CHAPTER XXI--THE UNDERSTUDY
"_Block that kick! Block that kick! Block that kick!_" chanted Farviewimploringly, from across the trampled field.
Yet above the hoarse entreaty came Hop Kendrick's confident voice: "Allright, Hillman's! Make it go! Here's where we win it! Kick formation!Turner back!" And then: "25--78--26--194! 12--31--9--"
But it was Hop himself who dashed straight forward and squirmed aheadover one white line before the whistle blew.
"Fourth down!" called the referee. "About four and a half!"
"Come on!" cried Hop. "Make it go this time! Hard, fellows, hard! We'vegot 'em going!" He threw an arm over the shoulder of the new substitute.Those near by saw the latter shake his head, saw Hop draw back and stareas if aghast at the insubordination. Farview protested to the refereeagainst the delay, and the latter called warningly. Hop nodded, andraised his voice again:
"Kick formation! Turner back!"
Then he walked back to where the substitute stood and dropped to hisknees.
"Place-kick!" grunted a man at Ned's elbow. "Can't miss it from there ifthe line holds!"
Ned, in a perfect agony of suspense, waited. Hop was calling hissignals. There was a pause. Then: "16--32--7--"
Back came the ball on a long pass from Kewpie. It was high, but Hop gotit, pulled it down, and pointed it. Ned saw the kicker step forward.Then he closed his eyes.
There was a wild outburst from all around him, and he opened them again.The ball was not in sight, but a frantic little man in a gray sweaterwas waving his arms like a semaphore behind the farther goal. Along thespace between stand and side-line a quartette of youths leaped crazily,flourishing great blue megaphones or throwing them in air. Above thestand blue banners waved and caps tossed about. On the scoreboard at thefar end of the field the legend read: "Hillman's 10--Visitors 9."
A moment later, a boy with a wide grin on his tired face and nerves thatwere still jangling made his way along Summit Street in the direction ofschool. Behind him the cheers and shouts still broke forth at intervals,for there yet remained some three minutes of playing time. Once, in thesudden stillness between cheers, he heard plainly the hollow thump of apunted ball. More shouts then, indeterminate, dying away suddenly. Theboy walked quickly, for he had a reason for wanting to gain the securityof his room before the crowd flowed back from the field. At last, at theschool gate, he paused and looked back and listened. From the distantscene of battle came a faint surge of sound that rose and fell and roseagain and went on unceasingly as long as he could hear.
Back in Number 16, Ned threw his cap aside and dropped into the nearestchair. There was much that he understood, yet much more that was still amystery to him. One thing, however, he dared hope, and that was that thedisgrace of having failed his fellows had passed him miraculously by! Asto the rest, he pondered and speculated vainly. He felt horribly limpand weary while he waited for Laurie to come. And after a while he heardcheering, and arose and went to a window. There could no longer be anydoubt as to the final outcome of the game. Between the sidewalk throngs,dancing from side to side of the street with linked arms, cameHillman's, triumphant!
"Turner. Guess he's going to kick a goal for 'em."]
And here and there, borne on the shoulders of joyous comrades, bobbed acaptured player. There were more than a dozen of them, some taking theproceeding philosophically, others squirming and fighting for freedom.Now and then one succeeded in getting free, but recapture was invariablyhis fate. At least, this was true with a single exception while Nedwatched. The exception was a boy with red-brown hair, who, havingmanaged to slip from his enthusiastic friends, dashed through the throngon the sidewalk, leaped a fence, cut across a corner, and presently spedthrough the gate on Washington Street, pursuit defeated. A minute later,flushed and breathless, he flung open the door of Number 16.
At sight of Ned, Laurie's expression of joyous satisfaction faded. Hehalted inside the door and closed it slowly behind him. At last,"Hello," he said, listlessly.
"Hello," answered Ned. Then there was a long silence. Outside, in frontof the gymnasium, they were cheering the victorious team, player byplayer. At last, "We won, didn't we?" asked Ned.
Laurie nodded as if the thing were a matter of total indifference. Hestill wore football togs, and he frowningly viewed a great hole in oneblue stocking as he seated himself on his bed.
"Well," he said, finally, "what happened to you?"
Ned told him, at first haltingly, and then with more assurance as he sawthe look of relief creep into Laurie's face. As he ended his story,Laurie's countenance expressed only a great and joyous amusement.
