came in just a moment after you put it back there.”</p> - -<p>However, he felt through his pockets, but did not find -it. Then the boys searched for the knife, looking under -the table and into all sorts of corners. Again Renwood -searched his pockets, turning them wrongside out one by -one, but with no better success than before.</p> - -<p>The knife was not found.</p> -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<span class="pagenum" id="Page_77">[77]</span> - -<h2 class="nobreak">CHAPTER IX.<br /> - - -<small>A STRUGGLE IN THE DARK.</small></h2> -</div> - -<p>Straight from Wolf’s Head Point to the club-rooms -Don Scott had come, with a determination to have a talk -with Sterndale, express his regret at what had happened -that day on the football field and apologize to Renwood, if -absolutely necessary. This he was resolved to do for his -father’s sake, not wishing to cause the doctor further -worry and distress on his account.</p> - -<p>By chance he had arrived at the club-room just in time -to hear Renwood denounce him as hot-headed and declare -they could not both get along on the eleven.</p> - -<p>Don left the place in no enviable frame of mind, at -once turning his face toward home.</p> - -<p>“It’s no use for me to try!” he muttered, furiously. “I -can’t have anything to do with that fellow, even for -father’s sake. I did think I would, though it was a -bitter pill to swallow, but I give it up now. To-morrow -I’ll tell father everything, and I don’t see how he can -blame me very much.”</p> - -<p>When he reached home, he found his aunt had something -on the table for him to eat, and she urged him to -sit down. The doctor had been called out on a critical -case, not a little to Don’s relief, for the boy feared his -father might question him.</p> - - - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_78">[78]</span>Don did not wish to eat anything even then, but his -aunt was persistent, and he sat down to please her.</p> - -<p>“What can be the matter with you, Don?” the good -woman asked, watching him closely. “You’re awful pale, -and your hand shakes. I’m afraid you’re going to be -sick.”</p> - -<p>He forced a laugh, difficult though it was to do so, and -did his best to reassure her, though he could not fully allay -her anxiety. It was with no small difficulty that he compelled -himself to eat anything, for anger had robbed him -entirely of his appetite.</p> - -<p>As soon as he could get away, he hurried up to his -room, where he paced the floor for a time, thinking unpleasant -thoughts and muttering to himself.</p> - -<p>“I said I was done with the whole of them,” he grated, -“and now I’ll stick by it. Of course I know Sterndale -will stand by Renwood. Oh, they’re a fine set!”</p> - -<p>He opened the closet door and dragged out his football -suit.</p> - -<p>“This belongs to the club,” he said, “for it was paid for -out of the general funds. I won’t keep it another hour. -My clothes are in the dressing-room under the grand-stand, -but I have a key to the lock. I’ll take this old suit -back and get my own clothes.”</p> - -<p>He made a bundle of the football suit, and, with it under -his arm, slipped downstairs and out of the house.</p> - -<p>Hurrying up the street, he climbed Academy Hill once -more that day. The night was quite dark, for the moon<span class="pagenum" id="Page_79">[79]</span> -had not yet risen. It was rather cool, too; but the boy -minded this not, for his blood was running swiftly in his -body.</p> - -<p>Reaching the ball ground, he opened the gate and entered. -With noiseless steps, he advanced toward the -grand-stand. As he approached it, he suddenly stopped, -fancying he heard a strange sound. After a moment, -however, he advanced to the door of the dressing-room.</p> - -<p>To his surprise, the door was standing wide open. He -paused again, wondering at this, for it was a rule to keep -the door locked.</p> - -<p>“A piece of carelessness!” he thought. “Somebody -ought to be shot for it! Why, there’s plenty of stuff here -that might be stolen. Somebody might have taken my -clothes.”</p> - -<p>He was startled by the thought. Perhaps somebody -had been there and carried away his clothes, leaving the -door standing open. With a little cry of dismay, he -sprang into the dressing-room, intending to light a match -and look about.</p> - -<p>In the darkness he collided violently against a human -form, which caused him to reel backward.</p> - -<p>Some one was in the dressing-room!</p> - -<p>Don heard a smothered exclamation, and then the unknown -attempted to dart past him and escape by the open -door.</p> - -<p>Quick as thought, Don dropped the football suit and -clutched at the unseen figure, crying:</p> - - - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_80">[80]</span>“Hold on! What are you doing in here?”</p> - -<p>He grasped the other, who made a desperate effort to -jerk away, but Don held fast, and directly a fearful struggle -took place in the darkness of the dressing-room.</p> - -<p>Finding that the sole object of the unknown seemed to -be to break away and escape, Don was convinced that the -fellow had been doing something crooked.</p> - -<p>“Let go!” was panted, in a hoarse tone of voice.</p> - -<p>“I guess not!” returned Don. “Just keep still, will -you!”</p> - -<p>But the other would not keep still, and Don felt for his -throat, grating:</p> - -<p>“Then I’ll have to choke you till you do keep still!”</p> - -<p>But he could not secure the hold he desired, for his -antagonist fought him off. At last, getting a grasp about -the fellow’s body, Don tripped and threw him heavily, -coming down upon him with crushing violence.</p> - -<p>Apparently the fall had stunned the unknown for the -moment, at least, as he lay quite still. Noting this, Don -rose to his knees and felt in his pockets for a match, which -he intended to light.</p> - -<p>“We’ll soon see who you are, my fine fellow,” he -thought, “and we’ll learn what sort of a game you were -playing all by your lonesome.”</p> - -<p>He was breathing heavily from his exertions and his -hands shook somewhat, for the encounter in the dark -with a mysterious antagonist had been decidedly trying to -his nerves.</p> - - - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_81">[81]</span>To his great disappointment, he failed to find a match -in his pockets.</p> - -<p>As he was wondering what he could do, the unknown -made a sudden spring and tried to fling him off.</p> - -<p>“No, you don’t!” hissed Don, again grappling with the -fellow. “I’m not done with you!”</p> - -<p>The struggle was resumed with greater fury than before, -for the mysterious visitor to the dressing-room -seemed perfectly frantic in his desire to break from -Scott’s grasp and make his escape. They squirmed and -twisted and thrashed about on the floor, both panting -heavily.</p> - -<p>Don’s fighting blood was aroused, as he had recovered -from the startled shock that assailed him when he discovered -the intruder in the dressing-room, and somehow -he took almost a fierce joy in this savage fight in the -dark.</p> - -<p>At last he found a grip on the throat of the unknown, -determined to choke the fellow into submission; but then -his antagonist struck out heavily, hitting Don’s shoulder -with something that caused a twinge of pain and produced -a ripping sound.</p> - -<p>Instantly Scott released the other’s throat and grasped -his arm and wrist, assailed by the conviction and fear that -his foe was armed with a dangerous weapon. Down to -the hand of the unknown Don’s fingers slipped, and there -he found a knife securely clutched.</p> - - - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_82">[82]</span>Then he knew the fellow had struck at him with the -knife, which he had felt in his shoulder!</p> - -<p>Having made this alarming discovery, Don held fast to -the hand that gripped the knife, not daring to release it -for a moment, as the fear of being stabbed was on him. -Up to the moment of finding the knife in the hand of the -unknown he had not fancied he was in deadly danger; but -now his blood was chilled by the horror of this struggle in -the dark with an antagonist desperate enough to use an -open knife, and his every energy was bent to the task of -wresting the weapon from his foe.</p> - -<p>In the midst of this fearful struggle the active brain -of the boy pictured a tragic ending for himself. He fancied -that his antagonist would wrest his knife-hand free -and strike again and again with the keen blade, plunging -it to the hilt each time, which must soon bring an end to -the struggle. The night would pass, morning come, and -then the searchers would find the dead lad there in the -blood-bespattered dressing-room. His father and his aunt -would grieve, but he wondered how many others would -care.</p> - -<p>This grewsome fancy seemed to give him tremendous -strength, for he slowly forced the fingers of the other to -unclasp from the handle of the knife. Once his hand -slipped and he felt the blade slash across his fingers, but -he did not pause to wonder how badly he was cut. Believing -he was now fighting for his life, he lost not a moment.</p> - - - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_83">[83]</span>At last, with a fierce wrench, he forced the knife from -the hand of the unknown; but, having bent all his energies -in this direction, he had given no attention to the task of -holding his foe so he could not escape. With a sudden -twist, the fellow flung Don off, then scrambled up.</p> - -<p>“Stop!” panted Don; but, giving no heed, the mysterious -fellow darted out through the open door and disappeared.</p> - -<p>As soon as possible Don sprang up and followed him. -Outside the door, he halted in the darkness, looking to -the right and to the left, but seeing nothing of his foe.</p> - -<p>“He’s run for the gate,” thought the boy, and he made -a dash for the exit from the field.</p> - -<p>As he reached the gate, he heard a scrambling and -knocking sound against the boards of the fence at the -farther side of the field, following which, for a single moment, -he fancied he saw a dark figure rise to the top of the -fence, being dimly discernible against the sky. An instant -later the figure was gone, and Don knew his unknown -antagonist had made good his escape.</p> - -<p>But Don’s bleeding fingers held the knife he had -wrested from his mysterious foe.</p> -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<span class="pagenum" id="Page_84">[84]</span> - -<h2 class="nobreak">CHAPTER X.<br /> - - -<small>THE TELL-TALE KNIFE.</small></h2> -</div> - -<p>Filled with wonder and speculation over his unexpected -and thrilling adventure, Don returned to the dressing-room -where the desperate encounter had taken place. The -knife he had closed and slipped into his pocket, and he -wound a handkerchief around his cut and bleeding fingers.</p> - -<p>“I’d give something to know what this fellow was up -to,” he muttered, pausing outside the open door and shuddering -as he thought of what had lately taken place within -that room. “He fought like the very Old Scratch, but I -don’t think he tried to strike me with the knife till I got -him down and choked him. Wish I had a match.”</p> - -<p>But another search through his pockets failed to bring -forth the article he desired, and so, not without a slight -shiver and drawing back, he again stepped into the darkness -of the dressing-room.</p> - -<p>Knowing exactly where his clothes were hanging on a -peg against the wall, it was not difficult for him to find -them. Having hurriedly gathered them and flung them -over his arm, he lost little time in leaving the dressing-room, -for he could not cast off the feeling that he might -again be attacked in the darkness of that place.</p> - -<p>Outside he paused long enough to close the door, which<span class="pagenum" id="Page_85">[85]</span> -fastened with a spring lock, after which he walked swiftly -from the inclosure, shutting the gate behind him.</p> - -<p>As he reached the road, he heard the sound of voices, -causing him to pause and listen, upon which he made the -discovery that several persons were approaching from the -direction of the village. The voices sounded natural, too, -and he decided that, for some reason, a number of boys -were coming toward him.</p> - -<p>Not wishing to be seen by them, he hurried across the -road and crouched behind a clump of bushes, which, together -with the darkness, completely hid him from view.</p> - -<p>As the party approached, he recognized the voices and -learned that it was made up of Sterndale, Mayfair, Murphy -and Chatterton. Listening to their conversation, he -heard Mayfair say:</p> - -<p>“You’re right about this thing, Sterndale, and it was a -good thought of yours, for we can take care of the stuff at -the club-rooms now, and everything will be safe.”</p> - -<p>“It’s mesilf that nivver left anything up here at all, at -all,” declared the voice of the Irish lad.</p> - -<p>“And he was so bub-bub-blamed mad over it that there’s -no tut-tut-telling wh-what he might do,” stuttered Chatterton. -“I ru-ruther think you’ve got a right to tut-try -somebody else in his pup-pup-pup-position, Sterndale.”</p> - -<p>“I’ve had my eye on Carter for some time,” the hidden -lad plainly heard the captain of the eleven declare. “He -doesn’t mingle with our crowd much, but he’s a strong, -hearty fellow, and he may prove to be a good man.”</p> - - - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_86">[86]</span>They passed on and proceeded straight to the gate of -the fenced-in grounds. A moment later the sound of their -voices told they had entered by the gate and were within -the grounds, upon which Don rose from his place of concealment, -reached the road and hastened toward home.</p> - -<p>“They were talking about me!” he grated. “So they’re -going to put Harry Carter in my place! He’s a fellow -who never seemed to take much interest in baseball or -anything else of the sort, yet they think he’ll be as good a -man as I am!”</p> - -<p>From the disconnected and incomplete bit of conversation -that had reached his ears, he reasoned that the boys -must have been speaking of him; but just why they were -visiting the ball ground at that hour was a question he -could not answer. He had permitted all the suspicion, -selfishness and jealousy of his nature to be aroused, and -he fancied his erstwhile companions were ready to do anything -to “spite” him.</p> - -<p>His nerves were far from steady, which was not at all -strange, taking into consideration the unexpected and violent -struggle from which he had recently emerged. The -mystery of that encounter continued to bewilder him, but -he decided that the unknown must have been a common -thief who had entered the dressing-room for the purpose -of securing whatever plunder he could discover there.</p> - -<p>Under any condition, Don thanked his lucky stars that -he had escaped with his life, for the fellow had been fierce -in his final efforts to strike with the open knife, having<span class="pagenum" id="Page_87">[87]</span> -found the athletic boy was more than a master for him. -Up to that time it appeared that his sole desire was to -break from Don’s grasp and escape; but, on being thrown -down and choked, he had used the knife.</p> - -<p>Don wondered when the unknown had drawn and -opened the knife. It seemed that the rascal had scarcely -been given time to accomplish such an action after Don’s -entrance, for the boy had kept him busy, and he had -struggled madly to free himself and escape.</p> - -<p>“I believe he had that open knife in his hand when I -came in on him,” Don finally decided.</p> - -<p>So busy was he with his thoughts that he did not observe -his handkerchief had slipped from his wounded -fingers. He was nearly home when he made the discovery, -finding his hand was wet and sticky with blood.</p> - -<p>“Let the old handkerchief go,” he muttered. “I’ll find -out how much I’m cut.”</p> - -<p>He succeeded in entering the house quietly, and was -hurrying up to his room, when his father called to him:</p> - -<p>“Is that you, Don?”</p> - -<p>“Yes, sir,” he answered.</p> - -<p>“I thought you were in bed.”</p> - -<p>“I am just going to bed now, sir.”</p> - -<p>“Good-night, my boy.”</p> - -<p>“Good-night, father.”</p> - -<p>He did not wish to stand before his father again that -day, for he felt that he could not carry out his determination -to make a confession of the truth, and a discovery of<span class="pagenum" id="Page_88">[88]</span> -his injury might lead Dr. Scott to ask him unpleasant -questions.</p> - -<p>In his room, he flung his clothes over the back of a -chair, hurriedly washed the blood from his hand, and examined -his fingers, finding that three of them had been -cut, but not seriously.</p> - -<p>“I can attend to them myself,” he said, and he proceeded -to do so, taking from a drawer an old handkerchief, -which he tore into strips to bind about the bleeding -digits.</p> - -<p>When this was done, Don took off his coat and discovered -in the left sleeve a long slit from the shoulder -nearly to the elbow, made by the knife of his antagonist -that now lay in his pocket.</p> - -<p>This wound in his shoulder proved to be scarcely more -than a scratch, and he easily attended to that with some -strips of plaster.</p> - -<p>“But he came near fixing that arm!” he exclaimed, picking -up his coat and looking at the slit in the sleeve. “Jupiter! -Just see that! My best coat, too! What can I tell -Aunt Ella? It won’t do to tell her just how it happened.”</p> - -<p>Happening to glance at a mirror, he found his face was -very pale and that he still showed signs of agitation. He -also noted that his handsome red necktie was gone, having, -without doubt, been torn off in the encounter.</p> - -<p>“I don’t want to lose that necktie,” he said. “I ought to -go back, and look for it.”</p> - -<p>But at that moment he heard his father close and lock<span class="pagenum" id="Page_89">[89]</span> -the front door, and he knew the house was being shut up -for the night.</p> - -<p>“I’ll look for it in the morning,” he decided. “It isn’t -likely I could find it to-night, anyway.”</p> - -<p>Having flung himself down on an easy-chair, he fell to -thinking the entire adventure over from start to finish, it -being of a nature to take his mind for the time from his -trouble with Renwood. When he had reviewed it up to -the moment when he concealed himself behind the bushes -on the approach of four members of the village eleven, he -speculated again over the cause of their visit to the football -field at that hour of the night. Then he remembered -that Mayfair had spoken of their being able to take care of -some “stuff” at the club-rooms, and all at once it dawned -on him that they were proceeding to the dressing-room -under the grand-stand with the intention of removing to -the club-rooms the paraphernalia and suits of the football -team.</p> - -<p>Then his face hardened, and he sprang to his feet as he -thought of Chatterton’s words.</p> - -<p>“So they had an idea that, because I was angry, I might -do some sneaky thing!” he snarled, his eyes flashing. “I -wonder what they thought I’d do? Did they fancy I’d -steal the football and suits? That little cub, Chatterton, -said I was so mad there was no telling what I’d do! I’d -like to wring his neck!”</p> - - - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_90">[90]</span>The village stammerer might have been handled roughly -had he been within reach of Don Scott at that moment.</p> - -<p>“I’d like to know what cause any one has to think such -things of me?” the doctor’s son muttered, walking up and -down the room with quick, nervous strides. “Even if I -have a temper, I’ve never played the sneak, and no one -has a right to even suspect that I’ll begin now!”</p> - -<p>For a time these outraged thoughts prevented his mind -from reverting again to the encounter with the unknown, -but at length he came back to that, and once more fell to -wondering over the identity of his mysterious antagonist. -Then he thought of the captured knife, being seized by a -sudden hope that it might reveal to him what he wished to -know, or, at least, serve as a clew.</p> - -<p>In a moment the knife was in his hand. It was covered -with blood, and this Don proceeded to wash away, wiping -the knife dry with a handkerchief.</p> - -<p>“By Jupiter! it’s a beauty!” he exclaimed, regarding it -with admiration. “New, pearl-handled, four-bladed; -don’t look as if it’d be carried for a deadly weapon by a -ruffian; looks more like a gentleman’s knife. Hello! -Here are the initials of the owner engraved on the plate in -the handle. What are they? ‘R. G. R.’ Now, what do -they stand for?”</p> - -<p>He was silent for a moment, staring at the handsome -knife that lay in his uninjured hand. Of a sudden, he -panted:</p> - - - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_91">[91]</span>“By my life, I have it! Those initials stand for Randolph -Grant Renwood, and this knife belongs to Dolph -Renwood!”</p> - -<p>Then, seemingly bewildered by this startling discovery, -he sat down and continued to stare at the tell-tale knife.</p> -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<span class="pagenum" id="Page_92">[92]</span> - -<h2 class="nobreak">CHAPTER XI.<br /> - - -<small>SIGNS OF GUILT.</small></h2> -</div> - -<p>It is stating the case tamely to say Don was bewildered, -for that does not at all express his state of mind. He was -thunderstruck. Never till the moment of the surprising -discovery had he in any way connected his desperate antagonist -of the dressing-room with the lad whom he hated -with all the intensity of his passionate nature, and even -now it did not seem possible that the fellow who had -fought him so furiously in the darkness of that place could -have been Renwood.</p> - -<p>“If it was he, what was he doing there?” was the question -Don asked himself. “He must have been up to something -crooked, else he would not have been so fierce to get -away; but what it means is more than I can conceive.”</p> - -<p>A long time the boy puzzled over the singular affair, -without, however, in the least satisfying himself concerning -it. The knife that had fallen into his possession in -such a strange manner seemed to settle the identity of his -antagonist, but it did not betray Renwood’s reason for -secretly visiting the dressing-room under cover of darkness -or reveal why he had fought like a wolf to escape -without being recognized.</p> - -<p>“Anyhow, he tried to stab me,” muttered Don. “Is it -possible he went there to steal my clothes? Perhaps he<span class="pagenum" id="Page_93">[93]</span> -did, and it may be that he recognized me, even though I -didn’t recognize him. That may be why he fought so and -tried to stab me.”</p> - -<p>He was not satisfied with this explanation, and at last, -tired of speculating concerning it, he went to bed. After -what he had passed through, it was but natural that he -should dream, nor was it strange that his dreams were of -sanguine encounters with the lad he so disliked.</p> - -<p>Don slept late the following morning, which was the -Sabbath; but he was aroused at last by his aunt outside his -door, who told him he would have to make haste in order -to get ready for church.</p> - -<p>Of course, his first waking thoughts were of the unpleasant -events of the previous day and the startling adventure -which had capped them all. As he dressed the -tell-tale knife lay on a table before him, and his eyes often -sought it, while his heart was filled with triumph because -he had, he fancied, wrested from his enemy’s hand this -proof of his identity.</p> - -<p>Don gave his aunt no cause to complain about his appetite -that morning, for he ate heartily; but there was a flush -in his dark cheeks and his manner was strangely preoccupied, -showing that his thoughts were wandering. However, -he was thoughtful enough to keep his injured hand -in his lap, so it did not attract attention.</p> - -<p>The second bell was ringing when Don came down from -his room to join his father and aunt, who were waiting -for him to accompany them to church.</p> - - - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_94">[94]</span>“Hello, Don!” exclaimed the doctor. “You have forgotten -to put on your best coat. That one doesn’t match -your suit.”</p> - -<p>Don was confused, for he had hoped his father or aunt -would not notice this, and he halted a bit as he said:</p> - -<p>“I think I’ll wear this coat to-day, father.”</p> - -<p>“Why should you? The other coat looks better.”</p> - -<p>“I know, but——”</p> - -<p>“But what?”</p> - -<p>“I—I—my other coat is—I can’t wear it to-day,” blundered -the lad.</p> - -<p>“Can’t wear it? Why not? What is the matter?”</p> - -<p>“I—I’ve torn it,” declared Don, feeling his face burning.</p> - -<p>“Torn it? That’s too bad! How did it happen?”</p> - -<p>“I caught the sleeve on a nail,” fabricated the desperate -lad, thus for the first time in his life telling-his father an -outright falsehood.</p> - -<p>“Oh, well,” smiled the doctor, thinking his son’s confusion -rose from his reluctance to confess that he had thus -damaged his best coat, “accidents will happen, my boy. -We all meet such misfortunes occasionally.”</p> - -<p>Don felt mean enough, and he regretted that he had -thought of trying to hide the truth from his father, even -though telling it might have led to a complete confession -of his utter failure in the attempt to master his temper. -His outraged conscience troubled and tortured him till he -imagined guilt and shame must be written on his face so -that all could see it and understand.</p> - - - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_95">[95]</span>With this thought in his mind, he followed his father -and aunt into the church, his face flushed and his eyes -downcast. As he was about to pass through the second -door, he distinctly heard these whispered words:</p> - -<p>“There he is! Look at him!”</p> - -<p>He lifted his eyes and saw a short distance away Dick -Sterndale and Dolph Renwood, both gazing straight at -him.</p> - -<p>Scott’s face had been red before, but now there was -such a rush of blood to his head that it actually turned -purple. Involuntarily, he half lifted his wounded hand -which had wrested the betraying knife from his antagonist, -but the bandaged fingers were hidden by a glove, -which he had succeeded in wearing, for all the difficulty -in drawing it on. Then he passed on into the church, but -with the desire strong upon him to confront and accuse -his foe then and there.</p> - -<p>“He did it,” said Sterndale, grimly, when Don had vanished. -“His face gave him away.”</p> - -<p>“I don’t like to think it of him even now,” Renwood -declared, in a low tone. “I don’t like the fellow, but I -didn’t think he’d stoop to such a dirty trick.”</p> - -<p>“No more did I think so, but his nasty temper led him -into it. He betrayed his guilt plainly enough when he -saw us.”</p> - -<p>“What’ll you do?”</p> - -<p>“Make him settle for the damage.”</p> - -<p>“If he refuses—what then?”</p> - - - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_96">[96]</span>“His father’ll have a chance to settle. Somebody must -pay for last night’s work.”</p> - -<p>Then they followed Don into the church.</p> - -<p>To the doctor’s son it seemed that the sermon was aimed -directly at him, and all through the discourse he sat with -his cheeks alternately flushing and paling, looking neither -to the right nor left. The text, taken from Revelations, -was a body blow, causing the uncomfortable boy to start -when it fell on his ears: “All liars shall have their part in -the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone.” The -preacher was relentless in his denunciation of hypocrites -and liars, so that Don was relieved to escape from the -church when it was all over.</p> - -<p>When he found himself alone at home, he sought to -salve his wounded conscience and palliate his deception of -his father by declaring to himself that he was not to blame -for a falsehood that had been forced from him by such a -combination of circumstances, and which he had told in -order to avert the pain and distress which the truth might -bring upon the doctor. The blame for this act he sought -to shift upon his enemy, who had driven him into such a -strait.</p> - -<p>Not that Don had never before perpetrated a deception -or uttered anything savoring of untruth, for, like the average -boy, he was not perfect in this respect, but, up to this -time, his intercourse with his father, whom he held in -such deep affection, had been absolutely honest and truthful,<span class="pagenum" id="Page_97">[97]</span> -for which reason the falsehood was like a poisoned -arrow rankling in a wound.</p> - -<p>“But I’ve got to keep it up, now that I’ve commenced -it,” he told himself.</p> - -<p>And thus it was that the first false step led to others, as -almost unfailingly happens.</p> - -<p>That afternoon Don sought to forget his troubles by -reading, and for the purpose he resorted to one of Trowbridge’s -most thrilling books, “Cudjo’s Cave.” Absorbed -by the breathless flight of Penn, Virginia and Cudjo -through the burning forest, he failed for some time to hear -the whistled signal that came from beneath his window or -the tiny pebbles that clinked against the panes.</p> - -<p>At last, however, having reached the hair-raising climax -of the chapter, where the fear-crazed horse, bearing the -unknown rider, plunges crashing into the depths of the -dark ravine, he paused to take a long breath and heard -both the whistle and the rattle against the window.</p> - -<p>Looking out, he discovered Leon Bentley below. A -moment later the window was open and Leon was saying:</p> - -<p>“Just going to give it up. Thought you must be asleep -or dead. Come down.”</p> - -<p>“Come up,” invited Don. “Father is out and Aunt Ella -is lying down. I’ll let you in by the back door.”</p> - -<p>His resolution to break with Bentley was forgotten, -and, for the first time, he admitted the disreputable fellow -to his home and his room.</p> -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<span class="pagenum" id="Page_98">[98]</span> - -<h2 class="nobreak">CHAPTER XII.<br /> - - -<small>WHO DID IT?</small></h2> -</div> - -<p>“Say, this is comfortable,” remarked Leon, flinging -himself upon the easiest chair and elevating his polished -russet shoes to the top of a small table. “You’ve got a -slick den here, though I don’t like your pictures much, and -I don’t see what you want of so many books. It’s a bother -to read books, and the pictures in my room are of the dead -game sort. Got ’em out of the sporting papers, you know. -The walls are pretty near covered by pictures of prize-fighters, -fast trotters and sporting men. Excuse me if I -smoke. I’m dying for a whiff.”</p> - -<p>Without further words, he pulled out a package and -selected a cigarette, which he coolly prepared and lighted. -He was returning the package to his pocket, when Don -held out a hand, saying:</p> - -<p>“I believe I’ll try one of those things just for fun.”</p> - -<p>Bentley let his feet fall from the top of the table to the -floor, stared a moment at his companion, then handed over -the cigarettes, laughing:</p> - -<p>“That came near knocking me out. You were so set -against cigarettes yesterday that——”</p> - -<p>“You fancied I’d never change my mind. There is an -old saying, ‘it’s only a fool who never changes his mind.’”</p> - - - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_99">[99]</span>Don lighted one of the cigarettes, while Leon watched -him with a sly, satisfied smile.</p> - -<p>“You may not like the first one very much,” said the -inveterate smoker, “but you’ll find they’ll grow on ye, and -you will like them more and more, till, after a while, you -won’t want to get along without them. I tell you they are -great stuff.”</p> - -<p>With the lighting of that first cigarette, a reckless sensation -of indifference stole over Don, and he began to feel -that, considering the circumstances, he had not done anything -worth worrying about in deceiving his father and -telling him a falsehood. In a few moments he was telling -himself that cigarettes truly were, as Leon had declared, -soothing to the nerves.</p> - -<p>“They’re not so bad,” admitted Don; “but I’ll have to -give this room a good airing, so aunt will not smell the -smoke.”</p> - -<p>“And you better not smoke too much of the first one,” -Leon warned, craftily. “As you’re not used to ’em, it -might make your head feel queer. After a while, if you -keep it up, you can smoke as many as you like without -noticing it at all. In fact, one or two will be just no satisfaction; -more of an aggravation.”</p> - -<p>“How long had you been outside?” asked the doctor’s -son.</p> - -<p>“Ten minutes, anyhow. I wanted to have a talk with -you. I’d come over last night after leaving the club, but -I thought you’d be abed. I wanted to tell you about the<span class="pagenum" id="Page_100">[100]</span> -nasty trick this fellow Renwood is playing on me. I knew -he had it in for me, and I tumbled in a minute when Sterndale -proposed giving Harry Carter a trial in the line. I -pinned him right down and asked him where he proposed -trying Carter. When he said right or left tackle I knew -what that meant, for Linton is solid as right tackle. If -Carter shows up all right, I’m to be kicked out, and Carter -goes in as left tackle. Renwood is at the bottom of it, the -dirty cad!”</p> - -<p>His companion’s words brought a feeling of surprise to -Don Scott, who immediately recalled the broken bit of -conversation he had overheard the previous evening as he -crouched behind some bushes directly after leaving the -football field. Hearing Sterndale speaking at that time of -giving Carter a trial on the eleven, he had felt certain the -new man was to be given the position made vacant by his -resignation from the team; but now Bentley’s statement -seemed to cast a new light on the captain’s intention.</p> - -<p>“Are you sure you’re right, Bent?” asked the doctor’s -son, earnestly. “Perhaps they’re not going to drop you; -they may mean to give you another position.”</p> - -<p>“Not on your life! When I tumbled to the game, I just -demanded to know what Sterndale meant to do, and I -forced him to declare himself.”</p> - -<p>“How? What did he say?”</p> - -<p>“Why, he said he’d keep me if Carter did not prove to -be a better man. As if he thought I’d stand that!”</p> - -<p>“What did you do?”</p> - - - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_101">[101]</span>“I told him just what I thought about it. I gave him -a piece of my mind, and don’t you forget it! I told him -I was done with his old football team the moment he -dropped me off to give Carter or any other fellow a trial -in my position. I tell you, I was mad! Then I got out -and left them to do anything they liked. Now that you’re -not going on the team, Scott, I don’t believe I care a rap -about playing with that gang.”</p> - -<p>Leon made this final declaration in a manner which -seemed to indicate that he regarded Don as his particular -friend, for which reason, as Don had been treated shabbily, -he was more than willing to withdraw from the eleven.</p> - -<p>As he crouched behind the bushes near the football field, -Don had heard Chatterton speak of somebody as being -angry enough to do almost anything, and the listening lad -then fancied the stammerer was referring to him; but now -it seemed possible that quite another person had been the -subject of the remark.</p> - -<p>“I had a talk with Chatterton a while ago,” Leon went -on, “and I tried to pump him about Sterndale’s intention -in regard to me, but he pretended not to know what the -fellow is going to do. But, say! he told me something that -pretty near took my wind. You can’t guess what happened -last night.”</p> - -<p>“I won’t try to guess. What did happen?”</p> - -<p>“Somebody went into the dressing-room under the -grand-stand and raised the dickens generally.”</p> - - - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_102">[102]</span>Don felt his heart give a great jump, but he tried to assume -an appearance of calmness as he asked:</p> - -<p>“Raised the dickens how? What did he do?”</p> - -<p>“You know some of the fellows left their suits there, -and the football was left there, too?”</p> - -<p>“Yes.”</p> - -<p>“Well, somebody went in there and took a knife and slit -the suits into ribbons and slashed the football all to -pieces.”</p> - -<p>Don sprang to his feet with a cry, for Bentley’s words -solved a mystery that had puzzled him greatly, and now -he knew why it was that the fellow detected by him in the -dressing-room had fought so fiercely to escape without -being recognized.</p> - -<p>Leon stared in surprise at his companion, whose face -flushed and paled and who seemed to be shaking with excitement.</p> - -<p>“Well, what’s the matter with you?” he asked.</p> - -<p>“Who did it?” panted Don. “Does Chatterton know? -Who was sneak enough to do such a trick?”</p> - -<p>“I asked Chat if he knew, and he winked and said they -had found proofs enough to hang the fellow who did the -job.”</p> - -<p>“What kind of proof?”</p> - -<p>“He wouldn’t tell me. He said the chap must have cut -himself, for there was blood on the floor.”</p> - -<p>Don wondered if his visitor had observed his bandaged -fingers; but, if so, Leon made no sign.</p> - - - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_103">[103]</span>The doctor’s son walked to the window and looked out. -Having opened the window, he turned back, and there -seemed to be a look of triumph on his dark face.</p> - -<p>“Bentley,” he said, “have you a suspicion who did that -job?”</p> - -<p>“Well, I’ve got a sneaking notion,” answered Leon, -with a foxy smile, as he lighted a fresh cigarette.</p> - -<p>“Whom do you suspect?”</p> - -<p>“I questioned Chatterton pretty closely,” declared Bentley, -wagging his head, “and I found out another fellow -left the club-room directly after I did. It is my opinion -that he’s none too good to do such a trick, and I’ll bet -they’ll find it out.”</p> - -<p>“Whom do you mean?”</p> - -<p>“Somebody you and I love—I don’t think.”</p> - -<p>“Renwood?”</p> - -<p>“Sure thing.”</p> - -<p>To Bentley’s surprise, his companion sat down, a sudden -look of doubt and perplexity dawning on his face and -growing swiftly.</p> - -<p>“What reason have you to think Renwood would do -such a thing?” questioned Don. “What could be his -object?”</p> - -<p>“I’ve heard something to-day that’s given me an idea. -Renwood is acquainted with Winston, the Harvard man, -who is coaching Highland.”</p> - -<p>“What of that?”</p> - -<p>“I’ve thought all the time that Renwood didn’t care a<span class="pagenum" id="Page_104">[104]</span> -snap whether Rockspur won or not, and now I’ll bet my -life he’s working to have us lose to them.”