But Rodney, with the entire left wing of the Maple Hill team trailing along between him and the enemy, was racing across the gridiron. His chance came at last, some fifteen yards from the side of the field, and he turned squarely and shot in. There was no hesitation this time. For an instant it seemed that he was racing straight into the arms of the enemy, but Kitty hurled himself forward, there was a confused mass of falling bodies and Rodney sprang across and was free for the instant. But the Bursley quarter was awaiting him and Bursley foemen were in pursuit. His interference now had been outstripped and he was alone. The quarter feinted to the right, Rodney countered to the left, a hand grasped at his jacket and fell away as he spun the quarter, and then, with two red-stockinged players groping for holds, he tore across the last white line, stumbled, picked himself up and went on and, finally with two Bursley men dragging him down, subsided behind the nearer post!
When they pulled him to his feet, a little limp, but quite unhurt and quite ready to try it all over again, it was Guy Watson who threw his arms about him and hugged him, Watson with a face one great grin and eyes with tears in them!
“Kid, you’re a wonder!” said Watson. “You—you’re all right!”
After that it was all very confused. Rodney trotted back up the field and someone, he never remembered who, tried for goal and missed it badly. And then the teams lined up again and, after the first play, the final whistle blew and he was trying to make his way through the crowd that suddenly flooded the field. [Hands seized him and arms lifted him aloft] and he went swaying uncertainly about on the shoulders of three shrieking, happy youths whom he didn’t even know by sight. Once, as they passed the almost deserted south stand he caught sight of the twins, waving, laughing. One of them—he never knew whether it was Matty or May—blew him a kiss. Then he lost sight of them again. Cheers filled the air. Swaying unsteadily, following a line of other captured players, Rodney smiled happily. At last, he told himself, he was something more than just the Brother of a Hero!
[“Hands seized him and arms lifted him aloft”]
THE END
Transcriber’s Notes:
Except for the frontispiece, illustrations have been moved to follow the text that they illustrate, so the page number of the illustration may not match the page number in the List of Illustrations.