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diff --git a/.gitattributes b/.gitattributes new file mode 100644 index 0000000..d7b82bc --- /dev/null +++ b/.gitattributes @@ -0,0 +1,4 @@ +*.txt text eol=lf +*.htm text eol=lf +*.html text eol=lf +*.md text eol=lf diff --git a/LICENSE.txt b/LICENSE.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..6312041 --- /dev/null +++ b/LICENSE.txt @@ -0,0 +1,11 @@ +This eBook, including all associated images, markup, improvements, +metadata, and any other content or labor, has been confirmed to be +in the PUBLIC DOMAIN IN THE UNITED STATES. + +Procedures for determining public domain status are described in +the "Copyright How-To" at https://www.gutenberg.org. + +No investigation has been made concerning possible copyrights in +jurisdictions other than the United States. Anyone seeking to utilize +this eBook outside of the United States should confirm copyright +status under the laws that apply to them. diff --git a/README.md b/README.md new file mode 100644 index 0000000..0c62cc9 --- /dev/null +++ b/README.md @@ -0,0 +1,2 @@ +Project Gutenberg (https://www.gutenberg.org) public repository for +eBook #53518 (https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/53518) diff --git a/old/53518-0.txt b/old/53518-0.txt deleted file mode 100644 index 032cab3..0000000 --- a/old/53518-0.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,7746 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg EBook of Right Tackle Todd, by Ralph Henry Barbour - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and most -other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions -whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of -the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at -www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you'll have -to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this ebook. - -Title: Right Tackle Todd - -Author: Ralph Henry Barbour - -Illustrator: Leslie Crump - -Release Date: November 13, 2016 [EBook #53518] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: UTF-8 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK RIGHT TACKLE TODD *** - - - - -Produced by Donald Cummings and the Online Distributed -Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net - - - - - - - - - - RIGHT TACKLE TODD - - - - -THE FOOTBALL ELEVEN BOOKS - -BY - -RALPH HENRY BARBOUR - - - LEFT END EDWARDS - LEFT TACKLE THAYER - LEFT GUARD GILBERT - CENTER RUSH ROWLAND - FULL-BACK FOSTER - QUARTER-BACK BATES - LEFT HALF HARMON - RIGHT END EMERSON - RIGHT GUARD GRANT - RIGHT TACKLE TODD - - - - -[Illustration: He felt rather tired, very happy and--extremely -foolish.] - - - - - RIGHT TACKLE - TODD - - - BY - RALPH HENRY BARBOUR - - AUTHOR OF - LEFT END EDWARDS, - FULL BACK FOSTER, - RIGHT GUARD GRANT, ETC. - - - ILLUSTRATED BY - LESLIE CRUMP - - - [Illustration] - - - GROSSET & DUNLAP - PUBLISHERS NEW YORK - - Made in the United States of America - - - - - Copyright, 1924, - By DODD, MEAD AND COMPANY, Inc. - - - - -CONTENTS - - - CHAPTER PAGE - I “DIFFERENT” 1 - II JIM TODD QUITS 13 - III ON THE ICE 25 - IV CLEM GETS A LETTER 36 - V A NEW TERM BEGINS 49 - VI JIM REPORTS 64 - VII OFF-SIDE 76 - VIII JIM BUYS A FOOTBALL 89 - IX EXPERTS IN CONFERENCE 102 - X JIM ASKS A LOAN 118 - XI THE ART OF LINE PLAYING 128 - XII AT THE POLICE STATION 139 - XIII MR. WEBB TODD 156 - XIV IN THE JUDGE’S CHAMBER 170 - XV LOWELL IS WORRIED 184 - XVI JIM DABBLES IN STRATEGY 200 - XVII ALTON MEETS WITH DISASTER 215 - XVIII THE REVERSE PASS 229 - XIX FULL-BACK TO RIGHT TACKLE 244 - XX CLEM DELIVERS A LETTER 255 - XXI ALTON VS. KENLY HALL 267 - XXII THE BANDAGED HAND 277 - - - - -ILLUSTRATIONS - - - He felt rather tired, very happy and--extremely - foolish _Frontispiece_ - - PAGE - We lost most of the team last June 52 - - It’s rotten to know that there’s a thief in the dormitory 144 - - Jim dropped to a knee, struggled erect again and - again advanced 288 - - - - -RIGHT TACKLE TODD - - - - -CHAPTER I - -“DIFFERENT” - - -“Stereotyped,” said Martin Gray. “That’s the word!” He spoke -triumphantly, as one will when a moment’s search for the proper term -has been rewarded. “Stereotyped, Clem!” - -“Oh, I don’t know,” replied his room-mate, only mildly interested in -Mart’s subject. “Of course they do look pretty much alike--” - -“It isn’t only their looks, though. But, come to think of it, that’s -another proof of my--er--contention. Hang it, Clem, if they weren’t all -alike as so many--er--beans--” - -“Don’t you mean peas?” asked Clement Harland, grinning. - -“Beans,” continued Mart emphatically. “They wouldn’t all wear the same -things, would they?” - -“Don’t see that, Mart. After all, a chap’s simply got to follow the -jolly old style, eh?” - -“Not if he has any--er--individuality! No, sir! I saw fifty at least -of the new class arrive yesterday, and except that sometimes one was -shorter or taller or fatter than the others, you could have sworn -they were all from the same town. Yes, sir, and the same street! Same -clothes, same hats, same shoes, same--” - -“Well, after all, why not? Besides, after they’ve been here awhile they -develop different--as you’d say--‘er--characteristics.’ What if the -kids do look alike when they first come?” - -“But you don’t get the--er--the idea at all!” protested Martin. “What -I’m trying to get at--” - -“Is that Alton Academy attracts a certain type of fellow and doesn’t -get enough freaks to suit you.” - -“Freaks be blowed! I don’t want freaks, I want new blood, something -different now and then. You know as well as I do that new blood is -what--” - -“You’ve got the ‘melting pot’ idea, eh?” - -“Yes, I guess so. Why not? Look at the other schools; some of ’em, -anyway: Dexter, Dover--” - -“Croton?” - -“I said some of ’em. Take Dexter now.” - -“I refuse.” - -“Look at the--er--variety of fellows that go there. What’s the result?” - -“Why, the result is that they manage to beat Dover pretty often at -football, but I always thought that coach of theirs had a good deal to -do with that!” - -“Shucks, I’m not talking about athletics, although that’s a pretty -good test, too. What I mean is that it’s the school that draws its -enrollment from all over the country and from all--er--classes that -does the biggest things; and that’s the most use, too.” - -“I don’t believe it,” answered Mart. “It’s the school itself, its -policy, its traditions that count. You might have every state in the -Union--” - -“Oh, that, of course, but I say that a student body composed of a lot -of totally different types--” - -“All right, but how are you going to get them?” - -“Reach out for ’em! How do other schools get ’em?” - -“Search me, old son! Maybe they advertise in the papers; Dakotas, New -Mexico, Florida, Hawaii--” - -“Sure! Why not! This school’s in danger of--er--dry-rot, Clem! Four -hundred or so fellows all alike, speaking the same language--” - -“I should hope so!” - -“Thinking the same thoughts, having the same views on every subject. -Gosh, can’t you see that you and I don’t get as much out of it as if -we could rub up against something different now and then? Wouldn’t -it be refreshing to find a fellow who didn’t think just as we think -about everything, who didn’t wear exactly the same kind of clothes, who -didn’t think the sun rose and set in New England?” - -“But the sun does rise and set in New England,” objected Clem. “I’ve -seen it.” - -“Oh, shut up! You know what I mean. Wouldn’t it?” - -Clem considered a moment. Then he shook his head doubtfully. “You -should have gone to Kenly Hall, Mart,” he answered. “They have all -kinds there, the whole fifty-seven varieties.” - -“Yes, and they’re better off for it. Of course it’s the proper thing -for us to make fun of Kenly, but you know mighty well that it’s -every bit as good a school as Alton; maybe better in some ways. But -Kenly isn’t much different from us. They get about the same lot year -after year, just as we do. One year’s freshman class looks just like -last year’s. Maybe they do get an occasional outsider. Quite a few -middle-west chaps go there. But mostly they draw them from right around -this part of the country, as we do. Gee, I’d certainly like to see, -just for once, a fellow turn up here who didn’t look as if he’d been -cast in the same mold with all the others!” - -“You’re getting all worked up about nothing, old son,” said Clem -soothingly. “You mustn’t do it. It always upsets you so you can’t eat -your meals, and it’s only half an hour to supper.” - -“If you weren’t so blamed stubborn--” - -“Shut up a minute! Hello! Come in!” - -The door of Number 15 opened slowly until the more dimly lighted -corridor was revealed through a narrow aperture and a voice said: -“Excuse me, please, but is this where the fellow that hires the -football players lives?” - -From where Martin sat the owner of the voice was hidden, and so he -could not account for the radiant grin that enveloped his room-mate’s -countenance for an instant. - -“I didn’t get it,” said Clem, politely apologetic. “Won’t you come in?” -His