</p> - -<p>“But I fail to see his object,” declared Don. “Why -should he want Rockspur to lose?”</p> - -<p>“That may come out later. If he is a particular friend -of this Winston, he may be playing into Winston’s hands. -Perhaps Winston wants to win a reputation as a coach; -perhaps he’s expecting to bet money on the game; perhaps -a lot of things. Anyhow, I’ll bet my pile that Renwood -and Winston have it put up between them to down Rockspur.”</p> - -<p>Don shook his head. A short time before he had been -eager to believe anything bad of Renwood; but, for all -that, he was not satisfied with Bentley’s explanation of -Dolph’s reasons for invading the dressing-room and destroying -the football and suits.</p> - -<p>“I can’t see how such a trick would do him any good,” -averred the logical Don. “If he wants to make a lot of -flub players out of the Rockspur crowd, so they will lose -the game, I should think he could find a better way to -carry out his purpose. To me it seems that the destruction -of the suits and football was a piece of petty spite, -and, much as I’d like to, I can’t see any reason for such -spite on the part of Renwood.”</p> - -<p>“Then you don’t think he did it?” asked Bentley, in a -disappointed way.</p> - -<p>Don’s eyes fell on something that lay upon the table,<span class="pagenum" id="Page_105">[105]</span> -half concealed by a magazine, and he suddenly sprang to -his feet once more, snatching up this object and crying:</p> - -<p>“Yes, I believe he did the job, even though I can’t understand -why, and here in my hand is the proof against -him!”</p> - -<p>He displayed the handsome knife he had wrested from -his antagonist of the previous night.</p> - -<p>At sight of that knife Leon Bentley gave a start and -turned pale.</p> -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<span class="pagenum" id="Page_106">[106]</span> - -<h2 class="nobreak">CHAPTER XIII.<br /> - - -<small>DON ACCUSES RENWOOD.</small></h2> -</div> - -<p>Don could scarcely fail to observe his companion’s -strange agitation and pallor.</p> - -<p>“Well, what’s the matter with you?” he exclaimed, wonderingly.</p> - -<p>“That knife!” gasped Leon. “Where did you get it?”</p> - -<p>He snatched it from Don’s hand and examined it closely, -his fingers trembling a little, while his whole manner -betrayed both astonishment and dismay.</p> - -<p>“Have you ever seen that knife before?” questioned the -dark-haired boy.</p> - -<p>“I—I—why, I believe I have.”</p> - -<p>“When? Where?”</p> - -<p>“Why, I—er—saw it last night.”</p> - -<p>“You did? Where?”</p> - -<p>“In the club-room.”</p> - -<p>“Who had it?” cried Don, clutching Bentley fiercely by -the shoulder.</p> - -<p>“Don’t!” begged the other lad, squirming and dropping -his cigarette. “Great Cæsar! you hurt! Your fingers feel -like iron!”</p> - -<p>“Who had that knife?” Don again demanded. “If you -saw it in the club-room, you must have seen it in the possession -of some one. Who had it?”</p> - -<p>“Why, it—it’s Renwood’s knife.”</p> - - - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_107">[107]</span>“How do you know? Did you see it in his possession?”</p> - -<p>“Yes.”</p> - -<p>“Are you sure? Are you sure?”</p> - -<p>“Yes, I’m sure, for I took it from him and examined it -before all the other fellows. I told him I’d like to have a -knife like that, and then I passed it back to him, and he -took it. All the fellows saw me give it back to him,” Leon -concluded, impressively.</p> - -<p>“That settles it!” grated the doctor’s son, his eyes flashing -and his face betraying triumphant satisfaction. “I’m -glad they all saw this knife in that fellow’s possession and -that he claimed it as his own. Even though I cannot -understand his motive for doing the dirty job in the dressing-room, -there is no longer a doubt in my mind but he -did it.”</p> - -<p>Bentley drew a long breath, looked wonderfully relieved, -and a bit of color returned to his sallow cheeks. Had Don -Scott been watching his visitor closely, he must have wondered -somewhat at his manner.</p> - -<p>“But how that knife came into your possession is more -than I can understand,” said Leon, picking up his half-smoked -cigarette and looking at Don askance.</p> - -<p>Then Scott told him the whole story of his adventure -in the dressing-room the night before, and the other listened -attentively, but with his eyes downcast, at times -gnawing at his lips in a nervous manner.</p> - -<p>“That beats the world!” he muttered, when the story<span class="pagenum" id="Page_108">[108]</span> -was finished. “But I think it’s a mighty unlucky thing -that you turned up there last night, old man.”</p> - -<p>“Unlucky?” cried Don. “How is that? Didn’t I catch -the fellow right in the act?”</p> - -<p>“Yes; but it might have been better if you had not -caught him.”</p> - -<p>“I don’t understand. How could it have been better?”</p> - -<p>“Well, he—er—perhaps he might have—left a—a clew—there -in the dressing-room,” faltered Leon, lamely. -“He might have dropped the knife, you know, and—er—forgotten -it.”</p> - -<p>“Not at all likely! If I hadn’t come on him just as I -did, he’d done the job and got away without leaving a -trace. No one could have sworn who did it, and any one -else might have been suspected. Why, they might have -suspected me!”</p> - -<p>“I don’t know but you’re right,” slowly admitted Bentley; -“still, something tells me it would have been better if -you hadn’t run onto him.”</p> - -<p>“Why, you’re daffy!” laughed Don, his eyes gleaming. -“I have the fellow—have him foul!”</p> - -<p>“What are you going to do?”</p> - -<p>“Why, I’m going to expose him! I’m going to show -him up to the boys! I’ll show them what sort of a chap -they have as coach for the eleven.”</p> - -<p>“That’s all right,” said Bentley; “but what if they don’t -believe your story?”</p> - -<p>“They’ll have to believe it! Here’s the knife, and here<span class="pagenum" id="Page_109">[109]</span> -are my fingers, cut in the struggle with him. More than -that,” he went on, striding quickly to the clothes-press, -“here is my coat, with a slit from the shoulder to the -elbow, just as he made it when he tried to stab me.”</p> - -<p>He held up the coat, and the visitor regarded it with no -small amount of curiosity, whistling softly and observing:</p> - -<p>“By gracious! he did come near carving you up.”</p> - -<p>“I believe he knew me!” Don savagely declared. “He -must have recognized me.”</p> - -<p>“Oh, no! it was so dark in there that a fellow couldn’t -recognize any one—at least, you said it was,” Leon hastily -added.</p> - -<p>“Still, I believe he knew me, and that was why he tried -to cut me. I’ll square the account with him! Wait till I -show him up to-morrow!”</p> - -<p>“Well, I hope you succeed,” said Bentley, sincere in -that wish, at least. “I think I’ll be going. Your old man -might come home, and I have a notion he doesn’t like me.”</p> - -<p>Don did not object to the departure of his visitor, and, -having lighted another cigarette, Leon left, as he had entered, -by the back door.</p> - -<p>Don could scarcely wait for the following day, so eager -was he to denounce Renwood. He pictured to himself -the sensation his revelation would create, and in his mind -he saw his enemy an outcast, scorned and taunted and -shunned by the village lads.</p> - -<p>It was barely eight o’clock the following morning when -Don passed the fountain in the village square, being on his<span class="pagenum" id="Page_110">[110]</span> -way to a grocery store to take an order for his aunt before -starting for school. As he came out of the store, Dick -Sterndale called to him from the opposite side of the -street:</p> - -<p>“Come over here, Scott, I want to see you.”</p> - -<p>“And you’re the very fellow I’m looking for,” said Don, -promptly crossing over.</p> - -<p>“I want you to come to the club-room for a short time, -Scott,” the captain of the eleven grimly declared, regarding -Don in anything but a pleasant manner.</p> - -<p>They climbed the stairs, Dick falling in behind.</p> - -<p>“He means to give me a call-down for my talk to Renwood,” -thought the boy in advance, feeling in his pocket -for the captured knife. “I’ll make him change his tune in -a hurry.”</p> - -<p>Reaching the club-rooms, they found Mayfair and Chatterton -there, both of whom regarded Don coldly, not even -nodding to him.</p> - -<p>“Well, what do you want of me, Sterndale?” demanded -the dark-haired lad, ignoring the others.</p> - -<p>“I have a few questions to ask you,” said Dick, ominously, -closing the door behind them; “and it’s best for you to -tell the truth, too.”</p> - -<p>“I am not in the habit of lying!” flared the doctor’s son, -his face turning crimson; “and I won’t take an insinuation -of the sort from you or anybody else, Dick Sterndale! -You want to be careful!”</p> - - - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_111">[111]</span>He was scowling fiercely, but the captain of the eleven, -regardless of his threatening manner, sharply asked:</p> - -<p>“Where did you go directly after leaving this room last -night, Scott?”</p> - -<p>“I don’t know that it’s any of your business,” retorted -Don, “but I don’t mind telling you. I went home.”</p> - -<p>“Did you remain there?”</p> - -<p>A sudden sensation of danger assailed Don, and his -eyes swiftly scanned the faces of Sterndale and his companions. -He discovered that he was being regarded with -cold scorn, and an intimation of their thoughts fell upon -him.</p> - -<p>“Look here, Sterndale,” he said, quickly, turning to the -captain, “if you have anything to say to me, just say it at -once, without beating round the bush. What are you -driving at?”</p> - -<p>From behind the door the captain took down three football -suits that had been cut and slashed into ribbons, and -he kicked out before Don the remains of a football which -had been destroyed in a similar manner.</p> - -<p>“Do you know anything about this job?” asked Dick, -sternly and accusingly.</p> - -<p>“Yes!”</p> - -<p>They were somewhat surprised by Don’s answer, and -Chatterton whispered to Mayfair:</p> - -<p>“Bub-bub-by Jinks! he’s gug-going to own up!”</p> - -<p>“Oh, you do?” exclaimed Sterndale. “Well, what do -you know about it?”</p> - - - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_112">[112]</span>“I know who did it,” declared Don.</p> - -<p>“No doubt about that,” muttered Mayfair.</p> - -<p>“Who was it?” demanded Dick, watching Scott closely.</p> - -<p>Just then footsteps sounded outside and the door -opened.</p> - -<p>“That fellow there!” rang out Don’s clear voice, as his -finger was pointed accusingly at Dolph Renwood, who -stood in the doorway.</p> -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<span class="pagenum" id="Page_113">[113]</span> - -<h2 class="nobreak">CHAPTER XIV.<br /> - - -<small>CHARGE AND COUNTERCHARGE.</small></h2> -</div> - -<p>Don’s bold accusation astounded those who heard it, for -it was wholly unexpected. Renwood seemed amazed, -Mayfair and Chatterton sprang to their feet, and Sterndale -uttered an exclamation.</p> - -<p>“He’s the sneak who did the dirty work!” cried the -doctor’s son. “He can’t deny it! He slashed those suits -and destroyed that football!”</p> - -<p>“You’re a liar!” retorted Dolph, quick as a flash.</p> - -<p>It was well that Sterndale was between them instantly, -else Don might have broken his promise to Renwood’s -sister. Finding Dick there, he restrained himself, laughed -harshly and triumphantly, and said:</p> - -<p>“That’s all right; I can afford to take it off you just -now. In short order I’ll show you up as both a liar and a -sneak. You followed me from this room last night, and -you can’t deny that.”</p> - -<p>“I don’t wish to deny it. What if I did?” said Dolph.</p> - -<p>“From here you went directly to the dressing-room -under the grand-stand, where you used your handsome -pearl-handled knife to slash these suits and cut up the -football. Why you did such a low, sneaking trick is more -than I can understand, unless you were possessed by the -Old Boy himself.”</p> - -<p>Renwood laughed derisively.</p> - - - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_114">[114]</span>“You have more gall than any fellow I ever saw!” he -declared. “I compliment you on your nerve, Mr. Scott!”</p> - -<p>“How do you know he had such a thing as a pearl-handled -knife?” asked Sterndale.</p> - -<p>“That knife slashed the sleeve of my best coat from -shoulder to elbow,” answered Don. “That knife cut these -fingers,” and he displayed his bandaged digits. “That -knife is in my possession!”</p> - -<p>With the final words, he took the knife from his pocket -and held it up before them all, causing every one of them -to utter exclamations of surprise.</p> - -<p>“Let him deny that it is his knife if he can!” challenged -the dark-haired lad.</p> - -<p>“I haven’t the least notion of denying it,” said Dolph, -immediately. “It is my knife, lost last Saturday night.”</p> - -<p>“Yes, lost in the struggle with me in the dressing-room, -where I caught you just after you had finished your dirty -work of cutting up the football and the suits. I left this -suit of clothes I am wearing there Saturday afternoon, and -I went up for it that night, after I was here in this room. -I caught you there, and you fought like a fiend to escape -without being recognized. When I had you down and -was choking you into submission, you tried to stab me with -the knife, and you did cut my shoulder a bit, but I got hold -of your hand and took the knife from you. Here it is, and -it is proof that you are the fellow I found in the dressing-room.”</p> - -<p>Don seemed to fancy that he had fastened the deed on<span class="pagenum" id="Page_115">[115]</span> -Renwood, and his air was one of satisfied triumph; but he -was surprised to observe that Dolph showed neither confusion -nor shame. Instead, the city youth laughed again, -saying:</p> - -<p>“That’s a very clever fairy story, Scott, but you can’t -make anybody believe it.”</p> - -<p>“Hardly,” agreed Mayfair. “It will not go down.”</p> - -<p>“Not mum-much!” scoffed Chatterton.</p> - -<p>“If you had not confessed being in the dressing-room -Saturday night,” said Sterndale, regarding Don with mingled -anger and aversion, “we had sufficient evidence to -show you were there. We found this in the dressing-room.” -He held up to view Don’s favorite red necktie.</p> - -<p>“And this just outside the gate to the field,” put in Mayfair, -displaying a blood-stained handkerchief. “It has -your monogram on it, Scott.”</p> - -<p>“Both necktie and handkerchief are mine,” declared -Don, without hesitation. “The necktie was torn off in -the struggle. I had the handkerchief wrapped about my -fingers, but lost it on the way home.”</p> - -<p>“Sus-sus-slick yarn,” commented Danny, while the -others, with the exception of Sterndale, smiled scornfully.</p> - -<p>Then, for the first time, Don realized that his words had -fallen on unbelieving ears and his attempt to expose the -villainy of Renwood was a complete failure. More than -that, it was plain to him that circumstantial evidence had -convinced these fellows that he was the dastardly sneak -who had destroyed the football and ruined the suits.</p> - - - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_116">[116]</span>For a moment he turned pale; then all the fury of his -fiery nature burst forth, and he raved against them like a -person bereft of reason. His eyes glared and a white froth -formed on his lips, while he shook all over. It seemed that -in his senseless rage he would attack them all, but he did -not.</p> - -<p>The boys were awed by the spectacle, though Sterndale -remained grave and firm, his face expressing no emotion.</p> - -<p>“Fools!” snarled Don. “You’re blind! Think I tore -off my own necktie and left it behind so you might know -I’d been there? How do you suppose I came into possession -of that fellow’s knife unless I obtained it just as I’ve -stated?”</p> - -<p>“That was easy,” declared Renwood himself. “I had -the knife Saturday evening just before you entered this -room, and I was sitting on that table over there. The -knife was beside me when you came in and walked over to -the table; when you left this room the knife was gone.”</p> - -<p>“That’s right,” nodded Mayfair. “We all hunted for it -and couldn’t find it.”</p> - -<p>“And now we nun-nun-know why we couldn’t fuf-fuf-find -it,” asserted Chatterton, wisely.</p> - -<p>“So you think I stole it?” grated the dark-eyed lad, -showing his white teeth. “All right, think so, if you like! -What do I care! You’re a lot of fools, and you’ll find it -out before you are done with Renwood. As for him, he -had better look out for me! I know he did the sneaking -work Saturday night, and I will prove it against him so<span class="pagenum" id="Page_117">[117]</span> -there will be no way for him to squirm out of it! Anyhow, -I’ll fix him, and you may bet your lives on that!”</p> - -<p>Don flung the handsome pearl-handled knife on the -floor and started to walk from the room, Renwood having -left the doorway free; but Dick Sterndale blocked his passage, -putting out a strong hand to stop him.</p> - -<p>“Wait, Scott,” said the captain of the eleven, grimly. -“When are you going to pay for that football and those -suits?”</p> - -<p>The lips of the doctor’s son curled with scorn.</p> - -<p>“When?” he cried. “Never!”</p> - -<p>“Oh, yes, you will,” said Dick, quietly.</p> - -<p>“If I do, I hope I may drop dead the next instant!” -panted Don.</p> - -<p>“If you do not,” warned the handsome fellow who -blocked his path, “your father will.”</p> - -<p>“What do you mean? You——”</p> - -<p>“If you refuse to pay, I shall go to your father, tell him -the whole story and demand payment from him.”</p> - -<p>Don caught his breath, and it seemed that he would assault -the captain then and there; but Sterndale showed no -wavering nor alarm, and the attack did not come.</p> - -<p>“Go ahead!” grated the dark-eyed lad. “Go to my -father, if you like! You can’t drive me that way to pay -for damage I never did! I’ll die before I’ll pay one cent!”</p> - -<p>It was plain enough that he meant it then, but Dick -said:</p> - -<p>“Perhaps you will change your mind after you think it<span class="pagenum" id="Page_118">[118]</span> -over. I’ll give you till to-night. If you do not agree to -pay by that time, I’ll call on your father.”</p> - -<p>He stepped aside, and the suspected youth walked to the -door, where he turned for a last desperate fling at his -accusers. His hands were clenched, his face flushed and -his teeth showing as he looked back over his shoulder.</p> - -<p>“You’re a soft crowd!” he sneered, with curling lips. -“If you were not, you wouldn’t be ready to get down and -crawl for a common city cad. Because his father has -some money and he is from Boston, you are ready to take -anything off him and believe any lie he tells. Oh, you -make me sick!”</p> - -<p>Then he went out.</p> -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<span class="pagenum" id="Page_119">[119]</span> - -<h2 class="nobreak">CHAPTER XV.<br /> - - -<small>IN THE AUTUMN WOODS.</small></h2> -</div> - -<p>Don did not attend school that day, for he felt that he -could not study, and he wished to be alone. He set out -toward the academy, it is true, but kept on, paying no heed -to the boys and girls who were gathered in groups about -the steps and grounds of the white school building, passed -the fenced-in football field, and struck off by a path that -led toward the picnic grove in the vicinity of High Bluff.</p> - -<p>The fields were showing brown in spots, while here and -there a tree was tinted with crimson and gold, the gorgeous -banners of advancing autumn. The sky was blue -and cloudless, the air clear and still, transmitting distant -sounds with a softened distinctness that was agreeable to -the ear, while over all seemed to hang the delightful, -dreamy languor that is typical of this season in the country.</p> - -<p>Crickets were chirping merrily in the brown grass beside -the path that led the feet of the unhappy boy toward -the picnic grove, but he heard them not, for in his heart -there was a tumult that drowned all other sounds. From -a farm-yard far across the unrippled harbor sounded the -crowing of a cock, mellowed by the distance, but the -music of the sound did not seem to reach Don’s ears.</p> - -<p>In the heart of the grove he found a mossy bed, upon<span class="pagenum" id="Page_120">[120]</span> -which he threw himself, giving way to the bitterest reflections. -He lay there while the forenoon slipped away. -Squirrels chattered in various parts of the grove. A mischievous-looking -little chipmunk perched on a stub a few -feet away and stared at the reclining lad, observing in an -inquiring manner: “Kuk? Kuk? Kuk?” A bluejay -lighted on a branch high above him, cocked its tufted head -to one side, and shrilly screamed: “Wake up! Get up! -Wake up! Come on!” Then, as the lad stirred, he shot -away like a blue arrow from a bow, wildly shrieking: -“Phe-phay! Phe-phay!”</p> - -<p>These sights and sounds did not interrupt the tumultuous -flow of the boy’s thoughts, and he was not aroused till -the whistles of the mills far across the river told him that -the noon hour had arrived. Then he sprang to his feet -and hurried from the grove, making great haste to get -back to the village.</p> - -<p>There was no one in the vicinity of the academy to observe -him as he reached it and scudded past, but he found -his aunt “sputtering” when he reached home.</p> - -<p>“Goodness sakes! where have you been?” she impatiently -exclaimed. “The other scholars went past twenty minutes -ago, and I had dinner all ready then. Everything -will be stone-cold.”</p> - -<p>“I—I staid behind,” said Don.</p> - -<p>“What for?” she questioned, curiously. “Was it something -about your lessons that kept ye?”</p> - -<p>And he answered: “Yes.” Having taken the first step<span class="pagenum" id="Page_121">[121]</span> -by deceiving his father and telling him a falsehood, he was -surprised to find how readily this untruth came from -his lips.</p> - -<p>The doctor ate dinner with them, but his mind seemed -to be occupied, so that he talked very little, which was decidedly -to Don’s satisfaction.</p> - -<p>Leon Bentley was loitering past the house when Don -came out, and he called:</p> - -<p>“Hello, Scott, old man! Where were you this forenoon? -Didn’t see you at school.”</p> - -<p>“Shut up, you idiot!” hissed Don, hurrying down the -steps and out to the sidewalk. “What do you want to -come round shouting like that for?”</p> - -<p>“Oh, ho!” grinned Leon. “I catch on! Don’t want -your old man to know, eh? Played hookey, did you?”</p> - -<p>“I didn’t feel like going to school to-day, and so I’m -not going.”</p> - -<p>“Then you mean to stay out this afternoon?”</p> - -<p>“Yes.”</p> - -<p>“Well, say, I’m with you. Where’ll we go?”</p> - -<p>Don was not at all pleased, for he did not desire Leon’s -company; but that made no difference to Leon, and, discovering -his companion was determined to hang on like a -leech, the doctor’s son said:</p> - -<p>“I’m going anywhere out of the village. I feel like getting -off by myself.”</p> - -<p>“Then, say, let’s go over into the Powder Mill Woods. -I’ll get my rifle and we can have some fun popping at<span class="pagenum" id="Page_122">[122]</span> -squirrels and birds. We might strike some partridges. -What do you say?”</p> - -<p>“I’d as lief go there as anywhere, but I don’t care about -tramping all the way round by the road.”</p> - -<p>“We’ll get a boat down by Nutt’s Wharf and row over. -Let’s turn round and go back for my rifle.”</p> - -<p>“I’m not going back, for we’ll meet somebody on the -way to the academy.”</p> - -<p>“Then I tell you what, you just go straight to the wharf, -and I’ll be along as soon as I can get that rifle. Will you -do that? Will you go to the wharf and wait for me -there?”</p> - -<p>“Yes.”</p> - -<p>There was something about Don’s manner of saying -this that made Leon suspicious, and he quickly demanded:</p> - -<p>“Do you mean it? Will you really wait for me at the -wharf?”</p> - -<p>Instantly the dark-eyed lad blazed forth:</p> - -<p>“What do you take me for? Do you think I’m a liar, -same as all the others think? Didn’t I say I’d be there?”</p> - -<p>“Yes, but I——”</p> - -<p>“Well, get your old rifle and come along! Hurry up -about it, too!”</p> - -<p>“All right,” breathed Leon, hastily. “I’ll hustle, you -bet.”</p> - -<p>He turned and ran down the street, while Don sullenly -walked on, in anything but a pleasant mood. At the first -corner, he turned to the left and made for the shore, considering<span class="pagenum" id="Page_123">[123]</span> -himself lucky when he left the main streets of -the village without meeting any of the scholars besides -Bentley.</p> - -<p>When Leon reached Nutt’s Wharf, he found Don sitting -on one of the old spiles, gazing moodily down into -the water that was eddying round the barnacle-encrusted -timbers. Hearing Bentley approaching, Don looked up, a -frown still on his face.</p> - -<p>“Well, where’s your rifle?” he asked. “Couldn’t you -get it?”</p> - -<p>“Sure thing,” grinned Leon, unbuttoning his coat and -displaying a small rifle with a detachable stock. “I kept -it out of sight by tucking it under there. Just as well, for -I ran into some of the fellows, and they would have asked -questions if they’d seen it.”</p> - -<p>“Now, where’s your boat?” demanded Scott.</p> - -<p>“We’ll take Jeff Tyler’s old dory. I know where he -hides the oars.”</p> - -<p>“Did you ask Jeff for her?”</p> - -<p>“What’s the use of asking?” chuckled Bentley. “I’ve -used her more than once, and I never asked yet.”</p> - -<p>“Jeff might not like it if he knew.”</p> - -<p>“What do we care? He’ll never know, for he’s at work -over in Lobsterville. Come on.”</p> - -<p>Don followed Leon, who drew out the oars from their -place of concealment beneath some old timbers piled at -one end of the wharf, and then led the way round to the -tagging, slimy steps that enabled them to reach the dory.<span class="pagenum" id="Page_124">[124]</span> -Don entered the boat first, Leon casting off the line and -springing in a moment later.</p> - -<p>“We’d better not pull straight across,” said the doctor’s -son. “There goes the academy bell. We might be -seen, so let’s pull up the shore to Duffy’s Nose and keep -under the land till after school begins.”</p> - -<p>“All right,” said Leon. “Go ahead. I’ve got to take -care of this rifle.”</p> - -<p>He made a pretense of disposing of the rifle, while Don -took the oars and rowed away up the shore. Bentley -lighted a cigarette and found a comfortable position in -the stern of the dory.</p> - -<p>“This is great stuff,” he nodded, with satisfaction. “It’s -a corking day. A fellow’s a fool to mope away his time in -school on such a day as this. Say, you can’t guess what -the fellows said about you because you failed to show up -this forenoon.”</p> - -<p>“I don’t give a continental what they said!” snapped -Don.</p> - -<p>“They said you were afraid,” grinned Leon, exhaling a -great breath of thin, blue smoke. “You stirred up a dickens -of a mess when you accused Renwood of doing that -job; but, say, didn’t he come back at you with both feet! -That must have jarred you some.”</p> - -<p>Don had stopped rowing, and his face showed how his -companion’s words had aroused him.</p> - -<p>“So they say I’m afraid?” he muttered, bitterly. “I<span class="pagenum" id="Page_125">[125]</span> -didn’t think about that. If I had thought—— But what -do I care what they say!”</p> - -<p>“Of course you don’t care, old man. I’m your friend, -and I’ll stick by you. If the whole town says you did that -trick, I’ll never believe it. I know better.”</p> - -<p>Leon said this with such evident earnestness that the -unfortunate youth could not help feeling gratitude and -showing it.</p> - -<p>“Thank you, Bent,” he said, his voice being a trifle -husky despite himself. “I’m glad to hear you say that, -anyhow. I won’t forget it, either.”</p> - -<p>“I don’t believe you are the kind to forget easily,” asserted -the crafty Leon. “It wouldn’t be like you to forget -that I was the only one to stand by you and believe in you -when almost everybody turned against you.”</p> - -<p>“No, I do not forget easily, and I’ll not forget Dolph -Renwood! My turn will come, and I’ll soak him when it -does! I suppose they were saying all manner of nasty -things about me?”</p> - -<p>“Rather. They said you put up a big bluff, but Sterndale -was sure you’d come round and cave in before night.”</p> - -<p>“He never made a bigger mistake in his life.”</p> - -<p>“But he says he’s going to apply to your father for pay -for the football and suits if you don’t fork over. You -don’t want him to do that, do you?”</p> - -<p>“I don’t want him to, but I’ll never pay to keep him from -doing it. Not in a million years! If he thinks I will, he’ll -find he’s awfully mistaken.”</p> - - - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_126">[126]</span>Don was rowing again, and he pulled the boat up under -the shelter of the high promontory known as Duffy’s -Nose, where they lingered till they knew the afternoon -session at the academy had begun. Then away across the -harbor the boat went, with Scott laboring at the oars and -Bentley lazily smoking in the stern. Into Crab Inlet they -steered, pulling up as far as the bridge across Powder -Mill Creek. Having tied the dory beneath the bridge, -where it would remain hidden from view, they set off on -foot toward the Old Powder Mill.</p> - -<p>Leon put his rifle together and loaded it, having brought -along a supply of cartridges, and began to look round for -something to shoot.</p> - -<p>“I wouldn’t mind taking a shot at a sheep or a cow, -just for fun,” he grinned. “It would be sport just to wing -somebody’s old cow enough to make her run and kick -up.”</p> - -<p>“I fail to see where the fun would come in,” growled -Don.</p> - -<p>At the Powder Mill Dam, where the water came rippling -over in a shining sheet, they lingered a while, and -Bentley fired at a swimming fish, but did not touch it. -Don would have been content to remain there longer, but -his companion was eager to plunge into the woods and -discover something to shoot.</p> - -<p>The chatter of a squirrel caused Leon to hurry forward -eagerly. They came in sight of the squirrel after a -time, a handsome fellow, with a large, bushy tail, and<span class="pagenum" id="Page_127">[127]</span> -Bentley began shooting, while Don looked on. After -Leon had fired four times, the squirrel scampered off and -disappeared, quite unharmed.</p> - -<p>“Well, I have my doubts about your being able to hit -a cow unless you put the muzzle of the rifle against her,” -said Don.</p> - -<p>Leon flushed, chagrined at his ill success.</p> - -<p>“It’s a pretty good trick to hit a little object like a -squirrel with this kind of a rifle,” he declared. “I bet -you can’t do it.”</p> - -<p>“I don’t see the fun in shooting squirrels, anyway,” -retorted Don.</p> - -<p>“Oh, you don’t?” grinned Bentley, tauntingly. “That’s -because you know you can’t hit one. You don’t dare -to try.”</p> - -<p>He continued to talk in this manner till they came -upon another squirrel, when he held out the rifle and invited -Don to show what he could do.</p> - -<p>“Get out!” retorted the dark-eyed lad. “I don’t want -to shoot him. See how handsome he looks, perched on -that limb with his tail up over his back.”</p> - -<p>Leon sneered and scoffed, persisting that Don did not -wish to shoot because he knew he could not hit the squirrel, -till, with an angry exclamation, the doctor’s son -caught the rifle from his companion’s hand, took careful -aim and fired.</p> - -<p>From the limb an object dropped toward the ground, -which it struck with a sodden plump.</p> - - - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_128">[128]</span>“You got him!” shouted Leon. “Why, you’re a crackajack!”</p> - -<p>He ran forward, and Don followed slowly with the -rifle, a strange look on his face. There was a rustling -beneath the tree, and Bentley made a forward dive, crying:</p> - -<p>“Great smoke! he’s trying to get away! You broke -his back!”</p> - -<p>The other boy stood still, his eyes following the crippled -squirrel that was trying to drag itself away to a -place of concealment. Leon headed off the wretched little -creature and began poking it about with a stick he -had picked up.</p> - -<p>“Stop that!” snarled Don, springing at his companion, -with his eyes blazing. “Why don’t you kill him? Can’t -you see he’s suffering?”</p> - -<p>Then he caught the stick from Leon’s hand and struck -the squirrel till the tiny animal lay motionless and dead -at his feet. This done, Don straightened up and stood -staring down at the work of his hand, his lips quivering -queerly, while something seemed to swell up in his -throat and almost choke him.</p> - -<p>“Hoop-la!” shouted the other lad. “You’re a mighty -hunter and a dead shot, but I’ll bet you a quarter you -miss the next one you shoot at.”</p> - -<p>“Take your old rifle!” palpitated Don, thrusting the -weapon at Leon. “I wouldn’t shoot at another one for -fifty dollars!”</p> - - - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_129">[129]</span>“Why, it’s sport!” laughed Leon. “That’s what we -came over here for.”</p> - -<p>“It’s not sport for me, and I didn’t come here for anything -of the kind. I’m going back to the dam.”</p> - -<p>“Not now? Why, we’re going to hunt through the -woods for partridges.”</p> - -<p>“You may go where you like,” said Don, turning -away. “When you get ready to go home, you’ll find me -down by the dam.”</p> - -<p>His thin lips curling, Leon stared after Don, who -talked swiftly away. Bentley scornfully muttered:</p> - -<p>“He’s got a soft spot about him, after all, or he’d not -act that way over a common squirrel.”</p> - -<p>Alone by the dam, Don lingered in the sunshine, listening -to the plashing water and the rustling whispers -of the wind amid the trees. His face, that had been hard -and angry, was sad and shaded with sincere regret.</p> -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<span class="pagenum" id="Page_130">[130]</span> - -<h2 class="nobreak">CHAPTER XVI.<br /> - - -<small>TEMPTER AND TEMPTED.</small></h2> -</div> - -<p>“What kind of an excuse are you going to make for -being absent from school?” asked Leon, as they were -pulling homeward across the harbor late that afternoon.</p> - -<p>“I don’t know,” answered Don, shortly.</p> - -<p>“You’ll have to tell something.”</p> - -<p>“Yes.”</p> - -<p>“Why don’t you do same as I do?”</p> - -<p>“How is that?”</p> - -<p>“Why, I just write an excuse for myself and take it to -old Alden. He never knows the difference.”</p> - -<p>“I should think he could tell your writing.”</p> - -<p>“Not much! I imitate the old gent’s writing, and I bet -it would fool the old gent himself. Then I put his name -to it, and everything is all slick.”</p> - -<p>“I can’t do that,” said Don.</p> - -<p>“I might do it for yer, if I had a sample of your old -man’s penmanship. It would be dead easy.”</p> - -<p>“I wouldn’t like to do anything like that.”</p> - -<p>“It’s a blamed sight better than being pulled over the -coals for playing hookey, I tell you. Tell you what, I’ll -come round this evening and whistle out back of your -house, and you can let me in, same as you did yesterday.<span class="pagenum" id="Page_131">[131]</span> -Then, if you want me to, and you can find something -your governor has written, I’ll fix you up an excuse.”</p> - -<p>“You needn’t bother yourself. I shan’t want anything -of the kind.”</p> - -<p>“All right,” grinned Leon; “just as you say, old man. -But don’t give me away, so your dad will report that you -were out with me.”</p> - -<p>“Don’t be afraid of that.”</p> - -<p>Down past Duffy’s Nose they slipped, creeping along -the shore toward Nutt’s Wharf, the oars clanking in the -rowlocks. Seeing no one in the vicinity of the wharf, -they pulled up to the steps and made the dory fast.</p> - -<p>“Bring the oars,” directed Leon, as, with the rifle buttoned -under his coat, he sprang out and started up the -steps.</p> - -<p>“Come back and get the oars, if you want them,” came -sharply from Don. “I’ve done the rowing, and now you -may take care of the old oars, or they’ll stay in the boat.”</p> - -<p>Leon came back and took them as Scott passed them -out, observing:</p> - -<p>“You’re in a jolly good temper! Any one ’d never suspect -you’d been playing hookey and having a good time.”</p> - -<p>“Well, I haven’t been having a good time,” muttered -the doctor’s son, as he followed his companion up the -steps.</p> - -<p>He did not wait for Leon, but at once set off toward -home. As he reached the corner of Academy street, he<span class="pagenum" id="Page_132">[132]</span> -met Sterndale, who was coming down from the football -field.</p> - -<p>“One moment, Scott,” said Dick, stopping him. “I -want to know if you mean to pony up for that football -and those suits.”</p> - -<p>“If I do,” flared Don, his face flaming red, “I hope -I’ll be struck by lightning!”</p> - -<p>“You’d better,” threatened the captain, grimly, “if you -don’t want me to go to your father at once.”</p> - -<p>“Go to him, and be hanged! You can’t make me pay -for damage I didn’t do, Sterndale, and I didn’t do that -piece of dirty work.”</p> - -<p>Dick’s eyes seemed trying to read his thoughts, as if -they would probe his very soul. With indignation, scorn -and defiance in his look, Don met his gaze squarely.</p> - -<p>“All right, Scott,” said the big fellow, after a few moments. -“I did hope you would be reasonable, and you’ll -have no one but yourself to blame if your father learns -everything.”</p> - -<p>Not a word in return for these did Don deign to speak, -but again went onward toward home, leaving Sterndale -staring after him in mingled anger and perplexity.</p> - -<p>It was not necessary for Don to make excuses for arriving -home late, as he was in time for supper. He -found his father in a particularly agreeable humor, and -he was forced to simulate good nature himself, although -it was a difficult and repugnant task.</p> - - - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_133">[133]</span>“Well, my boy,” said the doctor, sipping his tea, “how -have things gone with you to-day?”</p> - -<p>“Pretty well,” was the somewhat hesitating answer.</p> - -<p>“He had to stay behind at noon on account of his -studies,” put in Don’s aunt. “That’s what made dinner -late. I’m afraid he’s studying too hard, Lyman.”</p> - -<p>“Nonsense,” laughed Dr. Scott. “He likes outdoor -sports too well to let study do him any damage. He’s -one of the shining lights of the great Rockspur football -team, and I expect he’ll make a record to be proud of -when the eleven meets Highland.”