“Isn’t that great?” demanded Gerald. “Dan wrote the words and his sister made the music.”
“The—ah—the music sounds a little bit familiar, doesn’t it, though?” inquired Mr. Pennimore with a smile.
“All music does,” replied Gerald seriously. “Here’s the second verse:
“‘All together! Cheer on cheer!
Victory is ours to-day!
Raise your voices loud and clear!
Yardley pluck has won the fray!
See, the vanquished foeman quails;
All his vaunted courage fails!
Flaunt the Blue that never pales,
Fighting for old Yardley!’”
Across the empty field the Broadwood supporters had let their own song die down to listen, and at the end of Yardley’s effort they cheered approvingly and generously. But they didn’t intend that the enemy should have its own way in matters musical and so came back with their own favorite, “Broadwood Green.” They followed that up with the song that Yardley detested most, “What’ll We Do?”
“‘Not far away there is a school
That thinks it can play ball, sir.
We’ll show it just a trick or two,
We’ll show it what our men can do,
And——
It won’t think so this fall, sir!
Oh, what’ll we do to Yardley, to Yardley, to Yardley?
Oh, what’ll we do to Yardley?
Well, really, I’d rather not say!’”
Yardley tried to drown the hated words with much cheering and then retaliated with:
“Old Yardley has the men, my boy,
Old Yardley has the steam,
Old Yardley has the pluck and sand,
Old Yardley has the team!
Old Yardley can’t be beat, my boy,
She’s bound to win the game!
So give a cheer for Yardley and
Hats off to Yardley’s fame!”
A moment later the teams returned and the rival camps strove to surpass each other in their welcomes. It was Broadwood’s kick off, and in a moment the ball was high in air, cork screwing against the blue of the afternoon sky. Mills had made the kick and it was a good one, high and far, but his ends were slow in getting down under it and Dan, catching the ball, reeled off sixteen yards before he fell into the clutches of the enemy on his eighteen-yard line. When Yardley lined up it was seen that Hadlock, at left guard, had been replaced by Ridge. Alf called on Roeder and that dependable young gentleman made five yards. Tom secured four more and Alf punted to Dowling in the center of the field. The Green’s quarter back was brought to earth by Ridge. Then Broadwood for the first time made her distance by rushing, Rhodes taking the pigskin for seven yards and then five through center, Mills making the hole for him superbly. Ayres failed to gain on the next try to the disappointment of Broadwood’s friends on the side line, and Rhodes tried again. But the ball was Yardley’s on downs after the whistle had blown. Then followed a punting dual between Alf and Weldon, the ball sailing back and forth between the two thirty-yard lines. After the fifth exchange the pigskin went to Broadwood on her thirty yards. Then Broadwood hopes revived and Gerald had cause to recall Arthur’s prophecy that Broadwood would “come back hard.” The Green’s full back made first down in two plunges at the Blue’s line and then Ayres ran ten yards around left end. Broadwood was cheering like mad now. Ayres was given the pigskin again, but in three attempts at the Yardley line netted but eight yards and the ball went to the Blue.
Sommers was pushed and pulled through left guard for four yards and a penalty gave Yardley five more. Then Roeder made ten yards in two fine rushes, and Alf’s forward pass was carried out in good shape by Dan for a long gain but was called back. Alf then punted to Ayres and Weldon returned the kick to Alf, and the latter was thrown on his twenty-yard line. Roeder by this time was pretty well played out and Stearns was substituted, Roeder receiving the biggest kind of an ovation as he walked uncertainly off the field.