face was sober again, unnaturally sober in the judgment of Martin -Gray. - -“Well,” said the unseen speaker doubtfully. Then the door again began -its cautious passage across the old brown carpet, and Mart understood -Clem’s grin. - -The youth who now stood revealed to Mart’s astounded gaze was little -short of six feet tall, it seemed. In age he might have been anywhere -from sixteen to twenty, with eighteen as a likely compromise. He was -attired neatly but, it appeared, uncomfortably in a suit of dark gray -which fitted him too loosely across the shoulders and too abruptly at -the ankles, its deficiency at the latter point exposing to Mart’s -fascinated eyes a pair of wrinkled woolen socks of sky-blue. The low -shoes were not extraordinary, but there was something deliciously -quaint about the collar, with its widely parted corners, and the pale -blue satin tie that failed to hide the brass collar-stud. Even the hat, -a black Alpine shape, struck a note of originality, possibly because -it was a full size too small and was poised so precariously atop a -thickish mass of tumbled hair that seemed not yet to have decided just -what shade of brown to assume. Clem coughed delicately and asked: “You -were looking for some one?” - -“Guess I’ve got the wrong place,” said the stranger, his first -embarrassment increasing at the discovery of Mart beyond the door’s -edge. “The fellow I’m looking for is the one who hires--well, takes on -the football players. Guess he’s the manager, ain’t he?” - -“Possibly,” answered Clem, turning to Mart with an inquiring glance. -“What do you think?” - -Martin took his cue promptly. “Or, maybe the coach,” he suggested. “You -don’t know his name?” - -The stranger shook his head. He held firmly to the outer knob of the -door, resting his shoulders against the edge of it as he frowned in -an effort of memory. “I heard it,” he replied, “but I forget what it -was. He said I was to see him between five and six about me getting on -the football team and I thought he said he lived in Number 15 in Lykes -Hall, but--” - -“Well, you see, this isn’t--” - -But Clem interrupted Mart swiftly. “Sit down, won’t you?” he asked, -smiling hospitably. “I dare say we can thresh out the mystery. And you -might shove that door too, if you don’t mind. Thanks.” - -The stranger closed the door as slowly as he had opened it, removed -his hat and advanced gingerly to the chair that Clem’s foot had deftly -thrust toward him. He gave them the impression of having attained his -growth so suddenly as to be a little uncertain about managing it. He -lowered himself almost cautiously into the chair, placing two rather -large feet closely together and holding his hat firmly by its creased -crown with both hands, hands generously proportioned, darkly tanned and -extremely clean. He looked about the room and then back to Clem, while -a slow smile radiated the long, somewhat plain face. - -“You fellows got it right nice here,” he ventured. - -“Like it?” asked Clem in a more friendly tone. The stranger’s smile had -transformed him on the instant from a queer, almost uncouth figure to -something quite human and likable. “Yes, it isn’t a bad room. Where do -you hang out? By the way, you didn’t mention your name, did you?” - -“Todd’s my name. My room’s over in Haylow; Number 33. A fellow named -Judson and I have it together. It ain’t like this, though. Not so big, -for one thing, and then the ceiling comes down, over there like, and I -keep hitting my head on it.” - -Mart laughed. “They didn’t build you for one of those third floor -rooms, Todd.” - -The slow smile came again and the gray eyes twinkled, and the visitor -relaxed a little in the straight chair. “Gosh, I started to grow -last year and it looks like I can’t stop. I didn’t use to be such an -ungainly cuss.” - -“I wouldn’t let that bother me,” returned Mart. “You’ll fill out pretty -soon, I dare say. How tall are you?” - -Todd shook his head. “I ain’t measured lately,” he acknowledged a -trifle sheepishly. “Been scared to. Pop says if I don’t stop pretty -soon it won’t be safe for me to go out in the woods less’n some one -might mistake me for a tree and put an ax to me!” - -“Where’s your home?” asked Clem, with a side glance at his room-mate. - -“Four Lakes, Maine. At least, we don’t live right in the village, but -that’s our postoffice address. We live about three miles north, up the -Ludic road. You ever been around there?” - -It seemed that they hadn’t, but once started Todd was not averse to -supplying personal