Dittler had recovered from his sprained ankle and was as good as ever. But Walker, the heavy center, and Minter, the right halfback, were out of the game temporarily, the one by mumps and the other by measles, and even if they recovered in time for the game they would be in too weakened a condition to play. This left two big holes in the team that Coach Garwin plugged up with Rankin and Bellows, two boys of the junior class who had played well on the last year's team but had left the preceding June, not expecting to return. Their plans had been changed, however, and they had returned several weeks after the term opened to complete their course. They were good players, but had lost several weeks of practice, and even at their best were not as good as Walker and Minter. But the schedule had to be met regardless of mumps and measles, and when the appointed day came the coach took his weakened team over to Bass Lake where the game was to be played. The distance was not far, and almost the whole pupil body of Lenox High went over to cheer their favorites. The Bass Lake boys showed up full of pep and ginger in practice, and it was apparent to the visitors that a hard game was in prospect. But they buckled to the task with determination, and for the first quarter held their opponents even. Lenox seemed once on the verge of scoring, when by repeated rushes down the field she had come within twelve yards of the Bass Lake goal line. But on the next down a fumble by Rankin gave the ball to Houston of the home team, who promptly kicked it out of danger, and the period ended scoreless for either team. The second quarter told a different story. For ten minutes of play the battling lines swayed back and forth with neither having a pronounced advantage. Then with the quickness of a kaleidoscope things changed. Bartlett, the right half of the Bass Lake team, emerged with a rush from the mass of grappling combatants, skirted the right end, and with a magnificent run of forty-two yards carried the ball over the Lenox line for a touchdown amid the terrific cheering of his mates. Ashley kicked the goal and seven big juicy points went up on the Bass Lake score! CHAPTER XXI PLUNGING THROUGH "Gee, but that's tough!" muttered Garry Grayson, as he sat on the side lines muffled in his blanket and looking at the score just marked up for Bass Lake. "The team surely misses Walker and Minter," grumbled Nick. "Right you are," agreed Ted Dillingham. "If Rankin hadn't made that fumble, we'd have scored, sure. And if Bellows had made the right kind of a tackle, he could have downed Bartlett." "Stop your grouching and look at that!" cried Rooster Long excitedly. "Go it, old boy, go it!"