If Tubb made any reply Toby didn’t hear it, for Halliday had got away around Forest Hill’s left and pulled down a long and desperate forward-pass, and now he was streaking up the field with the ball and the stand was on its feet, shouting and imploring. Halliday dodged the first of the enemy and sped on. Then the Forest Hill quarter was on him, there was a confusion of rolling bodies and Ted was free again to go plunging on toward the nearing goal-line. The pursuit gained but never quite reached him, and Ted at last subsided between the posts. That was all the scoring done by either team, and shortly after Captain Fanning had missed an easy goal the game ended. The visitors considered, and not without reason, that they had virtually won the honors of the day and departed cheering through the twilight drizzle.
CHAPTER XIV
TOBY AT QUARTER
The outcome of the Forest Hill game was a favorite topic of discussion during the next few days. Although Yardley had won in the last four minutes, by means of a well-earned touchdown following a forward pass, the general opinion was that the Blue had been largely outplayed by a lighter but much faster eleven. Of course, reverses were to be expected, but after Yardley’s showing in the Tyron game it did seem that she should have done better against a “small school team” like Forest Hill. On the other hand, the local football historians reminded that some six seasons ago, Forest Hill had actually won from Yardley, 5 to 3, and that it was no uncommon thing for the smaller school to score against the Blue.
Rumors of changes in the line-up spread, and it was whispered that all was not serene between captain and coach. Arnold was decidedly glum that Saturday evening, and, although the usual excursion to Greenburg in search of moving picture thrills was made, he was no great addition to the company. Afterwards, when they were preparing for bed, Toby told him that he was foolish to let football worry him so. “Any one might think you were captain of the eleven instead of Fanning,” said Toby. “You act——”
“I wish I was—were—was——”
“‘Were’ will do. Why do you wish you was—were?”
“Because I’d drop two or three of the ‘dead-ones’ and have a team instead of a bunch of stars!”
Toby weighed that in silence. Finally: “Who are the ‘dead-ones’?” he asked.