information. Clem fancied that Judson, whoever he -might be, had not proved a sympathetic listener and that Todd was -heartily glad to find some one to talk to. His father had a store, it -seemed, and was also interested in timber lands and numerous other -interests. There was a large family of children of which the present -representative was the senior member. He had been going to school at -Four Lakes until last Spring. - -“I was set on going to college, you see, and I thought I’d learned -enough, but I went down to Lewiston and talked with a fellow down there -and he said I’d better go to a preparatory school for a couple of years -first. I asked where and he said this place. So I came down here. Seems -like he might have said some place nearer home, but I guess it don’t -matter. This looks like a right nice school. I guess you fellows are -seniors, aren’t you?” - -“Juniors,” corrected Clem. “I suppose you’re one of us, Todd.” - -“I guess so. I ain’t heard for sure yet. They started me off as a -junior, though.” - -“Oh, you’ll make it,” declared Mart. “So you’re going to play football, -eh?” - -“Oh, I don’t know.” Todd smiled embarrassedly. “I ain’t ever yet, but -this fellow I was looking for stopped me this morning and asked if I -was going to and I said no, and then he asked didn’t I want to and I -said I didn’t know if I did or not, and he said for me to come and see -him between five and six o’clock and we’d talk about it. He said what -his name was, but I forget. I think he said he managed the players.” - -“He didn’t,” inquired Clem very innocently, “mention what position he -thought you’d fill best on the team?” - -Todd’s gray eyes twinkled again. “No, he didn’t, but I guess maybe one -of the posts at the end of the field’s got broken and he’s looking for -a new one.” - -“I think it must have been Dolf Chapin you saw,” said Mart, smiling at -Clem’s slight discomfiture. “He’s--” - -“That’s the name,” declared Todd with relief. “Where’s his room, -please?” - -“He’s in 15 Lykes.” - -“Well, isn’t this--” Then Todd’s countenance proclaimed understanding -and he chuckled. “Gosh, I went right by it, didn’t I? I was over at -that building where they have the library--” - -“Memorial,” said Mart. - -“And meant to stop at the first building after I came off that path -that comes from there. Instead of that I got right back in my own -house, didn’t I? I ain’t got this place learned very well yet. Well, -I’m much obliged to you. Maybe I’ll see you again. My name, like I told -you, is Todd, Jim Todd.” He arose and offered a big hand to Clem and -then to Mart. - -“Glad to have met you, Todd,” responded Clem, spreading his fingers -experimentally after the crushing grip they had sustained. “My name’s -Harland, and this is Gray. Drop in again some time, won’t you? I’d like -mighty well to hear how you get along with football.” - -“Well, I ain’t so sure I’ll play it,” answered Todd from the doorway, -frowning a little. “I guess playing games sort of interferes with a -fellow’s school work, and what I’ve seen of the courses they’ve got me -down for makes me think I’ll have to do some tall studying. I’m glad to -have met you, and maybe I might come in and see you again some time.” - -“Do that,” said Clem earnestly. - -Then the door closed slowly but decidedly and Clem and Mart dropped -back into their chairs. After a moment Clem said: “Looks to me like -your prayer was answered, Mart.” - -“Well, he’s only one, but he’s a hopeful sign.” - -Clem chuckled softly. “You and Todd ought to get along pretty well -together,” he continued. “You wanted something different, and there -you have it. At least, he doesn’t wear clothes like the rest of us; -he’s no slave to Fashion, old son. Maybe he won’t mind telling you -where he buys his togs, eh?” - -“Some way,” answered Mart, “it doesn’t seem quite fair to make fun of -him. There was something awfully decent about the chap, in spite of his -clothes and his--er--queer appearance.” - -“That’s true, and I wasn’t really making fun. Only--” Clem interrupted -himself with a laugh. “Say, isn’t it just like Chapin to try to round -that fellow up for the football squad? Honest, Mart, if a one-legged -fellow showed up here and Dolf saw him he wouldn’t be happy until he -had him out on the field!” - -“At that,” replied Mart, as he arose to prepare for supper, “Jim Todd -might be a blamed sight better player than some of those cripples who -lost the game last year for us! I noticed that your delicate sarcasm -was trumped very neatly by our recent guest, old