CHAPTER IV

THE HOCKEY MATCH WITH A SCRATCH SEVEN

There was a large crowd present to watch the local hockey match that
morning. Not only were Scranton High pupils interested, but many of
the town folks seemed to find it convenient to stroll around to the
field that, during the recent summer, had been the scene of bitterly
contested baseball games.

Even a number of gentlemen were on hand to criticize, and also
applaud, according to what their judgment of the work of the young
athletes proved to be. Some of these men had been college players,
or, at least, interested in athletic sports. They hailed the
awakening of Scranton along these lines most heartily. And most of
them had only too gladly invested various sums in the up-building of
the athletic grounds.

Now that the high board-fence surrounded the large field, and the
carefully planned clubhouse stood at the near end, the grounds had a
business-like air. Those who knew just how to go about it had seen
that the water was just the right depth, and this was now frozen
almost solid. As the enclosure was limited in dimensions, it became
apparent that half of the ice should be given over to the hockey
players. When the game was finished the entire pond could be used by
the general public.