Omaha daily bee., 1895-12-01
CHAPTER X.

BEGINNING OF THE STRUGGLE.
Since have been through the mill and
Tor the last few years watched these games,
fnd am just about as shaky as ever about
that pause. For sixty seconds % 900 people
sat there breathless and then-for Irton had
drawn back two masses of interferers in
| iine-the blue and gold clad ranks began to
move, increasing in speed as they approa cbed
the center, and just before they reached H.
the ball was snapped and passed behind
that rushing mass of men. They struck u.s.
speiiman went down under the first, Dudley
| and Miller smashed into them Then mart nf
| the mass behind turned out and came down
| over Wills, but some portion of it still kent
| on. Greene shot into IL and held on. but
was being dragged along when Thornton
ana warner reached the struggling mass and
Drought the run to an end. Irton had gained
over twenty yards. Upon the first down
irton drew back four men on her left, form
ing with them diagonal line. How solid
they looked In that massive phalanx!
presently these men started forward and
JUST before they reached our line the ball was
put In play and passed behind them. They
struck Miller and smashed him over against
Spoliman opening huge gap through which
Macbeth, the triton captain, dashed with the
pail warner spgang at him and caught him
from the side and little behind him and 80
was dragged a yard or two. Again thew
FORMED IN the same way and again tore an |
opening in our line. Then they changed the |
point of attack, but applied the same princi- |
PIE. How our men seemed to slip off from |
those solid legs and sides! Would we never
hold them?
was In perfect agony of apprehension
They had reached our twenty-yard line Then
two more gains and they stood on our fifteen
yard line. | thought of what Thompson had
said about the brick wall Again they came
and-was it poss.ble?-yes, surely we were
holding them at last, for they had to put the
ball down second time on that same line
once more. and this time 1t was an awful
smash as they came against us, but Warner
had somehow pulled clear and reached the
runner before he struck the line, and they
had lost two yards.
only once more" | found myself fairly
shouting Hold them once more like that.
and the ball Is ours"
And that cardinal brick wall stood and the
pail was ours at last. Spellman takes Ii as
though 1t was in the middle of the field and
lot under our very goal. Somehow feel that
none OF them are careful enough. Addison {
gives the signal and the ball comes He
passes IL win steady swing back to Brew
Ter and that reliable full back drives 1t with a
trong punt up where the wind catches II and '
sails back nearly TO the middle of the field b
rton again starts on the plunging tao /
lcs' using the mass play with four men back a
hu ,s uti'ing through, FIRST at one point, and S
hen az another in our line. This time they u
end 1t over Willis twice in succession Z
heir gains are not great but the more they c.
lay II the more impossible It seems to stop fC
snort OF at least two or three yards. "
can see Greene and Bentley both getting II
ervous over II because they dare not rush Il
and help out Willis and Warner. Already al
rton has worked back nearly to our 25-yard a
ne, Here We make another stand. "Sec- di
nd down. four yards to gain" third down,
lree yards to gain!" All, Well get the ball vi
gain now. But no. There's Armitage. | III
he irion back edging away. He's going to ty
y drop. The ball goes back to him m
ralght es an arrow. Our line seems para or
zsd. although, suppose, they are trying to ce
'ms through. He has plenty Of time. He tn