"Neddie," he chuckled, "you'll be the death of me yet! You came prettynear to it to-day, too, partner!" He sobered as his thoughts went backto a moment some fifteen minutes before, and he shook his head."Partner, this thing of understudying a football hero is mighty wearing.I'm through for all time. After this, Ned, you'll have to provide yourown substitute! I'm done!"
"How--why--how did you happen to think of it?" asked Ned, rather humbly."Weren't you--scared?"
"Scared? Have a heart! I was frightened to death every minute I sat onthe bench. And then, when Mulford yelped at me, I--well, I simply passedaway altogether! I'm at least ten years older than I was this morning,Neddie, and I'll bet I've got gray hairs all over my poor old head. Yousee, Murray as much as said that it was all day with you if you didn'tshow up. Kewpie was a bit down-hearted about it, too. I waited arounduntil half-past one or after, thinking every moment that you'd turnup--hoping you would, anyhow; although, to be right honest, Neddie, Ihad a sort of hunch, after the way you acted and talked, that maybeyou'd gone off on purpose. Anyhow, about one o'clock I got to thinking,and the more I thought the more I got into the notion that something hadto be done if the honor of the Turners was to be--be upheld. And theonly thing I could think of was putting on your togs and bluffing itthrough. Kewpie owned up that he'd been talking rot last night--that hedidn't really think you'd be called on to-day. And I decided to take achance. Of course, if I'd known what was going to happen I guess Iwouldn't have had the courage; but I didn't know. I thought all I'd haveto do was sit on the bench and watch.
"So I went over to the gym and got your togs on, and streaked out to thefield, I guess I looked as much like you as you do, for none of thefellows knew that I wasn't you. I was careful not to talk much. Mr.Mulford gave me thunder, and so did Murray, and Joe Stevenson lookedpretty black. I just said I was sorry, and there wasn't much time toexplain, anyway, because the game was starting about the time I gotthere. Once, in the third period, when Slavin was hurt, Mulford lookedalong the bench and stopped when he got to me, and I thought my time hadcome. But I guess he wanted to punish me for being late. Anyway, Boesselgot the job. When the blow did fall, Neddie, I was sick clean through.My tummy sort of folded up and my spine was about as stiff as--as adrink of water! I wanted to run, or crawl under the bench or something.'You've pleased yourself so far to-day, Turner,' said Mulford. 'Nowsuppose you do something for the school. Kendrick will call for a kick.You see that it gets over, or I'll have something to say to you later.Remember this, though: not a word to any one but the referee until afterthe next play. Now get out there and _win this game!_'
"Nice thing to say to a chap who'd never kicked a football in his lifeexcept around the street! But, gee, Neddie, what could I do? I'd startedthe thing, and I had to see it through. Of course I thought that maybeI'd ought to fess up that I wasn't me--or, rather, you--and let some oneelse kick. But I knew there wasn't any one else they could depend on,and I decided that if some one had to miss the goal, it might as well beme--or you. Besides, there was the honor of the Turners! So I sneakedout, with my heart in my boots,--your boots, I mean,--and Hop called fora line play, and then another one, and I thought maybe I was going toget off without making a fool of myself. But no such luck. 'Take all thetime you want, Nid,' said Hop. 'We'll hold 'em for you. Drop it over,for the love of mud! We've got to have this game!' 'Drop it?' said I.
'Not on your life, Hop! Make it a place-kick or I'll never have achance!' 'What do you mean?' he asked. 'I mean I can't drop-kickto-day.' I guess something in my voice or the way I said it put him on,for he looked at me pretty sharp. Still, maybe he didn't guess thetruth, either, for he let me have my way and let me kick.
"After that"--Laurie half closed his eyes and shook his headslowly--"after that I don't really know what did happen. I have a sortof a hazy recollection of Hop shouting some signals that didn't mean athing in my young life, and kneeling on the ground a couple of yardsahead of me. I didn't dare look at the goal, though I knew it was aheadof me and about twenty yards away. Then there was a brown streak, andthings began to move, and I moved with them. I suppose I swung myfoot,-probably my right one, though it may have been my left,--and thenI closed my eyes tight and waited for some one to kill me. Next thing Iknew, I was being killed--or I thought I thought I was, for a second. Itturned out, though, that the fellows weren't really killing me; theywere just beating me black and blue to show they were pleased.
"Of course, it was all the biggest piece of luck that ever happened,Ned. Hop aimed the ball just right, and somehow or other I managed tokick it. Maybe any one would have done just as well, because I guess itwas an easy goal. Anyway, the honor of the Turners was safe!"
