"Sure," he said, looking at a figure in the upper left-hand corner, "that came from station "D," on the corner of Spruce and Elm Streets."
The boys thanked him and hurried out. The address the operator had given them was nearly a mile away, and they broke into a run. As they went along they noticed that the houses lining the streets began to wear a very tumble-down aspect, and to thin out more and more.
"This is a rotten neighborhood," panted Bert; "we must be getting pretty near the edge of the town."
They had almost reached their destination when, as they pa.s.sed a particularly ramshackle building with a saloon on the ground floor, they became conscious of a terrific hubbub going on within. There was a sound of shouting and blows, and every once in a while the whole crazy building would fairly rock as some heavy body crashed against the walls from within.
Even as Bert and d.i.c.k stood watching in amazement, a m.u.f.fled shout arose above the general uproar that they both recognized. "That was Tom"s voice for a million!" yelled Bert, and without another word the two friends made a dash for the door that evidently led to the floor above.
Without hesitating to find out whether or not it was locked they crashed against it. Their combined weight acted like a battering ram and the door, torn from its hinges, fell inward. They rushed up the rickety stairs in great bounds and, crashing through another door that barred their way, found themselves precipitated into the midst of a fierce struggle.
On the floor four men were locked in a deadly grapple. The meager furniture of the room was splintered and broken, and the whole place looked as though a cyclone had struck it. With a yell Bert and d.i.c.k plunged into the struggle.
And now the odds were more even. Instead of three to one they were now three to three, and the tide of battle began to turn. Bert and d.i.c.k tore Tom"s a.s.sailants away from him and he staggered to his feet. He was battered and bruised, but still full of fight. "Come on, fellows, wade into them," he shouted hoa.r.s.ely. His tried and true comrades needed no second bidding, and now began a battle compared to which the other seemed mild. The three thugs who had been trying to overpower Tom were brutal fighters, and withal were men of muscle. But it did not take long to decide which side would win. The three friends, every fighting instinct in them aroused, and the l.u.s.t of battle hot within them, fought with a fury and concentrated power that nothing could withstand.
Slowly they forced the thugs across the room, planting blow after blow with deadly effect. Their opponents gave ground steadily, unable to withstand the terrific punishment meted out to them. Suddenly the one nearest the door made a dash for it, and the others followed suit. The three comrades started in hot pursuit, but reached the street only to see the last of their erstwhile antagonists disappearing around the nearest corner, and Bert called a halt.
"No use chasing them," he said, when they had gotten their breath a little. "They know the neighborhood and we don"t, and the chances are we"d never catch them. We licked "em good and proper though, didn"t we?"
"That was _some_ sc.r.a.p, all right," said d.i.c.k with a long whistle, "and we didn"t get off scot free, either. My left eye feels as though a coal wagon had fallen on it."
"It looks it, too," said Bert with a wry grin; "we"re all marked up a little, but I"ll bet that bunch of roughnecks will remember us for a little while to come. But how did they come to get you, Tom? Tell us all about it."
Tom then told them about receiving the note, and getting into the automobile. "After that," he said, "there"s not much to tell. It was dark, and I didn"t notice what kind of a neighborhood that rascally chauffeur was taking me into. After a while he stopped and opened the door, telling me we had arrived at Dave"s house. As I stepped out those three "bad men" jumped on me. One of them pressed a rag soaked in chloroform over my face, and I went to sleep almost before I had a chance to fight. When I came to I found myself in that room, with one lowbrow on guard. I waited until my head cleared a little, and then I sailed into him. The noise of the shindy brought up the other two, and then the argument got pretty hot. There"s no doubt but what they"d have won the decision soon, too, if you fellows hadn"t happened to b.u.t.t in just as you did. I couldn"t have held out much longer against odds like that."
"Yes, it is rather lucky," agreed Bert; "we weren"t a minute too soon."
"How did you learn where I was?" inquired Tom.
Bert then told him how they had discovered the slip of paper containing the note to him, and gave a brief outline of his and d.i.c.k"s actions after discovering it.
"Pretty good detective work," said Tom admiringly. "Sherlock Holmes would better look out for his laurels."
