The Winning Touchdown: A Story of College Football

  CHAPTER XIII

  THE FIRST GAME

  Silence followed what was probably the most remarkable scene that hadever taken place at chapel in the history of Randall. A deep, heart-feltsilence, which was almost as impressive as the unexpected singing hadbeen. Some of the students were fairly panting from the emotion whichhad racked them, for they had been stirred as they seldom were before.

  Slowly Dr. Churchill arose from the chair, and again approached the edgeof the platform. His voice broke as he spoke a few words.

  "Men of Randall, I thank you," he said impressively and simply. "You mayrest assured that nothing will be left undone to save the old college,which has no more loyal supporters than yourselves, and, I may add, thanthe gentlemen associated with me on the faculty."

  He paused a moment, as if he would say more, and then, with a motion ofhis hand, dismissed the assemblage. In silence the students filed out,and it was not until they were some distance away from the chapel,broken up into little groups, that they began discussing the situation.Even then it was in hushed voices, as if the enemies of Randall mightbe hiding about, listening for something of which they could takeadvantage.

  "Wallops wasn't far out," remarked Tom, who, with Phil, Sid and someother friends, was walking slowly along.

  "No," came from the quarter-back, "but wouldn't it get your Angora,though? To think of there being a flaw in the title all these years, andsomeone only just now taking advantage of it!"

  "I wonder what can have become of the missing quit-claim deed?" venturedSid.

  "No telling," remarked Holly Cross.

  "Prexy said it was given by a Simon Hess," went on Tom. "I've heard thatname before, somewhere, but I can't recall it."

  "I was telling you about our chair having been in the Hess family,"explained Sid. "Don't you remember, I said it was one of the Hessheirlooms when we bought it of Hatterly, the Senior."

  "That's right," agreed Tom. "Fancy that now! Maybe next they'll beaccusing us of having the missing deed, because we have some of the Hessproperty."

  "We _haven't_ got it, you mean," put in Phil. "Our chair is still in astate of _non est_."

  "Haven't you located that venerable piece of architecture yet?" askedDutch Housenlager, with a sly putting forth of his foot, in an effort totrip Tom. Dutch was always up to some horse-play.

  "No, we haven't found it, and I guess we're not likely to," went on theend, as he spoiled the efforts of Dutch by hitting him a playful blow inthe side. "The mystery of the clock is still unexplained. Our offer totrade back hasn't had any takers."

  "Oh, you fellows make me tired, always talking about your old relics!"broke in Kindlings. "You had much better be considering some newfootball plays, or how to help Randall out of the hole she's in."

  "Out of the hole some rascally lawyers _got_ her in, you'd better say,"corrected Holly Cross. "This trouble never would have developed, if ithadn't been that some legal sharps stirred it up, for the hope of a fatfee, I presume."

  "And Langridge's father, of all lawyers!" put in Sid. "You'd havethought that since his son once went here, he'd have had the decency notto appear in the case, and would have left it for some one else."

  "Maybe he's doing it on purpose, just because his son had to leavehere," suggested Tom.

  "Shouldn't wonder a bit," agreed Captain Woodhouse. "But, say, don'tlet this trouble get on your minds, fellows, so that you can't playfootball. We're going up against Newkirk day after to-morrow, you know,and while we'll probably roll up a big score against 'em, we can't takeany chances. Hard practice this afternoon. We want to wipe up the fieldwith the scrub."

  "We'll be on hand, captain!" promised Phil, and the other players shoutedtheir assents. The students went to their various studies, still talkingover the scene of the morning, and what it portended.

  It was learned, later in the day, that the best legal talent possible hadbeen engaged to fight the claim of the Hess heirs for the Randall land,and that a vigorous search would be made for the missing quit-claim deed,without which the college could not prove a clear title to the property.

  It also was hinted that Mr. Langridge was not altogether actuated bypurely legal motives in prosecuting the claim against the college. Whenit became known that the father of Garvey Gerhart was associated withhim in the law business, there were few students who did not believethat the two men were acting as much out of revenge because their sonshad been forced from Randall, as from any other motive.

  "But it will take some time to get the land away from the collegetrustees, even if they lose the case," explained Frank Simpson, "sothere won't be any football games cancelled."

  He was in his uniform, and was walking out on the field with Tom and theothers to the practice.

  "I only wish he was going to be in the game with us against Newkirkinstead of the Snail," mused Tom, as the scrub and 'varsity lined up."We'd stand a better chance to pile up a big score."

  But Sam Looper seemed to do better that afternoon, and was complimentedby the coach for some good tackles he made, as well as for his abilityin breaking through the scrub line.

  "Oh, maybe he won't be so bad," conceded the captain, hopefully.

  The practice was hard and gruelling, but it brought out a number of weakspots, which were impressed upon the players, that they might avoidthem. Also some faults in plays were discovered, and measures taken tocorrect them.

  There was more hard practice the following day, when the scrub, mainlythrough the fine playing of the new member, Frank Simpson, cameperilously near scoring, which they had been prevented from doing oflate. The big Californian was showing up wonderfully well, and he wasmaking more friends by his sterling character.

  At last came the time for the first regular 'varsity game of theseason, and though Newkirk was considered a sort of second-rate rival,there had been a marked improvement in her playing of late, so that theRandallites understood they were to have no walkover.

  The grandstands were filled with a motley crowd of students, men andwomen spectators and pretty girls galore, for nearly all the femininecontingent of Fairview Institute was on hand, shrilly cheering, orsinging for their favorite team, and waving the colors of their owncollege, intermingled with those of Randall or Newkirk. It is noexaggeration to say that the yellow and maroon of Randall predominated,and when Tom, Phil and Sid looked toward a certain section of grandstandA, which location had previously been brought to their attention, theysaw three particularly pretty girls, waving the colors that meant somuch to them.