timer!” - -“Yes,” Clem acknowledged, “that’s so. I fancy our friend James isn’t -such a fool as his hat makes him out!” - - - - -CHAPTER II - -JIM TODD QUITS - - -The occupants of Number 15 Haylow didn’t see anything more of Jim Todd -for a while. In fact, he had nearly gone from their memories when Clem -collided with him at the entrance to the dormitory one day in late -October. Jim only said “Hello” and would have gone by, but something -prompted Clem to renew the acquaintance. - -“Well, how do you like things now that you’ve been with us awhile, -Todd?” he asked. - -“Fine, thanks. I’m getting on real well.” - -“Good! By the way, you never paid that next call, you know. Gray and I -have been wondering about you.” That was more flattering than truthful -perhaps. “Still playing football, or did you decide not to go in for -the manly pastime?” - -Jim smiled. “Well, I’m still on the squad,” he said, “but I don’t do -very well at that game. Guess I’ll be quitting this week. It’s pretty -hard, and it takes a good deal of a fellow’s time, too.” - -“Well, if they’ve kept you all this time you’ll probably last the -season out,” responded Clem, not a little surprised. - -But Jim Todd shook his head. “I guess I’ll be getting through pretty -soon,” he said firmly. - -“Well, drop in and see us again, anyway.” Clem hurried on to a -recitation, wondering most of the way to Academy Hall why he had -renewed the invitation. Nothing came of it for nearly a fortnight, -however. Then, late one afternoon, Mr. James Todd knocked and entered. -Six weeks had somewhat altered his appearance, and he looked far less -“different.” He was still the same tall, loose-jointed chap, but he -wore a gray sweater and a pair of old blue trousers and no hat, and -so much of his oddity was missing. He was, too, more at ease on this -occasion, and settled his long length back in the Morris chair that -Clem indicated without his former hesitation. Presently, in the course -of conversation, Mart observed: - -“I’ve been looking for you on the football team, Todd, but I missed -you. Still, it’s hard to recognize your friends under those leather -domes you fellows wear. You didn’t get into the Mount Millard game, did -you?” - -“I ain’t been in any of them,” answered Jim. “I ain’t much of a -football player.” - -“Oh, well, you’ve got two chances yet,” replied Mart cheeringly. “Maybe -Cade is keeping you back for the Kenly Hall game.” - -“I quit last week,” said Jim simply. - -“Quit? You mean--er--is that so?” floundered Mart. “Well, maybe next -year--” - -“It was pretty hard work,” added Jim Todd. “Pretty wearing. I got tired -of it finally. Mr. Cade and me had a sort of argument about it, but I -told him I wouldn’t ever make a football man and that I had sort of got -behind with my studies and he let me go finally. I like him. He got -sort of mad with me, but I guess he’s over it by now.” - -Clem and Mart exchanged glances that indicated puzzlement. “You mean,” -asked Clem at last, “that you resigned? You weren’t fired off?” - -“No, I just quit,” answered Jim untroubledly. “You see, it’s like this, -Harland. Most of the fellows in the squad had played football before. -Some of them have been at it two or three years, likely. It was new to -me. Of course I’d seen fellows playing it, you know; they had a sort of -a team at the school I went to back home; but it never interested me -much and I never thought I’d care to try it. Well, I was pretty green -when I started off and I had a lot to learn. Guess I didn’t learn very -well, either. Seems like I was pretty stupid about it. Mr. Cade said -I didn’t put my mind on it, but I don’t think that was so. Guess the -trouble was I didn’t get real interested in it. He told me that if I -worked hard this Fall I’d likely get to play next year. He tried to -make an end of me, but I never got good enough to play in any of the -games. I just sat on that bench out there at the field and looked on. -They keep you on the field two hours every afternoon; sometimes longer -than that; and I could see I was just wasting my time. I kept saying so -to Dolf Chapin, but he said I wasn’t, that I was learning and that it -was my duty to stick it out. So I did till last week. Then I decided -I’d better quit. So I quit.” - -“I see,” said Mart dryly. “And Johnny Cade? I suppose he had something -to say, Todd.” - -“Yes, he said a whole lot,” answered Jim soberly. “Looked once like -I’d have to paste him in the jaw, the way he was talking, but I didn’t -because I knew he didn’t mean all he