“Ready, Captain White?” “All ready, sir!” The whistle blew, Heath strode forward and swung a long leg and the pigskin arched into air again. CHAPTER XXV THE SECRET PLAY Tupper caught near the side of the field and allowed himself to be forced over at the twenty-yard line. The ball was taken in and Chester Cottrell slapped his hands and barked out his signal: “White back! 47――68――62!” Lanny fell back to kicking position, Nelson Beaton taking his place behind left guard, and Chester jumped aside to the right. “47――68――62!” Back shot the ball to Chester, off darted Tupper for the guard-tackle hole on the right. Beaton and Lanny swung wide to the left. For a moment the lines heaved and fought. Then, the ball clutched to his stomach, Chester plunged straight ahead and went through where Haley and Arthur Beaton had opened a wide hole. The Springdale line had been pulled apart and the secondary defense had been drawn out. Chester slipped away from a tackle and staggered on, dodged past a back and was pulled down finally after ten yards had passed under his feet. The linesmen pulled up their rods and scampered past two white marks and the Clearfield section shouted wildly. Chester, breathless, was pulled to his feet and trotted back to position. “Regular formation!” he called. “Line up! Get down there, Scott! Signals! 309――25――62!” Lanny jumped to the right in front of Chester. “309――25――62!” It was Lanny’s ball, direct from center, and he sprang at the same hole as before, Tupper clearing it out for him. But only two yards resulted this time. “Second down! Eight to go!” announced the referee. “Line up quickly!” called Chester. “Here we go now! Regular formation! Signals! 98――99――84! 98――99――!” The ball went to Chester, was passed to Nelson Beaton, and that youth struck like a cannon ball at the opposing left guard and tackle hole and piled through for four yards. Clearfield was “getting the jump” on her opponent at last! “Get up! Get up!” shrieked Chester impatiently. “Signals!” The ball was on Springdale’s thirty-six yards now, it was third down and four to go. Lanny pulled Chester’s head down and whispered. “Signals!” repeated the latter. “22――53――306! 22――53――!” Tupper had slipped into the line between right guard and tackle and now Gordon Merrick was running back toward where Nelson Beaton crouched behind Chester. Then came the ball to the latter. Off raced Lanny behind his line toward the right. Chester passed to Gordon and that player, one hand outstretched to ward off attack and the ball in the crook of his right elbow, followed Lanny. The Springdale tackle was boxed and Felker sent a halfback flying out of the path. Then the cry of “_In! In!_” was heard and Gordon, passing behind his interference, sped through an opening in the enemy’s front and was laid low for a seven-yard gain.