</p> - -<p>Don’s eyes were fastened on his plate, and he felt his -face beginning to burn.</p> - -<p>“They do say that football is an awful game, Lyman,” -anxiously said Aunt Ella. “And I’ve read in the papers -about how many players get hurt at it every year. Now, -if Don should be killed——”</p> - -<p>“There is not much danger of that,” assured the doctor, -still laughing. “He is training regularly, and he will -be in good condition for the game. A boy who studies -hard in school should be permitted to balance it up by -good, healthy sport out of school, and there is seldom any -danger that he will hurt himself.”</p> - -<p>“But it was different when we were young—it was -different then,” sighed the good woman, pouring another -cup of tea. “Times have changed, Lyman.”</p> - -<p>“I think so,” nodded Don’s father, “for the better. -Don didn’t miss a day at school last term, and, unless he<span class="pagenum" id="Page_134">[134]</span> -is ill, I do not expect him to miss a day this term. Now, -a lad who sticks to his studies like that deserves to be -indulged in his ambitions for athletic games that will -build up his body and strengthen him physically. If I -find an opportunity, I shall attend the first football game -in Rockspur, and so encourage the eleven by my presence.”</p> - -<p>Don was feeling decidedly mean and wretched when -he left the table. Once during the conversation he had -sought to summon courage to confess about remaining -out of school that day, but the talk flowed on and his -resolution weakened. The opportunity passed; after that -he could not bring himself to bluntly declare the truth.</p> - -<p>“Anyhow, he’ll find out about it soon enough,” thought -the miserable lad. “Sterndale will come round and give -the whole thing away.”</p> - -<p>But the evening passed on and Sterndale did not appear. -In his room, after darkness had fallen, Don tried -to read; but he found Henty dull, Optic tame, Alger insipid, -and not even that master of all writers for youth, -Trowbridge, could hold his attention and chain his restless -mind.</p> - -<p>At last he heard a sound that caused him to start up. -It was a soft, peculiar whistle beneath his window, and -he knew Bentley had arrived.</p> - -<p>For some moments Don stood irresolute, then, as the -whistle was repeated, he slipped down the back stairs and -admitted Leon to the house.</p> - - - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_135">[135]</span>“Well,” said the visitor, bringing out cigarettes the -moment they were in Don’s room and the door was -closed, “you’re dead lucky, old man, and don’t you forget -it.”</p> - -<p>“Lucky?” sneered the doctor’s son, derisively. “Well, -I’d like to know how! I think I’m just about the unluckiest -fellow on the face of the earth.”</p> - -<p>“I don’t suppose you know anything about it,” said -Leon, having struck a match and lighted a cigarette, -“but Sterndale’s wilted.”</p> - -<p>“Wilted? In what way?”</p> - -<p>“He’s backed down; he ain’t going to tackle your old -man to make him pay for the football and suits.”</p> - -<p>“How do you know?” gasped Don, in astonishment.</p> - -<p>“Got it straight from Chatterton. I can always pump -him. He says Sterndale talked it over with the fellows. -Most of them wanted to carry the thing through, but -Dick said no, and he agreed to pay the damage himself. -You know, he always has his own way, and so that settled -it.”</p> - -<p>Don drew a deep breath and sat down, feeling that -some of the load had been lifted from his shoulders.</p> - -<p>“Have a smoke,” invited Leon, grinning. “It will -soothe you.”</p> - -<p>Don took a cigarette and lighted it.</p> - -<p>For a long time the boys sat and chatted in low tones. -Don told how his father fancied he was still on the<span class="pagenum" id="Page_136">[136]</span> -eleven, and how he had failed to confess about playing -hookey.</p> - -<p>“I don’t know how you’re going to keep the old man -from finding out you’re not on the eleven,” said Leon, -“but he needn’t know that you hooked away from school. -All you have to do is to get me some paper and a sample -of his writing. I’ll fix it. Just let me show you what I -can do. You don’t have to carry the excuse if you don’t -want to, you know.”</p> - -<p>So Don went softly down the carpeted front stairs, -discovered his father was not in his office, slipped in and -took an old letter and some paper from the open desk, -and scudded noiselessly back to the room where his -tempter was smoking his fifth cigarette.</p> - -<p>“Well, this is all right,” chuckled Bentley, as he prepared -to write at Don’s desk. “You’ve brought some -of the doctor’s letter paper, with his name and office -hours printed at the top. Why, with that, and this letter -to copy from, I can write an excuse that would fool the -greatest handwriting expert in the country. I’ll have to -practice a little and get on to the style of your dad’s -chirography.”</p> - -<p>The doctor’s son watched Leon imitating the formation -of the letters and the general style of Dr. Scott’s -handwriting, and then, after a while, saw the visitor -slowly and carefully write out on one of the sheets of -letter paper an excuse for Don’s absence from school -signing it with the doctor’s name.</p> - - - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_137">[137]</span>“There,” said the youthful rascal, surveying with great -pride his handiwork. “I rather think that will do. Bad -headache, stomach out of order, feverish symptoms, -thought it best to let you remain away from school. -Isn’t that a bird, old man?”</p> - -<p>“It’s very clever,” admitted Don, “but you had better -take care what you do in this line. Your skill in imitating -the writing of other persons may get you into -trouble some day.”</p> - -<p>“Get out! I’m not a fool! Take that to old Alden to-morrow, -and he’ll accept it without a word. That’ll -keep your old gent from finding out anything now, and -something may prevent him from taking in any of the -games, so he won’t know you’re not on the eleven. It’s -best not to hurt his feelings by telling him everything. -I reckon I’d better be skipping out.”</p> - -<p>When Leon was gone, Don picked up the forged excuse -and looked it over critically.</p> - -<p>“It would fool me, that’s certain,” he muttered. “The -imitation of father’s writing is perfect. But I can’t -carry this to Professor Alden.”</p> - -<p>He took hold of it, as if intending to tear it up, but -hesitated, paused, wavered, then laid it down on the desk.</p> - -<p>The following day, he took it to school and gave it to -the professor.</p> -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<span class="pagenum" id="Page_138">[138]</span> - -<h2 class="nobreak">CHAPTER XVII.<br /> - - -<small>THE TACKLING MACHINE.</small></h2> -</div> - -<p>Even without a football, Renwood succeeded in getting -some profitable practice out of the eleven. Early on -Monday morning he went to a certain carpenter’s shop -in the village and placed before the proprietor the plan of -a somewhat novel arrangement, consisting of two upright -timbers, with guy-ropes and pullies and running -lines.</p> - -<p>“It’s rather out of my line to make anything of the -sort,” said the carpenter; “but I guess I can do it if I -can git Enos Berry, the sail-maker, to help me. He -knows more about splicin’ ropes and riggin’ up tackle -than anybody round here. If I had anything else to do, -I wouldn’t touch it, but I’ll see what can be done.”</p> - -<p>“I want it all done by to-night,” said Dolph. “We -must have it to-night, and it must be set up on the field.”</p> - -<p>“Well, I don’t agree to have anything to do with your -dummy and weight.”</p> - -<p>“I have those over home, and I’ll send for father to -have them brought here. I’ll come in at noon and see -how you’re getting along. By that time I ought to be -able to show you just how to fix it so it will work.”</p> - -<p>At noon he visited the shop and found the two men -had progressed in a most satisfactory way with the work,<span class="pagenum" id="Page_139">[139]</span> -although they were a trifle foggy in regard to the manner -in which the machine was operated. Dolph carefully and -fully explained this to them, and gave them some final -instructions, departing in high spirits.</p> - -<p>But, to his disappointment, when school was over that -afternoon, instead of finding the arrangement set up on -the football field, as he had hoped it would be, it was not -completed, another complication having arisen. So Renwood -was not on hand when the boys gathered after -supper for such practice as they could obtain without a -ball, and Sterndale was obliged to do what he could -unaided by the coach. This sort of work was very unsatisfactory, -and after a time the boys gave it up and -left the field, all of them wondering what had become of -Dolph.</p> - -<p>The field had not been deserted long when Renwood -appeared upon it, accompanied by the men he had employed, -and there they labored till nearly dark.</p> - -<p>Almost all the members of the eleven were in the club-rooms -when Renwood appeared there.</p> - -<p>“Come on, fellows!” he cried. “I have something to -show you.”</p> - -<p>“Where?” demanded several.</p> - -<p>“What is it?” asked others.</p> - -<p>“You’ll all find out if you follow me,” answered the -coach, mysteriously.</p> - -<p>“Is it fur?” yawned Thad Boland, wearily.</p> - -<p>“No, it isn’t fur that I’m going to show you,” laughed<span class="pagenum" id="Page_140">[140]</span> -Renwood. “What are you looking for—a bearskin -coat?”</p> - -<p>“I mean is it fur off,” explained Old Lightning. -“’Cause I’m too tired to walk fur.”</p> - -<p>“You’re alwus tired,” asserted Jotham Sprout. “You -was born that way.”</p> - -<p>“Don’t try to be funny, Bubble,” advised Thad; “for -when you try to be, you ain’t funny at all. Sometimes, -when you don’t mean to be, you’re really funny.”</p> - -<p>“Well, are you coming?” demanded Renwood. “If -you want to see it to-night you’ll have to hustle, or it -will be too dark.”</p> - -<p>“What is it?” was again asked.</p> - -<p>“Something worth seeing,” was his mysterious assertion, -which aroused their curiosity, and he soon had them -following him down the stairs, even Old Lightning lumbering -along grumblingly and wearily in the rear.</p> - -<p>Straight to the field he led them, persistently refusing -to enlighten them on the way.</p> - -<p>“You’ll find out what it is when you see it,” he said.</p> - -<p>On the way they picked up Danny Chatterton, who -had been talking with Leon Bentley.</p> - -<p>“Bent is sore as bub-bub-blazes,” declared Danny. -“He says Sus-Sterndale’s gettin’ to be an old wo-woman, -for he lets somebub-bub-body else ru-run the eleven and -ch-changes his mind about mum-making Scott’s father -pup-pup-pup-pay for the fuf-football and suits. He sus-says -he’d ha-ha-had to pay if he’d done it, and he thinks<span class="pagenum" id="Page_141">[141]</span> -Sus-Sterndale ought to bub-bub-back up his threat to -gug-go to Scott’s fuf-father.”</p> - -<p>“I wouldn’t have too much to say to that fellow, Chat,” -advised Dick. “You’ll be just as well off if you keep -away from him.”</p> - -<p>When the football field was reached, Renwood led -them through the gate. It was already quite dark, and -rapidly getting darker.</p> - -<p>“Look there!” he said, with an outward fling of his -arm.</p> - -<p>They looked, and what they saw caused some of them -to utter exclamations of astonishment, not unmingled -with alarm. Before their eyes, dimly seen through the -gloom, something dangled in the air. And that something -very much resembled a human being, hung by the -neck, with its feet lifted just clear of the ground!</p> - -<p>“Jupiter!” exclaimed Rob Linton.</p> - -<p>“Pwhat is it, Oi dunno?” gasped Dennis Murphy.</p> - -<p>“A mum-mum-mum-man!” fluttered Chatterton. -“Hu-hung up by the nun-neck! Oh, gug-ginger!” His -teeth began to chatter and he backed away.</p> - -<p>“It does look like a man,” admitted Water Mayfair.</p> - -<p>Renwood burst out laughing, then suddenly ran forward, -flung himself at the dangling object, clutched it -with his arms and came down to the ground with it immediately.</p> - -<p>“Fair tackle!” laughed Sterndale. “Boys, I know what -it is. I’ve heard of them. It’s a tackling machine.”</p> - - - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_142">[142]</span>“You’ve hit it,” acknowledged Renwood, getting up, -whereupon the human-looking object that he had -dragged down rose like a thing of life and once more -dangled upright in the air, bobbing slightly, as if dancing -on nothing. “I’ve had this put up so that I may teach -you fellows how to tackle correctly without getting you -all bruised and battered and sore in the last few days -before the game.”</p> - -<p>“Oi breathe again!” murmured Murphy, in great relief. -“Oi wur about to take to me heels an’ run fer it.”</p> - -<p>“Run for it!” gurgled Jotham Sprout. “By smoke! I -was just getting ready to run the other way.”</p> - -<p>The boys went forward and examined the tackling -machine with great interest. They found two upright -timbers had been erected about twenty feet apart, being -connected by a strong rope from the top of one timber -to the top of the other, and held in place by guy-ropes -attached to stout pins that were driven into the ground. -On the connecting rope ran a pulley-truck with an iron -hook that held another and smaller block-pulley, through -which passed the rope that suspended at one end the -dummy to be tackled and at the other end the weight -that lifted the dummy clear of the ground. This weight -was arranged to drop just low enough to lift the dummy -to the proper distance and then stop. When the dummy -was tackled and brought down, the weight went up, the -rope running through the lower and smaller block. To -the upper block a second rope was made fast, running to<span class="pagenum" id="Page_143">[143]</span> -small pulleys attached to the upright timbers a few -inches from the top, so that by pulling on either end of -this rope the dummy could be set in motion, drawn -along swiftly, stopped suddenly, and caused to retreat in -opposite direction. The dummy was a stout, heavy -figure, made to represent a man dressed in a padded football -suit, but having neither arms nor feet.</p> - -<p>All this was very interesting, and the boys poured out -their questions in single shots, scattering fires and volleys, -so that it was not possible for Dolph to immediately -answer them; but he explained that the dummy -was one he had brought with him from Boston, having -been purchased for him by his father, and the machine -in a general way resembled the one invented by Captain -Garret Cochran, of the Princeton University Football -Team.</p> - -<p>Then they were eager to try it.</p> - -<p>“Clear the road!” bellowed Jotham Sprout, bracing -himself at a distance of about twenty feet and pulling -his cap down over his fat head. “I’m going to show ye -how to tackle the old thing. Just watch me do it.”</p> - -<p>Renwood immediately caught hold of one end of the -rope that drew the dummy along, while the boys stood -aside to witness the fat lad’s tackle. Jotham charged -furiously and flung himself at the dummy with outstretched -arms, but Dolph gave a sharp pull on the rope, -and the figure moved aside, so that Sprout clutched -nothing but empty air, and crashed to the ground like a<span class="pagenum" id="Page_144">[144]</span> -fallen elephant, his breath being driven from his body in -a great grunt of astonishment.</p> - -<p>The boys shouted with laughter, while Jotham sat up -and stared in disgust at the swaying dummy, wheezing:</p> - -<p>“The blamed thing dodged!”</p> - -<p>“Oh, Bubble!” shouted Mayfair. “It’s a wonder you -didn’t burst when you struck the ground. Ha! ha! ha!”</p> - -<p>“He! he! he!” mocked Jotham, sourly. “What made -the hanged old thing do that?”</p> - -<p>“That’s what it’s for,” asserted Renwood. “What -would it be good for if it always hung still and let you -tackle? A running man will dodge you if he can, and -the dummy is made to do the same thing. That is so -you’ll tackle quick and sure, and be on the watch for any -move the other fellow may try to make.”</p> - -<p>“Well, it wasn’t fair that time, for I warn’t ready for -it to jump like that,” said Bubble, heavily rising to his -feet.</p> - -<p>“Try it again,” urged several.</p> - -<p>“Excuse me!” Jotham protested. “I guess I’ll look on -and see some of the rest of ye try it.”</p> - -<p>“Hurroo!” cried Dennis Murphy, prancing off and -spitting on his hands. “Oi’ll be afther havin’ a go at it, -an’ let’s see thot bag av sawdust dodge me.”</p> - -<p>“All right,” said Renwood. “Go ahead, Murphy.”</p> - -<p>Dennis made a dash at the dummy, expecting Dolph -would give it another pull in the same direction as before, -but Sterndale had slipped up and taken hold of the<span class="pagenum" id="Page_145">[145]</span> -other end of the rope, and, at the critical moment, the -figure seemed to spring the other way. The result was -that the Irish youth miscalculated entirely and went -down, but he came up from the ground as if he had -been thrown erect by springs.</p> - -<p>“Howld on!” he ejaculated, whirling about and glaring -at the object, while the amused lads shouted again. -“Is it backward ye dodge, Oi dunno? Sure, ye’re a -shlick crayther, av Oi ivver saw wan, but Oi’ll down yez -av it takes me all noight, so Ol will.”</p> - -<p>He sprang at the dummy again, caught it waist high, -and brought it down immediately.</p> - -<p>After this the boys took turns at it, having it drawn -swiftly along and running at an angle to head it off, pursuing -it, meeting it, and coming at it in various ways. -Dolph showed them just how to tackle low and effectively, -and they would not stop till it was too dark for -them to practice on the machine with any success.</p> - -<p>“Let every fellow get up here by seven o’clock to-morrow -morning,” said Sterndale, “and we’ll put in an -hour on this machine. We ought to get our new ball -by to-morrow night, and so we’re not going to be hurt -much, as far as practice is concerned, by the destruction -of the other one.”</p> - -<p>In high spirits, they left the field, laughing, joking -and singing, and the sentiment universally expressed was -that a fellow who took so much trouble and interest in -coaching them was the right person for the position.</p> -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<span class="pagenum" id="Page_146">[146]</span> - -<h2 class="nobreak">CHAPTER XVIII.<br /> - - -<small>TROUBLE ON THE TEAM.</small></h2> -</div> - -<p>“I did not see you practicing after school to-night with -the other boys, Don,” said Dr. Scott, two evenings later. -“I happened to be driving past the ground, and so I -stopped at the gate and looked on a few moments. I expected -to see you in the midst of it. Where were you, -my son?”</p> - -<p>“I—I was not feeling very well,” declared Don, as -smoothly as he could, although he knew his face had -flushed, “and so I did not practice to-night.”</p> - -<p>“There!” exclaimed his aunt; “what did I tell you, -Lyman! I knew there was something the matter with -him, as he hasn’t been acting at all natural for the past -few days. I’m afraid, brother, you will have cause to -regret permitting him to indulge indiscriminately in that -rough and dangerous game.”</p> - -<p>“I hardly think there is any cause for alarm,” smiled -the doctor. “Any boy may have a turn at feeling indisposed -in the midst of apple-time, when every orchard is -inviting him to gorge himself. You have not been hurt -in practice, have you, Don?”</p> - -<p>“Oh, no, sir! not at all,” was the hasty answer.</p> - -<p>“And you’re feeling all right now?”</p> - -<p>“Yes, sir.”</p> - - - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_147">[147]</span>“Let me look at your tongue.”</p> - -<p>Don shamefacedly showed his tongue.</p> - -<p>“Slight coat on it,” commented his father. “Stomach -a trifle disturbed. I’ll give you something for that before -you go to bed. You’ll be all right in the morning. -It wouldn’t do for you to fall ill now, with the great -game against Highland only four days ahead, would it, -my boy?”</p> - -<p>“Hardly,” said Don, intensely disgusted with himself.</p> - -<p>“Let me see, what position are you to play?” asked -the doctor, pursuing the conversation, to the boy’s increasing -discomfiture.</p> - -<p>“Half-back,” answered Don.</p> - -<p>“Then you must have considerable running and kicking -to do, for I believe that is one of the most important -positions on the team. They must think pretty well of -you, Don, to give you such a prominent place on the -eleven.”</p> - -<p>“Oh, yes, they think well of me!” murmured the uneasy -youth, with hidden bitterness.</p> - -<p>“How is the team coming on in a general way?” persisted -the man. “Do you think it is improving with practice?”</p> - -<p>“I hope so.”</p> - -<p>“But you do not speak in a confident manner. You -how, those Highlanders make a hard crowd to beat.”</p> - -<p>Don was silent.</p> - -<p>“I presume this young Renwood, who is instructing<span class="pagenum" id="Page_148">[148]</span> -the team, knows all about the game?” said the doctor, -causing his son to writhe inwardly.</p> - -<p>“He thinks he does,” laughed Don, shortly and -harshly.</p> - -<p>“Well, he has played it some, and so he must be able -to give you many valuable points. Is he an agreeable -sort of fellow?”</p> - -<p>“Not much.”</p> - -<p>“Don’t you like him?”</p> - -<p>“No,” answered Don, speaking the truth this time, at -least; “I do not like him.”</p> - -<p>“That’s unpleasant,” said Dr. Scott, noting with regret -the dark look on the boy’s face, “but you must not -permit that to keep you from doing your level best in -practice and in the game. At times it is necessary for -us to put aside all personal likes and dislikes and join -heartily with friends or foes in working together for a -result. The boy who permits his personal feelings to -rule his conduct in baseball or football will never make -the highest type of player, and there is danger that he -will not be very successful when he leaves school and -enters on a business or professional career, for he will be -ruled by prejudices and likings and not by sound common -sense and reason. My boy, I want you to promise -me that, for all you may dislike one or more of your -associates on the eleven, you will join with the others in -doing your level best under every condition to win from -your opponents. Promise me this, Don.”</p> - - - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_149">[149]</span>The youth choked a little and turned his eyes away. It -was too late now, he fancied, to reveal to his father the -exact condition of affairs, and so the deception must be -continued at any cost of torture to his outraged conscience. -Far better would it have been had he nerved -himself to speak the truth without further subterfuge -and falsehood.</p> - -<p>“I’m sure you are the kind of a boy to think first of -winning, regardless of your personal feelings,” asserted -the doctor, not, however, without a shade of anxiety in -his voice. “That being the case, it is your express duty -to do everything you can honestly and squarely do to -assist toward the desired result, even though it is necessary -to sacrifice yourself in order to aid an enemy on -your own side to make a successful play. I want you to -promise that you will do so if the occasion arises.”</p> - -<p>“That’s easy,” thought Don, “for I shall not play, and -so the occasion will not arise.” And he gave the desired -promise.</p> - -<p>He took the medicine which his father gave him, as -he could not easily avoid doing so, and then retired to -his own room, relieved and thankful to escape. In the -seclusion of his room, he seemed to turn in anger and -disgust on himself.</p> - -<p>“Oh, you’re a pretty cheap creature, Don Scott!” he -muttered, fiercely. “You’re getting to be a slick liar! -How long will you be able to keep it up? What will he -think of you when he finds out the whole truth?”</p> - - - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_150">[150]</span>The following night, he remained away from home -during the time the eleven was practicing on the field, -being forced to accept Bentley for a companion. But -Don found that by association he was learning to tolerate -Leon far easier than at first, for all that some traits -and actions of the fellow still jarred on his nerves. Misery -loves company, it is said, and both boys had once -been members of the eleven, so they sought a secluded -spot where they could smoke and talk and pass the time -away till Don dared venture home.</p> - -<p>Scott did not stop at one cigarette now; he smoked -three, and would have smoked more but that a certain -unpleasant sensation warned him to desist.</p> - -<p>“You’re taking to ’em as a duck takes to water,” declared -Leon, encouragingly. “I rather guess you’ve -found they’re good for what ails yer.”</p> - -<p>“Oh, they give a fellow something to do to pass away -the time,” said Don; “but I don’t care about them.”</p> - -<p>“You will some time,” averred the other. “You’ll -want them with you all the time. But, say, they ain’t -having such a slick old time since you and I left the -eleven.”</p> - -<p>“What do you mean?” asked Don, quickly.</p> - -<p>“Oh, they’re not getting along as well as they might. -They’ve put Smith in your place and Linton in mine, -with Boland as right tackle. Murphy couldn’t get along -with Old Lightning near him.”</p> - -<p>“Why, I thought Carter was going to take your place.”</p> - - - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_151">[151]</span>“They found it wouldn’t work, for Old Lightning was -too slow for end work. Carter is filling Smith’s place -on the end, but Renwood kicks like a steer about Boland. -Thad is getting sick of it, too, and it wouldn’t surprise -me a bit if he got out. Anyhow, all these changes have -made the right wing of the line awfully weak.”</p> - -<p>“If Boland gets out, they’re up a tree!” exclaimed Don, -with a feeling of unjust triumph. “They haven’t a -good substitute now, and it will break them all up to -lose Thad.”</p> - -<p>“That’s right!” cried Bentley, gleefully. “They will -be in the soup! What will they do?”</p> - -<p>“Give it up. What could they do now if a man should -be hurt in a game?”</p> - -<p>“They’ve been talking of taking one of the mill fellows -along as a substitute, but they don’t like to do it. -There are a dozen fellows who go to the academy and -who might play, but they won’t have anything to do -with the game. They’ve got a scrub team from Lobsterville -playing with them for practice to-night. Perhaps -they’ll get somebody out of that.”</p> - -<p>“Perhaps so, but I doubt it. Sterndale can blame himself -for letting Renwood boss things, if they do happen -to get into a box.”</p> - -<p>“One thing is certain,” said Leon, wagging his head; -“they won’t get us to help them out.”</p> - -<p>“It isn’t likely they’ll want us,” muttered Don, bitterly.</p> - - - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_152">[152]</span>And so they passed the time in talking of these things -till the doctor’s son dared venture homeward. On his -way, he dropped into a tobacco store and, in a very self-conscious, -guilty manner, bought a package of cigarettes, -which he slipped into an inner pocket.</p> - -<p>Bentley had spoken the truth in saying the eleven was -not progressing in a satisfactory manner. Renwood had -worked hard to teach them, and they had received instructions -in punting, drop-kicking, place-kicking, passing, -tackling and interference; but when it came to working -out the various plays, Thad Boland could not be -aroused to the absolute necessity of quick and decisive -action, and he bothered and hindered the others in a -provoking manner. Thad was large enough and heavy -enough to become a good man in the line, but it seemed -doubtful if he would get into action and make himself of -the least consequence in the game. Renwood scolded -him and Sterndale coaxed him, but neither scolding nor -soft words brought the desired result.</p> - -<p>That night in the game against the scrub team, which -was made up of all sorts and conditions of boys, there -being sixteen in all, instead of eleven, Thad utterly refused -to earnestly exert himself, declaring it was no use -to “slash and tear ’round” in a fooling game of that sort, -nor could any kind of talk or influence affect him. As -the regulars failed to make an entirely satisfactory showing -against the scrub, this was most annoying and not a -little disheartening.</p> - - - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_153">[153]</span>After the game, Sterndale, Renwood, Smith and Murphy -drew aside to talk matters over.</p> - -<p>“Of course we gave the scrub the advantage of numbers -and the wind,” said the coach, somewhat ruefully; -“but that is no excuse for our failure to score oftener.”</p> - -<p>“The right end of the line is terribly weak,” confessed -Sterndale, who looked troubled. “Carter is a new man -on the end, Boland is too lazy at tackle, and Sprout is too -fat as guard. We must make a change, Renwood.”</p> - -<p>“It’s pretty late in the day to make a change now, but -we may have to do it. The team was far better as it -stood originally, with Smith on the end and Linton next -to him; but you had to pull Smith back to half to fill -Scott’s place.”</p> - -<p>“Perhaps I don’t fill it,” said the tall boy; “but you -bet I’ll do my level best.”</p> - -<p>“You’re all right, John,” declared the captain of the -eleven, laying an arm across Smith’s shoulders with -something like affectionate familiarity. “You’re just as -good a man as Scott was at half, but it has weakened the -line taking you off the end.”</p> - -<p>And this was the same John Smith who had once -been called the hoodoo of the baseball nine, derisively -nicknamed “Jonah,” and treated with inconsideration or -positive contempt by Richard Sterndale. Having proved -his worth, he was now held in esteem by the very ones -who had entertained nothing but scorn for him, and no -more was the opprobrious nickname applied to him.</p> - - - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_154">[154]</span>Dennis Murphy beamed with satisfaction and pleasure. -In the days of Smith’s disgrace the Irish lad had been -the only one of the village boys to side with him and -stand by him.</p> - -<p>“Thot b’y’s all roight wheriver ye put him, Misthur -Sterndale,” he declared, loyally.</p> - -<p>“Yes, Smith’s all right,” agreed Dolph, promptly; “but -we weakened the line by taking him off. If the Highlanders -ever discovered just how easy our right end is, -they could raise hob with us by hammering at it all the -time—and they will discover it, sure as fate.”</p> - -<p>Renwood appeared worried, and his manner impressed -the others.</p> - -<p>“What can we do?” asked the captain. “What would -you advise, Dolph?”</p> - -<p>“Bentley is a better man than Boland, if he will do -his best. If we could get him back into his old position -as left tackle and put Linton into Boland’s place, it would -strengthen the right end some.”</p> - -<p>Sterndale nodded. “Bentley is not a first-class man,” -he said, “but he would be an improvement on Boland. -Then, if we could put Smith on the end again, with Carter -in Bubble’s position, we’d be all right as far as the -line is concerned.”</p> - -<p>“But without a right half,” said Renwood. “Now, if -Scott——”</p> - -<p>“It’s no use to talk of him!” exclaimed Dick, quickly.<span class="pagenum" id="Page_155">[155]</span> -“We don’t want that kind of a fellow on the team. Isn’t -that your opinion, Dolph?”</p> - -<p>Renwood did not answer at once. He was aware that -the others were watching him closely and waiting with interest -for him to express himself on that point. At last, -he slowly said:</p> - -<p>“It would be better to play with almost anybody than -to be badly beaten just because there was one weak point -in the team, you know. If Scott didn’t have such a beastly -temper——”</p> - -<p>“That’s not the worst thing,” the captain grimly asserted. -“A fellow who will do what he did is too nasty -to be on the team. And you seem to forget that he tried -to lay it on to you, Dolph.”</p> - -<p>“No, I don’t forget; but I was thinking of the eleven, -not of myself.”</p> - -<p>“You’re altogether too generous, old man. But we -won’t talk about Scott; he’s out of the question. However, -I’ll see Bentley and tell him he can come back into -his old place. That will set Linton over to right tackle, -which will strengthen that end of the line some. If it -had not been for Dummy and Murphy, who could not -get along with Boland, I should not have shifted Linton -into Bentley’s place.”</p> - -<p>“Are you sure Leon will come back?” asked John -Smith. “You know he’s friendly with Scott now, and -he’s been saying all kinds of hard things about you and -the rest of us. Won’t he stick by Scott?”</p> - - - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_156">[156]</span>“Stick by nothing!” exclaimed Dick, with a laugh. -“I’ll get him back on to the team easy enough. He isn’t -the kind of a chap to stick by anybody.”</p> - -<p>“I’d think more of him if he was,” declared Renwood; -“but I guess it’s the best you can do, Captain Sterndale. -Better get him back in a hurry, if you’re going to get him -at all, so he will have the advantage of what little practice -we get before Saturday.”</p> - -<p>“I’ll have him up here for practice to-morrow morning,” -promised Dick, confidently.</p> - -<p>And he kept his word.</p> -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<span class="pagenum" id="Page_157">[157]</span> - -<h2 class="nobreak">CHAPTER XIX.<br /> - - -<small>THE NET OF DECEPTION.</small></h2> -</div> - -<p>“Look here, Bentley, I want to see you,” called Don -Scott, sharply, as Leon was hurrying homeward from -school the following noon.</p> - -<p>Leon cast a backward glance over the shoulder and -saw the doctor’s son coming after him with swinging -strides. The day was dark and lowering and a storm -was threatening, but Bentley saw indications of a swifter -and more violent storm in the face of the boy who was -hastened to overtake him, which made him feel like taking -to his heels and seeking shelter from the outbreak.</p> - -<p>“I’m in a hurry,” he cried, half pausing and then quickening -his steps once more.</p> - -<p>“I won’t bother you long,” was the assertion which -failed to reassure him in the slightest degree. “What I -have to say to you I can say in short order. Hold on!”</p> - -<p>“He won’t dare to touch me,” thought Leon, seeking -to quiet his own fears, but not entirely succeeding. “I -might as well let him blaze away and have it over.”</p> - -<p>He paused at a street corner and waited. A wet wind -was slashing viciously at the trees that lined the street, -and a yellow leaf, harbinger of the great flocks to follow, -came fluttering like a wounded bird to Bentley’s feet.</p> - -<p>The pursuer came up with a few swift, firm steps and<span class="pagenum" id="Page_158">[158]</span> -stopped, regarding Leon with scorn and anger apparently -unspeakable, so that the vacillating fellow stared at the -ground and weakly asked, forcing himself with a painful -effort to utter the words:</p> - -<p>“Well, what do you want?”</p> - -<p>“You’re a nice one, you are!” grated Don, with a motion -that caused the other to start back a bit and lift one -hand, like an oft-beaten child who expects a blow. “Oh, -I’m not going to touch you, so don’t cringe like a -whipped cur!”</p> - -<p>“What’s the matter with you?” Bentley snapped, trying -to stiffen up and put on a bold front. “If you have -anything to say to me, why don’t you say it?”</p> - -<p>“I will. You’re a treacherous sneak! You’re a two-faced -whelp! That ought to be plain enough for you to -understand.”</p> - -<p>“Oh, come, Scott!” exclaimed Leon, changing his -manner. “What reason have you got to make such talk -to me? What have I done?”</p> - -<p>“You know what you’ve done! You pretended to be -my friend, and yet——”</p> - -<p>“I am your friend.”</p> - -<p>“You’re nothing of the sort! I wouldn’t own you for -a friend! You have gone back on me!”</p> - -<p>“I suppose I know what you’re driving at. You’re -mad because I’ve gone back onto the eleven.”</p> - -<p>“After swearing over and over that you’d stick to me -through thick and thin! After vowing you’d never play<span class="pagenum" id="Page_159">[159]</span> -on the team unless I did! I didn’t ask for all those promises, -but you made them.”</p> - -<p>“And I meant to keep them when I made them, Scott——honest -I did. But Sterndale came and offered me -my old position, and so——”</p> - -<p>“You went back on your word and quit me.”</p> - -<p>“No, I’ve not quit you; I’m still your friend.”</p> - -<p>“Bah!” cried Don, scornfully.</p> - -<p>“I am!” palpitated Leon, eager to convince his companion. -“I’ll prove it to you, too. You don’t think I -went back because I want to help them win, do you?”</p> - -<p>The doctor’s son did not speak, and Bentley hastened -to go on:</p> - -<p>“Not on your life! That wasn’t my little game. I -went back because I can keep track of things better by -standing in with the gang. I can watch Dolph Renwood, -and I may get a good chance to give him a dig that will -do him up. Can’t you see I’m liable to get a better -chance at him now? I haven’t forgotten that he got -Sterndale to drop me, and I’ll pay him back.”</p> - -<p>“It’s a case of treachery on one side or the other,” declared -Don. “If you’re not lying to me, you’ve gone -back to betray the team, and so you’re a sneak, just the -same.”</p> - -<p>“Well, you beat anything!” gasped Leon, quite unable -to understand the other youth. “You want to see them -get it in the neck because Renwood is coaching them, -and yet you turn up your nose at me when you think<span class="pagenum" id="Page_160">[160]</span> -there is a chance that I may be able to give them the -throw-down. What are you made of, anyhow?”</p> - -<p>“I hope I’m made of different stuff than you are. I do -want them to be beaten, but I’m not on the eleven. If I -were on it, no matter how I felt, I’d have to do my best -to help win. If you do anything else, you will be a -traitor and a sneak.”</p> - -<p>Some color mounted to Bentley’s thin cheeks.</p> - -<p>“You’re the funniest fellow on legs!” he exclaimed. -“Of course I wouldn’t do anything to down the team -unless I could throw it all on Renwood’s shoulders. I’m -keeping my eyes open for a chance to show him up dirty.”</p> - -<p>Don was silent a moment, looking squarely at Leon -with those dark, piercing eyes.</p> - -<p>“Thad Boland may be lazy,” he finally said; “but a -lazy man is better than a sneak and a traitor. Sterndale -made a mistake when he took you back, and I’d tell him -so if I thought he’d pay any attention to me.”