“Ready seems to be all right,” he said immediately. “I don’t know much about him; but I do know he kept Brown from scoring to-day, and——”
“I don’t know about that!” piped Danny Griswold. “I had a fine chance to see everything. I was on Dismal Jones’ shoulders. I think Brown would have scored for all of Jack’s work if you had not secured the ball on a fumble, Merriwell, and broke out of that bunch like a wild steer on the rampage. I believe you are the one who kept Brown from scoring.”
“Shame! shame!” cried a number of voices. “It’s an attempt to rob Ready of the credit that is due him!”
Then there was an uproar, but Frank quieted it.
“No one wishes to rob Ready of the least credit,” he said. “It was plain enough that Thurlow would have made a touch-down if Ready had not overtaken him, tackled beautifully, and brought him to earth. Jack Ready must have the credit of stopping that touch-down.”
Then the freshmen whooped like Indians.
“But hold on!” rang out the voice of Diamond. “That’s not the whole of it. For all that Ready did, Brown would have scored had you not secured the ball as you did. You are the one, Merriwell, who deserves the real credit, just as Griswold says.”
Then there came mutterings low and angry from the freshmen, swelling louder and louder.
“It’s a mean trick!”
“Diamond tried to quarrel with him.”