CHAPTER XV
A DEFEAT, A VICTORY AND A CHALLENGE
It's a peculiar fact that no matter how glad a chap may be to get homehe's equally delighted to get back to school. At least, that's the waywith most fellows, and it was the way with Roy. Vacation seemed overalmost before it had begun, and then, one bright, snowy January morningwhen the new year was but a few days old, he woke up to find himselfsnuggled under the yellow comforter that adorned his bed in the SeniorDormitory. And before he could gather courage to slip even one foot outinto the cold there was a rush on the stairs and Chub, all blue pajamasand grins, was on him like a small tornado, had thrown the coverings inall directions and had dragged him out on to the unsympathetic floor.Jack bore down to see justice done and Tom Forrest, holding a bath towelabout him, paused on his way back from the wash-room to watch and giveencouragement. Roy and Chub had it out on the next bed and Chubeventually begged for mercy from beneath a feather pillow. Andsubsequently they dashed downstairs together and reached the diningroom just on the nick of time, feeling like hungry colts.
Yes, it was mighty good to be back again, even though mid-winter examswere due in a few days. Roy had missed Chub and Jack and the others, andeven his brother's breathless narrative of the Yale-Harvard game fromthe point of view of a Crimson right-tackle who had become next year'scaptain hadn't seemed half so wonderful as it would have a year before.Chub's badly-spelled letter regarding the outlook for the Ferry HillHockey Team had been much more interesting.
The rink was flooded that afternoon, a round two dozen boys working witha will at the pump which drew water from the river and ran it through aniron pipe into the enclosure. It was a cold day--the thermometer readeight degrees above at four o'clock--and although the river was frozenonly along the banks and out near Fox Island, there was no doubt butthat they would have a nice sheet of ice for the morrow's practice. Chubborrowed a thermometer from the kitchen window--without telling anyoneabout it--and hung it outside his own casement. Sid solemnly affirmedthat Chub was leaning out of the window reading the thermometer bymoonlight every time he woke up. And as Chub observed scathingly thatSid was never known to wake up from the time he went to sleep until hewas pulled on to the floor in the morning, Sid's statement doubtlessheld some truth. Chub was at Roy's bedside the next morning long beforethe rising bell had rung. As he had no business there at that time, hemoved and spoke very cautiously.
"It's four below, Roy!" he whispered.
"Huh?" asked Roy sleepily.
"It's four below zero, you lazy chump!"
"Who? What?"
"The thermometer! What did you think I was talking about?"
"Thought you might mean the dormitory," answered Roy, now thoroughlyawake, drawing the bed clothes closer about him and shivering.
"Pshaw, you're not cold! Come on; get up."
"Bell rung?"
"No, but it will in a minute."
"Then you'd better sneak out of here before Cobb sees you. There'sFerris got his eye on you now."
"If he tells on me I'll break his neck," answered Chub from betweenchattering teeth. "What time is practice?"
"Four o'clock."
"All right. Guess I'll sneak back. I'm going to play cover-point, eh?"
"Yes, I guess so--as long as you last."
Then he dived under the clothes for protection.
That afternoon the hockey team got down to real business. It was ratherconfused business, to be sure, for many of the two dozen candidates hadnever played the game before and some few of them were none too sureon their feet, or, rather, skates. But Mr. Cobb was on hand, and Royexplained and instructed too, and soon some order grew out of chaos.
Roy giving instruction in hockey.]
After that every week day afternoon saw the candidates at work on therink, save once or twice when thaws softened the ice. Hockey took holdof the school with a vim, and those who were not entitled to use therink secured sticks and pucks and went at it on the river. At the end oftwo weeks of practice a first and a second team had been chosen andgames between them occurred daily. Three candidates dropped out; theothers, not of first choice, were retained as substitutes and always gotinto the games for a short while at least. Meanwhile Roy's temporarycaptaincy had been made permanent by unanimous vote, Jack had beenelected manager and Chub treasurer. A challenge was drawn up anddelivered to Hammond Academy, was accepted and three games were arrangedto settle the ice hockey supremacy. The first was scheduled for January20th, and although a thaw had set in the evening before and made theskating surface far from perfect, the contest came off at three o'clockon the date set.