</p> - -<p>“You’ll be sorry some time for this kind of talk, -Scott!” snapped Leon, in bewildered anger. “There -come some girls, and I don’t want to talk with you any -longer.”</p> - -<p>Don saw several girls coming down the street, Dora -Deland and Zadia Renwood among them, and he immediately -said:</p> - -<p>“I’m sure I don’t want to be seen talking with you, nor -do I want anything further to do with you. You can -keep away from me in the future. Understand?”</p> - - - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_161">[161]</span>Without waiting for Leon to answer, he hastened onward -toward home, leaving Bentley to wait for the girls -and force himself upon them as a companion and escort, -whether he was wanted or not.</p> - -<p>That afternoon it rained. Don sat at his desk and listened -to the dash of the wind-driven cloud-tears against -a near-by window. Sometimes he studied, but oftener -he was thinking of things far removed from books and -recitations. The rain had begun late in the day and was -pretty certain to continue, so there could be no practice -for the Rockspur Eleven that night.</p> - -<p>“They’ve made another shift about since taking Bentley -back,” thought Don, “and every change disturbs them -some. There’s little time now for them to get used to -the new line-up.”</p> - -<p>It was not necessary for him to remain away from -home on the pretense of practicing that night, which -gave him no small satisfaction. He passed the evening -reading.</p> - -<p>The following day was bright and clear, and the eleven -turned out for morning practice on the field. At school -Don fancied the members of the team showed something -like satisfaction, as if things had moved better. Even -Thad Boland seemed relieved and well pleased.</p> - -<p>Saturday came, and as Don came down in the morning, -he was greeted by his father, who cheerfully cried:</p> - -<p>“This is a fine day for the great game, my son—bright,<span class="pagenum" id="Page_162">[162]</span> -sunny and cool. Are you feeling in first-class trim for -it?”</p> - -<p>“I am feeling first rate,” was the answer.</p> - -<p>“That’s good; but it seems to me that you are not -looking as well as usual. Perhaps regular practice, together -with your studies, has taken hold of you.”</p> - -<p>“Oh, no, not at all,” the boy hastened to declare. “I’m -feeling fine as a fiddle.”</p> - -<p>“Well, I’m glad of that, for you have a hard task before -you to beat Highland on its own ground. I suppose -you’ll want an early dinner to-day, as you always start -away by noon when you are going to Highland?”</p> - -<p>“Yes; half-past eleven will be about right.”</p> - -<p>“I did think of driving over to Highland this afternoon -and taking a look at the game,” said the doctor, causing -Don’s heart to stop beating for a moment; “but I find I -shall be unable to do so.”</p> - -<p>The boy breathed again, inwardly thanking fortune.</p> - -<p>“I want you to do your best to-day, my son,” pursued -his father; “and remember to guard your temper and -keep your head cool. Promise me that you will not, -under any provocation, permit your temper to master you -to-day, Don.”</p> - -<p>The promise was given, and they sat down to breakfast, -during which, to the continued uneasiness of the -youth, Dr. Scott persisted in talking about football and -asking unpleasant questions. Don was glad enough to<span class="pagenum" id="Page_163">[163]</span> -escape from the house under pretense of going to the -field to put in some morning practice.</p> - -<p>To him it now seemed necessary to continue the deception -as long as he could, and it is even probable that -he hoped his father might never find out the truth, although -this hardly appeared possible. In the beginning, -the deception had seemed a small matter and of little -consequence, but, having taken the first false step, he had -been led on till now the burden of the deceit seemed more -than he could bear. It was wearing on his nerves and -blunting all his finer instincts of honor, for Don was -naturally an upright and straightforward youth, who, -despite his violent disposition, detested anything dishonorable.</p> - -<p>Thus it came about that he remained away from home -all the forenoon, shunning and avoiding the other village -boys, who shunned and avoided him. When he came -rushing home, it was at the last minute, apparently, as if -the exciting events of the day had caught and carried -him away in their clutches.</p> - -<p>“Land of goodness!” cried his aunt, as he flung himself -down at the table. “Don’t tear the house to pieces!”</p> - -<p>“I’m in a hurry,” he declared.</p> - -<p>“Can’t you wait for your pa? The tea ain’t quite -ready.”</p> - -<p>“I can’t wait for anything, and I don’t want any tea.”</p> - -<p>“But you must eat a good hearty dinner, for you’ll -need it.”</p> - - - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_164">[164]</span>“Strictly against orders,” he declared, helping himself -to the mashed potatoes and cold corned beef. “No man -is permitted to overload his stomach on the day of a -game.”</p> - -<p>He fell to eating without ceremony and was quite finished -when his father came in at the ringing of the bell.</p> - -<p>“Hello! hello!” exclaimed the doctor. “Have you -eaten? Why, you haven’t been in the house five minutes. -I heard you when you came in.”</p> - -<p>“You’ll have to excuse me, father; I didn’t have time -to wait for you. I’m off.”</p> - -<p>“Hold on! Aren’t you going to take your overcoat? -It will be chilly riding home to-night.”</p> - -<p>“I came near forgetting it,” said Don, whose great -anxiety was to get out of the house before his father -could ask any more questions. “Good-by, Aunt Ella.” -He kissed her and then dashed up the stairs, leaving her -standing by the table, with uplifted hands, while the doctor -sat down, laughing.</p> - -<p>“Bless us! bless us!” breathed the good woman. -“What are boys in these days coming to? They actually -go crazy over baseball, football and such things. Now, -in our day——”</p> - -<p>“Boys played barn tag, three-old-cat, prisoner’s base -and games of that class; now they have something better, -sister. There is more sense in baseball, football, tennis, -polo, basket-ball and other modern games.”</p> - -<p>“Well, there may be,” sighed Aunt Ella, sitting down<span class="pagenum" id="Page_165">[165]</span> -and preparing to pour the tea; “but I’m sure there’s more -danger, and Don gets so crazy over them that I expect -he’ll come home dead some day, or crippled for life.”</p> - -<p>Don was heard coming swiftly downstairs, taking -three at a time.</p> - -<p>“Good-by!” he shouted. “I’m off.”</p> - -<p>“Good luck, my boy,” called the doctor. “Remember -my advice. Take care of yourself, and do your level best -to help Rockspur win.”</p> - -<p>The door slammed and Don was gone, but not to play -football.</p> -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<span class="pagenum" id="Page_166">[166]</span> - -<h2 class="nobreak">CHAPTER XX.<br /> - - -<small>WHILE THE GAME WAS PLAYED.</small></h2> -</div> - -<p>On a jutting ledge far up the side of Ragged Mountain, -where he could overlook the village, harbor, open -sea and hilly country to the westward, a lonely boy sat -astride a spur of the blue rock, gazing downward at a -dark object crawling steadily along the brown thread of -a road which led from the village, crooked about the shores -of the amethyst lake and wound into the distance that -swallowed it from sight.</p> - -<p>The boy was Don Scott, who had made feverish haste -to get out of Rockspur ahead of the football team, leaving -his overcoat at the little railroad station which he -passed on the Lobsterville side. From the station he had -followed the railroad to the foot of the mountain, where -he found a dimly-defined path that led him, panting and -toiling, upward to the ledge on which he was now -perched.</p> - -<p>At his feet lay Lake Glenwood, seeming near enough -for him to hurl a pebble into it with no great effort, although -he knew it was quite half-a-mile from the foot of -the mountain. His eyes had hastily followed the road -along the shore till they found, far beyond the middle -section of the lake and pursuing the stream that led off -from it, the dark object which he knew was the big buckboard<span class="pagenum" id="Page_167">[167]</span> -carrying the members of the Rockspur Eleven to -Highland.</p> - -<p>“There they go!” he panted. “Renwood is with them! -Bentley is with them! and I am here!”</p> - -<p>He laughed bitterly, and then became silent as the wind -seemed to bring faintly to his ears the refrain of a familiar -song often sung by the boys on their way to a -game or returning from a victorious contest. He could -not distinguish the words, but the indistinct sound of the -chorus, like a momentary murmur of the wind, was -enough to cause those words to flash across his mind.</p> - -<p>“Singing!” he cried, fiercely “Don’t be so sure you’ll -‘win to-day.’ You can’t tell. Anyhow, I hope you won’t! -I hope you’ll be beaten out of your boots!”</p> - -<p>He sat there and watched till the buckboard disappeared -along with the brown road that had run to a -hiding place amid the woods and hills. Even then he did -not stir, but long after that he remained on the ledge, yet -without deriving any pleasure from the beauty of the -scene spread out before him in all the enchanting colors -which a river-threaded, lake-dotted, sea-edged landscape -reveals beneath the midday sun of early autumn.</p> - -<p>At last he left the ledge and came slowly down the -mountain. He did not follow the path all the way to the -foot of the descent, but turned to the left, skirting the -base of Round Stone Cliff, where pleasure-seekers had -sent great stones shooting and bounding down the face -of the steep declivity, thundering over the lower slope<span class="pagenum" id="Page_168">[168]</span> -and crashing into the tangled thickets below, tearing -crooked paths through the woods to the point where they -were piled in confusion into a deep, dark ravine.</p> - -<p>What if some unseen person, knowing nothing of his -presence below, were to start a huge bowlder rolling -from the top of the cliff as he made his way along its -base! He thought of that and laughed!</p> - -<p>“Let ’em come!” he exclaimed. “I can dodge ’em!”</p> - -<p>Nothing of the kind happened, however, which, without -doubt, for all of his confidence in his dodging ability, -was fortunate for him.</p> - -<p>Beyond the cliff, after forcing his way through dense -and matted thickets, he came out into the Boxberry Pasture, -as it was called by the boys. This was an elevated -spot, where he could still look down on the harbor and -village. The pasture was a mass of stumps and rocks -and knolls, the latter being covered with interwoven -vines, which gave to his nostrils the smell of dried checkerberry, -plumes of which showed here and there in bright -red patches.</p> - -<p>Crossing the pasture, he descended to the road that led -away to the Powder Mill Woods, where he felt that he -might be alone for the afternoon. He hoped that he -would not meet on the road any one who knew him, and, -to his satisfaction and relief, he did not.</p> - -<p>The woods seemed dark and still when he first entered -them, and a feeling of loneliness beset him; yet there -was a subtle something about the peaceful stillness that<span class="pagenum" id="Page_169">[169]</span> -soothed his troubled spirit with a gentle suggestion of -sadness that, strangely enough, gave him a sensation of -enjoyment.</p> - -<p>Beneath his feet, where the trees were thick overhead, -the ground was damp and yielding, giving his footfall -no sound, save when a twig snapped with a muffled noise. -The air that he breathed was sweet with the odor of pine -and balsam and damp earth. The sunshine did not -glare before his eyes, and the dense shadows added to -the tranquillity he sought.</p> - -<p>So he wandered through the “dim aisles of the woods,” -and after a time he found they were not so lonely and deserted -as they appeared. He paused to watch a tiny -black-hooded chickadee that was doing all kinds of gymnastic -tricks upon a bush, clinging to the side of a branch -one moment, hanging upside down the next, and constantly -on the move, now and then gleefully crying: -“Chick-a-dee-dee-dee-dee.” He sat on a damp and rotting -log and observed a red-headed woodpecker rat-tat-tatting -away at the trunk of an old dead tree and saw a -squirrel skurrying along the ground. And the hours -slipped away with few disturbing thoughts of the football -game that was taking place in Highland.</p> - -<p>When he was tired of wandering in the woods, he -sought the favorite spot by the Powder Mill Dam, where -he lay on the ground or sat on the rocks and watched a -speckled trout in a placid pool below the dam. So the<span class="pagenum" id="Page_170">[170]</span> -afternoon passed, the sun dropped low, the shadows deepened -and night drew on.</p> - -<p>In the dusk, he returned along the road that led toward -the village, the lights of which were beginning to gleam -through the gloom across the harbor. He did not wish -to appear in the village before the members of the eleven -returned from Highland, and he knew they could not get -back till some time after dark.</p> - -<p>Reaching the Highland road, he paused a while, fully -satisfied that neither players nor spectators from Rockspur -had passed on the return journey. He sat on an old -stone wall and waited till two village boys on bicycles, -their lanterns making long white streaks of light on the -road before them, came along from the direction of -Highland. Although it was rather dark for him to make -out who they were by the aid of his eyes, he recognized -them by their voices, as they were talking about the -game while they sped swiftly past toward the crest of -Bloody Hill.</p> - -<p>“Skinny Jones and Pug Andrews,” muttered Don, rising -from the wall and making for the road. “They’ve -come in ahead of the others, for Skinny is a scorcher. -There’s time enough to get over the bridge before the -buckboard comes along.”</p> - -<p>But, as he was hurrying down the hill, there was a rattle -of carriage wheels behind him. He looked back and -saw a team come over the crest of the hill.</p> - -<p>“That isn’t the buckboard,” he said.</p> - - - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_171">[171]</span>But it proved to be a carriage driven by no less a person -than Dolph Renwood, who was accompanied by his -sister and Dora Deland. The light from a window of -the railroad station at the foot of the hill shone out and -fell full on Don, so those in the carriage recognized him.</p> - -<p>“Oh, Mr. Scott!” cried a musical voice, “I’m so sorry -we didn’t have you with us! If you had been there, I -truly believe we might have won the game.”</p> - -<p>Then the carriage clattered on, and Don turned in to -the station to get his overcoat. He knew now that Rockspur -had lost, but somehow Zadia’s words had seemed to -rob him of the satisfaction he had expected to feel over -such a result.</p> - -<p>“She spoke to me!” he murmured; “she spoke to me, -for all that she was with him!”</p> - -<p>Obtaining the overcoat, he hastened down through -Lobsterville to the bridge, crossed the river, turned to the -left and hurried past the post-office on the corner, then -made his way home by a back street.</p> - -<p>Don dreaded to meet his father, for he knew Dr. Scott -would question him about the game. It was his intention -to make a pretense of being so disgusted over the -result of the game that he did not wish to say anything -about it; but he wondered what he could do in case his -father pinned him down to tell the exact score.</p> - -<p>Fortunately, his father was not at home, as he found -after slipping quietly into the house, and he learned from<span class="pagenum" id="Page_172">[172]</span> -his aunt that the doctor had been called to a neighboring -town to consult over a critical case.</p> - -<p>“He said he might not get home before eight or nine -o’clock,” said the thoughtful old soul, who had supper -ready to put on the table. “I s’pose you’re awful hungry? -You didn’t get no legs nor arms broke to-day, did you?”</p> - -<p>“No, I didn’t get hurt at all.”</p> - -<p>“Fortunate—fortunate, indeed! I didn’t know but -you’d come home dead.” Then, after a pause, “I s’pose -you beat the Highlanders?”</p> - -<p>“No; they beat us.”</p> - -<p>“I declare!” cried Aunt Ella, sympathetically, stopping -half way from the kitchen door to the dining-room table, -the teapot in one hand and a plate of warm rolls in the -other. “Now, that’s too bad! I’m real sorry!”</p> - -<p>“And I’m real hungry. Just hustle on the grub, Aunt -Ella, and see me wreak havoc and destruction on it.”</p> - -<p>“You don’t seem to feel half as bad about losing as I -thought you would,” said she, as she complied with his -request. “It’s not like you, for you used to feel awful cut -up when you got beat at baseball.”</p> - -<p>“Oh, well, we’ll even this up with Highland all right -next game,” asserted Don, sitting down to the table. -“It’s no use crying over spilled milk.”</p> - -<p>“You never cry, but you do feel bad, and this is the -first time I ever saw you like this. I don’t understand -it.”</p> - -<p>Don came near laughing aloud, but repressed the inclination<span class="pagenum" id="Page_173">[173]</span> -with an effort. When he had satisfied his hunger -he went up to his room. He felt like going out to see -if he could not find somebody to give him the particulars -of the game, but his pride caused him to decide not to -pursue such a course, as he did not wish any of his former -companions to think he would take that much interest -in the affairs of the eleven.</p> - -<p>Some boys in Don’s position would have sought the -defeated players for the purpose of jeering at them and -deriding them, and it must be confessed that Scott was -strongly tempted to do so; but he decided that it would -cut them far more if he made a pretension of absolute -and utter indifference, and in this he was right. A person -who can deport himself with an air of indifference and -unconcern toward those whom he dislikes has not only -won a victory over himself and his natural inclinations -to show scorn or hatred for his enemies, but he causes -those enemies to feel that he considers them of such small -consequence that he does not even take the trouble to -become annoyed or offended at them. In the long run, -indifference is a keener weapon than open scorn and -hatred.</p> - -<p>So Don remained at home, seeking to pass the evening -as best he could. Wishing to do some writing, and finding -in his desk no pens to suit him, he went down into -his father’s office. Having lighted the hanging lamp, he -sat down at the doctor’s open desk, and there he was<span class="pagenum" id="Page_174">[174]</span> -writing busily some time later when a gentle tapping -sounded on the window near his elbow. Looking round, -he saw the outlines of a face close to the glass and recognized -Leon Bentley, who was peering in at him with a -smirking grin of conciliation and friendliness.</p> -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<span class="pagenum" id="Page_175">[175]</span> - -<h2 class="nobreak">CHAPTER XXI.<br /> - - -<small>BENTLEY TELLS HOW IT HAPPENED.</small></h2> -</div> - -<p>Don’s first feeling was one of annoyance and anger, -and he was about to sharply command the fellow to go -away when he suddenly changed his mind.</p> - -<p>Leon could tell him all about the game, and there was -nothing he then desired to know quite as much as the -full particulars of the contest that had resulted in a victory -for the Highlanders.</p> - -<p>“I’ll let him in and find out all about it,” he decided, -as Bentley nodded and beckoned. Then he motioned for -the boy outside to come round to the front door, at which -he admitted him a few moments later.</p> - -<p>“Where’s the old gent?” asked Leon, with an assumed -air of carelessness. “I was slipping round to throw -some pebbles up against your window, in which I saw a -light, when I happened to notice you in here.”</p> - -<p>“Father is out,” said Don, somewhat gruffly. “He -won’t be back before ten. Come into the office.”</p> - -<p>Leon followed with a swaggering air, and Don closed -the door when they were in the room.</p> - -<p>“So aunt won’t hear us talking,” he explained. “What -do you want, anyhow?”</p> - -<p>“Oh, I just came round to tell you,” chuckled Leon, -coolly appropriating the office chair in front of the desk,<span class="pagenum" id="Page_176">[176]</span> -where Don had been sitting. “It would have done you -good to see that game to-day. Oh, my! but it was a -slaughter!”</p> - -<p>“Rockspur was beaten?” said Don, trying to repress a -show of eagerness and great interest, but betraying his -exultant satisfaction in his gleaming eyes.</p> - -<p>“Beaten! I should guess yes. Rockspur wasn’t in it -for a minute. It was a walk-over for Highland.”</p> - -<p>“What was the score?”</p> - -<p>“Thirty-three to nine. How does that suit you? Isn’t -that a beautiful record for Sterndale’s champs? Oh, but -Sterndale is sick!”</p> - -<p>“What did you do?” demanded Scott, sharply. “Did -you do anything crooked to help lose the game?”</p> - -<p>“Didn’t have to, my boy,” snickered Bentley. “It was -a cinch for Highland from the start, and you can bet I -did my prettiest to make a good record, for I knew the -eyes of several fair maidens from Rockspur were upon -me. I made our only touchdown.”</p> - -<p>“You did?” cried Don, with incredulous emphasis on -the pronoun.</p> - -<p>“Sure thing,” nodded Leon. “Oh, I’m one of the -heroes of the day! We didn’t get a goal off that touch, -either. It was in the first half, and the wind was against -Sterndale when he kicked, so we got only four points for -the touch.”</p> - -<p>“Then the other five must have been a goal kicked -from the field?”</p> - - - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_177">[177]</span>“It was. Sterndale found in the last half that he could -not get the ball nearer than the fifteen-yard line to save -his soul, and so, in order to make the score look somewhat -more respectable, he took chances on getting a goal -from the field, and made it with as pretty a drop-kick as -ever you saw. But it was all chance,” Leon hastily added, -“for he failed once before that and once afterward. All -of Renwood’s coaching hasn’t shown him how to kick.”</p> - -<p>“How did Highland make their points?”</p> - -<p>“Oh, just piled ’em right up. They had a touchdown -and goal in less than three minutes after play began. -They made four touchdowns in the first half, but failed -to get goals off two of them.”</p> - -<p>“That was twenty of their thirty-three points. Then -Rockspur must have done better in the second half?”</p> - -<p>“She did, rather,” nodded Leon. “Why, we even had -to give Highland two points by making a safety in order -to hold the ball one time in the first half. That gave -them twenty-two points out of the thirty-three.”</p> - -<p>“Then, in the second half, they made only eleven points -to Rockspur’s five.”</p> - -<p>“But they had the advantage and they just fooled with -us. They were playing against the wind, too, same as we -were in the first half. But, you see, we couldn’t do anything, -even though we had the wind with us. Oh, this -game has shown up Renwood’s coaching in great style!”</p> - -<p>“What did Renwood do?”</p> - - - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_178">[178]</span>“Nothing at all that helped us any. Why, he actually -blocked Smith once and spoiled a run that might have -meant a touchdown. That was early in the game, when -we had the ball after Highland’s first goal. Of course, it -seemed like an accident that Renwood jumped square in -front of Smith, but I know it was nothing of the kind. -After that, when Highland had made a good lead, it -wasn’t necessary for him to spoil any of our plays, for he -saw we weren’t in the game, anyhow.”</p> - -<p>“Then you think it was his intention to throw the -game, in case it was close and he found an opportunity?”</p> - -<p>“I don’t think anything about it, I know it!” declared -Bentley, as he produced a package of cigarettes and prepared -to smoke.</p> - -<p>“Hold on!” came sharply from Don; “you can’t do -that in here.”</p> - -<p>“Eh? Why not?”</p> - -<p>“Father would smell the smoke. Put them up.”</p> - -<p>“But I’m dying for a whiff.”</p> - -<p>“You’ll have to die or go outside. I’m not fooling. I -won’t have one of those things lighted in here.”</p> - -<p>So Leon was compelled to reluctantly abandon the intended -smoke, although he did so grumblingly.</p> - -<p>“What makes you so positive that Renwood meant to -throw the game?” asked Don, with mingled eagerness -and doubt. “He couldn’t do such a thing all by himself.”</p> - -<p>“Not unless it happened to be close and he found a<span class="pagenum" id="Page_179">[179]</span> -good chance. But I know that’s what he’d done, just the -same.”</p> - -<p>“How do you know it?”</p> - -<p>“Oh, I have a way of keeping my eyes and ears open,” -wisely asserted Leon, piling his feet upon the doctor’s -desk in the midst of the papers.</p> - -<p>“Then you saw something?—you heard something?”</p> - -<p>“I should say I did.”</p> - -<p>It was impossible for Don to repress his eagerness. -Leon’s free-and-easy manner annoyed him, but he greatly -wished to know just what the fellow had seen and heard -that made him so absolutely positive of Renwood’s -treachery.</p> - -<p>Don forgot for the time, at least, that only a few days -before he had told Leon that he wished to have nothing -further to do with a fellow of his sort. Having again -admitted the foxy young rascal to his home, having apparently -accepted him once more as a friend, his greatest -desire seemed to be to learn the full extent of the accusation -Bentley could make against Renwood.</p> - -<p>Leon saw this. At first he had been somewhat surprised -by Don’s readiness to take him back on the old -footing without a show of continued resentment and -anger, and he had anticipated that he would have to whet -Scott’s appetite by hinting at the queer things he could -tell him about the game at Highland. Already devoured -by curiosity and a longing to know the full particulars -of the affair, Don had welcomed Leon almost with open<span class="pagenum" id="Page_180">[180]</span> -arms, and Bentley believed friendly relations between -them had been re-established.</p> - -<p>“What did you see and hear?” breathed the doctor’s -son. “Tell me all about it.”</p> - -<p>“Well, just as soon as we arrived in Highland, I left -the others and hustled right up to the field where we were -to play. Renwood, with his sister and Dora Deland, had -passed us on the road, and he was in Highland when we -got there. I got to the field ahead of the others, and -there was Renwood talking with Winston, the Harvard -man, who has been coaching the Highlanders.”</p> - -<p>“What of that?”</p> - -<p>“They had their heads close together,” Bentley went -on, “and they were talking low. They didn’t see me, and -I just walked past them, stepping soft. I heard something.”</p> - -<p>“Yes!” panted Don. “What did you hear?”</p> - -<p>“I heard Winston say: ‘It means a heap to me if Highland -wins, and you don’t care a rap if Rockspur loses.’ -Renwood answered: ‘Not a rap,’ and he laughed.”</p> - -<p>“The sneak! the traitor!” cried Don, springing to his -feet. “Did you hear anything more?”</p> - -<p>“Yes. Winston said: ‘These country yokels of mine -can’t kick much, and the centre of the line is weak. Just -get your captain to let the centre alone. Keep him trying -to go round the ends. Where is your weak point?’”</p> - -<p>“Did Renwood tell him?” demanded Scott, clutching -his companion fiercely by the shoulder.</p> - - - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_181">[181]</span>“Ouch!” exclaimed Leon, with a squirm. “I hurt that -to-day! Don’t! Yes, he told him all about it.”</p> - -<p>“What did he tell?”</p> - -<p>“He said: ‘Our right end is weak, and the backs can’t -catch punts for a cent. As you say your men can’t kick, -you’ll have to keep hammering at our right end.’”</p> - -<p>“Is that all?” panted Don.</p> - -<p>“Oh, Winston said: ‘Much obliged, old man; I won’t -forget it.’ And Renwood returned: ‘That’s all right; I -haven’t forgotten what you did for me once.’ That was -all.”</p> - -<p>“It was enough!” Don snarled, driving his clenched -right fist into the open palm of his left hand with a -cracking smack. “I’m beginning to see through that -dirty dog Renwood! At first I didn’t understand why -he should do anything to damage the team with which he -was playing, but now it’s plain enough that Winston has -done him some favor that he is trying to return in this -treacherous manner. And Sterndale thinks more of him -than of me! Did you tell Sterndale about this?”</p> - -<p>“I tried to, but he wouldn’t hear a word against Renwood, -and told me I’d better keep still. I saw it was no -use, and so I closed up.”</p> - -<p>“He’s a fool!” raved Scott. “I’d like to tell him so!”</p> - -<p>“That wouldn’t do any good. The only way to convince -him is to show Renwood up so he can’t get around -it.”</p> - -<p>“How can that be done?”</p> - - - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_182">[182]</span>“I don’t know now,” admitted Leon; “but I may find -a way.”</p> - -<p>He had picked up Dr. Scott’s check-book and was -coolly looking it over, which, being in an excited condition, -Don did not observe for some time. When he did -become aware what Leon was doing, after storming -about a while, he exclaimed:</p> - -<p>“Put that down! What are you handling that for?”</p> - -<p>“Oh, I just happened to pick it up by accident,” said -the visitor, tossing it back on the desk.</p> - -<p>“Don’t be so free with your hands!” advised the doctor’s -son.</p> - -<p>“Don’t get so excited,” calmly retorted Leon, fishing -into the waste-paper basket and pulling out a sheet of -paper on which there was some writing. “Say, your old -man’s scrawl is rather queer, ain’t it? But I guess I hit -his style all right in that note I faked up for you to carry -to old Alden, didn’t I?”</p> - -<p>“That was all right,” admitted Don, shortly, not fancying -the reference to that matter; “but you won’t have -to write any more for me.”</p> - -<p>“You never can tell, my boy,” chirped Bentley. “Say, -these are odd pens your dad uses. I rather like them, -and I think I’ll just take one to try it.” Whereupon he -calmly slipped one of the pens into his vest pocket.</p> - -<p>For some time the boys talked over the football game -and Renwood’s treachery, as charged by Bentley. Finally, -Don said:</p> - - - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_183">[183]</span>“You’d better be getting out, Bent; father’s liable to -come pretty soon.”</p> - -<p>“Well, I don’t care about being seen by him,” grinned -Leon. “I know he doesn’t love me a great deal for some -reason or other.”</p> - -<p>He arose to go. Neither of the boys had heard the -sound of wheels outside, being absorbed in their talk -about Renwood and the game, and now both were startled -by a footfall beyond the door.</p> - -<p>“It’s aunt!” breathed Don.</p> - -<p>But it was not. The door opened, and Dr. Scott stood -before them.</p> -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<span class="pagenum" id="Page_184">[184]</span> - -<h2 class="nobreak">CHAPTER XXII.<br /> - - -<small>THE DOCTOR’S STORY.</small></h2> -</div> - -<p>The doctor was surprised, and a cloud came to his face -as his eyes fell on Leon Bentley.</p> - -<p>“Hello!” he exclaimed. “What are you doing in here, -Don?”</p> - -<p>“Why—why,” stammered the boy questioned, “Leon -happened over, and we were just talking about the game, -you know.”</p> - -<p>“Yes,” hastily put in the uneasy visitor, “I was just -telling him about it.”</p> - -<p>“Telling him about it?” repeated the doctor, while -Don’s heart seemed to jump into his throat and throb -there. “Why, wasn’t he—I don’t understand.”</p> - -<p>“Leon means we were talking over the plays and trying -to figure out just why we lost the game to-day, -father,” put in Don, with a warning glance at Bentley.</p> - -<p>“Oh, then you lost the game, did you?”</p> - -<p>“Yes, sir.”</p> - -<p>“That’s too bad; but you might have discussed it elsewhere -than in my private office. Was it necessary to -bring your caller in here, my son?”</p> - -<p>“No, but he—he just dropped in for a minute. I was -writing a letter here, and——”</p> - -<p>“Very well,” said the doctor; “but you know I do not<span class="pagenum" id="Page_185">[185]</span> -wish you to take visitors into my private office. I have -told you so before.”</p> - -<p>The manner in which his father spoke these words -brought a hot flush to Don’s cheeks, but he bit his lip and -kept silent. Bentley sidled toward the door, saying:</p> - -<p>“I guess I’ll be going.”</p> - -<p>Don followed him to the front door and let him out. -Outside, Leon paused and snickered, observing:</p> - -<p>“You’ll catch it! The old duffer’s hot under the collar, -and he’ll give you a raking down.”</p> - -<p>“I’ll thank you not to call my father an old duffer!” -flashed Don, in a fierce whisper. “I had no business to -take you in there, anyway.”</p> - -<p>“I don’t see that it did any harm, but I wouldn’t be in -your shoes for a quarter.” Then Bentley scudded away -and Don closed the door.</p> - -<p>The boy was about to go upstairs when his father -called for him to come into the office, and he did so with -reluctance; for, although he knew the doctor would speak -with calmness and deliberation, he dreaded none the less -what might be said to him.</p> - -<p>“Sit down, my son,” said the doctor, who had taken -off his overcoat and was seated before his desk. “Are -you on very friendly terms with that Bentley boy?”</p> - -<p>“Well—not very,” hesitated Don, feeling his face burning, -while he failed to meet the calm, steady eyes that -were regarding him intently.</p> - -<p>“Not very friendly, still you invited him into the house.<span class="pagenum" id="Page_186">[186]</span> -My son, I do not like that boy. I believe he is a bad boy. -He dresses extravagantly, though in poor taste, for all -that his parents are poor. Yet he never does any work -to earn money with which to get his clothes, rings, pins -and trinkets. He wears his hat tipped far over one ear, -loafs around the corners, smokes cigarettes and talks -slang. Not only that, but he uses low and profane language. -He has a treacherous face and shifty eyes. Now, -Don, I think such a boy is a very good person for you to -avoid, don’t you?”</p> - -<p>Don did not know what to say, and so he remained -silent, whereupon his father spoke again:</p> - -<p>“I want to speak to you of this matter at this time, my -son, because I believe it may in a great measure concern -your future welfare. I wish to impress upon you the importance -of shunning evil companions, and, at the same -time, I will warn you again to guard your temper. I am -not going to preach a sermon, but I have decided to -tell you a story. I shall make it brief as possible, for it -is a painful matter, of which I do not like to think or -talk.”</p> - -<p>For a single moment the doctor lifted his hand to his -bosom, where, within an inner pocket, close to his heart, -rested the gold-bound miniature of Don’s mother. The -boy knew his father had chosen this time to unbosom -himself in regard to an affair that doubtless had cast a -shadow over his life.</p> - -<p>Despite his curiosity to know the truth of that affair,<span class="pagenum" id="Page_187">[187]</span> -Don was ill at ease and would have given much to escape -for the time the revelation. However, it was necessary -for him to sit still and listen, and, with as good grace as -possible, he composed himself to do so.</p> - -<p>“You, Don,” pursued Dr. Scott, lightly stroking his -well-trimmed iron-gray whiskers, “have the same -thoughtless, impetuous, passionate disposition that was -mine in my youthful days. It did not seem possible for -me to control my temper, which led me into doing many -things that I afterward regretted; but little did I dream -that, in a sudden outburst of anger, I was destined to -commit an act that would cause me long years of unspeakable -regret and sorrow.</p> - -<p>“Your mother was a gentle woman, with a mild and -loving disposition, and I have often wondered if she -would have married me had she understood how thoroughly -unreasonable I could be when I gave way to my -uncontrollable temper. But I loved her, Don, and I tried -to make her happy. I believe I did during the first years -of our married life. It was only by one rash act of mine -that I brought sorrow to us both.</p> - -<p>“She had a brother who was much younger than herself; -in fact, a mere boy when we were married. His -name was Charlie, and he was a bright, happy, jovial -youngster, full of life and good nature. Shortly after I -married your mother, her father died, leaving Charlie -an orphan and almost homeless, his mother, your -grandmother, having been dead some years. He might<span class="pagenum" id="Page_188">[188]</span> -have found a home with relatives in California, but I -offered him a home with me, for I had taken a strong -fancy to the lad. Of course this greatly pleased your -mother, who set about the task of bringing Charlie up -in the proper manner.</p> - -<p>“At that time I was a young physician, practicing my -profession in a small town in another State. I sent -Charlie to school, and, as he seemed unusually bright in -his studies, I resolved to give him the very best education -possible. This matter I talked over with your -mother, and we decided that he should be advanced as -rapidly as possible without injury to himself and should -finally be sent to one of the leading colleges of the country.</p> - -<p>“Your mother became deeply absorbed in this project, -for she loved her brother with all the depth of her tender -nature, and she was ambitious for his success in the -world as a man of brains and education. Unfortunately, -there was in that town, small though it was, a fast set of -boys a little older than Charlie. They smoked and drank -and gambled, and they were proud to be known as the -‘sporty set.’ Charlie began to associate with them, and I -found it out. I was angry, and I talked to him harshly. -I know now that I did not in the right manner go about -showing him the error of his ways. I angered him, -and, as a result, instead of trusting me, he began to deceive -me, associating without my knowledge with the -same set of bad boys. It did not seem to him that it was<span class="pagenum" id="Page_189">[189]</span> -very bad to smoke a little, to swear occasionally, to take -a drink now and then, or to play a game of penny poker, -with a ten-cent limit. He was only sixteen years old -when he began to do these things.