them
“Looking at my tackles, maybe, eh! You tell George he can’t have any of
them. How the dickens does he suppose I’m going to make a team if he
keeps pulling a man out every little while?”
themselves for the assault, and Clint, hands on the ground, feet apart,
head up, was watching every movement of his opponent
Now Marvin was calling his signals, the Brimfield forwards were poising
themselves for the assault, and Clint, hands on the ground, feet apart,
head up, was watching every movement of his opponent. And,
simultaneously with the snapping of the ball, he was lunging upward and
forward with both hands, all the muscles of his tense body behind that
quick thrust, and the Claflin opponent, caught unawares, spun sideways
and crashed into his guard, while Harris, the ball clutched to his
stomach, smashed through and past and, stumbling, twisting, panting,
pushed three yards of turf behind him before the Claflin backs
pulled him down.
anything to do with it
And Clint frequently doubted during the next week that glory had
anything to do with it. When, on Tuesday afternoon, he reported to Mr.
Robey, that gentleman cast a speculative look over him, nodded and said
briefly: “See Mr. Detweiler, Thayer.”
“You weren’t cuffing him,” replied Penny hotly. “You were twisting his
arm and making him cry. Now you let the kid alone, Dreer. If you want to
try that sort of thing you try it on me.”
“Oh, I fancy Durkin told it straight. It’s some private feud we happened
on. Too bad we didn’t follow our first intention and go toward
the village.”
“Yes, indeed, I’ll be there!” replied Clint earnestly. “Thanks for
coming around.”
That seemed to please Freer. “Well, I’ve been at it three years,” he
said, “and this is my last chance.”
Clint was too angry now to remain longer diplomatic. “You’re a fine one,
Dreer,” he declared hotly. “Why don’t you fight your own battles and not
bring a hired bully to do it for you?”
the automobile, but neither of them could offer a satisfactory solution
of the problem, and finally they fell silent
For awhile they speculated on the mysterious mission of the two men in
the automobile, but neither of them could offer a satisfactory solution
of the problem, and finally they fell silent. Fortunately the road ran
fairly straight and they got off it only once. After they had been
walking what seemed to them to be about an hour, although there was no
way of knowing, Clint called attention to the fact that he could see the
road. Amy replied that he couldn’t, but in a moment decided that he
could. To the left of them there was a perceptible greying of the sky.
After that morning came fast. In a few minutes they could make out dimly
the forms of trees beside the way, then more distant objects became
visible and, as by a miracle, the sleeping world suddenly lay before
them, black and grey in the growing light. Somewhere a bird twittered
and was answered. A chilling breeze crept across a field, heralding the
dawn and bringing shivers to the boys. Soon after that they came across
the first sign of life, a farm with a creaking windmill busily at work,
and a light showing wanly in an upper window of the house.