"You're a regular brick," said Ned, a bit huskily. "What--what happenedafterward? I didn't stay."
"Afterward Hop looked at me kind of queer and said, 'I guess that'll dofor you, Turner,' and I beat it away from there as fast as I knew how,and Mulford sent in some other poor unfortunate. There were only half adozen plays after that, and we kicked whenever we got the ball."
"Do you think any one but Hop found out?" asked Ned, anxiously.
"Not a one. And I'm not sure, mind you, that Hop did. You see, he didn't_say_ anything. Only, he did call me 'Nid' at first, and then 'Turner'the next time. I haven't seen him since. I guess I never will know,unless I ask him. One thing's sure, though, Ned, and that is that Hopwon't talk."
"You don't think I'd ought to fess up?" asked Ned.
"I do not," replied Laurie stoutly. "What's the good? It wasn't yourfault if you went to sleep out in the country. If any one's to blame,it's me. I oughtn't to have hoaxed them. No, sir; if Mulford or any onesays anything, just you tell them you fell asleep and couldn't helpgetting there late. But I don't believe any one will ask questions now.They're all too pleased and excited. But, gee, Neddie! I certainly amglad I made that goal instead of missing it. I'd be a pretty meanfeeling pup to-night if I hadn't!"
"It was wonderful," mused Ned. "You putting it over, I mean. With allthat crowd looking on, and Farview shouting--"
"Shouting? I didn't hear them. I didn't know whether there was any onearound just then! I had troubles of my own, partner! Know something?Well, I think there's the chap who kicked that goal." Laurie raised hisright foot and displayed one of Ned's scuffed football shoes. "I guess Ijust sort of left things to him and he did the business. Good old MisterShoe!"
Ned jumped to his feet and pulled Laurie from the bed. "For the love oflemons," he cried, "get those togs off before any one comes in!"
"Gee, that's so!" Laurie worked feverishly, while Ned stumbled over achair and turned the key in the lock.
"A fine pair of idiots we are!" exclaimed Ned, as he ripped Laurie'sshirt off for him. "Suppose Hop or Kewpie had come in while we weresitting here!"
Hillman's spent the rest of the evening in celebration. In thedining-hall the appearance of any member of the squad was the signal forhand-clapping and cheers, and when Ned entered, followed by Laurie, theapplause was deafening. Ned showed himself to be a very modest andretiring hero, for he fairly scuttled to his seat, and kept his headbent over his plate long after the applause had died away. Then,stealing an unhappy glance at Laurie, he found that youth grinningbroadly, and was the recipient of a most meaningful wink. After supper,in the corridor, the twins ran squarely into Hop Kendrick. Ned tried topull aside, but Laurie stood his ground. Hop was plainly a very happyyouth to-night, although even when happiest he never entirely lost hislook of earnest gravity.
"Well, we did it, Nid!" he said joyfully, clapping that youth on theshoulder. "That was a corking kick of yours, son!"
Ned stammered something utterly unintelligible, but Laurie came to therescue: "Ned says it was the way you pointed the ball that won thatgoal, Hop," he said casually. "He's mighty modest about it."
Hop shot a quick glance at the speaker, and Ned declared afterward thatthere was a smile behind it. But all he said was: "Oh, well, pointingisn't everything, Nod. _Some one's_ got to kick it!"
When he had gone on, Ned and Laurie viewed each other questioningly."Think he knows?" asked Ned. Laurie shook his head frowningly. "You'vegot me, partner!" he answered.
And, because neither asked Hop Kendrick outright, neither ever did know!
There were songs and speeches and a general jollification after supper,ending in a parade of cheering, singing youths who marched through thetown from end to end, and at last drew up outside Doctor Hillman's porchand shouted until that gentleman appeared and responded. The Doctor'swords were few, but they hit the spot, and when there had been anotherlong cheer for him, and another long cheer for the team, and a finalmighty cheer for the school, the happy boys called it a day and soughtthe dormitories.
Ned was just dropping off to sleep that night when Laurie's voicereached him through the darkness.
"Ned!" called Laurie.
"Huh?"
"Are you awake?"
"Uh-huh."
"Listen. It's a fortunate thing to be a twin."
There was a long moment of silence. Then Ned's voice came sleepily:
"'Cause if one twin can't the other twin kin!"