The team which started the game for Ferry Hill was made up of Rogers,right end, Warren, right center, Kirby, left center, Porter, left end,Eaton, cover-point, Bacon, point, Hadden, goal. But almost all of thesubstitutes had their chances before the game was over. Roy, Warren andChub played finely, and Hadden, considering the fact that he had neverbefore played goal in a hockey game, did excellent work and stopped somedifficult shots. But Hammond's players were all experienced and theresult was not long in doubt. Ferry Hill really deserved commendationfor keeping Hammond's score down to eight and for getting two goalsherself, the latter in the last period of play. There were many faultsto correct and that game served an excellent purpose if it did no morethan show up the weak places on the Ferry Hill team. The stick-work wasstill pretty ragged, the forwards let their over-eagerness get them intomany an off-side play, they failed to follow up as they should have andBacon, at point, continually allowed himself to be drawn out of hisposition. But every fellow had played hard and the faults were all suchas could be largely remedied in subsequent practice.
A few days later a challenge to play a game with Prentice MilitaryAcademy on the latter's rink came by telephone and Jack accepted. Theteam, attended by fully two-thirds of the school, journeyed down toPrentice the following Saturday afternoon and won its first game by ascore of 6 to 4. This sounds better than it really was, for Prenticecouldn't boast of a very strong team. However, the result of the gameencouraged Ferry Hill, and the fellows went to work again on Mondayafternoon with redoubled vigor. Jack Rogers, who had not been playing aswell as he was capable of, found himself about this time and developedrapidly into a hard, fast forward, passing brilliantly and making anexcellent team-mate for Warren, who, next to Roy, was the best member ofthe team. By the time the second Hammond game arrived many of the moreglaring faults had been eliminated. Bacon had fallen back to substitute,his place at point having been won by Gallup.
Ferry Hill crossed to Hammond that afternoon for the second game of theseries resolved to even things up by winning one contest at least of thethree. And, in spite of the fact that she was on unfamiliar ice, andthat the cheers of Ferry Hill's handful of supporters were quite drownedout by the throng of Hammondites, she succeeded. The first half endedwith the score 3 to 1 in favor of the Cherry and Black, after Ferry Hillhad played on the defensive almost every minute of the time. But in thelast period Ferry Hill took a brace, got the puck away from her opponenta few minutes after play began and scored her second goal. She followedthis less than two minutes later with a third, so tying the score. Afterthat play was fast and furious. Ferry Hill forced it hard. The nexttry-at-goal was by Hammond, and although it looked as though the puckentered the cage and bounded out the goal was not allowed. Hammond had agood deal to say about that and play came to a standstill for severalminutes. But the referee, a gentleman of their own choosing, held to hisdecision. But even had that goal been awarded to Hammond the game wouldstill have gone to Ferry Hill, for Jack Rogers and Warren, playingtogether like veterans, took the puck down the rink when play wasresumed and shot a goal that couldn't be questioned. That goal wasJack's second. Hammond made it interesting for the Brown and White afterthat, making try after try, but Hadden stopped everything that reachedhim. With only a very few minutes to play Kirby stole the rubber from aHammond forward, passed it to Roy across the rink and followed up intime to receive it back agai
n near the center. He lost it for aninstant, recovered it, shot it against the boards ahead of Roy, whofound it as it carromed away, checked the Hammond point and gave Roy aclean chance at the cage. Roy took the chance and lifted the puck pastgoal's knees. There was no more scoring and 5 to 3 were the finalfigures. Ferry Hill went home very well pleased with herself, and no onereceived more praise than Hadden, whose steady, brilliant work at thegoal had contributed more than anything else to the victory.
The final game of the series was not due until two weeks later andduring those two weeks Ferry Hill worked like Trojans. But before thatfinal contest was decided Ferry Hill and Hammond had again met on theice and tried conclusions, and although there was no hockey in thiscontest it was quite as exciting while it lasted. It came about in thisway.
Hammond's right end and captain was a big yellow-haired giant namedSchonberg, a brilliant player and a wonderful skater, if the tales oneheard of him were true. Possibly the fact that in the recent game Roy,who opposed him, had outplayed him, wounded his vanity. At all eventsHorace Burlen approached Jack Rogers one morning a few days after thegame with an open letter in his hand and a frown on his brow.
"Look at this thing from Hammond, will you, Jack," he said. "They'vechallenged us to a skating race on the river. Any time and any distancewe like, they say; hang their cheek!"
Jack stopped and read the letter.
"Well, I guess they've got us there," he said. "I don't know of anyfellow who would stand the ghost of a chance against that chapSchonberg."
"Well, I hate to refuse," replied Horace importantly. "It seems to me weought to accept the challenge even if we get beaten."
"I suppose we ought," said Jack, "but you'll find it pretty hard to finda fellow willing to try conclusions with Schonberg."
"I'd try it myself," said Horace carelessly, "but I'm terribly out ofpractice; haven't been on the ice more than two or three times thiswinter."
