Boarding schools -- Juvenile fiction; Boys -- Juvenile fiction; Football -- Juvenile fiction
Those examinations left Horace Burlen in a peck of trouble. He had
failed in two studies and was consequently ineligible for crew work
until he had made them up. And as Horace was Crew captain and Number
Three in the boat, the whole school became interested in his
predicament. To his honor be it said, however, that he buckled down at
once to make them up, and Mr. Buckman, who was the rowing coach and
adviser, helped him to what extent the rules allowed. Crew practice
began usually in the first week of March, leaving less than a month for
Horace to square himself in the two studies. Those who didn't like him
smiled wickedly and "guessed there'd be a new captain chosen next
month." Horace's friends and adherents, consisting nowadays of about a
third of the students, declared that he wouldn't have any trouble and
advised the scoffers to "just watch him!"
Meanwhile there was the ice hockey supremacy to be determined. Ferry
Hill had scored another victory, this time over the Whittier Collegiate
Institute team, twelve goals to nine, and had practised diligently and
enthusiastically every possible moment. And so when, on a bright, cold
Saturday afternoon, Hammond crossed the river for the third and deciding
contest, Ferry Hill was in high feather and was looking for a victory.
Pride goeth before a fall.
Ferry Hill's team was made up as in the first game of the series save
that Gallup was at point in place of Bacon, who had fallen back to the
second team. The ice was hard and smooth, the barriers were lined with
spectators, the cheers of Hammond and Ferry Hill arose alternately into
the still, frosty air. Harry watched breathlessly with Spot in her arms
and Mr. Cobb tossed a puck into the center of the rink and skated back.
"Ready, Hammond?"
"Ready, Ferry Hill?"
Then the whistle piped merrily, Warren secured the puck and passed it
back to Kirby and the game was on. Skates rang against the ice as the
brown-clad forwards spread out across the rink and raced for the
opponent's goal. Kirby passed to Roy, Roy passed across to Warren,
Warren overskated, Rogers doubled back and rescued the disk, passing it
across to Roy again, Hammond's right-end charged, Roy slipped past him
against the barrier and got the puck once more, eluded the cover-point
and passed to Warren, Warren worked the puck to within ten feet of the
net and, with half the team hitting and hacking at his stick, shot the
first goal. Ferry Hill, 1; Hammond, 0.
But Hammond broke up the attack very nicely the next time, secured the
puck and charged down the rink like a troop of cavalry. Gallup was
decoyed to the left, Hadden was caught napping and the whistle blew.
Ferry Hill, 1; Hammond, 1. Hadden remorsefully kicked the snowy disk of
rubber out from the net and smote it wrathfully with his stick.
"My fault, Roy," he said.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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