Meanwhile they had been walking back toward the college, and with the aid of a street car were not long in reaching it.
As they were crossing the campus, they met Reddy.
"For the love of Hivin," exclaimed the trainer, as he caught sight of their swollen faces, "what in the world have you been doin" anyway? You haven"t been lambastin" each other, have ye?"
"Not exactly," said Bert, and then proceeded to give the trainer a detailed account of the recent happenings. Reddy listened attentively, and when Bert finished made no reply at once. After a thoughtful silence, he said: "Well, it"s something of a mystery, Wilson, but one thing is certain--without Henderson the team would have been so crippled that we wouldn"t have had a chance in the world of winning, and I have an idea that the bunch connected with Mike"s place, where he was held prisoner, have a pretty big interest in our winning or losing, in a money way. And the two facts put together may come pretty near giving the correct answer."
"I imagined it might be something of the kind," said Bert; "I wonder what chance there is of bringing the scoundrels to justice."
"You"ll bet we"ll do everything possible," said Reddy grimly, "but now, you"d better pack Henderson off to bed, and Trent had better put a bit o" beefsteak on that damaged "lamp" of his! This afternoon we start for New York, and we want everybody fit."
CHAPTER XV
THE DASH FOR THE GOAL
"The day, the important day, Big with the fate of Cato and of Rome,"
quoted d.i.c.k.
"It is the sun of Austerlitz," chimed in Tom, not to be outdone in quotation, as he drew aside the curtains of the hotel window and saw the bright rays streaming over the city roofs.
"As long as it isn"t Waterloo, we"ll have no kick coming," added Bert.
"I"m tickled to death to see that it"s this kind of weather. I"d hate to play on as muddy a field as we had with the "Maroons.""
"The paper predicted rain yesterday," said Tom, throwing up the window, "but from the bite in the air, it seems cold enough for snow. How would you like to play on a snowy field, fellows?"
"Not for mine," replied d.i.c.k emphatically, "although the Western teams do it often. Only a few years ago Chicago and Michigan played in what was almost a blizzard."
"I"ll bet the teams kept warm enough," commented Bert; "but it must have been tough on the spectators."
"O, those dyed-in-the-wool football fiends don"t care for a little thing like that," said d.i.c.k. "We"ll never play to empty benches, no matter what the weather. But hurry up now and come down to breakfast. We won"t dare to eat very much at lunch and we"d better fill up now."
It was Thanksgiving Day, and the Blues had come up to New York the night before, so that they might have a good night"s rest before the most important game of the season. The game was to be played at the Polo Grounds and public interest was so great that all the seats had been sold out long in advance. It was a foregone conclusion that the vast amphitheater would be crowded to capacity when the teams should come trotting out on the gridiron.
The excitement was the greater because of the superb form shown by both teams all through the season. Seldom had compet.i.tors been more equally matched. Both had come through their schedules unbeaten, and the shrewdest followers of the game were hard put to it to pick a winner.
Even the games played by each with the "Maroons" did not give much of a line. The "Greys," to be sure, had made two touchdowns, while the Blues had only tallied one. But, on the other hand, the "Maroons" had scored on the "Greys," while the Blues had been able to keep their goal intact. The "dope" was perplexing and the wisest tipsters were all at sea. Man for man, the "Greys" had a slight advantage in weight. But the Blues were admitted to have the finest backfield in the country, and Wilson was "touted" as the greatest player seen at full for the last twenty years. All in all, it was a "toss up," and many predicted that neither side would score.
But no such neutral tint shadowed the rosy dreams of the Blues. They were full of fight, and br.i.m.m.i.n.g over with confidence. All their cripples had come back except Ellis, who was just able to limp around without a crutch. But Morley in his place had rounded to in great shape and there was scarcely a shade to choose between the two. Boyd"s knee, hurt in the game with the "Maroons," was all right again and, best of all, good old Hodge was back again at right tackle, having at last made up his conditions. He plugged up the only really weak place on the team, and made the line twenty per cent. stronger than it had been without him. For all these reasons the team felt itself unbeatable, and were eager for the hour to come when they might prove it. Even Dan, the old bulldog that served the team as a mascot, moved about with unusual alacrity and seemed to have caught the contagion.
