Page:Hugh Pendexter--Tiberius Smith.djvu/128

 on the leather; hence, they were but mildly curious when six rum-inflamed full-backs sneaked in from the left and as a unit nailed my patron.

"I dented several fat faces with my club before a relay crew buckled on to me. Then I went to the mat, and the count had proceeded to nine before my leader could liberate his vocal organs sufficiently to gurgle, 'Down!' And then Gertrude, bless her! a demure little lass of about twelve hundred pounds, playing left guard, wheeled and nearly finished us with her zeal to eliminate our encumbrances. But to collect the invaders you would have needed a large quantity of the best blotting-paper. It required just two sweeps of Gertrude's powerful paw to dig us out of the débris.

"When once on our bewildered feet we saw that one end-rush had cost us dear. Our right guard would never play again. For the life of me, sir, I could not help but pause and rub his head as he tried to rise and take his old position. He closed one eye in passing out, as if saying, ' Great footwork, eh?' And there was a blur in my lamps as I dragged myself behind the faithful, shattered squad. The six of them still accepted it all as a game, you see, although perplexed by their neighbor's roughness.

"‘Line up for the last half!' wheezed Tib, wiping the blood from his eyes. 'The sealer's in and