Hugh found a surprise awaiting him. They had, it seemed, transferred Hanser to the first team and, since that left the second long on ends and short on half-backs, Hugh was informed that he was to substitute Brunswick or Peet behind the line. “Never played half, have you?” inquired Mr. Crowley brusquely. “Thought not. Well, keep your eyes open and study the signals. You’re likely to get a chance to show what you can do today or tomorrow.”
The chance came that afternoon, for Peet, who had taken Hanser’s place, failed to satisfy the coach and was pulled out five minutes after the game with the first team began. Hugh, watching Mr. Crowley anxiously, was half inclined to hope that his choice would fall on the other substitute, Boynton, for Hugh wasn’t at all convinced of his ability to play half-back. Possibly, however, the coach wanted to know just how bad Hugh would prove, for after a quick glance along the bench he motioned to him.
“Hi, Ordway! Get in there at right half. Use your head, now, and don’t ball up your signals. Tell Ayer to watch their guard-tackle hole on the left. Get it? On the left!”
Well, on the whole, or “taking it by and large,” as Pop would have said, Hugh didn’t do so badly that afternoon. He did get his signals mixed once and he soon proved himself much too light for line-bucking. But on several occasions when the play was outside of tackle he made good gains, once reeling off fifteen yards before he was thumped to the ground by Vail. And on defense he rather did himself proud, working very smoothly with Forbes, who was back at right end, and Spalding, the right tackle, when the play came that way. He made the mistakes of ignorance and he once fumbled a two-yard pass from the quarter, saving the situation, however, by recovering the ball for a slight loss of ground. Mr. Crowley cornered him in the dressing room after practice and told him of a great many things that he had done wrong and advised him to brush up on the signals. And when the coach had taken himself off, growling, Captain Myatt salved his wounds with a smile and a “Good work, Ordway! Hang to it!”
There was one thing that that afternoon’s experience did for Hugh, in any event. It convinced him that he didn’t want to play end again and that he did want to play half-back. He would go on being an end this year, he told himself, but next fall he would go out for a half-back position and refuse anything else. Playing end wasn’t bad fun, but there was something about having the ball in the crook of your elbow or snuggled to your stomach and pitting your wits and speed and strength against the enemy, that was ten times more exciting. Of course, as soon as Bert got into harness again Hanser would be returned to the second and Hugh would be back elbowing Forbes for the outpost position. But next year!
He said all this to Bert that evening, being far too full of the afternoon’s adventure to want to study, and Bert, while granting that there was no comparison in his mind between playing half-back and end, advised Hugh to stick to his trade. “You didn’t do half badly, Duke, for you’re certainly just about as quick as they make ’em. Sort of reminded me today of a cat, the way you jumped off and squirmed around there. But you’re not heavy enough to keep going, you see. It’s the foot or two feet or yard that a fellow makes after he’s tackled that counts. If it was all around-the-end work you’d be rather a star, but it isn’t. Down near goal you’d have to put your head down and buck the line, old man. And someone like Ted or Musgrave would stop you so soon you’d go backward. You stick to being a good end, at least until you’ve put on weight and grown a bit.”
“I say, I’m not so awfully much smaller than you are,” protested Hugh.
“You’re twenty pounds lighter than I am, at least, and you’re fully two inches shorter. You—you’ve got to have punch when you go into the line, Hugh. See what I mean?”
“Oh, yes, I see what you mean,” responded the other slowly, “but that chap Zanetti isn’t awfully big and heavy, is he? And he played a mighty good game today when he was in.”