</p> - -<p>“I said nothing to your mother about it, for I knew it -would worry and distress her, and, for some time, I fancied -my talk to him had been productive of good results. -But I was wrong, for I finally learned that he still associated -with his bad companions, which made me more -angry than before. I did not tell his sister, but I threatened -to turn him out of doors. To my astonishment, he -was defiant and told me to go ahead and turn him out. -It was with difficulty that I kept my hands off him then, -but I did so.</p> - -<p>“After that he did not take so much pains to hide from -me the fact that he still preferred for companions the fast -set of the little village. He neglected his studies and -would not attend school regularly. One day I missed -some money, and, in a towering rage, I accused Charlie -of taking it. Then, becoming angry, he called me a bad -name, whereupon I drove him from the house.</p> - -<p>“This scene was witnessed by your mother, Don, who -could not believe me when I told her the truth regarding -her brother. She was certain that I must be mistaken, -and she set about searching for the lost money. She -found it where I had dropped it at the bath-room door, -and then, of course, she was doubly certain that I was<span class="pagenum" id="Page_190">[190]</span> -mistaken in regard to the other charges I had made -against Charlie.</p> - -<p>“By that time I was ashamed and sorry, and I was -willing to try to rectify my mistake. I was also willing -for her to continue to think her brother too good to -choose evil associates who smoked, swore, drank and -gambled. So I went to Charlie, told him I had found -the money, and asked him to forget. It was a difficult -thing for me to do, but I did it for love of your mother, -my son.</p> - -<p>“From that time on, however, Charlie disliked me -more than ever. He did not reform, and his gambling -assumed a more serious nature. The time came when he -was in desperate straits for money. At this time he was -seventeen, being large for his years. Coming home unexpectedly -one day, I found him in my private office, with -the safe door open. He was stooping before the safe -when I entered, but he sprang up and wheeled about, and -in his hand was some money he had taken from the safe.”</p> - -<p>As the doctor paused, the listening boy noticed a quiver -of the hand he again lifted to stroke his beard. The expression -on his fine face was one of mingled pain and -sorrow.</p> - -<p>“I scarcely know what followed,” he resumed. “Of -course I had caught him in the act, and I called him a -thief. He said I had called him that before, and he was -bound not to have the name without the game. Then I -sprang upon him in a perfect tempest of fury. As I said,<span class="pagenum" id="Page_191">[191]</span> -he was large and strong for his years, and he gave me a -severe tussle for a few moments, but I succeeded in getting -him by the throat and throwing him. As he fell his -head struck against a sharp corner of the safe. When he -struck the floor, he lay there still and limp, the color going -out of his face. There was a shriek behind me, and I -turned to see your mother in the door, brought to the spot -by the sounds of our struggle. She sprang over and -lifted the head of her brother, staining her hands and her -dress with his blood, for the corner of the safe had cut a -gash in the back of his head. I can never forget the terrible -look she gave me. ‘You have murdered Charlie!’ -she hoarsely cried, and then she swooned.”</p> - -<p>Again the man stopped, deeply affected by the tragic -picture painted for him by memory as he told of this -fateful encounter which had brought upon him the sorrow -of his life. For some moments he turned about in -his office chair and stared at the window, as if trying to -gaze out into the darkness, lifting to his face one hidden -hand, while the other shook as it reached out to rest upon -his desk.</p> - -<p>Don’s sympathies were stirred most profoundly, for he -saw how much pain it was costing his father to relate to -him this story of which he had never spoken. Unable to -keep still, the boy impulsively cried:</p> - -<p>“Don’t tell me any more, father! That is enough.”</p> - -<p>Dr. Scott turned back from the window.</p> - -<p>“There is not much more to tell,” he said, “so I will<span class="pagenum" id="Page_192">[192]</span> -complete the story now. I called assistance and sent for -medical aid. Your mother was taken to her room, where -she lay unconscious so long that I feared she might never -recover. When at last she again came to herself, she lay -like one dazed until I entered the room, when she -shrieked, covered her face and would not look at me. In -her condition, it was necessary for me to leave her before -she would become quiet. That night, my son, you came -into the world.”</p> - -<p>“But Charlie,” palpitated Don, “was he—dead?”</p> - -<p>“No; but he was seriously injured—how seriously -could not be told at the time. He slowly recovered his -physical strength, but the blow from the sharp point of -the safe had clouded his mind and he was insane—violently -so at times. It was necessary that he should be -confined, for he was dangerous when violent, so he was -placed in a private asylum.</p> - -<p>“Oh, my son! you can never know how much I regretted -my outbreak of anger that had caused me to attack -him and bring this about! That is, you can never -know unless some rash act of your own shall bring an -equal sorrow upon you. I had everything possible done -to make poor Charlie comfortable.”</p> - -<p>“But he was to blame—he was to blame for it all!” -panted the listening lad.</p> - -<p>“I have tried to think so,” confessed the doctor, “but -in my sober moments of reason I found it impossible. -Bad company led him into bad ways, it is true; but I was<span class="pagenum" id="Page_193">[193]</span> -not patient with him, and I did not talk to him in the -right spirit when I discovered that he was associating -with bad boys. I permitted my anger to govern me, and -thus, instead of influencing him to do better, I aroused in -him anger and resentment against me. When I did that, -my power over him was gone, and I never recovered it. -It is thus, I believe, that in many cases parents lose influence -and power over their children. They give themselves -over to anger in attempting to reprimand their -sons or daughters for wrong-doing, and their unrestrained -temper produces resentment and anger, instead -of regret and resolution to do better, in the ones whom -they reprimand. My son, guard your temper and keep -it in subjection, for to one of your fiery and unreasoning -disposition it is your worst enemy.”</p> - -<p>“Mother,” murmured Don, “did—did she——”</p> - -<p>“She recovered for the time, but the shock had shattered -her health, and she was never herself again. -Even the sight of her aroused Charlie, so that the manager -of the asylum ceased, after a time, to permit her to -visit him. At sight of me he had convulsions. My practice -was ruined, and it became necessary for me to seek -another field. Then, my son, we came here, where we -have remained ever since. Your mother grew weaker -and weaker day by day. I doctored her as best I could, -seeking the advice and assistance of the most skilled -physicians obtainable; but it was useless, for her ailment -was not of the body, but of the mind. She forgave me<span class="pagenum" id="Page_194">[194]</span> -everything, but I lost her, Don, and I can never forgive -myself.”</p> - -<p>Again the doctor turned his sad, handsome face away, -and father and son sat in silence, the only sound being -the steady, solemn ticking of the old-fashioned clock that -stood outside in the hall. After some minutes, the boy -ventured to ask:</p> - -<p>“Is Charlie still crazy?”</p> - -<p>“No,” answered the doctor; “it was less than a year -after the death of your mother that a certain great surgeon -operated upon him and restored him to reason. Oh, -how much would I have given had Mary lived till that -day!”</p> - -<p>“Where is he now?”</p> - -<p>“In California, whither he went immediately on regaining -his reason and liberty. I offered him a home as -long as he wished to remain with me, but he chose to go -to California.</p> - -<p>“This is all the story, my son, and, having completed -it, I am not going to moralize. Think it over. I hope -it may serve to open your eyes to the perils of keeping -bad company, and I pray that it may teach you to guard -your temper.”</p> - -<p>The doctor arose and held out his hand, as one man -offers his hand to another, upon which Don sprang forward -impulsively, clasping it with both of his own. The -boy longed to express his sympathy in words, but something -choked him, and he gazed through a misty cloud<span class="pagenum" id="Page_195">[195]</span> -at the sadly handsome face of his father, while the pressure -of their hands alone spoke more directly to their -hearts than aught words could have expressed.</p> - -<p>“Good-night, Don, my boy!”</p> - -<p>“Good-night, father—good-night!”</p> - -<p>Don turned from the room and ascended the stairs, -while his father, left alone, drew from that pocket near -his heart the gold-bound miniature, which, with a smothered -sob, he lifted to his lips.</p> -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<span class="pagenum" id="Page_196">[196]</span> - -<h2 class="nobreak">CHAPTER XXIII.<br /> - - -<small>THE DEFEATED ELEVEN.</small></h2> -</div> - -<p>Twelve boys of various ages and sizes, their faces expressing -untold disgust, sat around in the so-called “reading-room” -of the Rockspur Athletic Club. They were -seated on the table, benches and chairs, and a woe-be-gone, -disheartened-appearing set of fellows they were. -The big Rochester kerosene lamp with a smoky chimney -shed over them a melancholy light that seemed quite -befitting to their mood. Finally, Sterndale looking around -at his companions, and finding something decidedly comical -in their aspect, laughed aloud.</p> - -<p>“Kill him!” cried Jotham Sprout.</p> - -<p>“I don’t see anything to laugh at,” groaned Walter -Mayfair.</p> - -<p>“I’m too sus-sus-sore to laugh, anyway,” sighed Danny -Chatterton.</p> - -<p>“An’ Oi feel loike foightin’!” burst from Dennis -Murphy.</p> - -<p>“I’m so lame I can hardly draw my breath,” confessed -Rob Linton. “I’m lame from my head to my heels.”</p> - -<p>“I have bruises and contusions and gashes all over -me,” declared John Smith.</p> - -<p>“I raked my right arm from the wrist to the elbow<span class="pagenum" id="Page_197">[197]</span> -when I made that touchdown,” put in Leon Bentley, in a -manner that called attention to the accomplishment.</p> - -<p>“That was the greatest fluke of the game,” said Sterndale. -“It was a streak of luck for the ball to roll right -out of a scrimmage, in which you were carefully taking -no part, just so you could pick it up with a clear field -ahead of you and get over Highland’s line with it.”</p> - -<p>“No fluke about it!” flared Leon. “No luck about it, -either! I wasn’t going into the thing pell-mell, like the -rest of you fellows, and I had my eyes open. That’s how -it happened.”</p> - -<p>“I noticed that you didn’t go into much of anything -pell-mell,” yawned Thad Boland, sleepily. “You kept out -of danger.”</p> - -<p>“Bah! What have you got to say about it? You -wouldn’t know a good play if you saw it, you big, lazy -duffer!”</p> - -<p>Thad pulled himself together somewhat and gave Leon -a look.</p> - -<p>“You better not get too gay with your mouth,” he -drawled, “or I may take a notion to shake you. It would -be lots of trouble, but I can’t swallow too much of your -sass.”</p> - -<p>Bentley did not care to arouse the lazy lad, for Boland -had the strength of a young giant, though it was on very -rare occasions that he saw fit to display it; so Leon -lighted a fresh cigarette, contenting himself by saying:</p> - -<p>“You’re all jealous of me, but I don’t care.”</p> - - - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_198">[198]</span>“Jealous of you!” came derisively from Rob Linton. -“That would make a cat laugh!”</p> - -<p>“Well, what did you do in the game?” demanded Bent.</p> - -<p>“Oh, I did something! Didn’t I tackle Dow and keep -him from making a touchdown?”</p> - -<p>“But Hartford got one two minutes later.”</p> - -<p>“The trouble with you, Bent,” said Rob, “is that you -think you are the only thing that ever happened.”</p> - -<p>“The trouble with you,” retorted Leon, quickly, “is -that you think you are the whole menagerie.”</p> - -<p>“Don’t sus-sus-see ha-how he can think so wh-when -you’re round,” chuckled Danny Chatterton. “He-he-his -eyes must sus-sus-show him there is another mum-mum-monkey -in the show.”</p> - -<p>Bentley did not relish the laughter that followed this, -and he growled and grumbled to himself, after which he -smoked and sulked in silence.</p> - -<p>“Ford hasn’t expressed his opinion of the game,” -grinned Sprout, who was chewing gum and eating peppermint -candy at the same time, has fat cheeks shaking -as he wagged his jaws.</p> - -<p>They looked at the mute, who seemed to understand on -the instant what had been said, and he made a gesture -expressive of dejection and disgust, slowly shaking his -head.</p> - -<p>“Misther Rinwood isn’t afther sayin’ a great dale,” observed -Dennis Murphy, a sly twinkle in his eyes.</p> - -<p>Renwood was sitting astride a chair, his elbows on the<span class="pagenum" id="Page_199">[199]</span> -back of it, his chin resting on his hands. He grinned in -a sickly manner, showing his lips were battered and -bruised, the under one being swelled till it projected almost -as far as his nose.</p> - -<p>“My lips are too sore to make much talk,” he declared, -rather thickly. “And some of my teeth are so loose I’m -afraid they’ll fall out when I open my mouth.”</p> - -<p>“Well, fellows,” said Sterndale, “we’re a sorry-looking -crowd, but it’s no use to mope over being defeated. -That’s only one out of three with Highland, and they -took the first ball game last summer.”</p> - -<p>“But they didn’t snow us under,” came quickly from -Mayfair. “They barely won by a fluke.”</p> - -<p>“And I made the fluke,” acknowledged John Smith, -smiling grimly at the remembrance.</p> - -<p>“But you saved us on the last game of the series by -your great work in the box,” Mayfair hastened to assert. -“You made up for that first game, old man.”</p> - -<p>“And he did some splendid work in our game to-day,” -said the captain of the eleven. “If we’d all done as well -as Smith, we might have won the game.”</p> - -<p>John flushed with pleasure, for such praise from -Sterndale was most agreeable. Leon Bentley looked -through a cloud of blue smoke, his lips curling scornfully, -but he remained silent.</p> - -<p>“That’s right, Sterndale,” agreed Dolph Renwood. -“Smith was a perfect whirlwind. Several times he did<span class="pagenum" id="Page_200">[200]</span> -great work at interference, even though he was playing -back of the line. If he’d been in his old position——”</p> - -<p>Renwood stopped, and Harry Carter spoke up at once:</p> - -<p>“I did the best I could, fellows. I know I made some -bad blunders, but I didn’t shirk, and——”</p> - -<p>“You’re all right,” Dolph interrupted; “but you -haven’t had the practice, and you were given a hard position -in the line. Now, if you had been placed next to -the end, with Smith on the end——”</p> - -<p>“Are you digging at me?” asked Bentley, snappily. -“I was playing next to the end.”</p> - -<p>“I am not digging at anybody,” calmly answered the -quarter-back of the team; “but I know we should have -had Smith on that end.”</p> - -<p>“There’s been too much shifting about,” said Leon. -“You fellows took in Boland and Carter, and then you -tried Linton at right tackle till you found Ford wouldn’t -work beside Old Lightning. That made you shift back, -and finally you decided you couldn’t get along without -me, after all, which caused another change.”</p> - -<p>“We’ve not had enough time for practice,” Sterndale -asserted.</p> - -<p>“You’ve had as much as Highland,” grinned Leon, -lighting another cigarette.</p> - -<p>“No, not by a whole week.”</p> - -<p>“That’s a lot!”</p> - -<p>“It counts when all the practice a team gets is secured<span class="pagenum" id="Page_201">[201]</span> -in two or three weeks. College teams begin to practice -months ahead.”</p> - -<p>“And sometimes there are changes in the make-up of -a college team one day before a great game,” put in -Renwood.</p> - -<p>“I presume you know all about it,” purred Leon, with -a sneer.</p> - -<p>“Well, I know something about it. I’ve had a chance -to see considerable of Harvard’s training work, and some -of the Harvard men are my friends.”</p> - -<p>“For instance, Phil Winston, who is the Highland -coach. I suppose he is one of your friends.”</p> - -<p>“I happen to know Winston,” confessed Dolph, “but -that is all. We are not friends.”</p> - -<p>“Oh,” said Bentley, queerly, “I didn’t know but you -were.” And the tone and manner in which the words -were spoken attracted attention.</p> - -<p>Renwood gave Leon no further notice, but turned to -the others, saying:</p> - -<p>“I tell you what it is, fellows, we met with a big loss -when Scott got his back up and left the eleven. With -that fellow in his old position and Smith back on the end, -I believe we might give Highland a hot game a week -from to-day.”</p> - -<p>“It’s no use to talk about that,” said Sterndale, gloomily. -“Scott won’t come back.”</p> - -<p>“That’s right,” nodded Leon. “I just saw him by accident<span class="pagenum" id="Page_202">[202]</span> -a little while ago, and he’s in high spirits because -we got beaten. He says he’ll never play again on any -kind of a team with Renwood or Sterndale.”</p> - -<p>“I’ve heard fuf-fellows make that kuk-kind of tut-talk -before,” said Chatterton, sprawling out on the top of the -reading table.</p> - -<p>“But he means it,” cried Bent. “When Scott gets his -back up, he sticks to a thing.”</p> - -<p>“It’s too bad,” declared Renwood, tenderly touching -his damaged lips. “I don’t know of a man who can fill -his place.”</p> - -<p>“He’s changed his tune about Scott lately,” whispered -Leon, giving Jotham Sprout a nudge in the ribs with his -elbow, upon which the fat boy fell off the end of the -bench and landed on the floor with a crash that shook the -building.</p> - -<p>“Don’t you do that again!” gasped Bubble, sitting up -and choking, having swallowed his gum in the midst of -the catastrophe. “I’d like to know who you think you’re -pushin’! I won’t set side of you no more!” Then he -proceeded to make himself comfortable on the floor.</p> - -<p>“If you don’t want to ‘set’ beside me, you may ‘lay’ on -the floor,” grinned Bentley, looking around to see if anybody -present took notice of the pun.</p> - -<p>“Egg-egg-eggs-actly,” cackled Chatterton. Then he -quickly put up his hands, crying: “Don’t sus-sus-shoot!”</p> - -<p>“Somebody oughter hit you with a good, hard piece of<span class="pagenum" id="Page_203">[203]</span> -iron,” slowly declared Thad Boland. “You committed a -crime.”</p> - -<p>Sterndale stood up.</p> - -<p>“We must do something, fellows,” he said. “There is -no question about that. Unless the team is strengthened -greatly, Highland will have another easy time when we -meet them next Saturday. If they win that game, it settles -the series, and there’ll be no need to play the third -game.”</p> - -<p>“If necessary,” said Redwood, “and if you fellows -think it best, I’ll go to Scott and see if I can’t get him to -come back onto the team. I should hate to do anything -of the sort, but I’m willing to do ’most anything that is -honest so that we may win the next game.”</p> - -<p>Leon Bentley groaned, softly and derisively.</p> - -<p>“That sounds first rate,” he muttered, “but you can’t -fool some people.”</p> - -<p>The words were spoken loudly enough for some of the -boys to understand them, but Dolph, who was at the farther -side of the room, did not catch them distinctly.</p> - -<p>“What’s that you say, Bentley?” he demanded, sharply.</p> - -<p>“I say that sounds first rate, but you can’t get Scott -if you go down on your knees to him.”</p> - -<p>“Perhaps that was what you said,” admitted Renwood; -“but it didn’t sound like it. I’m not going down on my -knees to Scott, but I am going to speak to him, no matter -what he may do.”</p> - -<p>“I wouldn’t do that, Renwood,” said Sterndale, scowling<span class="pagenum" id="Page_204">[204]</span> -a little. “If anybody says anything to that fellow, it -is my place to do so. I have not yet decided that I’d take -him back onto the eleven if he came and asked to play.”</p> - -<p>“Of course you wouldn’t!” exclaimed Leon, promptly, -showing satisfaction. “The team is all right just as it -is, if it gets the right kind of practice work.”</p> - -<p>“Perhaps you mean that I have not been giving it the -right kind of practice?” Dolph cried. “Perhaps you -know more about coaching a team than I do!”</p> - -<p>“I didn’t say that, either,” grinned Bentley.</p> - -<p>“You seldom say anything point-blank to a man’s face, -but you insinuate and insinuate, and you talk behind his -back.”</p> - -<p>“Look here, Mr. Renwood,” Leon angrily snapped, “I -don’t fancy that! I’ve always used you all right, and -you have no reason for making that kind of talk. I won’t -stand any more of it, either.”</p> - -<p>Renwood shrugged his shoulders and turned to Sterndale, -with whom he began to talk earnestly.</p> - -<p>“Ginger!” cried Carter, starting up as the town clock -in the Baptist church tower began to strike. “It’s nine -o’clock! I told mother I’d be back before this. I’ve got -some groceries to take home, and the stores will be -closed. Good-night, fellows.”</p> - -<p>He was hurrying out when Bentley also arose and remarked -that he was going home, following Harry down -the stairs. As Carter came out upon the street, Leon -overtook him and grasped his arm.</p> - - - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_205">[205]</span>“Look here, Cart,” he said, “can’t you see through this -little game?”</p> - -<p>“What game?” asked the boy addressed, turning -sharply and shaking off the hand of his follower, whom -he did not like. “What do you mean?”</p> - -<p>“Why Renwood’s game, of course. It’s plain enough. -He doesn’t want Rockspur to win, for all that he makes -the bluff that he does. He has Sterndale on a string, and -he’s the real manager and captain of the eleven. It was -through him that all the shifting about on the team has -come, and now he wants to make another shift. He’s -sore because I made that touchdown, so he’s going to -try to push me off. He’ll try to get Scott back into your -place; then where will you be? He is going to keep this -thing up just so that the team will be unsettled all the -time, and that will fix us so that we’ll never win a game. -Now, Carter, are you going to stand it? That’s the question.”</p> - -<p>Leon had tried to appear very earnest and sincere, but -he made very little impression on the listening youth.</p> - -<p>“I don’t take any stock in that stuff, Bentley,” declared -Harry, promptly. “I know I’m not as good a man as -Scott on the team, which makes me willing to get off any -time Sterndale wants to fill my place.”</p> - -<p>“Yah!” snarled Leon, showing his yellow teeth. -“You’re just like all the rest; you’ll let Dick Sterndale -wipe his feet all over you. I’m sick of the whole crowd; -but I’m just as good a man as anybody on that team, and<span class="pagenum" id="Page_206">[206]</span> -I’ll show Dolph Renwood up if he comes any sneaky business -to throw me down!”</p> - -<p>Then, lighting a fresh cigarette, and hearing other boys -descending the stairs from the club-room, he hurried -away, muttering to himself.</p> - -<p>“Those nasty things he is smoking are turning his -head,” said Carter, to himself. “If he doesn’t stop using -so many of them, he’ll go daffy, for I can see that he’s -getting worse and worse every day.”</p> -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<span class="pagenum" id="Page_207">[207]</span> - -<h2 class="nobreak">CHAPTER XXIV.<br /> - - -<small>FANNING THE FLAMES.</small></h2> -</div> - -<p>Leon was waiting for Don at the first corner when the -latter started for school the following Monday morning. -As usual, he was puffing a cigarette. The sight of him -angered Don, who would have hurried straight on without -speaking, but Bentley joined him, saying:</p> - -<p>“I was watching for you, old man. Got something to -tell you. I went down to the club-room after your dad -came in on us so jerky Saturday night, and I found all -the gang there, weeping over their defeat. It would have -done you good to see them. A big lot of cry-babies! -They had something to say about you, too.”</p> - -<p>He had hurried on with his words, being shrewd -enough to observe that the doctor’s son was in no very -agreeable mood, and, as he anticipated, the final statement -aroused Don’s curiosity, although an attempt was -made to conceal it.</p> - -<p>“What do you suppose I care what they say about -me!” growled the dark-eyed lad, with a toss of his head. -“They can say any old thing they like.”</p> - -<p>But he slackened his pace somewhat and did not try to -shake off his unwelcome companion.</p> - -<p>“They were saying every old thing,” asserted Leon. “I -tell you, they gave you a raking down behind your back.”</p> - - - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_208">[208]</span>“That didn’t hurt me any. I wasn’t on their old team, -so they couldn’t blame me for their defeat.”</p> - -<p>“But they did, just the same.”</p> - -<p>Don stopped short and looked at Bentley, his face -growing hard.</p> - -<p>“How the dickens could they do that?” he snapped.</p> - -<p>“Why, they said you acted like a fool in getting your -back up and leaving the team. They said they were glad -enough to get rid of you, but they’d ought to have fired -you in the first place. As it was, you left at a bad time, -making it necessary to shift the men around, so there -was no time to get the team back in shape, and, for that -reason, you were responsible for the loss of the game.”</p> - -<p>Leon told this lie glibly and with a show of truthfulness -that aroused no suspicion in the mind of the hearer; -but the falsehood did the work Bentley wished it to do, -and the black look deepened on the rather handsome face -of Don Scott, marring his good looks and making his aspect -repellent.</p> - -<p>“Who said this, Bentley?” he demanded, harshly. -“Was it that treacherous snake, Renwood?”</p> - -<p>“Sure thing,” nodded Leon. “He blames it all onto -you, but he ain’t the only one. The others agreed with -him, and I told them what I thought of it. I don’t often -get right up and speak out in meeting,” the fellow went -on, “but I couldn’t keep still this time, so I said enough -to get them all mad at me. Now, I hear that they’re<span class="pagenum" id="Page_209">[209]</span> -going to kick me out again. What do you think of that, -Don?”</p> - -<p>“I think it serves you right for going back onto the -team,” was the unsympathetic answer.</p> - -<p>“What? You say that after I stood up for you? Well, -I never thought such a thing of you, Scott!” Leon assumed -an injured air, giving Don a look of deep reproach.</p> - -<p>“The trouble with you is that you’re altogether too -shifty,” said the doctor’s son. “When you do a thing, -stick to it. But I’m not kicking at you. I’d like to hit -Renwood for wagging his mouth about me so much!”</p> - -<p>“It’s what you ought to do. Of course he would deny -it, but you know what he is. Why, he even denied to you -that he meant you when he said there were some men on -the team who were no earthly good, but he’s laughed -about it since, saying he didn’t think you’d tumble to -yourself so quickly.”</p> - -<p>A sound of grating teeth came from Don’s mouth, delighting -Leon with the knowledge that he had reawakened -to the full extent the hatred of the dark-eyed -youth for Dolph Renwood.</p> - -<p>“There’ll come a day of settlement!” Scott panted.</p> - -<p>“Now that he is sore on me, you can’t imagine what he -proposes to do,” snickered Bentley. “Why I have it -straight that he’s going to come to you and try to get -you back onto the eleven, just so he can kick me out.”</p> - -<p>“Let him come!” cried Don. “That is what I want. -I’ll tell him a few things!”</p> - - - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_210">[210]</span>They had proceeded up the hill till they were in sight -of the white academy, which showed through the trees -of the grounds. Now, fully satisfied with himself and -what he had done, Bentley stopped, saying:</p> - -<p>“Perhaps we’d better not go up together. The fellows -have charged me with carrying things to you, and they -may suspect that I’ve put you onto Renwood’s game. -You go ahead.”</p> - -<p>So Don walked on and Leon came up later. Knowing -Bentley as he did, it was rather surprising that the doctor’s -son permitted himself to be deceived by the fellow; -but he was ready to believe almost anything bad of Renwood, -which, with his hatred and prejudice, blinded his -sense of perception.</p> - -<p>Renwood had not arrived at the academy and did not -appear till a few moments before the beginning of the -morning session, giving him no opportunity to speak with -Scott, in case he desired to do so. That noon, however, -the coach of the eleven was talking with Chatterton beneath -one of the large oaks near the entrance to the -grounds, when Don came through the gate. Perceiving -Scott, Dolph immediately advanced toward him, calling:</p> - -<p>“I’d like to speak with you, Scott, if you’ll wait a -minute. We can talk here without being overheard by -the fellows up by the steps.”</p> - -<p>“I have nothing to say to you that I’m not willing anybody -should hear,” declared Don, holding himself in<span class="pagenum" id="Page_211">[211]</span> -check, for Leon’s warning had informed him what was -coming, and he was glad of the opportunity to again express -himself to this fellow whom he hated with all the -intensity of his nature.</p> - -<p>“Still, it’s better to talk the matter over out here away -from the others,” said Dolph, rather nervously, his manner -seeming to betray to the boy with the searching eyes -a self-consciousness of guilt. “I am in hopes we can come -to an understanding.”</p> - -<p>Don said nothing, but continued to watch Renwood’s -face.</p> - -<p>“There is something about me,” Dolph continued, -seeming troubled to find words to express himself, “that -caused you to take a strong dislike to me almost the -first time you saw me. I knew it, for you are not a chap -to conceal your feelings. I have some pride and spirit of -my own, and I’m not the kind of a fellow to try to curry -favor with those who dislike me, for which reason I had -very little to do with you till the football team was organized, -and I was selected as coach. Then it became -necessary for me to have some dealings with you. One -thing I want to claim right here is, that I never tried to -injure you in any way.”</p> - -<p>There was curling scorn in the movement of Don’s -lips, but he continued silent, apparently waiting with -some impatience for Renwood to finish. Dolph saw and -understood the expression on the face of his enemy, but<span class="pagenum" id="Page_212">[212]</span> -he pretended to take no note of it, hurrying on with -scarcely a break:</p> - -<p>“When Sterndale was making up the team, I suggested -that you be tried in the position you were given, one of -the most prominent and difficult places on an eleven. I -had observed that you could run like a deer, could dodge -and handle yourself gracefully, and I fancied you possessed, -or could develop, other requirements that would -make you a first-class man at half. I made one mistake,” -the coach confessed, “for, in instructing the team, I did -not take into consideration the fact that you might be -easily angered, so that you would quit the eleven and refuse -to come back. I don’t think I quite understood you -in that respect. Anyhow, you got mad with me, which -has raised hob with everything. I used you just exactly -the same as I did others on the team, but you seemed to -think I had some spite against you. You were wrong, -Scott; I had nothing in the world against you.”</p> - -<p>“By that,” said Don, with a sneer, “I presume you -infer that I was wholly to blame for everything that occurred? -When you jumped on me and made your insulting -remarks to me before the eleven and the whole -crowd of spectators, I had no right to resent it! I should -have curled up and taken it, like a meaching cur! But -I’m not that kind of a huckleberry! I don’t belong to -the whipped-cur breed, Mr. Dolph Renwood!”</p> - -<p>“I made a mistake,” Dolph again acknowledged, still<span class="pagenum" id="Page_213">[213]</span> -speaking calmly. “You must remember that I belonged -to a city team, and that team was coached by a professional. -You should have heard him talk to us! Why, -there wasn’t a man in the whole bunch that he didn’t -give a tongue-lashing. If I had begun to talk that way -to the boys here——”</p> - -<p>“You started in,” declared Don. “Just because a professional -coach could talk that way, you tried to show off -by doing so; but you found out it wouldn’t go in this -town, and so you had to come down some. That’s about -the size of it.”</p> - -<p>Renwood’s face had been pale, but now a sudden flush -burned in his cheeks, making it plain that Scott’s words -and bearing were arousing his pride and anger.</p> - -<p>“Let’s not talk of that,” he cried, perceiving it would -do no good. “We were beaten at Highland, Saturday, -and the eleven must be strengthened somehow if we are -to stand a show with them when they come here next -Saturday. If we had you back in your old position, I -think there would be a chance of making the team strong -enough to meet those fellows. I confess that I’m sorry -I offended you. I’ll even apologize if you demand it! -I’ll do anything to make the team strong enough to beat -Highland.”</p> - -<p>Don laughed harshly. “You don’t know me, Renwood,” -he declared. “I have said I was done with you, -and I mean it. I’ve said I’d show you up as a sneak and<span class="pagenum" id="Page_214">[214]</span> -a traitor, and I meant that, too! I know you for just -what you are. You pretend that you are anxious to beat -Highland. Bah! You’re hand-and-glove with Phil Winston, -the Highland coach. You owe him favors, which -you are trying to pay by throwing down Rockspur. I -know it! That strikes home, doesn’t it! Wait—keep -still! I’m going to say all I have to say to you right here -and now. You must think me a soft fool to come back -onto the team with you after what I know about you! -You know that I know it, too! You know I know you -slashed the suits and cut up the football in the dressing-room -under the grand-stand! Yet you had the crust to -face me and try to paste that onto me! As far as you -have been able you have hurt me, for the most of the boys -are idiots enough to believe I did that job. Now, you -are sore on Bentley because he happened to get a touchdown -in the Highland game, and you want to dump him -off the team. You see that you must do something to -hold your grip with the boys and make them believe you -are trying hard to put a winning eleven on the field, and -so you’ve planned to dump Bent and make a bluff at doing -something all at one lick. Renwood, you’re so thin -I can see through you like window-glass. Some day all -the fellows will see through you. I’ve told you just what -I think of you, and you can chew on it.”</p> - -<p>Don was about to turn away, but, panting and pale, -Dolph caught him by the arm, huskily exclaiming:</p> - - - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_215">[215]</span>“Stop! I’ve got something more to say to you! I -see I’ve made a fool of myself for nothing. I might -have known you were unreasonable and obstinate enough -to keep the thing up. Talk about bluffing! You are the -champion! After stealing my knife right from under my -nose in the club-room, you saw a way to hurt me, as you -fancied, and you went up to the field and slashed the -suits and cut up the football with that knife, which you -left there so that it would seem I did it. Then you told -a preposterous story about encountering me in the room -and tried to make the boys believe I attempted to stab -you. I was willing to overlook all that, not because I -forgave you, but because I was anxious for the good of -the eleven; but now I want to tell you just what I think, -as you have pretended to tell me. You’re a miserable——”</p> - -<p>“Dolph! Dolph!” cried a voice, and Zadia, having entered -by the gate, accompanied by other girls, rushed between -the two panting lads, who were about to fly at -each other’s throats. Putting a hand against the breast -of each, she held them apart with all her strength, gasping: -“You shall not! You shall not! Stop this minute. -Remember your promise to me, Don Scott!”</p> - -<p>Don did not draw back immediately, but at last he -took his eyes, full of intense rancor, from the face of -Renwood and turned them upon Dolph’s pretty, trembling, -imploring sister. Swiftly he melted before her entreating<span class="pagenum" id="Page_216">[216]</span> -gaze, but he could not resist the impulse to hurl -a last savage shot at the fellow he hated.</p> - -<p>“Some time, Renwood,” he said, “your sister will not -be at hand to come between us. Then look out for yourself!”</p> - -<p>With which, he turned toward the academy.</p> -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<span class="pagenum" id="Page_217">[217]</span> - -<h2 class="nobreak">CHAPTER XXV.<br /> - - -<small>DON DECIDES TO PLAY.</small></h2> -</div> - -<p>Sterndale came down from the football field in a discouraged -condition, although he tried not to betray his -feelings. He could see the boys had lost confidence in -themselves, with the exception of Bentley, who was full -of conceit and arrogance, seeming to regard himself as -the only player of consequence on the team.</p> - -<p>On his way home, Dick almost ran against Don Scott. -It was growing dark, and something was the matter with -the street lamp on that corner.</p> - -<p>“Say, Scott, wait a minute!” exclaimed the captain of -the nine, catching hold of the other.</p> - -<p>“I’m in a hurry,” muttered Don.</p> - -<p>“Never mind; you can give me five minutes for old -times’ sake. You and I got along pretty well on the -baseball team. We never had any particular trouble, -did we?”</p> - -<p>“No.”</p> - -<p>“Well, this trouble on the eleven is all nonsense.”</p> - -<p>“Needn’t been any trouble only for that sneak Renwood, -Sterndale.”