  "Madge, Ruth and Mabel are there," announced Tom, as he followed hismates into the dressing room.

  "Glad of it," remarked Phil. "It sort of makes you feel as if you couldplay better when----"

  "Your sister is looking on--or some one's else sister, eh?" broke inSid.

  "Oh, dry up!" exclaimed Phil, as he looked to the shoulder pads on hiscanvas jacket.

  Out on the gridiron trotted the Newkirk players, to be received with asalvo of cheers from the contingent of supporters who had accompaniedthem to the Randall grounds.

  Then the home team followed, and Bean Perkins leaped to his feet, wildlybrandishing a cane with the college colors streaming from it, while heled the cheering, and then added his powerful voice, as the studentsbroke into the song: "We're Going to Wallop 'Em Now!"

  It was announced that the game would be played in two halves, and whenCaptain Woodhouse had conferred with Billy Bardeen, who ran the Newkirkteam, they tossed for choice. Dan won, and elected to defend the northgoal, which gave him and his men the advantage of a little wind. Newkirkwas to kick off, and when Bardeen had teed the ball on a little mound ofdirt in the centre of the field, he gave a glance to see if his men wereready. He gave the signal to the referee, and that official, after aconfirmatory nod from Captain Woodhouse, blew his whistle.

  With a little run, Bardeen planted his toe in the pigskin, which,straight and true, sailed to Randall's ten-yard line, being caught bySid Henderson, who rushed it back fifteen yards before
he was downed bya fierce tackle by Ed Denton. There was wild cheering by Perkins and hismates at this, for it seemed to indicate that Newkirk was not as strongas she had been rated.

  Sid slowly arose and planted his foot on the ball until Holly Cross cameup.

  "Line up!" yelled Phil, stooping down behind the big centre, and then hebegan calling the signal: "Fourteen--eighty-seven--one hundred andsix--forty-two----"

  He snapped his hands, and the ball came back to him. Like a flash it waspassed to Joe Jackson, who hit the line for all he was worth, and torethrough for two yards, the Newkirk players seeming to crumple to piecesunder the smashing attack. There were more cheers at this, and when SidHenderson tore off three yards more around left end, the Randall crowdwent wild.

  "Walk it up for a touchdown!" yelled Bean Perkins.

  It did look as though the ball might be steadily advanced up the fieldfor the coveted point, especially when Pete Backus managed to wigglethrough between left guard and tackle for three yards more.

  But then Newkirk took a brace, and held against the rushing tactics ofher rival, so that, after getting the ball to within ten yards of thegoal line, Randall tried for a field goal, and lost because the pigskinstruck the post.

  Once more Randall, after some scrimmages during one of which Tom got theball, began the rushing tactics, and this time with such fierceness andenergy that inside of five minutes his mates had shoved Sid Hendersonover the line for the first touchdown. Holly Cross kicked the goal, andthere was a wild riot of cheers.

  "That's the way to do it; eh, Kindlings?" cried Tom, capering about indelight.

  "We'd ought to have done it twice over in this time," was the somewhatunsatisfactory response. "If we don't look out, they'll score on us."

  But there was no danger of that in the first half, when Randall gotanother touchdown and goal, and ended up with a field goal. Then indeeddid Bean Perkins and his cohorts let loose, singing wildly, though theydid not give the "Conquer or Die" song. There seemed to be no need forit.

  Newkirk was downcast, but would not give up. When the second half wasresumed, with some new players lining up against Randall, there was amoment when it seemed as if her rivals might menace her goal line, forthey rushed the ball up with disheartening speed. The gains were mostlymade through the unfortunate Sam Looper, who could not seem to hold, andBert Bascome, his tackle, was not playing at his best.

  "Put in Simpson," suggested Tom to Kindlings, during the time taken outto enable the Newkirk players to try to get some wind back into theirplucky quarter-back.

  "I don't like to put him in over the heads of men who have been on thescrub all season," objected the captain.

  "It will be worth while," insisted Tom.

  "Well, we'll see," promised Dan, and then play was resumed. Once morethere was a gain through Sam, and partly because of a fear that his teamwould be scored upon, and partly in exasperation, Dan signalled forFrank to jump in.

  There was a joyful look on the face of the big Californian as he tookhis place in the line, and the Snail rather ruefully retired.

  "I guess I need more practice, or--something," he admitted.

  "Principally 'something,'" agreed one or two of the scrub players.

  Randall did not exactly need new life, for she practically had the fightwon, but the advent of Simpson was good. He was a powerful player, knewthe game and its tactics to perfection, and tore open great holes in theother line, through which the Randall backs plunged for substantialgains.

  It looked to be easy sailing from now on, and when several more pointshad been scored for Randall, Captain Woodhouse gave orders for easierplaying, as he wanted to save his men. It nearly cost them something,however, for Joe Jackson made a fumble, and the ball went to Newkirk.Then, wild to score, those players tore things loose, and shoved backthe Randallites until it looked as if their goal line would be crossed.

  There were many anxious hearts when the ball was on the twenty-yardmark, and when a trial for a field goal was made by Newkirk, there wereprayers that it would fail. It did, and then the leather was quicklybooted far enough away to preclude the possibility of further danger.Before Newkirk could rush it back five yards, the final whistle blew,and the first game of the season was over, with a score of thirty-two tonothing, in favor of Randall.