The Leavenworth echo. [volume] (Leavenworth, Wash.) 1904-current, 1910-12-02

itg" He buried his race In MS hands.
Cheer up said one of the others,
not unkindly. You're not the kind to
funk out on taking your medicine.
But | wan to be square with you" he
went on. "Ill play you a game for
the jackpot. Come on. Now's your
chance"
Without a word Harold drew his
chair up to the table and reached for
the cards. The boys gathered around
and watched breathlessly, for some
thing In Harold's tense face and la
bored breathing told them that more
than the mere money was at stake.
They had seen him lose larger
amounts than that with a careless
emile on his face.
But again the fates were against
him. and again his plays were I'M
lucky. With a groan he pushed back
his chair and rushed from the room
to pass a ~sleepless night tossing to
ind fro and living over again those
few brief hours of the evening be-
fore.
His chum met him at the foot of the
stairs as, haggard and worn, he came
down to breakfast the next morning.
Here's a chance to make good yet"
he whispered. Minnesota has sent
up $500 to place on the game. We've
all agreed to give you the first chance
at it."
'TIl take It." said Harold quickly.
1.-THE fates may be against me, but
in a football game I'm not afraid Of
even fate"
Long before 2 o'clock the crowd be-
gan to flow through the gate and up
on to the long bleachers. Beth had
secured seats near the center, and the
girls were waiting excitedly for the
appearance of the ~contending teams
AT about fifteen minutes of 2 the Min
nesota team trotted on to the field.
"Oh, see!' cried Mabel. catching
Gladys by the arm. There's Jeff!''
But Gladys had already seen him
and was waving a Minnesota pennant
with all her might.
Jeff saw them at almost the same
instant and waved his hand.
Doesn't he look big and strong in
those football %thingsY' cried Mabel
"And oh. see. there's Harold!" rs the
Iowa team came running out The
crowd was on its feet In an instant,
and the Iowa yell echoed across the
campus as the two teams lined up
Then the whistle blew. and the great
game was on. Mabel put her hand
kerchief to her eyes as the two lines
came together with a thud that shook
the tense air. Gladys only wished thai
she had more eyes in order that she
might see more of 1t.
"See!" she cried. selling Beth by the
arm as Jeff. who was playing quarter,
broke away for a twenty yard run
down the field toward Iowa's goal 1t
looked for a moment as If he had got
clear away, and then with a long
Jump Harold tackled him, and they
went down together.
Play followed play in quick success
sion, but it seemed to the girls that 1t
was largely a fight between the two
opposing quarterbacks, with the rest
of the players to lend color to he
scene.
The first half passed with no score.
and the whistles called the men up for
! the final struggle. Minnesota secured
the ball on the kickoff. and their ia
nous flying wedge" took them back
nearly to the center of the field. Then
Jeff got away with the ball and ad-
vanced 1t to Iowa's forty yard line
A line smash tool 1t FIVE yards far
Their, and there it stuck. Twice the
great human machines came together.
and twice Minnesota failed to gain.
AS a last resort Jeff dropped back to
kick goal. 1t was a magnificent kick,
and the ball sailed squarely between
the posts.
The handful of Minnesota supporters
went wild with delight, and when
Gladys came to herself she was a
ing a plug hat with n hand and her
pennant In the other, while the bald
headed old gentleman who sat in the
seat ahead looked up at her in panied
surprise.
Again the teams lined up, Minnesota
flushed with victory, Iowa doggedly
determined. Harold backed up Iowa's
kickoff with a great run and a mag
nifcent tackle, and Iowa held the ball
on Minnesota's thirty-five yard line.
The Iowa supporters went wild yell
ing for a touchdown, but Minnesota's
line was like a stone wall, and Iowa
had no alternative but to kick. The
ball was quickly passed back to Har-
old, but the hard game and the sleep
less night were beginning to tell on
him, and he fumbled. He Immediate
ly recovered and kicked, but the Min
nesota men were on top Of him, and
the chance for a score was lost. Min
nesota kicked the bali out of danger.
and then followed ten minutes Of
steady hammering. with no apparent
advantage on either side.
Harold was getting desperate. The
disgrace of a defeat and the dis
grace of a whole years straight hv'
ing thrown away in a single nights
dissipation stared him In the face.
They must not lose. He clinched
his teeth as he called the signal for
a quarterback run. He put the last
ounce of desperate strength he had
loft into that rim Ten Yards. TWEEN