</p> - -<p>“I know how it was. See here, Scott, do you want to -see Highland get the best of us and crow over us just -because you had a row with Renwood?”</p> - -<p>“No, but——”</p> - - - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_218">[218]</span>“I know you don’t!” declared Dick, with a show of -satisfaction. “I’ve felt it all along! I was sure that, -deep down in your heart, you wanted us to win.”</p> - -<p>“It’s only Renwood,” muttered Don, hesitatingly. “If -you hadn’t had him——”</p> - -<p>“We had to, old man. We didn’t know beans about -football, and he did. We couldn’t afford to hire a coach, -and he’s coached us for nothing. There we were.”</p> - -<p>“But he hasn’t tried to coach you to win. I know it! -He’s standing in with Winston, who is working for a -rep. I have it straight, Sterndale. The sooner you get -rid of Renwood the better off the eleven will be.”</p> - -<p>“I can’t think that. I want proof. Prove what you -say and I’ll kick him out on the jump.”</p> - -<p>“If I bring a man who heard him talking with Winston—who -heard enough to learn there is an understanding -between them?”</p> - -<p>“If I’m satisfied the man isn’t lying, I’ll kick Renwood -off the team,” declared Dick.</p> - -<p>Don realized on the instant that the captain would not -believe Leon Bentley, so it was useless to bring Bentley -forward.</p> - -<p>“But I don’t believe it, Scott,” the big leader of the -village boys went on. “You have misjudged Dolph Renwood. -He feels as bad as anybody over our defeat, and -he’ll work hard to help us win, Saturday. But there’s a -weakness in our team. We want you back at half, and -then we can put Smith on the end of the line, where he<span class="pagenum" id="Page_219">[219]</span> -was in the first place. Can’t you let bygones be bygones, -old man, and come back and help pull us out of the hole? -You can bet your life I’ll appreciate it if you do! Now, -don’t say you won’t, Don! I’ve favored you before now, -and I’m ready to do it again. Of course you’ll do this -for me! I know you will!”</p> - -<p>There was something almost irresistible in Sterndale’s -manner, so that Don found it nearly impossible to refuse -his entreaty; but the doctor’s son was not to be turned -thus easily from his determination to keep off the eleven -as long as Renwood had anything to do with it, and he -grimly shook his head.</p> - -<p>“I can’t do it,” he muttered, sullenly. “It’s no use to -ask me.”</p> - -<p>“Not even for me? Not even to save Rockspur from -being defeated by Highland?”</p> - -<p>“Not even for anything!”</p> - -<p>Dick was disappointed and nettled, but he held his -anger in check, though he betrayed his disappointment -plainly enough. Almost always the village boys were -ready to obey his beck and call, and he found it decidedly -provoking to have Scott refuse in this case to come back -onto the eleven at his request.</p> - -<p>“You’ll think better of it,” the captain said, not willing -to give up defeated. “I’m your friend; I’ve proved it, -too.”</p> - -<p>Dick did not say outright that he had proved it by not -going to Don’s father about the ruined suits and destroyed<span class="pagenum" id="Page_220">[220]</span> -football, but his meaning was plain enough, and -Scott cried:</p> - -<p>“You’re no friend of mine if you think I did that dirty -piece of business! That was one of Renwood’s tricks, -as you’ll find out some day.”</p> - -<p>“I’m not saying you did it,” the captain instantly cut -in. “I don’t know who did it. I don’t want to think -that either you or Renwood would do a thing like that.”</p> - -<p>“One of us did it, and it wasn’t me,” assented Don.</p> - -<p>“Well, never mind that now. I want you back on the -team, and you are coming back. We can’t get along -without you, Scott, old man! You can save us from defeat. -We can’t shift all over again, but we can put the -men back in their original positions, and we’ll beat the -stuffing out of Highland. I’m going to see you again -about this, so think it over. Remember, that I am asking -this of you.”</p> - -<p>Then he got hold of Don’s hand, shook it warmly, said -something pleasant, and they parted.</p> - -<p>“I hated to refuse him,” muttered Don, who still felt -the effect of Dick’s influence and magnetism, “but I had -to do it.”</p> - -<p>He remained obstinate when Sterndale approached him -again on the following day, and there seemed little prospect -that he would give in and resume his old position on -the eleven.</p> - -<p>The boys practiced faithfully every day, regardless of<span class="pagenum" id="Page_221">[221]</span> -weather; but Scott kept away from the field and Bentley -was well satisfied.</p> - -<p>It was Thursday morning at breakfast that Dr. Scott, -who was looking over the little country newspaper published -at Highland, suddenly lowered the paper and, -glancing keenly at Don, observed:</p> - -<p>“How is this, my son? Didn’t you do anything -worthy of note in the game at Highland last Saturday?”</p> - -<p>The boy nearly dropped the glass of milk he had been -lifting to his lips, for he instantly realized that his father -had been reading an account of the game.</p> - -<p>“Why, no—I—that is—not much of anything,” he -stammered.</p> - -<p>“I see the <i>Register</i> does not even mention your name,” -smiled the doctor. “It speaks of the plays of a number -of men on both sides, but nothing is said of a chap by -the name of Scott.”</p> - -<p>“Does it give the line-up of the two teams?” breathlessly -questioned Don, his heart standing still.</p> - -<p>“No,” was the answer. “It seems to me a very careless -piece of reporting, and it’s plain the fellow who did it -doesn’t know much about football.”</p> - -<p>The boy breathed again, but he still shook a little, feeling -a clammy perspiration on his face. He had kept up -the deception so long that the horror of the seemingly -inevitable discovery was wearing on his nerves.</p> - -<p>“Let me see,” said the doctor, still regarding Don -closely; “what position did you fill, my son?”</p> - - - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_222">[222]</span>“I was right half-back,” came, rather faintly, from -Don’s lips. Then he took a swallow of milk and choked -over it.</p> - -<p>“But it says here that Smith, the right half-back of the -Rockspurs, took the ball round Highland’s end for a gain -of twelve yards before being tackled and brought to -earth by Garrison, Highland’s left half. What does that -mean?”</p> - -<p>“It’s another blunder of the reporter’s,” asserted Don, -boldly. “He got twisted somehow. Smith is on the -right end of the line.”</p> - -<p>“It’s too bad there could not have been a good report -of the game,” said the doctor. “I hope you fellows will -do better next Saturday, for I’m going to see that game if -I can possibly get to it. You want to remember that I’ll -be watching you, and brace up, my boy. I suppose you -want to see the account of the game. There it is.”</p> - -<p>He passed the paper over, but it was some moments -before Don could read a word, although he sat staring -at the print, which ran together in a confused mass. At -last the boy’s brain cleared, and he slowly perused the report -of the game.</p> - -<p>“That’s sloppy,” he commented, handing the paper -back. “That reporter ought to write up one more game -of football and then go off somewhere and die. He didn’t -get half of it correct.”</p> - -<p>As soon as possible, he left the table and the house.</p> - -<p>“Ginger! I thought the jig was up!” he muttered,<span class="pagenum" id="Page_223">[223]</span> -hastening away. “It will be up next Saturday.” Then -he halted, his hands thrust deep into his pockets, his -eyes fastened on the ground. “It’ll be all up, unless——” -There was another pause, and, all at once, as if relieved, -he cried: “I’ve got to do it, that’s all! If I do, he may -never know I’ve fooled him.”</p> - -<p>Then he lost no time in finding Sterndale and informing -him that he had decided to play on the team in the -game against Highland the following Saturday.</p> -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<span class="pagenum" id="Page_224">[224]</span> - -<h2 class="nobreak">CHAPTER XXVI.<br /> - - -<small>THE PROOF AGAINST RENWOOD.</small></h2> -</div> - -<p>“What’s this I hear, Scott?” cried Leon Bentley, rushing -up to him as he appeared at the academy that noon. -“They say you practiced with the team this morning. I -was away—went to see my aunt over at Freeport last -night, and didn’t get back in time for school this forenoon. -They lie about you, don’t they? You didn’t practice -with the team, did you?”</p> - -<p>“What if I did?” demanded Don.</p> - -<p>“Why, hang it! you said you wouldn’t—you said nothing -could induce you to! You gave me fits for going -back.”</p> - -<p>“Well, you’re not the only fellow who has a privilege -to change his mind.”</p> - -<p>“Then you have?” gasped Leon. “I never thought it -of you! After all Renwood’s said, too! You’ll be chumming -with him next.”</p> - -<p>Scott’s face grew dark. “Let up on that!” he grated. -“I won’t take it from you! I hate him just as much as I -ever did!”</p> - -<p>“Well, they’ll kick me off the team now,” said Bentley. -“You’ve helped him carry out his plan to do that, anyhow. -I never thought it of you,” he again declared, with -unspeakable reproach. “Anyhow, I’ll bet my money on -Highland, and I’ve got some to bet, too.”</p> - - - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_225">[225]</span>As he made this statement, Leon produced a roll of -bills, which he flourished before Don, grinning triumphantly. -The doctor’s son was surprised to see so much -money in the possession of Bentley, but he made no comment, -not a little to Leon’s disappointment.</p> - -<p>“Why don’t you ask me where I got it?” he demanded. -“My aunt’s been keeping it for me, to make me a present -on my birthday that comes next Tuesday. She was going -to get me a suit of clothes, shoes, hat and full rig with -it, but I got the old lady to cough it up to me and let me -buy my own stuff. If I can catch any suckers, I’m going -to bet the whole pile on Highland.”</p> - -<p>“And I hope you’ll lose it!” exclaimed Don.</p> - -<p>“That’s nice!” sneered Leon. “But I won’t. Highland -will have a snap, same as she did before, and it -won’t make any difference if you are on the team.”</p> - -<p>“It’s not Rockspur I’m sore on,” declared Don. “It’s -only that cad, Renwood.”</p> - -<p>“And still you’re going to play with him.”</p> - -<p>“I have a reason for that. You know my father -doesn’t suspect I left the team, and I don’t propose to let -him know it. He’s going to see the game, Saturday.”</p> - -<p>Leon whistled. “Oh, that’s your little game! Well, I -didn’t think you’d go back, even for that. What do you -care if he does find out?”</p> - -<p>“I wouldn’t have my father know I lied to him for -anything.”</p> - -<p>“What if somebody told him?” grinned Bentley.</p> - - - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_226">[226]</span>Don had the fellow by the collar in a moment. “Don’t -you dare peach on me!” he hissed. “If you do, I’ll give -you the worst thrashing you ever had.”</p> - -<p>“Oh, I won’t say a word!” promised the frightened -fellow. “Don’t choke! Ain’t I your friend? What’s -the matter with you?”</p> - -<p>“That’s all right,” said Don, releasing his hold. “But -you want to remember what I said. If it gets to my -father in any way, and I find out who caused it, I’ll do -just what I said.” Then he entered the academy.</p> - -<p>“Oh, yes, I’m your friend!” whispered Leon, glaring -after Scott with a sidelong look and showing his yellow -teeth. “I’m your friend just as long as it’s any advantage -to be. I don’t like you. You’re too ready with -your threats to thrash somebody.”</p> - -<p>That night Don practiced with the team again, and, -as Leon had expected, Carter was given the position of -left tackle, Smith played in his original position on the -right end, and Bentley was left off the eleven. Leon left -the field in a huff, and the boys did better work after he -departed.</p> - -<p>“Good riddance to bad rubbish,” said Dennis Murphy, -as Leon departed. “Talk about yer hoodoos, begorra, -he’s it.”</p> - -<p>Don practiced with all the vim and vigor he could -command, and during the final brush with the scrub he -particularly distinguished himself in various ways.</p> - -<p>When the boys left the field that night confidence had<span class="pagenum" id="Page_227">[227]</span> -returned to them in a great measure, and Sterndale -praised them freely. There had been nothing like a -clash between Renwood and Scott, which had been -dreaded, and every one felt relieved.</p> - -<p>Scott was invited to come round to the club-room -that evening, but he declined, saying it was necessary -for him to study. However, he did not do much studying, -for, as he was alone in his room shortly after reaching -home, there came a signal he could not misunderstand. -Some small pebbles rattled against his window -and a peculiar whistle sounded below.</p> - -<p>“Now, what the dickens does that fellow want?” muttered -Don, half resolved to pay no attention to the signal. -Then, fearing his father might discover Leon, he thrust -up the window and called down, in a guarded tone: -“What are you prowling round here for?”</p> - -<p>“I’ve got something to show you—something that -you’ll like to see,” replied the dusky form below. “Your -old man’s gone out; I saw him go five minutes ago. I -have the absolute proof against Renwood.”</p> - -<p>Don hesitated no longer, but hurried down to let Bentley -in; and, a few minutes later, the boys were together -in Scott’s room, with the window-shades tightly drawn.</p> - -<p>“Now, where is your absolute proof?” demanded the -doctor’s son, eagerly. “I want to see it. How did you -get hold of it?”</p> - -<p>“It’s the tail end of a letter,” said Leon, “which I -picked up under Renwood’s desk, where he dropped it.<span class="pagenum" id="Page_228">[228]</span> -I saw him drop it, too, and I wondered if it amounted -to anything. I hung round till he left after school, and -then I gobbled it. Here it is.”</p> - -<p>He brought out a sheet of crumpled note-paper, on -which there were a few lines of writing in a clear, bold -hand, and passed it to Don. The page was numbered -“3,” and the writing began in the middle of a sentence. -This was what Scott read:</p> - -<div class="blockquot"> - -<p>“take no chances, so Highland must win again Saturday, -and you must tip me off to any particular weakness of -the Rockspur team, as you did before. I shall expect -a letter from you Friday. Your friend,</p> - -<p class="right">P. W.”</p> -</div> - -<p>“That’s it!” cried Don, exultantly—“that’s the proof! -This is the last of a letter to Renwood from Phil Winston, -the Highland coach! Now, I can show the fellow -up to Dick Sterndale, for I’m going to take this straight -to him.”</p> - -<p>“Hold on,” said Bentley, with a knowing grin. “You -hadn’t better do that.”</p> - -<p>“Why not?”</p> - -<p>“How are you going to satisfy Sterndale that the letter -this came from was sent to Renwood? Renwood’s name -is not mentioned. He may simply refuse to believe that -fellow knows anything about it, and you’ll simply balk -yourself.”</p> - -<p>“Well, what am I to do?” exclaimed the doctor’s son, -after a moment of silence. “Sterndale will have to believe<span class="pagenum" id="Page_229">[229]</span> -it, that’s all. If he doesn’t, he’s a bigger fool than I -take him to be.”</p> - -<p>“But we might just as well fix it so he can’t help believing, -even if he wanted to.”</p> - -<p>“How can that be done?”</p> - -<p>“Why, it’s dead easy. I’ve got some samples of Renwood’s -handwriting here, and I rather think I can get -up a reply to that letter that will fool anybody.”</p> - -<p>“That would be forgery.”</p> - -<p>“No more than the note you took to old Alden. Besides -that, it would be for a good purpose, so there -wouldn’t be anything wrong in it. I tell you, it’s the only -way to do Renwood up good and solid.”</p> - -<p>“What’ll you do with the letter after it’s written?”</p> - -<p>“That’s where you come in. The fellows invited you -down to the club to-night. I want you to go down and -drop the letter on the floor, where it’ll be picked up by -somebody besides Renwood. Whoever gets it will have -to read it to see what it is, which will give the whole -thing away. Will you do it?”</p> - -<p>Don’s nature rebelled against such an act, and Leon -saw he was wavering.</p> - -<p>“Think what he’s done to you!” urged the tempter. -“He’s covered you all over with dirt. He’s made the -fellows believe you slashed the suits and destroyed the -football. It’s your only chance to get even. Have you -got the nerve?”</p> - -<p>“Yes!” grated Don. “Go ahead and fake up that letter.<span class="pagenum" id="Page_230">[230]</span> -I’ll drop it where it will fall into the hands of Sterndale -himself.”</p> - -<p>“Good!” laughed Bentley. “Mr. Dolph Renwood is as -good as done for! Bring on the paper, pen and ink, and -watch your old side-partner do the trick. The world is -ours, and Renwood isn’t in it!”</p> -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<span class="pagenum" id="Page_231">[231]</span> - -<h2 class="nobreak">CHAPTER XXVII.<br /> - - -<small>THE FORGERY DISCOVERED.</small></h2> -</div> - -<p>The second bell was ringing when Don entered the -academy the following morning. As he stepped through -the doorway he felt a pull at his sleeves and a well-known -voice whispered in his ear:</p> - -<p>“Well, did you do it, Scott?”</p> - -<p>Bentley had been waiting for him, and Don saw the -fellow’s face over his shoulder.</p> - -<p>“Yes,” he answered quickly, in a low tone. “I got a -good chance last night, for I waited with Sterndale till -after the others were all gone home, pretending I wanted -to have a talk with him. Then, when he didn’t see me, I -dropped the letter just where Renwood had been sitting, -and I saw him pick it up.”</p> - -<p>“Good!” chuckled Leon. “Something will drop on -Mr. Renwood to-day! You did a good job, old man.”</p> - -<p>But Don had already begun to regret his action, having -found time to think it over soberly when his blood had -cooled somewhat, and he was not at all proud of what -Bentley called “a good job.” His hatred for Renwood -had not abated in the least, but his conscience told him -he had made a false step. Had he by any honest means -obtained possession of a letter from Dolph to Phil Winston -in which the Rockspur coach betrayed to Winston<span class="pagenum" id="Page_232">[232]</span> -the weak points of the Rockspur team, he would have -denounced the traitor openly before the members of the -eleven, backing up his charges with the letter. But, in -a way that now seemed sneaking and underhand, he had -succeeded in causing the letter forged by Bentley to fall -into the hands of the captain of the team, and, even -though he had no doubt of Renwood’s guilt, he now saw -that he would not stand in a very favorable light were -the whole matter made public. More than that, he felt -that he had, to a certain extent, placed himself in Bentley’s -power.</p> - -<p>Leon, however, troubled by no such prickings of his -conscience, chuckled inwardly as he entered the school-room.</p> - -<p>“If it’s found out that the letter ain’t genuine, nobody -can lay it onto me,” he thought. “I wasn’t around the -old club-room to drop it there.”</p> - -<p>To the surprise of both Scott and Bentley, the forenoon -passed without any reference being made to the letter by -Sterndale. The expected exposure did not come, and -Leon was greatly disappointed. He hurried after and -overtook Don as the doctor’s son was walking swiftly -homeward.</p> - -<p>“Are you sure Sterndale got hold of that letter?” asked -the youthful rascal.</p> - -<p>“I saw him pick it up,” asserted Don.</p> - -<p>“Did he read it?”</p> - - - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_233">[233]</span>“He looked at it, started, and then quickly put it into -his pocket.”</p> - -<p>“Well, it’s mighty queer, that’s all,” said Leon. “Why -didn’t he jump on Renwood? He didn’t say a word—not -a blessed word!”</p> - -<p>“It is queer,” admitted Don; “but I think it’ll come -out before night. He may be waiting to jump on Renwood -to-night when we go up to practice.”</p> - -<p>“Oh, I’ll be there!” sang Leon, as he skipped off at a -corner on his way home.</p> - -<p>Arriving home, Don ran lightly up the stairs to his -room, the door of which he found standing slightly ajar. -When he entered, he was surprised and startled to see -his father standing by a window with a crumpled sheet of -writing-paper in his hand. Instantly the boy felt that -some unusual thing had brought the doctor to that room -just then, and he halted, his face turning somewhat pale.</p> - -<p>The doctor, likewise pale, regarded his son with -searching eyes, making Don feel that his very thoughts -were bring scrutinized.</p> - -<p>“My son,” said the physician, calmly, “how does it -happen that I find this half-written letter of mine in your -waste-basket? I am sure I did not place it there.”</p> - -<p>It was some seconds before the abashed youth found -his voice, which did not sound quite natural when he -finally spoke.</p> - -<p>“I—I don’t know, father,” he said. “Let me see. Oh, -yes! Why, I went down to your desk for some writing-paper<span class="pagenum" id="Page_234">[234]</span> -one evening, and that was with the sheets when I -brought them up here. I thought it didn’t amount to -anything, so I threw it into the waste-basket.”</p> - -<p>The doctor still regarded his son steadfastly, causing -the blood to mantle Don’s cheeks, driving away the pallor -and making his face very red. He felt for the first -time in his life that he was not believed by his father, -and the shame and humiliation of that feeling burned -like coals of fire within his swelling bosom. No greater -punishment for his wrong-doing, deception and falsehoods -could have been inflicted upon him than befell at -that moment, when he realized that his father doubted -his statement and had lost confidence in him. In those -few moments he suffered more keenly than ever before -in all his life.</p> - -<p>The doctor stepped toward Don slowly, placed a hand -gently on his shoulder, and, in a low voice, said:</p> - -<p>“My son, I am very sorry.”</p> - -<p>Then he went out of the room and descended the -stairs, leaving the stricken lad standing there, his hands -clenched, his teeth set, his whole body trembling.</p> - -<p>“He knows!” panted the miserable boy—“he has found -out about the forged excuse! The jig is up, and my -father knows just what kind of a wretched liar and two-faced -hypocrite I am! Oh, I wish I were dead! I wish -I’d never been born.”</p> - -<p>He walked the floor, his soul torn by the poignant anguish<span class="pagenum" id="Page_235">[235]</span> -that he had brought upon himself by his own false -steps. Fancying he could never again look his father in -the face, he thought of running away, of drowning himself, -of doing anything to escape the mortification of the -ordeal.</p> - -<p>Then came a sudden, fierce surge of anger. “Renwood -is to blame for it all!” he panted. “But for him I’d never -done any of these things, for I’d stayed on the eleven, and -it would not have been necessary! Oh, how I hate him! -How I hate him!”</p> - -<p>He made no attempt to reason calmly, therefore it -was not possible for him to see the unjustness of his -position. His eyes were not yet fully opened to his own -moral weakness, nor had this exposure unveiled to him -all the pitfalls of the crooked road into which he had been -led by his ungoverned anger and by the craft of a bad -companion.</p> - -<p>As he was fuming about Renwood, he heard somebody -leave the house. Hurrying through the hall to the front -of the house, he looked out from a window in time to see -his father pass through the front gate and join a bearded -man who had paused on the sidewalk to wait for him. -The bearded man was Simeon Drew, the deputy sheriff -of the village of Rockspur. The two men walked away -toward the village, Dr. Scott talking earnestly and Drew -listening.</p> - -<p>“Now, what does that mean?” wondered Don, beset<span class="pagenum" id="Page_236">[236]</span> -by a sudden, vague sense of peril. “I don’t understand -why Sim Drew waited for father at the gate, and I’d -give a dollar to know what father is telling him.”</p> - -<p>Having watched them till they disappeared from view, -he hurried downstairs, where dinner was waiting, and -Aunt Ella was in a state of flustered worriment.</p> - -<p>“I can’t understand it,” declared the flushed woman. -“Something has happened that worries Lyman, and he -hasn’t told me what it is. He didn’t even wait to eat dinner, -yet I’m sure he ain’t going to see a patient.”</p> - -<p>Don did not eat much himself, but, after swallowing a -few mouthfuls, he got away from the house, fearing his -father might return and find him there.</p> - -<p>The boys were practicing in the academy yard when -he arrived, nearly all of the eleven having eaten with -great haste and returned. He joined them, but somehow -his work lacked the dash and vim he had put into it the -previous night, his heart being gnawed by hatred for the -quarter-back of the eleven.</p> - -<p>It was plain Sterndale had remained silent about the -letter, for Renwood continued to coach, apparently greatly -in earnest, although Don was satisfied that all his -earnestness was false pretense.</p> - -<p>Scott found an opportunity to say a word to Bentley -before the afternoon session began.</p> - -<p>“A nice scrape you’ve got me into!” he guardedly -snapped.</p> - - - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_237">[237]</span>“Hey?” said Leon, showing his teeth. “What are you -talking about?”</p> - -<p>“About the forgery.”</p> - -<p>“Forgery!” gasped the young rascal, his face turning -yellowish-white. “Why—what—what forgery? You -don’t mean——”</p> - -<p>“I mean that excuse to the professor. My father has -found out about that.”</p> - -<p>“Oh!” said Leon, with a long breath of relief. “I -thought you meant—something else. I thought you -meant—er—that letter.”</p> - -<p>“No; but I wouldn’t be surprised if that came out, too. -I wish I’d never had anything to do with you!”</p> - -<p>“But you did, and you’re just as deep in the mud as I -am in the mire. You can’t peach now without giving -yourself away.” He grinned as he said this, and, with -an angry growl, Don hastened into the academy, fully -expecting to be called up before the professor and questioned -about the forged excuse.</p> - -<p>To his surprise, nothing of the kind happened that -afternoon. After school he went directly to the football -field with the others of the team, where the usual amount -of practice was obtained; but Don continued to worry, -which made it impossible for him to appear at his best. -Bentley kept away from the field, and still Dick Sterndale -remained silent about the letter that had been prepared -for the undoing of Renwood.</p> - -<p>Puzzled, apprehensive, distressed, Don came down<span class="pagenum" id="Page_238">[238]</span> -from the field and encountered Simeon Drew, who seemed -to be waiting for him. The boy’s heart gave a heavy -thump as the officer spoke to him.</p> - -<p>“I won’t detain ye but jest a minute,” said Drew; “but -I want to talk with ye private. Jest come over here to -Robinson’s barn.”</p> - -<p>Don followed, feeling both dread and wonder. He -could not understand how the deputy sheriff might be -concerned with the affair of the forged excuse, yet he -feared that somehow he had done something that brought -him beneath the ban of the law.</p> - -<p>“Set down,” invited Drew, when they were in the barn, -the door of which stood wide open. “I want to ax ye a -few questions.” He pointed to a feed-box, while he -picked up a stick, took out his knife and leisurely planted -himself in the most comfortable position possible for him -to assume upon a saw-horse, which he tipped down on its -side.</p> - -<p>Don remained standing. “What do you want of me?” -he asked, nervously.</p> - -<p>“I want to find out what you know about this here -forgin’ business,” explained Sim, beginning to whittle. -“I’ve kinder figgered it out that you know somethin’, an’ -you might jest as well tell all ye know. It’ll be the best -thing to do.”</p> - -<p>It had come at last, and the boy braced himself to meet -the emergency.</p> - - - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_239">[239]</span>“I’d like to know what you have to do with it, anyway,” -he said.</p> - -<p>“Me?” cried Sim, looking up from his whittling. -“Well, I guess, b’ Jim, I’ve gut somethin’ to do with it! -I’m an officer of the law, an’ I’m goin’ to ’rest the forger.”</p> - -<p>“Why you can’t arrest him for that little thing!”</p> - -<p>“Can’t? Well, you don’t know much about law! It’s -a State’s prison offense.”</p> - -<p>Don gasped, but he quickly decided that the man was -trying to frighten him, and he forced a laugh, which, -however, sounded faint and unnatural.</p> - -<p>“Get out!” he said. “I know better! It’s something -for my father to settle with Professor Alden, and you -don’t have anything to do with it.”</p> - -<p>“Hey? Well, by Jing! I’d like to know what Professor -Alden has ter do with it! It don’t consarn him nohow.”</p> - -<p>“Why, the excuse was given to him.”</p> - -<p>“The what? What be you talkin’ about? I don’t know -northin’ about no excuse.”</p> - -<p>“You don’t?” cried the astonished boy. “Then what -are you talking about?”</p> - -<p>“About that check for twenty-five dollars with your -father’s name forged onto it,” answered the deputy -sheriff.</p> -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<span class="pagenum" id="Page_240">[240]</span> - -<h2 class="nobreak">CHAPTER XXVIII.<br /> - - -<small>BREAKING THE FETTERS.</small></h2> -</div> - -<p>Don actually staggered, and for some moments he was -unable to speak a word. To the deputy sheriff the boy’s -agitation seemed a confession that he knew all about the -matter in question, and so Drew said:</p> - -<p>“The hull business has come out, ye see, so you might -jest as well tell the truth about it. Of course your -father’ll pertect you, but the other feller that passed the -check over to Freeport will hev to smart.”</p> - -<p>“Why, I don’t know anything about a forged check!” -exclaimed Don, in a flutter. “That’s the honest truth, -Mr. Drew.”</p> - -<p>“Oh, come!” drawled the man. “It ain’t no use to -try to squiggle round it. The check come back to the -bank to-day, an’ your father was straightenin’ out his -accounts this forenoon, so he gut holt of it right off. -Reuben Gray, over to Freeport, tuck it, and he sent it -over here by Jeff Lander to git it cashed at the bank, as -Jeff was comin’ over on business. It was jest a happenstance -that your father diskivered it so soon.”</p> - -<p>Now Don understood why his father had looked on -him with such sad reproach after discovering the crumpled -letter in his waste-basket, and the boy was horrified -by the knowledge that the doctor suspected him of participating<span class="pagenum" id="Page_241">[241]</span> -in such a crime. He realized, also, that all this -had come about through his association with an evil companion, -against whom his father had warned him.</p> - -<p>Being entirely innocent in regard to the forged check, -Don became both vehement and indignant in his protestations. -It was useless for Simeon Drew to try to coax -or frighten a confession from him, and the deputy sheriff -finally gave over the attempt in disgust.</p> - -<p>“It would hev bin better for ye if you’d jest told everything -ye knowed about it,” the man declared; “but, anyhow, -I’ll hev the other feller nabbed before night.”</p> - -<p>As Don continued on his way home, his brain in a -whirl over the affair, the whole truth came to him like a -flash of light. He recalled the fact that on the evening -after the football game at Highland, while he was talking -with Bentley in his father’s office, he had caught Leon -examining Dr. Scott’s check-book and had angrily ordered -the fellow to let it alone.</p> - -<p>“He tore a blank check from it then!” palpitated Don. -“He is the forger! He could imitate father’s writing, -for he faked up that excuse for me. He went to Freeport, -Thursday, and when he came home he had lots of -money, which he said his aunt had given him for a birthday -present.”</p> - -<p>Everything seemed plain enough in a moment, and he -understood why it was suspected that he had known -something about the affair. Immediately he resolved to -face Bentley in the matter and force the fellow to exonorate<span class="pagenum" id="Page_242">[242]</span> -him. He hurried straight to Leon’s home, but Mrs. -Bentley, a pale-faced, worried-appearing woman, announced -that her son had not appeared since school that -afternoon.</p> - -<p>As Don was departing he found himself again confronted -by Simeon Drew, who had followed him without -his knowledge. The officer looked at him in a stern, -accusing manner that was also full of triumph.</p> - -<p>“I kinder jedged you’d hurry to tell t’other feller all -about it,” he said. “Now, you kin see you might as well -own up.”</p> - -<p>“I’ll never own up to a thing I did not do!” cried Don. -“You can’t make me, either! If Leon Bentley says I had -anything to do with that business, he lies!”</p> - -<p>“All right,” grinned the man. “He’ll hev a chanct to -tell his story purty soon. You better go hum and keep -still.”</p> - -<p>Don went home, fully resolved to find his father and -make a full confession of everything. Unfortunately, -Dr. Scott was not there, having been called on a very -serious case, and it was possible that he might not return -until late at night.</p> - -<p>Restless and excited, his face flushing and paling by -turns, Don found himself unable to eat much supper, -which convinced his aunt that a serious illness threatened -him.</p> - -<p>“It’s that dreadful football,” she asserted, positively. -“You’re all worked up over it. I knew it would make<span class="pagenum" id="Page_243">[243]</span> -you sick, and I told Lyman so. There’s no sense in you’re -staving yourself to pieces morning, noon and night the -way you’ve been doing for the last three weeks.”</p> - -<p>Don might have told her everything then, but it was -hard enough to have to tell it to his father, and he thought -it useless to distress his aunt over a matter she could not -remedy. After supper he went out into the village and -tried to find Bentley, but it was a long time before he -met any one who could give him any information concerning -the young rascal.</p> - -<p>The doctor’s son was not dull, even though he had -been deceived by the crafty Leon, and, in thinking the -whole matter over, he was assailed by a doubt concerning -the genuineness of the portion of a letter that Bentley -claimed to have found beneath Renwood’s desk.</p> - -<p>“That may have been a forgery, too,” thought Don. -“How do I know? I wish I’d never agreed to do that -other business of dropping the letter to Winston where -Sterndale could find it. Oh, I’ve got myself into a pretty -mess, and all because I had anything to do with Bentley. -But Renwood is back of it all! He started it! He is to -blame!”</p> - -<p>Always he came round to this mental assertion, but -now, for the first time, he found it was not at all satisfying -to himself. He was struck by the thought that in -this manner he was trying to shift the blame for his own -weakness on to the shoulders of another, which made -him feel mean and small and more wretched than ever.</p> - - - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_244">[244]</span>Then he thought of his father’s story and of Charlie, -who had been ruined by associating with evil companions, -suddenly feeling that the similarity of his position to that -of Charlie when first accused of stealing was something -startling. Charlie had associated with bad boys, but he -had not actually stolen when first charged with theft. -Don’s father had been taught a lesson by that terrible -experience, and his lips had not harshly charged his son -with participating in the crime of forgery, but his eyes -had spoken quite as distinctly as words.</p> - -<p>“But I’ll not be like Charlie!” the tortured boy mentally -cried. “I see my mistake now, and I’ll have no more to -do with Leon Bentley.”</p> - -<p>He felt in a pocket of his coat and found a half-consumed -package of cigarettes, which he took out and flung -away. Leon’s father and mother were respectable, hard-working, -honest people, and it now began to seem to -Don that somehow all the degraded qualities of the son -had developed under the brain-weakening, conscience-deadening, -manhood-destroying thrall of that opium-tainted -creation of evil, the paper-covered cigarette. Don -wondered now that he had ever been tempted to smoke -one of the vile-smelling things, and wondered still more -that, having found neither satisfaction nor pleasure in -the first one, he had persisted in their use; but he was -thankful in his heart that the dreadful habit had not -fixed itself firmly upon him, though he tried to assure -himself that he would have broken it at any cost of self-denial<span class="pagenum" id="Page_245">[245]</span> -and distress. His heart, however, declared to him -that one of his passionate, impulsive disposition, one who -could not control his fiery temper, would surely have -found it hard to break clear from a habit with such power -to fasten itself on its victims and bind them with chains -soft as silk and strong as iron.</p> - -<p>With the casting away of those cigarettes a feeling of -partial relief came to him, for it seemed that he had -broken the unsuspected bond that somehow connected -him with the unscrupulous fellow he now despised.</p> - -<p>As he was wandering about the streets, thinking of -this thing and hoping to run across Bentley, he met -Danny Chatterton, who seemed flushed, excited and in a -great hurry.</p> - -<p>“Hello, Scott!” called Chatterton, seeing him. “Have -you heard the nun-nun-nun-news?”</p> - -<p>“What news?” asked Don.</p> - -<p>“Abub-bub-about Bentley.”</p> - -<p>Don started. “No. What is it?”</p> - -<p>“He’s sus-skipped out.”</p> - -<p>“Skipped out? You mean——”</p> - -<p>“He’s run away. I don’t nun-nun-know what he’s -done, but it’s sus-something cuc-cuc-crooked, and he’s -run for it. He sus-stole Sus-Skinny Jones’ bicycle and -run away on that. Sim Drew has tut-took a tut-team and -put after him. I’m going to the cuc-cuc-cuc-club to tell -the bub-boys. Come on.”</p> - -<p>But Don declined to accompany the little fellow, and<span class="pagenum" id="Page_246">[246]</span> -Danny skipped away to carry the news to the boys at the -club.