"He"s actually smiling," declared Tom, as he patted him affectionately.
"It"s up to you to bring us luck to-day, old fellow."
Hendricks and Reddy, although delighted to see the way the boys were feeling, felt it inc.u.mbent to add a word of caution.
"You"re going to win, boys," said the former; "but you"ll have your work cut out for you. Those fellows are never easy, and there"ll be something doing every minute. Get the jump at the very start, and keep forcing the fight. Go in for straight football until you feel them out, and don"t resort to the "fireworks" until you have to. And keep your eyes on that quarterback of theirs. He"s one of the trickiest in the game and always liable to start something."
"Not forgetting the full," added Reddy, "they say he"s as big and strong as a bull elephant, and it"s aching he"ll be to stack up against you, Wilson."
"Let him come," grinned Bert. "I"ll try to make it interesting."
Even New York, big and indifferent as it is to most things taking place within it, was agog with interest over the contest. The front pages of the papers were devoted to a review and comparison of the teams, and bulletin boards were prepared for the great crowds expected to gather about the offices during the progress of the game. Broadway and Fifth Avenue were alive with flags and the college colors, and the lobbies of the hotels were packed with a swarming mob of undergraduates. Tally-hos with merry parties and tooting horns rolled up the Avenue, and hundreds of automobiles joined in the procession. The subways and elevated roads were crowded to the doors, and at one o"clock, although the game did not begin till two, there was not a vacant seat in the vast stadium, while thousands of deadheads seized every point of vantage on the bluffs that surrounded the grounds. The stands were a perfect riot of beauty and color, and the stentorian voices of the rival rooters, to which was joined the treble of the girls made the air echo with songs and shouts of defiance.
After a light lunch the teams had been bundled into swift autos and hurried to the field, where they made their final preparations and underwent the last scrutiny of coach and trainers. Both were in superb fettle and ready to present their strongest line-up, and when they tumbled out on the field, amid frantic roars of greeting, there seemed nothing to choose between them.
The preliminary practice was sharp and snappy. The crisp tang of the air was a tonic to which all responded, and the inspiration of the huge crowds spurred them on to do their prettiest. Bert attracted especial attention as he kicked goals in practice. His fame had preceded him, and the college men in the stands were kept busy at the behest of a sister--or somebody else"s sister--in "pointing out Wilson." Other heroes of the gridiron also came in for their meed of admiration, and by the time the game was started expectation was wound up to the highest pitch. Everyone felt, as the young gladiators faced each other, that the game would be "for blood."
Nor were they disappointed. From the moment the referee"s whistle blew, the playing was of the most desperate kind. The "Greys" had won the choice of goal and the Blues had the kick-off. Bert poised himself carefully and shot the ball down the field far and high. Hamilton made a fair catch at the thirty yard line, but Caldwell had gone down like a flash, and nailed him before he could run back.
The ball belonged to the "Greys." Dudley went through left and tackle for a gain of five. Hamilton gained two more on the other side of the line. Again Dudley tried between center and guard, but caught a Tartar in d.i.c.k, and was thrown back for a loss of three. The bucking game was not panning out and the ball was pa.s.sed back to the giant fullback, Livingston, for a kick. The snapping was good and the kick speedy, but Bert burst through the line like a whirlwind and by a superb leap blocked it in mid-air. It was a rattling play and the Blue stand shook with cheers.
The teams lined up for the scrimmage on the "Grey"s" thirty-five yard line. Hodge plunged through for seven with the whole "Grey" team sprawling over him. A forward pa.s.s, beautifully engineered by Tom, garnered eight more. Martin skirted left end for a pretty run of fifteen yards, but was tackled so heavily by Livingston that he dropped the ball, and Felton pounced upon it. It was a close call for the "Greys"
and a sigh of relief went up from their partisans when on the next play a great punt by Minden sent it whirling down the field and out of danger. A furious battle ensued, but Fortune seemed angry at the Blues for their disregard of her gifts, and the quarter ended with the ball in the middle of the field.