checked his career and Jefferson lined
up on her own thirty-yard line. She bravely attempted to repeat her
heartbreaking advance and gained a first down; but the Ridgley team
suddenly became an impenetrable barrier. A punt a moment later fell into
the arms of Teeny-bits, who carried it back fifteen yards to his own
forty-yard line.

As the teams lined up Neil Durant said, loud enough for the whole two
elevens to hear, "Now comes our turn," and the fight for a decision
began anew. Three substitutes came in now to bolster the Jefferson line,
and Coach Murray sent in two Ridgley players to take the place of the
left tackle and the right end, who were evidently pretty far gone.

In eight plays Ridgley advanced the ball thirty-five yards with
Teeny-bits figuring in two, Stillson in two and Neil Durant in four. The
captain then made a plunge through center and before he was stopped had
planted the ball on Jefferson's eight-yard line. Teeny-bits tried to
squirm through the purple line but was thrown back. Stillson gained two
yards and Dean, who had reserved his captain for the final efforts, then
gave the signal that called upon the full-back to carry the ball. Neil
went into the line as if he had been hurled from a catapult. He dove
into the opening that Tom Curwood, with a last burst of desperate
strength, had made, took three steps and was astride the goal line.
Norris made the tackle, but he was an instant too late; the big captain
of the Ridgley team fell across the line and hugged the leather oval
close to the brown earth while pandemonium reigned and the members of
the red team hurled their headgears into the air.

Neil limped when he got to his feet and motioned to Tom Curwood to make
the kick. Big Tom wobbled out in front of the goal posts and tried his
best to add a point for the glory of Ridgley, but his foot wavered and
the ball flew to the left of the goal posts. On the Scoreboard the
figures remained: Ridgley 20--Jefferson 14.

The kick-off, two or three plays,--and then the timekeeper blew his
piping note which brought to an end the struggle that was the true
climax of all the games that had been played by the red and the purple
since one school had stood on the hill above the town of Hamilton and
another school had stood among the elms that sheltered the sons of
Jefferson.

CHAPTER X

AT LINCOLN HALL

For a few seconds after the game ceased members of the two elevens sat
or lay in the position