</p> - -<p>Scott turned toward home, for there was no longer any -chance that he would meet Leon on the street that night. -His father was still away. Till nearly ten o’clock he sat -up and waited, still determined to confess everything; -but the doctor did not return, and at last Don crept to bed -to spend a wretched night—the night before the football -game.</p> -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<span class="pagenum" id="Page_247">[247]</span> - -<h2 class="nobreak">CHAPTER XXIX.<br /> - - -<small>ON THE GRIDIRON.</small></h2> -</div> - -<p>The day, the afternoon, the hour of the game had arrived. -Not even at the deciding game for the baseball -championship between Highland and Rockspur had a -larger crowd gathered to witness the struggle on the -field. The sun was shining, but there was a strong, cool -wind from the west, and the air was as invigorating as a -delightful tonic. The exhilaration of the atmosphere -and the occasion had entered into the hearts of the assembled -throng, which buzzed with expectancy, ready to -laugh, to shout, to cheer, to go wild with enthusiasm over -some brilliant play or plucky stand of the favorites in -the game.</p> - -<p>Ropes had been stretched to hold the crowd back, but -they were surged against till they threatened to give way. -It was amazing to see in that small country village such -a great concourse of people gathered to witness a game -of football between two bands of smooth-faced, clear-eyed, -clean-limbed lads. Fathers and brothers and sisters -were there, to say nothing of many mothers, who had -been unable to remain away and who had come to see -their favorite sons struggle like youthful gladiators with -the sons of other mothers, equally affectionate, but lacking -the courage to witness the rush, the clash, the shock<span class="pagenum" id="Page_248">[248]</span> -and tumult of battle in which these lads would hurl themselves -at one another like human catapults.</p> - -<p>Highland apparently had sent over nearly all its boys -and girls between twelve and twenty to cheer its -eleven. They had gathered in a compact body on the -bleachers to the left of the grand-stand, and already they -were singing a song of victory, which some rhymester -had composed to the tune of “Marching Through Georgia.” -They were prepared for the occasion with megaphones -and crimson pennants and unlimited confidence -in the ability of their boys to win from Rockspur on the -home ground of the latter team.</p> - -<p>On the opposite side had collected the adherents and -supporters of the Rockspur Eleven, but, although they -were in the majority, they could not drown the noise -made by the visitors. Everybody seemed good-natured, -and there was bantering and bandying of words.</p> - -<p>The grand-stand and much of the standing room to the -ropes was filled with older persons, who, however, seemed -scarcely less excited and eager than the boys and girls, -and who joked with each other and anxiously discussed -the possibilities of the game.</p> - -<p>The field lay stretched before them like a white-ribbed -skeleton, the goal-posts rising at either end. It was in -splendid condition, and all were certain that a battle royal -must take place there that day.</p> - -<p>Suddenly a new sound arose, and then, as onto the -field trotted eleven shaggy-headed lads, togged in their<span class="pagenum" id="Page_249">[249]</span> -football suits, dirt-stained, mud-bespattered garments of -victory, there was a great upheaval to the left of the -grand-stand, and the mass of fresh-faced, youthful humanity -broke into a wildly swaying surge of crimson, -while the Highland cheer sounded short and sharp and -clear, like the barking of hundreds of wolves on a still -winter’s night.</p> - -<p>“’Rah! ’rah! ’rah! Here we are! High-land, my -land! ’Rah! ’rah! ’rah!”</p> - -<p>Instantly this was drowned by another sound, deeper, -intenser, more like thunder, as the Rockspur Eleven -quickly followed their antagonists onto the chalk-marked -gridiron. There was another upheaval, mightier than -the first, and the blue-and-white was waving here in a -dense mass, there in streaks, yonder in spots, but all -round the field. The Rockspur cheer of greeting was -like rolling thunder, the rattle of musketry, the starward -hiss of red rockets and the boom of cannon.</p> - -<p>“Boo, bum, burr! Rick, rock, spur! Rockspur—s-s-s-ss! -Rockspur—boom! Rockspur!”</p> - -<p>How the blood tingled! How one thrilled to the very -finger tips! Carried away by the enthusiasm of the moment, -staid, middle-aged men forgot themselves and their -dignity, and when they realized what they were doing, -found they were swinging their hats and yelling at the -top of their voices, the sound being swallowed up and -drowned in the general uproar. Youth, incarnate, never-dying, -all-powerful, imbued by conscious vigor and<span class="pagenum" id="Page_250">[250]</span> -power, invested with confidence and courage unshattered -by the buffets of Time; youth, the little-prized, the fleeting, -the sadly-regretted, the vainly-sought; youth, the -beautiful and glorious—it was there, and the great crowd -offered homage to it.</p> - -<p>In the lull that followed after some moments of tumult, -a white-haired citizen of Rockspur, who had passed the -three-score mark, flourished his cane in the air and shrilly -cried:</p> - -<p>“Them’s our boys, an’ they kin beat at football jest the -same as they beat at baseball, an’ don’t you fergit it!”</p> - -<p>This caused a burst of laughter, and somebody -shouted:</p> - -<p>“Hooray for Uncle Ike! He always stands by the -boys! Give him a rouser, fellows! Ready—let ’er go!”</p> - -<p>They did “let ’er go,” and the cheer for the old man -must have warmed his heart—that rare old heart that -had never forgotten its youth, and thus, with advancing -years, had found its owner a place in the affections of the -generations that followed him. In acknowledgment of -the tribute he bowed, with uncovered head, and some -dust, or the sun, or something got into his eyes, causing -him to brush his hand across them while he laughed.</p> - -<p>Youth once lost may never be regained; but youth -firmly planted in the heart may remain there, though the -body wither beneath the blighting touch of age.</p> - -<p>In their heavily-padded suits the boys looked stout and<span class="pagenum" id="Page_251">[251]</span> -stocky. A ball being tossed in among them, they began -to chase it about and fall on it as a sort of warming-up.</p> - -<p>Don Scott was there, looking rather pale, his dark hair -and eyes accentuating the whiteness of his face. His -worriment and a restless night had told on him, and his -manner seemed full of lassitude!</p> - -<p>Don had not made a confession to his father. With -the passing of the weary night also passed his strength -and determination to reveal everything and seek forgiveness. -He told himself that he was blameless in the thing -of which he was suspected, and time would prove him so; -therefore, it might simply add to his father’s belief in his -guilt if he told him then of his deceptions and falsehoods. -He resolved to wait until it was plainly proven that he -was in no way concerned with the forgery of the check, -promising himself that he would then make a clean breast -of everything.</p> - -<p>So, as much as possible, he avoided his father, which -was not difficult, the doctor being very busy that Saturday -forenoon. Don had expected that Bentley would be -reported in custody that morning, but, to his surprise -and dissatisfaction, nothing had been heard of either -Leon or the deputy sheriff since one left the village hotly -pursued by the other the night before.</p> - -<p>As Don paused on the field, adjusting his belt, his eyes -roved over the great throng of people who were roaring -a greeting to the young gladiators of the gridiron. While -flags, hats and hands were waving it was almost impossible<span class="pagenum" id="Page_252">[252]</span> -to recognize anybody in the crowd, but when the -commotion subsided somewhat, he saw two girls in the -midst of the Rockspur Academy delegation on the blue-and-white -bleachers, and one of them seemed looking -straight at him. Their eyes met; she smiled; she waved -her flag in his direction.</p> - -<p>“That can’t be for me!” thought Don, with a little color -coming to his cheeks. “Zadia Renwood would not do -that for me.”</p> - -<p>But then he saw the other girl glance toward him, toss -her head and say something in a spiteful manner to her -companion, which caused Zadia to shake her head and -blush. Then he knew that Dora Deland also fancied -Zadia had waved to him.</p> - -<p>The cheering broke out again after Uncle Ike’s little -speech, and Don looked about for his father. In time he -found the doctor, who was watching his son steadily. The -doctor smiled a bit and waved his hand, but Don seemed -to feel reproach in the smile and it hurt him.</p> - -<p>“But I’ll do my best,” he muttered. “Perhaps I may -be able to make him proud of me some way.”</p> - -<p>The excitement was still great when the two captains -drew aside with the referee, who sent a coin fluttering -into the air.</p> - -<p>“Heads,” said Walker, the Highland captain, and the -Goddess of Liberty looked up at him from the ground.</p> - -<p>“Your choice,” smiled Sterndale, as the referee picked -up the piece of silver.</p> - - - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_253">[253]</span>The wind was now blowing quite strongly from the -west, and the Highland captain immediately selected the -west goal to defend, giving the ball to Rockspur. The -pigskin was placed on the spot in the exact centre of the -field, and the two teams lined up amid another uproar of -cheering and all kinds of noises.</p> - -<p>There was a sudden lull. Those two lines of youthful -tigers were gathering themselves for the clash, crouching -a bit, leaning forward, teeth set, muscles taut. Sterndale -eyed the ball critically, settled himself carefully, went at -it and smashed it down the field against the wind with a -beautiful kick.</p> - -<p>With the plunk of Sterndale’s foot against the leather, -which sailed into the air in a long graceful curve, the -uproar broke forth again.</p> - -<p>The game was on.</p> -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<span class="pagenum" id="Page_254">[254]</span> - -<h2 class="nobreak">CHAPTER XXX.<br /> - - -<small>THE FIRST HALF.</small></h2> -</div> - -<p>Stubby Fisher, the Highland quarter-back, was under -that ball, and he caught it cleanly, passed it instantly to -Walker, who, like Sterndale, was playing full back, and -Walker smashed the oval with such furious force that -Sterndale was compelled to try to take it on the run, the -result being a muff. The Highlanders came surging -down like a flood from a broken dam, but Don Scott was -on hand, and he fell on the ball, while Jack Powell, -Highland’s left tackle, leaped upon him like a panther. -The ball was down on Rockspur’s thirty-yard line, but -the home team had it, and there was great cheering from -the bleachers on both sides.</p> - -<p>“Clever, Scott—clever!” said Sterndale, approvingly, -as the men untangled. “The right man in the right -place.”</p> - -<p>The players lined up quickly, Chatterton preparing to -snap the ball back. They crouched close together, facing -each other, each Highlander watching his man, each -Rockspurite ready to do his part in handling the ball or -in the work of interference. It was a thrilling spectacle, -and again the uproar lulled somewhat, so that Sterndale -was heard distinctly giving the signals.</p> - -<p>There was a sudden, quick movement. Chatterton<span class="pagenum" id="Page_255">[255]</span> -snapped to Renwood, who fumbled and lost the ball; -Highland’s left guard, Hartford, came through on the -jump, got it, but—also fumbled. Renwood redeemed -himself by recovering the oval almost before the spectators -could realize he had lost it, and it went to Scott, who -tried Powell and made two yards.</p> - -<p>This was football! It was electrifying in its swift -changes. The groan caused by Renwood’s fumble had -barely reached the lips of the Rockspur spectators when -it changed to a shout of joy on seeing him immediately -recover the pigskin and carry out the captain’s signaled -directions.</p> - -<p>But two yards was not a gain worth mentioning, and -Scott had found Powell there to stay. He felt like immediately -making another try at the fellow, but Sterndale -decided otherwise.</p> - -<p>“Good boy, Renwood!” breathed the captain. “Saved -yourself prettily. It’s all right.”</p> - -<p>But Dolph shook his head, evidently little pleased with -himself. Again the crouching men were waiting, and -Dick fell back. As the signal came, the ball went flying -back to the big captain, who punted; but it was an inferior -kick, and Garrison, left half for Highland, caught -the leather in the middle of the field, where he was -downed in a flash by John Smith.</p> - -<p>Highland began the attack, but it was quickly over, for -Garrison lost the ball on his first plunge into Rockspur’s -line, having been sent across against Ford, the deaf-mute,<span class="pagenum" id="Page_256">[256]</span> -who seemed rooted in the ground like an iron post, and -Murphy came down on the yellow oval like a load of -rocks, with six men on top of him.</p> - -<p>In this savage business Rockspur made no delays. This -time Mayfair was given a trial, and, aided by his interferers, -smashed hard into Highland’s centre, but was -beaten off. Immediately he went at the visitors’ right -tackle, but two yards was the best he could do, and the -second down left Rockspur with three yards to gain.</p> - -<p>Sterndale was given a meaning look by Renwood, who -received a nod, and then Dick called the signal for a -double-pass. A moment later the ball was snapped back, -sent to Scott, and Don started across for Highland’s right -end. As he shot by Dolph he returned the ball to the -quarter-back, and Renwood darted toward the visitors’ -left wing.</p> - -<p>The trick was not successful, however; in fact, it was -disastrous, for Jack Powell came through the interference -like a leaping greyhound, tackled Dolph and actually -carried him back for a loss of ten yards, which gave the -ball to Highland.</p> - -<p>How they shouted from the crimson bleachers! They -roared forth their cheer, ending with Powell’s name; -and the Rockspur crowd was silenced for the moment.</p> - -<p>Don had successfully performed his part of the work -in the double-pass, but he was assailed by a suspicion -that Renwood, knowing what was coming, had managed<span class="pagenum" id="Page_257">[257]</span> -to signal the play to Highland and had deliberately permitted -himself to be carried backward for a loss.</p> - -<p>“Some of his treachery!” thought Scott, giving the -quarter-back a black look. “I can’t understand why -Sterndale didn’t do anything about that letter. The fellow -will throw this game—if he can.”</p> - -<p>There was little time for such thoughts as these in the -rush and whirl of the game, and every Rockspur man -was eager to know what the enemy would try to do. -They soon found out, for Garrison was sent through -clean to the home team’s forty-yard line before being held -and forced to take a down.</p> - -<p>“Hold ’em here!” panted Sterndale. “Don’t let them -cut any deeper into our pasture!”</p> - -<p>The defenders of the blue-and-white responded nobly. -The line was like a stone wall when Morse, Highland’s -right half, was driven against it. Only two yards were -gained on a try at the home team’s centre by Walker, -and the oval was down again. The same trick being -repeated, a yard was lost, upon which the ball went to -Rockspur on downs.</p> - -<p>Now the blue-and-white bleachers took a turn at -cheering, hoping to give the home boys encouragement -and vim. The flags waved and the megaphones blared.</p> - -<p>The rival gladiators were facing each other near the -centre of the field, though on Rockspur’s territory. It -had been sharp work, but nothing of a sensational nature<span class="pagenum" id="Page_258">[258]</span> -had taken place thus far. Sensations were to follow, -however.</p> - -<p>Rockspur had discovered that Highland’s centre was -strong enough to stop the plays that had been aimed -against it, and so the ball was flashed back to Sterndale, -who punted beautifully, sending the pigskin into the -grasp of Garrison; but the Highland left half was downed -almost in his tracks by John Smith, and the referee’s -whistle sounded.</p> - -<p>Then the referee declared Highland had been off side -when this play began, whereupon the visitors suffered a -loss of ten yards, and the ball was carried back.</p> - -<p>“Smith, you’re a corker!” Sterndale found time to say, -and the tall boy who had once been called a hoodoo -blushed in confusion.</p> - -<p>Thus far the Rockspur boys had played with a savage -determination that astonished the Highlanders, who, remembering -the last game, counted on an easy victory; -and now the home team began an attack that proved positively -irresistible.</p> - -<p>The ball was given to Scott, and, with it hugged tight, -he lowered his head and bowled the terrible Powell over, -making four yards. Right on top of this, he made one -yard through Hartford and Davis, who were playing -strong as left guard and centre.</p> - -<p>Sterndale showed his fine white teeth in an approving -way, and the signal that followed told his men he would -make a try on the right end of the enemy’s line. The<span class="pagenum" id="Page_259">[259]</span> -ball came flying back to him, and he smashed his magnificent -body into Sawyer and Dickens, right guard and -right tackle, gaining six yards and setting the entire gathering -of spectators to yelling like wild Indians at a war -dance.</p> - -<p>There was hardly a lull, and now came the first hair-raising -play of the game, and Don Scott was in it. Everything -indicated that Sterndale rather foolishly contemplated -a kick, so Highland braced for that kind of a play. -It was a clever piece of strategy to fool the visitors that -way, for Scott was given a third opportunity to show -what he could do, and, with his head encased in some sort -of helmet, which he had adjusted unseen, he took the ball -and dashed off toward Highland’s right end. Ahead of -him ran a wall of interferers, blocking off the Highland -tacklers with the skill of veterans. With the line broken -through, Scott still sped on. The backs were hurled -aside, and yet he did not stop. Then it was seen that he -would have an almost clear run to the enemy’s goal line, -and every man and woman and child rose up and -shrieked; but the cries from the crimson bleachers were -those of alarm and horror.</p> - -<p>Walker got past Renwood in some way and made a -headlong flying tackle at the runner, but he missed, -though his hands touched Don. Then it seemed that -Highland’s last hope of preventing a touchdown had -been lost.</p> - -<p>The ten-yard line was reached, when from somewhere<span class="pagenum" id="Page_260">[260]</span> -Davis bobbed up at the very heels of the runner. He got -one hand on Don’s arm, and the desperate lad with the -ball could not fling him off, though he tried. That hand -went down as the other came forward, and both fastened -like hooks upon Rockspur’s right half-back, dragging, -him to earth exactly one yard from Highland’s goal line.</p> - -<p>For some moments it was impossible to hear anything. -A mighty cheer greeted this splendid tackle, but the -Rockspur spectators were mad with excitement, even -though the run had not resulted in a touchdown. Nothing -could quiet them, even though Sterndale made the -request that they keep still.</p> - -<p>“I told ye our boys could do it!” Uncle Ike screamed; -but his words were not heard by three persons, so great -was the uproar.</p> - -<p>Highland prepared to make the most desperate sort of -resistance, while Rockspur was equally determined to -succeed, being overflowing with courage at this moment. -The lines formed, panting, crouching, ready. With a -quick movement, Scott was hurled like a battering ram -against the enemy’s centre. When the ball was forced -down on the hold, it was just one foot from Highland’s -goal line.</p> - -<p>“Nun-next time we gug-go over, boys!” panted Chatterton, -who found it impossible to keep still.</p> - -<p>But he was mistaken, for not a fraction of an inch -could they gain when Don once more was flung against<span class="pagenum" id="Page_261">[261]</span> -the visitors’ barrier. It was like trying to butt a hole -through a wall of granite.</p> - -<p>There was a brief pause. Sterndale seemed to hesitate, -and then——</p> - -<p>They were at it again. A surprise play had been attempted, -for the ball had been snapped to Morse and -then passed to Renwood, who got it firmly under his arm -and went slamming into the Highlanders. This was their -last chance. They must put the ball over or lose it. And -so, with the aid of a revolving formation, Dolph was -jammed across the line, Don Scott being ahead of him -and pulling him by the collar.</p> - -<p>Rockspur had made a touchdown, and the members of -the eleven were leaping and hugging each other, while -down across the field rolled the reverberant, roaring, -booming yell of victory from the side where fluttered and -flaunted one great mass of blue-and-white.</p> - -<p>But, despite all he had done, Don Scott’s heart was -sore. His was the gallant run that placed success within -the grasp of his team, but the lad he hated with all his -heart had, on the third try, been given the ball and literally -rammed over the line. The touchdown was Renwood’s, -but Don was certain he could have made it just -as well with the aid of that revolving formation, and he -felt that he had been robbed of a right that belonged -to him.</p> - -<p>However, despite the fact that he had been assailed -by this feeling, the moment he heard the signal for Renwood<span class="pagenum" id="Page_262">[262]</span> -to advance the ball he did his level best to put -Dolph over the line, and Dolph afterward confessed that, -more than anything else, it was Scott’s terrific surge at -his collar that dragged him across.</p> - -<p>The ball had been carried over at the southwest corner -of the field, and Sterndale punted it out with a beautiful -kick, Renwood catching it directly in front of the goal-posts.</p> - -<p>Then came the try for a goal. Having made the touchdown, -Renwood was permitted to hold the ball. He -stretched himself on the ground, with his right side toward -the goal-posts, while the boys lined out even with -his body, but slightly behind the dirt-stained pigskin. -Dolph held the ball with his left hand undermost, his -elbow resting on the ground and his hand lifted a trifle. -The fingers of his right hand steadied the ball on its -upper side, and then, with the utmost care, as if handling -something intensely delicate and breakable, he lowered -his hand to the ground, flattening it out, guarding against -letting the ball touch the ground, which would have given -Highland liberty to charge.</p> - -<p>Sterndale sighted along the seam of the ball, which -was uppermost. He drew back his right arm and advanced -his left, his fists clenched. A second later, he went -leaping at it, his heavy toe caught it fair and handsomely, -and the anxious hush that had fallen on the field was -broken by a roar when the oval sailed, twisting and -whirling over the cross-bar and between the goal-posts,<span class="pagenum" id="Page_263">[263]</span> -which made the score six to nothing in favor of the home -team.</p> - -<p>The crowd felt like rushing onto the field and hugging -the boys, and it was difficult for two men wearing badges -to hold it back. As both sides returned to the centre of -the field, Don looked round for his father and found the -doctor watching him with an expression of great satisfaction -and pride, while Zadia Renwood waved her flag -and laughed in his direction.</p> - -<p>But the game was not over; not even the first half was -over, and there was to be a most surprising turn about -in a very few moments. The Highland boys were not -“quitters,” and every man wore a ferocious look when -they lined up with the ball at the centre of the field. The -captain had been saying something to some of the men, -and the visitors were ready to give the over-confident -home team a hustle during the remainder of the first -period.</p> - -<p>When everything was ready, Walker kicked off, and -again those twenty-two men were leaping at each other’s -throats like famished wolves. The fortunes of war varied -till, by a splendid round-the-end run, Garrison took the -oval well into Rockspur’s territory, being brought to the -earth by Sterndale himself. Then Walker booted the -pigskin straight into Renwood’s clutch; but Dolph fumbled, -and Dow, Highland’s left end, fell on the ball like a -carload of steel rails. Again it seemed to Scott that Renwood -was playing into the hands of the enemy.</p> - - - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_264">[264]</span>However, though this advantage had been gained, -though the crimson bleachers were shrieking like mad, -though they tried their best men against Rockspur’s line, -the boys from the hills could not get another foot. Three -times they were held and beaten off, and the ball went to -the home team on downs, which brought a roar of satisfaction -from the blue-and-white and caused the crimson -to groan.</p> - -<p>“Get into ’em! get into ’em!” grated Sterndale, just -loud enough for his men to hear. “We must do it!”</p> - -<p>Five seconds later, the ball was sent to Scott, who, with -teeth set, neck-cords strained, eyes bulging, went across -and round Highland’s right end for a gain of seventeen -yards. There he was forced out of bounds, and the ball -was brought in and put down for a scrimmage, out of -which another advance was made, which gave the Rockspur -spectators still greater opportunity to breathe freely.</p> - -<p>“It’s no use!” squealed Uncle Ike, waving his crooked -cane. “They jest can’t do it! Our boys won’t hev it!”</p> - -<p>It was too soon to crow, however, as the blue-and-white -admirers quickly found out. Highland took a -“brace,” and the fiercest hammering failed to give the -necessary gain, so the visitors again obtained the ball.</p> - -<p>Then a kicking duel took place, in which Walker got -the best of Sterndale at the end, though it was nip and -tuck at first. The visitors having the advantage of the -wind, Walker made the most of it. At the conclusion -of this volleying, Renwood was downed with the ball in<span class="pagenum" id="Page_265">[265]</span> -his grasp on Rockspur’s ten-yard line, and once more -the fighting was uncomfortably near the goal-posts of -the home team.</p> - -<p>The Highland rushers were desperate, and they tore -through Rockspur’s interference with a fierceness that -could not be resisted. It was impossible to make a gain -by a hard drive at Highland’s centre, and, fearing to lose -the ball there, Sterndale punted.</p> - -<p>It was an unfortunate kick, for the ball flew low and -Powell jumped in front of it. It struck him on the chest -and bounded back over Rockspur’s goal line. There was -a mad scramble, from the midst of which Stubby Fisher -wiggled out like a slippery eel, and a moment later was -sprawling spider-fashion on the ball.</p> - -<p>Then a wild yell of triumph went up to the blue sky -from the crimson bleachers, for the ball was down behind -the home team’s line and Fisher had it. The players -themselves seemed dazed for a moment, and the faces of -the Rockspur lads were full of dismay.</p> - -<p>There was no delay. The ball was not punted out, but -Fisher brought it straight on to the field from the spot -where the touchdown had been secured, although that -made it necessary to try from a difficult angle. The -men lined up, and the stocky little Highland quarter-back -squared himself for a try at the goal.</p> - -<p>A sudden hush, a quick twinkling of Fisher’s short -legs, a desperate kick, and away flew the yellow egg. -Seconds before it reached the posts, as it seemed, the<span class="pagenum" id="Page_266">[266]</span> -crowd saw it was a miss, and a mingled yell of satisfaction -and shout of dismay arose.</p> - -<p>The ball fell to the ground, leaving the score 6 to 4 in -favor of the home team.</p> - -<p>“It’s all right, fellows,” breathed Sterndale. “They’ll -never overtake us now.”</p> - -<p>It was his manner of trying to give confidence to his -men.</p> - -<p>When all was ready, he kicked off, driving straight to -Fisher, who passed the leather quickly to Garrison. -Highland’s left half-back was somewhat flustered, and he -kicked the ball out of bounds at Rockspur’s thirty-yard -line. Scott had it, and he announced an intention of -bringing it in ten yards for a scrimmage.</p> - -<p>Rockspur now endeavored to smash a road up the field -by a series of furious plunges, making ten yards in this -manner; but there the Highland line became rooted, and -Sterndale was forced to punt. Murphy came to the fore -again by nailing Morse on Highland’s forty-yard line.</p> - -<p>But Highland had the ball. Apparently Walker was -getting ready to punt, and that was what Rockspur expected. -Then it was that the visitors gave the home team -a dose of its own medicine by surprising them with a -sudden rush through centre that carried the leather down -the field to Rockspur’s thirty-five-yard line. Right there -the rush stopped and two mad lunges failed to gain a -single foot.</p> - -<p>Then Walker gave the signal for Garrison to try for a<span class="pagenum" id="Page_267">[267]</span> -goal from the field, knowing that the first half must terminate -in a very short time. The Rockspur men saw -what their opponents contemplated, and some of them -laughed outright over the folly of an attempt to drop-kick -a goal from such a distance. Every man of the rushers -prepared to try to go through and down Garrison the moment -the ball was snapped, while the Highlanders braced -themselves to hold the enemy in check long enough for -Phil to make a fair try of it.</p> - -<p>Again a hush, and then a quick movement and a clash. -The ball flew to Highland’s left half-back, who took it -with the utmost coolness, poised it carefully, dropped it, -and the moment it rose from the ground kicked it with all -the force and accuracy he could command. Then some -of those panting tigers came through and slammed him -to the earth, but they were too late.</p> - -<p>Away sailed the pigskin, turning over and over, rising -higher and higher, a beautiful kick. There was a craning -of necks and an upturning of white, anxious faces.</p> - -<p>“It’s over!”</p> - -<p>Over it was, fairly and beautifully. Barely had it -touched the ground when the referee’s whistle told the -first half was ended, and Highland had a lead of three -points, the score being 6 to 9.</p> -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<span class="pagenum" id="Page_268">[268]</span> - -<h2 class="nobreak">CHAPTER XXXI.<br /> - - -<small>THE SECOND HALF.</small></h2> -</div> - -<p>Under the grand-stand the perspiring, blood-stained, -dirt-bedaubed young heroes were being rubbed down by -their admiring friends, while outside the Highland -crowd sang pæans of victory.</p> - -<p>“We’ll win this game, fellows, just as true as we play -the next half to win,” said Sterndale, undaunted.</p> - -<p>He never seemed to lose courage, but some of those -tired fellows hung their heads.</p> - -<p>“They can out-kick us,” muttered Rob Linton.</p> - -<p>“Well, if we’ve found our weakness there, we must -avoid kicking,” said the captain, guarding his words so -none of the Highlanders would hear. “Perhaps they -don’t know how weak we are.”</p> - -<p>“Don’t fool yourself,” grated Scott, flashing a look in -the direction of Renwood. “They were informed of all -our weak points before they came to Rockspur to-day.”</p> - -<p>“How do you know that?” demanded Dick, putting -peculiar emphasis on the “you.”</p> - -<p>Don realized that this was something he could not explain, -and so he muttered:</p> - -<p>“Never mind. I know a thing or two, and I’ve caught -on to some things in this game that ought to be plain -enough to you, Sterndale, if you are not stone-blind.”</p> - - - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_269">[269]</span>“You’re all wrong, Scott, and you’ll find it out,” said -Dick, positively. “The sooner you get over that feeling -the better it will be for you and the team.”</p> - -<p>Scott flushed. “Do you mean to hint that I haven’t -done my level best?” he harshly demanded.</p> - -<p>“Not a bit of it,” Dick instantly answered. “I don’t -know where we would have been without you. And I’ve -given you chances enough, too.”</p> - -<p>“But you gave the ball to Renwood on the third try -when the touchdown was made—and that after my run.”</p> - -<p>“It was a trick to bother Highland some. Besides that, -you were tired, and I had sent you against them twice.”</p> - -<p>“Tired! Bah! I was over the line ahead of Renwood, -and——”</p> - -<p>“I don’t believe I’d got over at all if you hadn’t yanked -me across,” broke in the voice of Renwood himself, who -had overheard Don’s words by accident. “I was stuck -fast when you gave that surge and seemed to pull me -right through Hartford. The entire credit of that touchdown -belongs to you, Scott.”</p> - -<p>This was so frank and honest that Don was silenced -for a moment, but he finally muttered:</p> - -<p>“Well, I didn’t get it.”</p> - -<p>There the matter dropped for a time, the men receiving -notice to get onto the field again, the ten minutes of -rest being over; but Don had not changed his mind in the -least.</p> - -<p>The two teams were given tumultuous greetings by<span class="pagenum" id="Page_270">[270]</span> -their respective admirers, and, as they lined up for the -concluding half, it was observed that Rockspur had not -substituted a man, while three new players appeared for -Highland, being Pell at right guard, Hardoak at right -tackle and McCord at right half-back. It was plainly an -attempt to strengthen the right wing of the visiting -eleven.</p> - -<p>“Now, git in, boys—git in an’ win!” cried old Uncle -Ike. “Jest show ’em the kind of stuff you’re made of!”</p> - -<p>It was Highland’s kick-off, and Walker drove the ball -to Mayfair, who attempted to run with it, but was -downed by Pell and Johnson on the home team’s thirty-five-yard -line. The referee, however, announcing that -Hardoak was off side, the ball was called back, Highland -losing five yards as a penalty. Therefore, it was from -the visitors’ fifty-yard line that Walker made his second -kick, which Carter caught. Once more the game was on -in all its fury, and the tide of battle ebbed and flowed -with heart-breaking irregularity.</p> - -<p>Garrison was full of confidence, having been petted and -congratulated and complimented, and seven minutes after -the second half began he made another try to drop-kick a -goal from the field. This time, however, not being favored -by the wind, he missed the goal-posts by two yards, -though he came near enough to give Rockspur something -of a scare.</p> - -<p>Sterndale had been nettled by the ineffective kicking -of his team, and, now, with the wind favoring him, he<span class="pagenum" id="Page_271">[271]</span> -punted out in a manner calculated to show what he could -do. It was the longest kick of the day, for the ball actually -came down on Highland’s thirty-yard line. One of -the visitors would have gathered it in, but he was checked -by cooler heads, and the leather was permitted to roll on -over the goal line for a touchback, which counted for -nothing.</p> - -<p>Highland suddenly seemed to realize that facing the -wind meant different kind of playing, whereupon a time-killing -game was inaugurated right away. It was not -long before Sterndale saw through this, and he resolved -to give the enemy such hot work that they would find -time-killing would not do.</p> - -<p>As soon as the ball again came into the possession of -the home team, Dick sent Mayfair against the new men -in the right wing of the Highland line to try the mettle -of those substitutes. The interference was poor, and -Rockspur’s left half-back was blocked without a gain. -Again this play was tried, but the result was the same, -and Sterndale was forced to kick.</p> - -<p>For a second time the big captain of the Rockspur -Eleven booted out a distance annihilator, and for a second -time Highland permitted the ball to roll across the goal -line, which was foxy and scientific defense, showing that -the coaching of Winston had borne excellent fruit. Only -a small number of the spectators appreciated the quality -of the playing they were witnessing, but the Harvard<span class="pagenum" id="Page_272">[272]</span> -coach saw it with satisfaction that he was unable to express.</p> - -<p>With the resumption of play, Walker kicked from his -kick-out line, but the oval went out of bounds and Powell -crashed into Ford, who was trying to pick the ball up. -The mute was stretched out for a few seconds, but he -quickly recovered and resumed his place, a grim look of -mingled pain and courage on his face.</p> - -<p>“They’re trying to knock us out,” thought Don. “If -they can cripple us, they’ll have the advantage, and they -know it.”</p> - -<p>This made him intensely angry, and his dark eyes -glowed with a dangerous fire. He had hoped that Rockspur -would be able to give Highland a severe drubbing, -for all of the supposed treachery of Renwood, but that -hope was growing fainter as the minutes passed and the -home team gained no decided advantage in the second -half. All through the game Powell had shown himself -to be the most dangerous man to encounter in the line of -the visiting team, and now Don fancied the fellow was -using his brute strength in an endeavor to put some of -the Rockspur players out of the game.</p> - -<p>With this idea firmly planted in his head, Scott aimed -for Powell in the very next scrimmage. When the energetic -Highlander attempted to shoulder him aside, Scott -lost his temper completely and struck Powell a heavy -blow on the neck.</p> - -<p>Instantly the whistle of the keen-eyed referee sounded,<span class="pagenum" id="Page_273">[273]</span> -and, as a penalty for this foul, Rockspur was put back a -distance of ten yards, with an equal advance for the visitors.</p> - -<p>“Don’t do a thing like that again, old man!” exclaimed -Sterndale. “We can’t afford it. Hold steady.”</p> - -<p>“But don’t you see what that fellow is trying?” palpitated -Don, who already was ashamed of his angry action. -“He’s doing his best to cripple some of our men.”</p> - -<p>“Then let him do the fouling,” returned the captain. -“We can’t afford such business.”