“Yes, sir,” panted Clint.

“Good!  Get in as soon as you can and have a good rub.  You played real football, boy, and I’m proud of you!  Keep it up!”

“You bet I will!” murmured Clint to himself, as he turned toward the gymnasium.  “I’ll show Cupples that he can’t come through me, the big guy!”

Ten minutes later, refreshed by his shower, he ran into Cupples outside the door to the rubbing room.  Cupples, a piece of surgeon’s plaster adorning his lip, grinned.  Clint grinned back.

“Some game,” he said.

“Was it!” agreed Cupples.  “Clint, you’ve got the rest of them all backed off the map!  Saunders hasn’t a thing on you, old man, and I’ve played against him and know.  I hope they keep you there.”

“Thanks, Cupples, but if the Claflin chap is any tougher than you are I guess Saunders is welcome to his job whenever he wants it back.”

“Well, say,” chuckled the other, “we had a good time, didn’t we?”

“Great!” assented Clint.

And, he reflected as he went on, now that it was all over so they had!

CHAPTER XXI

THE LETTER THAT WASN’T WRITTEN

The Cherry Valley game came off the next afternoon, and the school turned out with songs and cheers and marched across to the gridiron to watch the last contest before the final and supreme test.  It was a cold, cloudy day, with a biting northeast wind sweeping down the field.  Most of the assisting coaches had gone away over the week-end, Mr. Robey and Andy Miller had journeyed to Claflin to see the game there and Mr. Detweiler was left in charge at home.  Cherry Valley had been defeated 27-6 last year and was not looked on as at all dangerous.  Her team was light in weight and looked even less competent than it proved, since whatever might have been said in criticism of it, it was fast.  Brimfield started the game with her best foot forward.  With the exception of Clint at left tackle, the line-up consisted of first-string players.  Tyler played in his old place at right tackle.  Brimfield was not to show anything in the way of new plays, in case Claflin had thought it worth while to send scouts, and to that extent the Maroon-and-Grey was handicapped.

The first period ran along without a score on either side.  Brimfield couldn’t seem to get started.  There was more fumbling on both sides than was necessary, even when the wind was taken into consideration, and each team lost the ball twice at critical moments.  Brimfield worked down to the Cherry-Red twenty-two yards, lost a couple of yards by a fumble, tried the left end for no gain and essayed a goal from the field.  But distance and wind were too much for Harris.  After that there was much punting on Cherry Valley’s part, evidently in the hope that a Brimfield back would fumble.  And Brimfield backs did fumble, for the wind made certain judgment of kicks impossible, but fortunately the ball was recovered each time without much loss.  The first period ended with the ball in midfield in Cherry Valley’s possession.