“He’s a blamed fool,” growled Chick. “They ought to keep him away from practice. He’s always making a nuisance of himself with his smart-aleck stuff. Next time he razzes me I’ll climb into the stand and cuff his ears!”
“Oh, he’s harmless,” said Bert. “Trying sometimes, I’ll admit, but a distinct addition to the joy of nations. Shut up and let me work out this plaguy problem.
“‘I like readin’ an’ jographee,
Writin’, too, but, hully gee,
Stuff they calls arithmatic
’S enough to make a feller sick!’”
“Wish you had this French to do,” moaned the other.
Presumably Mr. Cade saw that editorial in the school paper, but if he did he didn’t allow it to affect his policy in the least. On Saturday he began sprinkling his first and second substitutes through the team soon after the third period started. The score was then 14 to 10 in Alton’s favor, New Falmouth having proved rather better than expected. To be sure, the latter’s first score came as the result of a fumble by Ness, but the youth who had recovered the ball on the home team’s forty-three yards deserved his touchdown, for he skillfully eluded three of the enemy and fairly snatched himself from the grasp of Hop Meecham, who had made a gallant chase and who tackled just short of the five-yard line. New Falmouth added a point to that touchdown and subsequently dropped a goal from Alton’s twenty-eight yards.
Alton’s own scores came as the result of a considerably better offense than she had shown heretofore. The backs worked well together and the line was charged hard and fast. Galvin shot through for Alton’s first score some six minutes after the kick-off and Nip Storer ran the visitor’s left wing for the second just before the half ended. Nip also kicked both goals. A third score almost resulted when, in the second quarter, the New Falmouth quarter fumbled a punt and Chick fell on it near the fifteen-yard line. Two attacks at the line, however, gained but four yards and Ted Ball’s heave to Chick grounded. On a kick formation Nip Storer threw straight across center, but Joe Tate was not in position and the ball went to the enemy. Alton impressed the spectators as at least thirty per cent better than New Falmouth, even if results didn’t prove it. There was still something lacking in Alton’s attack; perhaps several things; but the power appeared to be there. The left of the line was weak and New Falmouth romped through Meecham and Dozier several times. The latter, at tackle, was a comparatively easy problem for the opposing backs. The balance of the line showed well on defense, Lum Patten, at center, being an especially bright spot. Joe Tate and Chick Burton were both fast under punts and were generally on hand when the ball was caught. Chick, however, still showed uncertainty in the matter of tackling, and more than once an enemy wriggled away and made yardage after Chick reached him.
Mr. Cade started his substitutes in almost with the kick-off of the second half, and before the third period was well along only four regulars remained in the line-up. There was, of course, a murmur of disapproval from the stand, but the game was so evidently Alton’s for the taking that censure was light. For a period of perhaps five minutes New Falmouth caused uneasiness in the home camp, for she took the ball on steady rushing from her own forty-yard line to Alton’s thirty-two before she was halted. There Gus Thomas, playing left tackle, nailed a New Falmouth back behind his line for a six-yard loss, and the misfortune broke the enemy’s stride. An attempt at a forward heave went bad, a wide run was smeared for no gain and when, on fourth down, a courageous youth tried to lift the ball over the bar by the place-kick route from the forty-six yards the attempt was foredoomed. The pigskin fell many yards short and into Fitz Savell’s eager arms, and Fitz dodged and wormed his way to his own twenty-two before he was downed. That advance was New Falmouth’s final bolt, and never again did she make a first down.
Alton scored a third touchdown after some twelve minutes of play, Couch going through the enemy’s center from her six yards. Bus Lovell missed the try-for-point. Again, in the last quarter, Fitz Savell brought the crowd to its feet with a long run from mid-field that put the pigskin on New Falmouth’s seven yards. Bert was in then, having just taken Keys’ place at right half, and it was to Bert that Bus Lovell shot the ball on the first down. The play was from balanced line and Bert carried between the enemy right tackle and right end. As those men were double teamed, and as Fitz went ahead as interference, Bert shot through cleanly and kept his feet to the one yard. There he was simultaneously tackled by the opposing full-back and quarter, but he managed to get the ball over the line before he was borne back. Again Bus failed to kick the goal.
The game ended some two minutes later, the score 26 to 10, and Bert went off the field with the rest of the squad, after a somewhat breathless cheer for the adversary, striving hard not to show the elation he felt. Since that was the first touchdown he had ever scored against an outside team, disguising his pleasure wasn’t easy. He found himself grinning several times on the way to the gymnasium and straightened his mouth hastily, hoping none of the others had seen. Chick, again rather disgruntled because he hadn’t been allowed to play more than slightly over two periods, smote Bert on the back as they entered the building.
“Good stuff, old scout!” he declared. “That was a nice little scamper of yours. You’re a credit to my training.”