</p> - -<p>There was no time for further words. Scott was -deeply humiliated, for he knew he had, in a burst of ungoverned -anger, done something that seemed to brand -him as a ruffian. And this had happened after he was -beginning to congratulate himself on his ability to control -his passions when he resolutely set about doing so, -for was he not playing football on the same eleven with -the one fellow he hated more than all others in the world—had -he not done his level best to drag that fellow into -the glory of a touchdown?</p> - -<p>Now, all in a moment, he realized that very little credit -was due him for holding in check his hatred toward Renwood. -The scales dropped from his eyes, and he saw it -was to avoid humiliation and shame before his father -that he was on the team, not because he had resolved to -restrain the animosity for Renwood that had leaped to -life within him. Of course his father had seen that -wretched blow at Powell, and Don dared not look in his<span class="pagenum" id="Page_274">[274]</span> -direction. He hung his head and was most crestfallen in -appearance.</p> - -<p>Before he knew it the Highlanders were smashing -through Rockspur’s right wing, Powell was upon him, -and then he was trampled down as the whirling mass of -humanity swept on like a twisting tornado. When this -storm had passed, a human figure was seen prostrate and -motionless on the torn and trampled turf.</p> - -<p>“Scott’s down! He’s hurt! Stop the game!”</p> - -<p>Cries of alarm went up, the whistle sounded, and several -men bent over Don.</p> - -<p>“Give him air! Where is a doctor?”</p> - -<p>Then Dr. Scott hurried onto the field and knelt by his -son, lifting Don’s head to his knee. The boy’s eyes -opened and he gasped painfully, seeming dazed for a -moment.</p> - -<p>“Where are you hurt, Don?” asked the doctor, in a -steady voice.</p> - -<p>“Hurt? I’m not hur—— It’s my side—and head!”</p> - -<p>The injured lad had tried to start up, but a sharp pain -caught him in his side and his head went round and -round, while a black shadow dropped like a curtain before -his eyes. Blood trickled from his nostrils, his father -wiping it away.</p> - -<p>“It’s a shame!” grated Sterndale, through his clenched -teeth. “Scott’s strengthened the weak spot on the team -and made the best record of anybody to-day. With him -out, we’re beaten!”</p> - - - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_275">[275]</span>These words were spoken low into the ears of Mayfair -and intended for no other, but they pierced that black -curtain and reached the dazed brain of the boy on the -ground, arousing all his wonderful will-power and bringing -him back from the brink of unconsciousness.</p> - -<p>“I’m not knocked out!” he whispered. “Give me some -water! I’ll play this game out if I die for it!”</p> - -<p>Water was placed to his lips, his face was wet with it, -and then he got up, with his father’s arm about him. -The breathless spectators saw him push that arm off and -step away, staggering a bit, but gathering himself and -growing steadier. Then, after a last moment of hesitation, -the doctor turned away and the players prepared to -resume the game.</p> - -<p>The Rockspur yell came over the field, with Scott’s -name exploding at the end like a huge firecracker. It -was a sound to stir the blood, and it seemed to restore the -right half-back of the home team to complete strength.</p> - -<p>Then the game was resumed. Don caught a look of -satisfaction from Powell, and he knew the Highland left -tackle felt that he had evened the score.</p> - -<p>The pluck of Scott gave Rockspur new life, the onslaught -of the visitors being checked. But time was flying, -and, as yet, no opportunity had arrived for the home -team to make the coveted score. Highland was fighting -beautifully to hold her own till the time was up.</p> - -<p>There were many swift changes, but most of the struggle -took place near the middle of the field, and the hopes<span class="pagenum" id="Page_276">[276]</span> -of the Rockspur spectators fell lower and lower as the -second half waned and drew near a close. With every -sharp play by the visitors the bleachers to the left -of the grand-stand heaved with crimson and shrieked -with joy. The bleachers on the other side tried to keep -it up, but a note of doubt and failing confidence had -crept into the cheering. Old Uncle Ike, however, remained -undaunted, declaring over and over that, “Our -boys will git there yit.”</p> - -<p>“It’s a shame!” fluttered Dora Deland; “but I felt sure -we’d lose when I heard they’d taken Don Scott back. -Just see how he lost ten yards for us by striking that -Highland fellow!”</p> - -<p>“As it happened, that made no difference,” said Zadia -Renwood, immediately. “I think you are unjust to Don -Scott. He has played splendidly.”</p> - -<p>“What has he done? He hasn’t made a touchdown. -Dolph did that.”</p> - -<p>“After Don Scott’s run had made it possible. Rockspur -owes to Scott the points it has made.”</p> - -<p>“You’re just the queerest girl, Zade!” exclaimed Dora. -“You know Don Scott hates your brother.”</p> - -<p>“Is that a good reason why I should be unjust to him? -Look! look! He downed that Highland fellow that time!”</p> - -<p>Don had been waiting for the opportunity, and, with -the ball tucked under his arm, he shot out from the -midst of the interference, lowered his head and bowled<span class="pagenum" id="Page_277">[277]</span> -Powell over handsomely. He made a gain of ten yards -before being stopped by Walker.</p> - -<p>After that, Scott felt a little better, for he had shown -that Highland’s left tackle was vulnerable.</p> - -<p>In the next scrimmage Jotham Sprout was put out of -the game with an injured back, and it was necessary to -fill his place with Thad Boland. Boland had the brawn -to stop the gap in the line, but his slowness was well -known to Highland, and they tried to take advantage of -it, which brought the brunt of the battle on the right -wing of the home team and gave Scott all he could do.</p> - -<p>With only five minuses of play remaining, neither side -had scored in the second half, and there seemed no prospect -that a further score would be made.</p> - -<p>“It’s no use,” said some of the Rockspur spectators. -“We can beat those chaps at baseball, but they are too -much for us in this kind of a game.”</p> - -<p>Highland had the ball, and was playing to hold it as -long as possible. Don saw this, and he fairly ached in -his desire to get hold of the leather. The ball was down -for a scrimmage, and he pressed up into the line between -Linton and Boland. He heard the signal and fancied he -understood it. Then Davis snapped back to Fisher, and -Highland’s quarter-back attempted a long pass to Powell, -who had dropped slightly behind the line for the ball.</p> - -<p>The play was balked, for right through between Hartford -and Dow shot a pantherish figure, and the oval did -not reach Powell’s clutch. Don Scott had intercepted<span class="pagenum" id="Page_278">[278]</span> -the pass, and he went by Garrison like an express train -overdue and trying to make up time. But the hopes of -the Rockspur spectators were dashed when he was -brought down by Walker on Highland’s forty-yard line. -It seemed that the last chance ended right there.</p> - -<p>“Oh, you can’t do it, you know!” sang the visitors on -the bleachers.</p> - -<p>Sterndale lost not a second. He tried to get Scott -round Highland’s end, but no gain was made. Next he -gave the ball to Mayfair and smashed into the enemy’s -centre, getting five yards.</p> - -<p>Once more the Highlanders became rooted. It was -impossible to jar them. Already some of the visiting -spectators were pressing toward the gate, regarding the -game as won by their team, for but one minute of play -remained. Having given up hope, not a few of the -Rockspurites were leaving the grounds, unwilling to remain -and witness the rejoicing of the victorious Highlanders.</p> - -<p>“The boys did well,” they were saying, “but they were -outclassed.”</p> - -<p>Then there was a hush. Something was going to happen. -What could it be?</p> -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<span class="pagenum" id="Page_279">[279]</span> - -<h2 class="nobreak">CHAPTER XXXII.<br /> - - -<small>THE FINISH AND THE BLOW.</small></h2> -</div> - -<p>What was up? The Highland spectators watched the -men on the field with languid interest, regarding the -game as safely won. Somebody declared it was “all over -but the shouting.” The one who said this already was so -hoarse from shouting that his voice sounded like the -croaking of a huge frog. The blue-and-white was down; -the crimson was aloft.</p> - -<p>Don Scott, his breast heaving from recent exertions, -was seen to poise himself securely on his pins, while Renwood -crouched just behind Chatterton, who dallied with -the ball between his feet.</p> - -<p>“They’re going to try a drop-kick from the field,” -laughed somebody on the Highland bleachers. “It’s the -last gasp of the dying calf.”</p> - -<p>Flip went the ball, but Renwood handled it awkwardly -in his excitement and made a poor pass to Scott. Don, -however, for all of his fiery nature, now seemed calm as -an old-fashioned clock, and he gathered in the quarterback’s -pass, deliberately turning and poising the leather -while the Highland rushers were fighting madly to tear -their way to him.</p> - -<p>The great egg dropped, struck, and then was lifted -with a clean, swinging kick. It flew over the hands outstretched<span class="pagenum" id="Page_280">[280]</span> -to stop it, carrying with it the fortunes of this -remarkable game. The hush suddenly became intense as -all eyes followed the oval, which went straight and true -as a cannon ball between the goal-posts and over the -cross-bar. When it struck the ground pandemonium -broke loose, for this beautiful kick in the last minute of -the game had given Rockspur five more points and placed -them ahead, the score being 11 to 9.</p> - -<p>The game was won, and Dick Sterndale gathered Don -Scott in his arms and hugged him with a bear-hug, while -the mad crowd bellowed and thundered and the bleachers -to the right of the grand-stand became a heaving sea of -blue-and-white billows.</p> - -<p>But there could be no delay, for thirty seconds of play -remained, and the ball was brought back to centre for -Highland to kick-off. With tears in his eyes, Lee -Walker kicked the ball in a half-hearted manner. It was -captured by Mayfair, and then the whistle sounded and -the end had come.</p> - -<p>Onto the field poured the roaring crowd, while the -players caught Scott up to their shoulders and bore him -aloft, cheering and singing. Such handshaking, such -hugs, such dances of joy! Everybody tried to reach the -hero of the day. It was remarkable how two girls made -their way through that swaying, seething mass of humanity, -but they did so, and when Don was lowered for -a moment he discovered Zadia Renwood clasping both -his hands and congratulating him. His face burned like<span class="pagenum" id="Page_281">[281]</span> -fire, and he found himself unable to utter a word in response.</p> - -<p>Although they felt bad over losing the game at the last -moment, the Highland players congratulated the victors, -ending with a promise to beat them in the third and concluding -game of the series.</p> - -<p>Then there was more cheering, more handshaking and -demonstrations of joy, and the boys finally found their -way to the dressing-room beneath the grand-stand, where -scores of admirers were ready to rub them down.</p> - -<p>Among the Rockspur players was but one man who -did not seem bubbling with satisfaction and happiness. -Scott observed that Renwood did not seem elated, and -his heart swelled with mingled anger and satisfaction, -as he fancied the fellow had been completely balked in -his treacherous designs.</p> - -<p>In the midst of the chatter of voices somebody announced -that Leon Bentley had been captured by Sim -Drew, brought back under arrest and confined in the -village lock-up.</p> - -<p>This information re-awoke Don to his own troubles and -reminded him that his father had not appeared to congratulate -him after the game was over. Immediately he -decided that the doctor, receiving information of the arrest -of Bentley, had at once left the field to interview the -captured rascal. This being true, it seemed certain that -he still suspected his son and had hastened to learn from -Leon’s lips if his suspicions were well founded.</p> - - - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_282">[282]</span>“He might have waited a little!” the boy mentally cried. -“But I suppose he thought we had lost the game anyway, -so he failed to see the finish. I’m sorry. He’ll get the -whole thing out of Bentley; but, unless, the fellow lies, -no matter what else he learns, he’ll find out I had no part -in the forgery of that check.”</p> - -<p>The possibility that, to partly shield himself, thinking -the doctor could not be so severe if Don should be implicated, -Leon might assert that Don was associated with -him in the check business startled and appalled Scott.</p> - -<p>“He won’t dare!” he panted, half aloud. “If he -does——”</p> - -<p>“What ails you, old man?” asked Sterndale. “One’d -never dream by the look on your face that you won the -game for us to-day. You took that pass splendidly, -and——”</p> - -<p>“Saved me the disgrace of making a foozle at the -critical moment,” said Renwood, coming up with half his -clothes on. “I owe you thanks, Scott.”</p> - -<p>“You owe me nothing!” Don blazed, instantly. “I -rather fancy you would have felt more like thanking me -if I had fumbled your pass.”</p> - -<p>Dolph turned pale and stared hard at the lad who had -won the game.</p> - -<p>“What do you mean?” he asked. “Do you insinuate -that I——”</p> - -<p>“I insinuate nothing,” interrupted Don, hotly; “but I<span class="pagenum" id="Page_283">[283]</span> -think what I like. We didn’t lose the game to-day, Renwood, -for all of the traitor on the team.”</p> - -<p>There could be no misunderstanding his meaning. -Dolph’s voice shook as he said:</p> - -<p>“You are insinuating, and I want to tell you now that -if you mean to cast that slander on me, you lie!”</p> - -<p>Don was on his feet, and he had fallen back against the -board wall of the dressing-room. His right hand gripped -something that was standing there, and then the demon -of uncontrollable anger possessed and mastered him.</p> - -<p>The next moment, with a stick of wood, he struck Renwood -to the floor!</p> -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<span class="pagenum" id="Page_284">[284]</span> - -<h2 class="nobreak">CHAPTER XXXIII.<br /> - - -<small>THE CONFESSION.</small></h2> -</div> - -<p>All alone, his face drawn and white, moving like one -in a trance, the hero of the football game went down the -hill. It seemed strange that he was not in the midst of a -throng of admirers, all eager to be near him and bask -in the sunlight of his glory. It seemed strange that not -one of his late companions on the field accompanied him. -But it seemed stranger still that his eyes were full of despair -and his appearance was that of one who had met -crushing and overwhelming defeat.</p> - -<p>He had met defeat in his soul, and he knew it; but out -of that defeat was to come the great victory of his life.</p> - -<p>He had seen the victim of his cowardly blow carried -away in the arms of horrified friends, his eyes closed, his -face ghastly, one arm dangling limply. The dreadful -picture was before him now, and it sickened his soul.</p> - -<p>He knew Sterndale had stopped him outside the dressing-room, -but had stood off without touching him, as if -afraid of contamination—the same Sterndale who had -hugged him a short time before in the presence of all the -players and the great crowd of spectators. In a dull way, -he had heard the captain tell him what a contemptible -person he was, and he had felt that every word was true. -He had not denied it when Dick accused him of dropping -the forged letter that was meant to destroy Renwood’s<span class="pagenum" id="Page_285">[285]</span> -reputation with the members of the eleven. He made no -sign when Sterndale declared he had seen through the -wretched trick from the first, and would have kicked him -off the team but for the disruption another change must -have brought about. When the captain had finished, Don -turned away, without a word in his own defense.</p> - -<p>A groan came from Don’s blue lips as he thought of -his father’s story and warning, which he had utterly disregarded, -to his complete downfall and disgrace. His -heart was wrung with anguish at the thought that he -had brought another great sorrow upon that father who -had suffered so much, and with that he began to think of -others more than himself. Renwood—ah! that was the -worst! Just then he would have given his life to undo -that passionate act.</p> - -<p>“You’re the feller I’m lookin’ fer.”</p> - -<p>Simeon Drew’s hand dropped on the boy’s shoulder. -Don looked at the man, who had overtaken him as he -reached the front gate of his home.</p> - -<p>“You have come to arrest me?” said the miserable lad, -huskily. “All right; I’m ready to go.”</p> - -<p>“I ain’t come to ’rest ye,” denied the officer. “I thought -you said you was innercent?”</p> - -<p>“I did it.”</p> - -<p>“Well, by Halifax!” gasped Drew. “An’ Bentley said -he was the one.”</p> - -<p>“Bentley?” muttered Don, staring at the man, uncomprehendingly.<span class="pagenum" id="Page_286">[286]</span> -“Why, he wasn’t there! I struck the -blow.”</p> - -<p>“I dunno what you’re drivin’ at,” admitted the puzzled -deputy; “but I do know that Bentley wants to see ye an’ -hev a talk with ye. He begged me to hunt ye up. I’ll -take ye in to see him.”</p> - -<p>The boy’s head cleared a bit, but he accompanied Drew -without further words, and soon he was standing before -Leon Bentley, who, wild-eyed and fear-shaken, paced the -narrow confines of his prison, smoking a cigarette.</p> - -<p>“I’m glad you came, Don!” cried Leon, trying to catch -his hand. “I was afraid you wouldn’t!”</p> - -<p>The doctor’s son refused to permit his hand to be -taken.</p> - -<p>“What do you want?” he coldly asked.</p> - -<p>“Don’t look like that!” Leon whimpered. “We’ve been -friends, and I’ve tried to do you some good turns.”</p> - -<p>“You have done me the greatest possible harm, but I -am willing to forget and try to forgive if you tell nothing -but the truth now.”</p> - -<p>“Oh, I’ll tell the truth!” cried the nerveless prisoner; -“but you must help me. Promise that you will help me!”</p> - -<p>“How?”</p> - -<p>“With your father. I think I can fix it about the bicycle, -if I can get your father to go easy with me. I’m -sorry, and I’ll try to do better. Please help me with your -old man, Don!”</p> - - - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_287">[287]</span>“If I promise to try, you swear to tell the whole truth -and nothing but the truth?”</p> - -<p>“Yes! yes!”</p> - -<p>“I’ll do all I can, then. I have been accused of knowing -something about that forged check.”</p> - -<p>“You didn’t, Don—you didn’t know a thing about it!” -declared Leon, instantly. “I hooked it from your governor’s -check-book the night I came over to tell you about -the game at Highland. I had the doctor’s writing down -fine from practicing on that excuse business, and I forged -the check. Then I didn’t dare to get it cashed here, so -I took it over to Freeport, where I bought some stuff and -got a man to take the check and give me the difference in -money. He must have got nervous about it afterward, -or he’d never hurried it back here the way he did.”</p> - -<p>Don did not even look at Simeon Drew, who was leaning -against the door, wagging his jaws over a chew of -tobacco and listening to every word that passed between -the boys. He was certain now that the suspicion of this -crime would be lifted from him, but there was yet another -thing about which he wished to know the truth.</p> - -<p>“How about that remnant of a letter you claimed you -picked up from beneath Renwood’s desk?” he asked.</p> - -<p>“Why, what does that have to do with this business?”</p> - -<p>“You have promised to tell me the truth in everything,” -said Don, grimly. “If you do not—if you hold back or lie -about a single thing, I’ll not speak one word to help you! -Was that remnant of a letter genuine?”</p> - - - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_288">[288]</span>“No,” admitted the young scamp, trying to force a -grin; “I faked that up.”</p> - -<p>Don steadied himself on his feet, feeling that the -ground on which he had fancied he stood securely was -dropping from beneath him bit by bit.</p> - -<p>“And you led me into the dirty trick of dropping that -letter for Sterndale!” he finally said, harshly. “You -wished somehow to get me concerned in your low business!”</p> - -<p>“But you hated Renwood just as much as I did!” cried -Leon. “It was to down him.”</p> - -<p>“And failed. Sterndale tumbled to the trick. Is that -all you can tell? Is there nothing more?”</p> - -<p>“That’s all.”</p> - -<p>The manner in which Leon uttered those two words -convinced Don that it was not all, and he instantly said:</p> - -<p>“If you hold back anything, you want to remember -that I will not help you. The truth is bound to come out, -and so you may as well confess the whole business. Is -that all?”</p> - -<p>“Yes, it is—all except one thing.”</p> - -<p>“What is that?”</p> - -<p>“It’s about the cutting up of those suits and that football.”</p> - -<p>Don steadied himself again, feeling his last foothold -crumbling, and his voice almost failed him as he asked:</p> - -<p>“What about that? Speak out, fellow!”</p> - -<p>“It—it was a mistake, Don,” faltered Bentley, keeping<span class="pagenum" id="Page_289">[289]</span> -his eyes downturned. “You see, it was this way: Just -before you dropped into the club that night, Renwood -had his knife out. It was on the table when you had that -little jaw with him, and I took it, thinking he wouldn’t -notice it was gone. He did notice it after you went out, -and we all hunted for it, but, of course, we didn’t find it. -Later, when they proposed to give Carter a try on the -team, I got mad, for I saw I’d be dropped if Carter got -on. I told them what I thought and got out. Then I -wanted to do something to get even with somebody, and -I knew Renwood was the one who was trying to bounce -me. I remembered how you thought he was a traitor, -and an idea struck me. I went up to the dressing-room -under the grand-stand and slashed up the suits and the -football with Renwood’s knife, which I meant to leave -right there, hoping he’d be suspected; but, just as I finished -the job, somebody came right in by the door and -bumped against me. I couldn’t see who it was in the -dark, and I tried to jump and scoot. The other fellow -grabbed me, and we had it. You bet I didn’t want to be -caught in that job, so I fought for all I was worth; but -the other fellow was too much for me, and he had me -down and was choking me to death when I struck at him -with the knife. I didn’t know it was you, Don—truly I -didn’t! I thought I was being killed. You know the -rest; you know how you got the knife and I managed to -slip away. That’s the whole truth, Don, and now you -must help me, just as you promised you would.”</p> - - - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_290">[290]</span>The listening lad sat down weakly on a box, feeling -that he had been robbed of everything. He beheld himself -in the true light at last, and the spectacle was so -repulsive that he shuddered and grew cold. When he -lifted his eyes, Bentley cowered beneath the terrible look -he received.</p> - -<p>“Don’t!” he whimpered once more—“don’t look at me -that way! I’ve told you the truth, and now you must -help me! Think of the terrible scrape I’m in!”</p> - -<p>“You!” cried Don, rising and flinging the other off, so -that he reeled up against the wall, his cigarette flying -from his fingers. “The terrible scrape you are in! Why, -I have killed Renwood!”</p> - -<p>Then he went out, Bentley’s prayers and pleadings -falling on ears that were deaf.</p> -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<span class="pagenum" id="Page_291">[291]</span> - -<h2 class="nobreak">CHAPTER XXXIV.<br /> - - -<small>REPENTANCE AND VICTORY.</small></h2> -</div> - -<p>It was some time after dark that, having till then wandered -aimlessly about by himself, Don Scott turned in at -the gate of his home, passed up the gravel walk and entered -the front door. His heart felt like a stone within -him, without life even to give a fluttering start when he -found himself face to face with his father, who seemed -to be waiting in the hall.</p> - -<p>“My son!” cried the doctor, catching him by the arm, -“where have you been? When I came home, I expected -to find you here to tell me all about it.”</p> - -<p>“Oh, I can’t tell you!” groaned Don. “I can’t think -about it! How you must loathe me!”</p> - -<p>The doctor was astounded. “My boy, my boy!” he exclaimed; -“what do you mean? It is you who must shrink -from me, for I have heard how Leon Bentley has confessed, -clearing you of everything. I can never forgive -myself for permitting a suspicion of your possible guilt -to creep into my mind. And they say you won the game -to-day by a wonderful kick after I was suddenly called -to attend a patient. I’m sorry I could not have been -there, but I’m proud of you, my son—proud of you!”</p> - -<p>Don choked, beginning to tremble in every limb. He<span class="pagenum" id="Page_292">[292]</span> -suffered then such anguish and remorse as seldom comes -to a person more than once in a lifetime.</p> - -<p>“You don’t know, father,” he said, hoarsely; “you -haven’t heard——”</p> - -<p>“They told me all about it,” insisted the doctor. “And -you had genuine grit to get up and continue playing -after you were stunned. Do you feel your injury much -now?”</p> - -<p>It was not an injury to his body that was giving the -boy such exquisite pain; it was a far deeper wound.</p> - -<p>“Oh, I don’t care for that!” he cried, despair in his -voice and manner.</p> - -<p>“Then you should be happy,” declared his father, wondering -and perplexed over the boy’s appearance. “You -were not hurt as badly as young Renwood. Why, they -had to take him home in a carriage. I met them on the -road, and they had me attend him. It was a bad knock on -the head, and might have caused concussion of the brain, -but he came round all right, and he’ll be well as ever in a -day or two.”</p> - -<p>The strength went out of Don’s legs, and he dropped -heavily on the hall seat. Up to that moment, he had -thought Dolph Renwood’s blood was on his hands.</p> - -<p>“Father!” he panted, “is it—is it—true? Are you sure -I didn’t kill him?”</p> - -<p>“Of course it is true; he is not seriously injured. But -what are you saying? Do you mean——”</p> - - - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_293">[293]</span>“I struck him after the game was over. That was what -ailed him.”</p> - -<p>“And they never told me a word! Struck him, Don—with -what?”</p> - -<p>“A baseball bat,” whispered the unfortunate lad. “Oh, -I’m a bad, wicked boy! I’m not fit to be your son! I -wish I’d never been born!”</p> - -<p>Then he burst into tears, which, more than anything -else, were compelled by the relief in learning that he had -not the crime of homicide on his soul, and he was shaken -by a perfect tempest of emotion.</p> - -<p>The doctor lifted his remorseful son and led the boy -into his private office, closing the door behind them. And -there in the seclusion of that room Don unbosomed himself -fully, holding nothing back, and found relief and -consolation and forgiveness.</p> - -<p>“I know I was all wrong; I see it now,” said Don, -when he had ended. “Father, what can I do?”</p> - -<p>“You must go to Renwood, confess everything as you -have confessed to me, humble yourself and ask his forgiveness. -That is the least you can do. In this there is -one good feature, at least; Bentley’s story will prove to -the other boys that they were wrong in believing you destroyed -the football and the suits. Will you go to see -Renwood, my son?”</p> - -<p>“I’ll go, father—I’ll do anything! And as long as I -live I’ll never forget the lesson. I was to blame for everything!”</p> - - - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_294">[294]</span>“You were to blame in letting your temper get the -best of you, but you were led into wrong-doing by your -bad companion. Now you can see the danger in associating -with such a fellow.”</p> - -<p>“I’m going to see Renwood to-night—now!” cried -Don, springing up. “I can’t sleep unless I see him!”</p> - -<p>“Go, my boy; I think he will be in condition to see you. -Go!”</p> - -<p>Father and son walked to the front door together, the -arm of the former across the shoulders of the latter. -Then the boy went out into the darkness and hurried -away.</p> - -<p>Don feared he would not be admitted to see Dolph, but -his fears were groundless. There was some delay, and he -waited anxiously in the hall; then the maid came and conducted -him to Renwood’s room.</p> - -<p>Dolph was there, reclining on a Morris chair, wrapped -in a dressing-gown. He was pale, and there was a bandage -about his head. He looked at his visitor in speechless -inquiry, while Don stood with his head bowed and -his face flushed with shame.</p> - -<p>Renwood was the first to speak. “I’m glad you’ve -come,” he said, “for I’m aching to tell you just what I -think of you; but I declare I didn’t think you’d have the -crust to show yourself here!”</p> - -<p>His voice was full of the scorn and contempt which -the persistent injustice of his enemy had aroused to its<span class="pagenum" id="Page_295">[295]</span> -fullest extent. The other lad shrank a bit, lifting one -hand.</p> - -<p>“That’s right!” he hoarsely exclaimed; “you can’t say -anything too mean about me, call me what you like! I -deserve it all—and more!”</p> - -<p>Renwood was astonished by this altered attitude of his -enemy, but fancied it was fear of reprisal that had -brought the boy who dealt the blow hurrying to see him. -However, before he could say anything further, Don -went on:</p> - -<p>“I thought I was right in hating you, for I had been -led to believe you a sneak and a traitor. I have a nasty -temper that it has been impossible for me to govern in -the past, but I’ll master it in the future—or die! You -have every reason to hate and despise me; but you cannot -hate and despise me more than I hate and despise -myself. I thought I had killed you, and I suffered just -what I merited. But even then I did not know what a -miserable wretch I was till I went to see Bentley in the -lock-up and heard his confession.”</p> - -<p>Renwood’s wonder was growing, for this humility and -repentance were so genuine that his doubts were dying.</p> - -<p>“Bentley,” he muttered. “They said he had been arrested.”</p> - -<p>“Yes, and I want you to hear just what he told me. -Will you listen?”</p> - -<p>“Go ahead.”</p> - -<p>Then, as well as he could in his excited condition, Don<span class="pagenum" id="Page_296">[296]</span> -told of the confession Leon had made; and a change came -over the face of the injured lad who listened, for Dolph -began to see how this repentant boy who stood before -him had been misled by his own passions and by the -deceptions of an unscrupulous and rascally companion. -Don did not spare himself in the least, and he did not try -to shoulder all the blame onto Bentley. When he told of -the forged letter, he was astounded to find that Dolph -knew absolutely nothing about it. Fearing to bring further -discord into the team, Sterndale had told Renwood -nothing of that letter.</p> - -<p>Some moments after this, on her way downstairs, -Zadia Renwood passed the door of her brother’s room. -That door was ajar, so that, glancing in, she saw two boys -standing face to face, the one with his head bandaged -having both hands on the shoulders of the other, and she -heard her brother saying:</p> - -<p>“It was a misunderstanding and a mistake, Scott, that’s -all. It’s all right now, and I think we’ll know each other -better in the future. Let’s forget it.”</p> - -<p>When Don Scott came down from Dolph’s room, his -face wore a look of relief that was almost happiness. He -found Renwood’s sister in the hall, and she let him out.</p> - -<p>“I’m so glad!” she said, giving him a happy smile; -“I’m so glad you and Dolph are to be friends now. I’m -sure you’ll like each other.”</p> - -<p>Alone in the night, Don halted, took off his hat and -lifted his throbbing forehead to the cool wind that came<span class="pagenum" id="Page_297">[297]</span> -off the open sea roaring along the Eastern Shore. The -sky was heavily overcast with clouds, but, as he looked -upward, they broke and parted in one place, and through -the rift he saw a calm, pure white star.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>The following is quoted from the Highland <i>Register</i>, -published eleven days later:</p> - -<p>“The third and final football game of the series between -Highland and Rockspur was played last Saturday -before a great crowd of spectators in Highland, and the -boys from the coast won by a score of 17 to 12. It was -a fast and furious battle from start to finish, the youngsters -on both sides fighting as if for their very lives and -displaying at times such vim, dash and courage that the -witnesses were aroused to the greatest enthusiasm and -cheered themselves hoarse. Of course, it is greatly regretted -that our boys lost after being trained by such a -thoroughly experienced and capable coach as Mr. Winston; -but Rockspur also had a first-class coach in young -Renwood, who played quarter-back on the team, and the -improvement of the visitors since their first appearance -here this season was something remarkable. Still, it may -be justly claimed that luck had much to do with the result -of the game, for it was Garrison’s fumble within -four minutes of the close of the game that gave Rockspur -the ball and enabled the visitors to obtain the final touchdown -and goal that cooked Highland’s goose. At the<span class="pagenum" id="Page_298">[298]</span> -time this accident happened Highland was in the lead, -the score standing 12 to 11.</p> - -<p>“The first half was a battle of giants. Several times it -seemed that one side or the other must make a touchdown, -but something happened to prevent anything of -the kind taking place, and it was a case of taking a desperate -chance after the second down, when Scott tried -a drop-kick for a goal from the twenty-five-yard line. -He made it beautifully, and the half ended with the points -5 to 0 in favor of the enemy.</p> - -<p>“In the second half Highland put some new men on the -field, and one of the substitutes, Hardoak, soon found an -opportunity to show his mettle by going round Rockspur’s -left end for a touchdown that resulted in a goal, giving -the home team a lead of one point, 6 to 5. But this simply -seemed to awaken eleven tigers from Rockspur, and -the way they tore great holes in the right wing of the -Highland line was heartrending to witness. Whenever -he was given the ball to advance, Scott seemed a perfect -demon of fury, and once he actually made fourteen yards -with half the home team apparently riding on his back -and shoulders. He was finally crushed to the earth by -sheer weight of numbers, but even then he managed to -squirm along for a foot or two before they could pin -him fast. And he finally slammed himself over the line -for a touchdown that netted a goal and gave his team the -lead once more, 11 to 6.</p> - -<p>“At this stage the game was most exciting, for Walker<span class="pagenum" id="Page_299">[299]</span> -was begging his men to take a brace and win out, and -every fellow responded nobly. In a kicking battle Highland -got the advantage, and the ball was held in Rockspur’s -territory. Then, after several minutes of varying -fortune, Morse found a hole between Ford and Carter -and got over the goal line of the visitors for another -touchdown, from which Walker kicked the handsomest -and most difficult goal of the day. That gave Highland -12 points and Rockspur had 11. Not a great margin, -but the game was drawing toward the end, and it seemed -enough.</p> - -<p>“Our boys fought for time, but Sterndale’s men pushed -the battle with a sort of mad fury that it was hard to -withstand. When the ball came into Highland’s possession -she endeavored to retain it till the finish of the game, -and there was but four more minutes of play when Garrison -fumbled in a scrimmage and Renwood captured the -ball and wiggled out of the squirming knot of players. -He got a fair start, but even then he could not have -made a goal without the assistance of Scott, who was the -only interferer that ran with him. Powell had been doing -masterly work in the way of tackling, but Scott -bowled Jack over and saved Rockspur’s quarter-back -from being brought to the turf. Walker came next, and -somehow Scott had recovered from the collision with -Powell enough to be on hand and block Lee quite as effectively. -Then the two men went down a clear field, -with all the others stringing after them like a pack of<span class="pagenum" id="Page_300">[300]</span> -hounds and the Rockspur spectators roaring like mad. -Pell had great speed, and it seemed that he was going to -overtake the runner for a tackle, but somehow Scott -looked over his shoulder and got the range of the pursuer. -When Pell leaped Scott sprang sidelong before -him, and it was Scott that the tackler brought down, -while Renwood ran on and crossed Highland’s goal line -with the ball. From that a goal was kicked, with the final -result as stated above; but it is to the amazing interference -of Scott more than to the run of Renwood that -Rockspur must give the glory for winning the game.”</p> - - -<p class="center">THE END.</p> - - -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<div class="transnote"> -<p class="ph1">TRANSCRIBER’S NOTES:</p> - - - -<p>Obvious typographical errors have been corrected.</p> - -<p>Inconsistencies in hyphenation have been standardized.</p> - -<p>Archaic or alternate spelling has been retained from the original.</p> -</div></div> -<div style='display:block; margin-top:4em'>*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE ROCKSPUR ELEVEN ***</div> -<div style='text-align:left'> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> -Updated editions will replace the previous one—the old editions will -be renamed. -</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> -Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright -law 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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