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Page 54
"Alden makes touchdown. No goal," read the leader.
"Six nothing! Team's no good this year, anyway!" declared one of the
students angrily. "Had no business to play Alden, anyway! Ought to have
games with teams in our class."
"Alden seemed to be in our class last year, or rather she didn't," said
the reader quietly. "Remember what the score was?"
"No. What was it?"
"Twenty-four to nothing in our favor. If they win this year it will be
only following out the regulation see-saw that's been going on for seven
years. Neither college has won its game for two successive years."
"Alden will win this time all right enough."
"Perhaps. The game isn't ended yet. You haven't learned the Winthrop
spirit yet, which is never to give up till the game is played clear
through to the end. You've got something to learn yet." The rebuked
student did not reply, but the expression upon his face betrayed the
fact that he was still unconvinced, and that he did indeed have the
first of all lessons taught at Winthrop yet to learn.
The score was unchanged at the end of the first half, and the students
scattered during the period of intermission, assured that no further
information would be received until after the second half of the game
was begun. The confidence in victory was, however, not so great when
they assembled once more, though the interest apparently was as keen as
at the beginning. For some unaccountable reason the dispatches were
delayed and a much longer interval than usual intervened before the
welcome yellow slip was handed to the announcer. Murmurs of
disappointment were heard on every side, and it became more evident with
every passing moment that hope had mostly been lost. At last, however,
the welcome word was received, and even Will Phelps was so eager to hear
that he crowded forward into the front ranks of the assembly.
"Alden scores touchdown and goal. Winthrop fighting desperately, but
outweighed and outplayed since Hawley taken out."
"It's all over but the shouting," said the sophomore whose gloomy views
had been so sharply rebuked by the senior. "There isn't any use in
hanging around here. Come on, fellows! Let's go where there's something
a little more cheerful."
He made as if to depart from the crowd, but as no one followed him, he
apparently abandoned his purpose and remained with his fellows. Only two
more dispatches were read, the second of which announced the end of the
game with the score still standing in favor of Alden thirteen to
nothing.
"Rotten!" exclaimed the sophomore angrily. "Just what we might--" He
stopped abruptly as the senior advanced to a place where he could be
seen by all and began to harangue the assembly.
"Now, fellows," he began, "the best test of our spirit is that we can
stand up and take this in the right way. Of course, we wanted the game,
and some of us hoped and expected we would have it too. But the other
team, and doubtless the better one, has won. Next year we'll be ready
for them again, or rather you will, for I sha'n't be here, and the time
to begin to win then is right here and now. But I want to put in a good
word for our team. I haven't a doubt that they did their level best, and
if we could see them now, we'd be almost as proud of them as if they had
won. I know every man put in his best work. And what I propose is that
we go down to the station to-night and meet them with as hearty a cheer
as if they had won the game, for we know they did their best to uphold
the honor of old Winthrop to a man!"
A cheer greeted the senior's words, and at ten o'clock that evening all
the students who were in town assembled at the little station to greet
the returning members of the team. But Will Phelps, when the train came
to a standstill and the boys leaped out upon the platform, speedily
forgot all about the game in the sight which greeted his eyes.
CHAPTER XVII
PETER JOHN'S DOWNFALL
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