Stover felt the warm blood return, the sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach left him, he felt, amazed, a great calm settling over him, as though he had jumped from out his own body.
"If Flash Condit can once get loose," he said quietly, "he'll score. They ought to try a dash through tackle before the others warm up. Good!"
As if in obedience to his thought Flash Condit came rushing through the line, between end and tackle, but the Andover left half-back, who was alert, caught him and brought him to the ground after a gain of ten yards.
"Pretty fast, that chap," thought Dink. "Too bad, Flash was almost clear."
"Who tackled him?" asked Fatty Harris.
"Goodhue," came the answer from somewhere. "They say he runs the hundred in ten and a fifth."
The next try was not so fortunate, the blue line charged quicker and stopped Cheyenne Baxter without a gain. Charlie DeSoto tried a quarter-back run and some one broke through between the Waladoo Bird and Turkey Reiter.
"Not together—not together," said the dismal voice of Fatty Harris.
The signal was given for a punt and the ball lifted in the air went soaring down the field on the force of the wind. It was too long a punt for the ends to cover, and the Andover back with a good start came twisting through the territory of Ned Banks who had been blocked off by his opponent.
"Watch that Andover end, Stover," said Mr. Ware. "Study out his methods."