“Let him. After the Broadwood game you can show him you’re not. That’s a bargain, then?”
“I don’t promise,” said Tubb, “but as long as he behaves himself I guess I’ll let him alone. Say, Tucker, I suppose you wouldn’t want to—to sort of explain to him how it is, eh? So he wouldn’t think he was getting away with it!”
“Frankly, I would not, Tubb,” answered Toby, smiling. “Just forget all about him and remember Broadwood. That’s your game!”
CHAPTER XVIII
A QUARTER-BACK RUN
The Second Team had a schedule of its own, although it wasn’t very lengthy. It consisted of two games, the first with Greenburg High School and the second with Latimer High School. The Greenburg game came off the afternoon that the First played Carrel’s, and in consequence Toby missed the latter contest. He didn’t mind that, however, for he had a busy and enjoyable time in Greenburg. Besides, he got the full and detailed story of the Carrel game from Arnold that evening and the next day and for one or two days after that. Arnold was very full of football just now and threatened to be somewhat of a bore until the Broadwood contest was done with!
The Greenburg athletic field lay on the side of town away from the river and Yardley and was a rather uneven piece of turf enclosed by a dilapidated high board fence. There was a running track, badly in need of cinders and attention, two weather-stained stands and an unpainted shack that did duty as a dressing-room. The game was not very important from a Greenburg standpoint, and the attendance this afternoon was not large. Usually Greenburg won from the Yardley Second Team without much difficulty, and although this fall High School had heard stories of unusual prowess on the Second Team’s part she was still not much worried. Being a half holiday at the various mills and factories, of which Greenburg held many, the “tough” element of the town—or city, since that is what Greenburg officially was—was well represented. The mill operatives who had paid their quarters for admittance to the game were strongly pro-High School in their sympathies. Or perhaps it would be nearer the truth to say that they were enthusiastically anti-Yardley. In their belief all Yardley students were silk-stockinged snobs, which, while far from the fact, was enough to set the mill crowd against the school. They came supplied with peanuts and, perhaps a hundred in number, took possession of one of the small, tumble-down stands and made their presence known right from the start. But aside from shouting weird cheers for Greenburg, singing, parodying the Yardley slogan in mincing falsetto and shying an occasional peanut at the visitors’ bench in front of them, they kept the peace during most of the game.
Captain Beech wanted to win to-day’s contest, since last year High School had caught the Blue team in a slump and triumphed decisively over it by a memorable score of 38 to 6, and so, with Coach Burtis’s permission, the Second started with the best line-up she could devise. Mr. Burtis had awarded himself a vacation and gone home over the week-end, leaving the captain in undisputed authority. Toby didn’t get into the game until the third period was well along, for Frick, who had started it, played his best and a touchdown by Yardley in the first five minutes of play gave the visitors an advantage that the home team was not able to overcome in the initial half. The Blue defense was too much for the High School eleven although the latter had plenty of talent in its ranks and played a stiff, hard attack. On the other hand, Yardley had her troubles with the High School line, and that single touchdown had been more than half luck. A fortunate forward pass from the middle of the field had put the Blue within striking distance of High School’s goal and a penalty for holding had given her five yards more. Then Frick had fumbled and Nelson had followed the trickling ball back, and, having captured it, found a chance around High School’s left. He should have been stopped half a dozen times, but somehow he sifted through the enemy ranks and landed the pigskin up against the left-hand post before he was brought down.
High School accepted her mishap cheerfully and set to work to do a little scoring on her own behalf, but the half ended without the ball’s having approached either goal again. The second half was eight minutes old when Captain Beech found that Frick’s work was becoming slow and uncertain and sent him off. High School had forced the ball to Yardley’s thirty-one yards and still had possession when Toby went in. He was followed a minute later by Lovett, who was called on to strengthen the right end of the Blue’s line, around which High School had made several gains since the period had begun. Lovett, however, proved no more able to stop those gains than had Connell, and High School swept on to the Blue’s twenty-yard-line in three plays and set her supporters shouting triumphantly. With the cheers of the High School students came approving yells from the mill contingent; hoarse cries of “Eat ’em up, Greenburg!” “Kill the sissies!” “Put it over, Greenburg!” Then, with a score almost won, the High School left end was caught hugging Stover affectionately to his breast, and High School was set back fifteen yards. The mill hands didn’t approve of that and made it known loudly and continuously, hissing and whistling and hurling sarcastic remarks at the referee. After two plays which netted only short gains, High School tried a drop-kick from her thirty yards and failed badly.