"You be blowed!" answered Jack impolitely. "Why Schonberg would leaveyou standing! Me, too, for that matter. I'll talk the thing over withRoy Porter."
"Think he would stand any show?" asked Horace.
"Roy? I don't know. He's a pretty good skater on the rink, but I don'tknow what he can do at any distance."
"Well, if he likes to try, he may," said Horace magnanimously.
"I'll tell him so," replied Jack dryly. "You needn't send any answer fora day or so, and meanwhile we'll see what can be done. It seems too badnot to even try; I'd hate to have Hammond think we were afraid of her orthat we weren't willing to risk a defeat. Yes, I'll speak to Roy and seewhat he suggests."
"Well, of course you understand," said Horace, "that the matter is in mycharge. If you can find anyone, all right; only you'd better let me knowabout it before you call the thing decided; I might not approve of thefellow."
"Oh, that's all right. Maybe, after all, you'd better find a chapyourself. I'm rather busy just now with exams--"
"No, you go ahead," interrupted Horace quickly. "What I was trying toget at was--well, you understand, Jack; Porter doesn't like me, youknow, and I don't know what he might do; you spoke of consulting him,you know."
"Well, if we find any fellow he'll probably be one of the hockey men,and as Roy's the captain it seems to me--"
"Oh, all right. You see what we can do."
Half an hour later Jack was talking it over with Roy.
"I don't know what you can do at racing," he said, "but if you thinkyou'd make any sort of a showing I think you'd ought to try. But you cando as you like."
"I wouldn't stand any chance with that Dutchman," answered Roy, "but ifyou can't find anyone else I'll race him. I don't mind being beaten."
So the matter stood for the rest of the day, in fact until the nextforenoon. Then Roy was paying a call on the menagerie betweenexaminations at the invitation of Harry, who had lately become the proudpossessor of a litter of three Angora kittens. Roy's advice was wantedin the delicate matter of deciding which one of the three was to be keptand which two were to be given away to friends at Miss Cutler's. Thatmomentous question decided and the attractive points of the three littlebunches of fur having been set forth by Harry, Roy made the rounds ofthe "cages," as he called the various boxes and receptacles which heldthe pets. Methuselah had long ago recovered the full use of his voiceand was willing to prove the fact on any occasion. He had become quiteattached to Roy and would sit on the edge of his box with eyes closed inseraphic bliss as long as Roy would scratch his head. To-day he talkedincessantly from the time they entered the "winter quarters," which wasan old harness room in a corner of the smallest stable, until they leftto walk back over the ice-crusted boards to School Hall. It was duringthat walk that Roy chanced to tell of Hammond's challenge. Harry wasintensely patriotic and the situation worried her for several minutes.
"There isn't a boy here that can skate," she said scornfully. "They'reall duffers. Unless--" she shot a glance at Roy--"unless you can?"
"Not much," answered her companion. "I can work around a rink all rightenough, but I never skated in a race in my life."
"Then we'll be beaten," said Harry dolefully. "And I hate that icebergboy!"
"Schonberg," corrected Roy laughingly.
"Well, some kind of an old berg. I wish--" Harry paused and walked for aminute in silence. Then she turned with sparkling eyes. "I know!" shecried.
"What do you know?"
"There's just one--person here that would stand any chance withIceberg."
"Who is he?"
"It isn't a he," answered Harry mysteriously.
"Not a he? Then who--what--?"
"It's me, stupid!"
"You? But--"
"Now don't you go and make a lot of objections," cried Harry. "I knowI'm not a boy, but I belong to the school--and I can skate; you ask anyof the boys; ask Chub or Jack--or Horace. So it's all settled. Allyou've got to do is to write and tell Hammond that we'll race her anyafternoon that the ice will bear. But you needn't say it's me, you know.See? Tell them we haven't decided yet--No, that wouldn't be the truth,would it, for we have decided; at least, I have. Just tell themthat--that we'll race them, and don't say anything about who."
"That's great," laughed Roy, "and if Jack--and Horace--are willing, Iam. And I hope you'll beat him, Harry. How far do you want to race? Theysaid any distance."
"Then we'll decide that when the time comes," answered Harry. "Maybe amile, maybe a quarter; we'll see how the ice is, and the wind and allthat. And you'd better arrange it for a week from to-day, and I'll justpractice up all I can. That's all settled then, isn't it?"
"It certainly sounds so," laughed Roy. "And," he added as the clock inSchool Hall tower rang eleven, "I wish you'd settle my Latin exam aseasily!"