said. He was sort of upset, I -guess.” - -“Sounds to me as if you were a more valuable man than you realized,” -said Clem. - -“No, I guess I wasn’t very valuable, really. I guess these football -coaches like to have their own way pretty well.” - -“Well,” said Mart, laughing, “I’ll bet you’ve earned the distinction of -being one of the few fellows that ever _resigned_ from the squad! No -wonder Cade was grumpy! He’s not used to that!” - -There followed another lapse in the acquaintanceship. Clem and Mart -caught glimpses of Jim Todd in class room and dining hall; infrequently -passed him on the campus; sometimes exchanged greetings by word or -sign. The Kenly Hall game came and went, bringing the football season -to a disappointingly inconclusive end. Beaten the year before, Alton -tried desperately to wreak vengeance, but, although her players and -her game were infinitely superior to those of the preceding season, -Kenly Hall, too, showed improvement, and at the final whistle the score -stood just where it had stood at the end of the first half, at 7 to 7. -Each team had scored one touchdown and followed it with a clean goal. -Each team, too, had narrowly failed of a second score, Kenly Hall when -a forward-pass over the goal-line had been tipped but not caught and -Alton when a fourth down on the enemy’s four-yard line had gained but -one foot of the necessary two. Both touchdowns had resulted from long -runs, a Kenly Hall quarter-back bringing glory to the Cherry-and-Black -by a thirty-four-yard dash around the opponent’s left and “Cricket” -Menge, left half on the Gray-and-Gold team, evening things up a few -minutes later by wrapping himself about a lateral pass and dodging and -twirling his way over eleven white lines to a score. - -After the first disappointment, Alton Academy, viewing the result more -calmly and fairly, came to the conclusion that her gridiron warriors -had gained more glory than had been thus far accorded them. Both Kenly -Hall coach and captain had stated publicly that the team which had met -Alton was the best eleven that had represented the Cherry-and-Black -in six years, and if that was so--and certainly Alton Academy had no -reason to doubt it!--then Captain Grant’s team--“‘General’ Grant’s -Army” the football song called it--had secured a virtual victory in -spite of the score. Careful analysis of the contest added strength -to that verdict, for the records showed that Alton had outrushed her -opponent by thirty-two yards, gained two more first downs than her -ancient enemy had secured and had had slightly the better of the -kicking argument. So on Monday night there was a delayed, but intensely -enthusiastic, mass meeting in the auditorium and honor was done to the -heroes. Everybody spoke who had any right to, and a few who hadn’t, -and there was much singing and a great deal of cheering. Clem and -Mart, neither of them football enthusiasts, attended the celebration, -as in duty bound, and ended by cheering quite as loudly as any. The -testimonial had one result that the school in general never learned of. -It decided a wavering Athletic Committee in favor of renewing Coach -“Johnny” Cade’s contract, which terminated that Fall, for another two -seasons. Prior to seven-thirty that Monday evening his last two years’ -record of one defeat and one tie, even when balanced against previous -success, had looked more than black to the Committee. At nine o’clock -it was viewing that record more leniently. And on Wednesday Coach Cade -departed with a new contract in his trunk. - -When Clem came back to school after Christmas he found a package -awaiting him in the mail box. Opened, it revealed a long, flat box of -small cubes wrapped in pink tissue paper. Investigation proved the -cubes to be spruce gum. There was also a scrawling enclosure from Jim -Todd. “Wishing you a Merry Christmas,” Clem read. “This is the real -thing. Hope you like it. I’m sending it to Alton because I don’t know -where you are. Give some to Gray. Yours, J. T.” - -Mart declared that he detested gum and wouldn’t chew the stuff on a -bet, but after watching Clem’s jaws rhythmically champing for some -ten minutes he perjured himself and was soon as busy as his chum. Two -days later, suffering from lame jaws after almost continuous chewing -during waking hours, Clem seized the box, now half empty, and consigned -it to the depths of the waste basket. “The pesky stuff!” he grumbled. -“First thing we know we’ll have the habit!” Mart, one hand raised in -protest, recognized the wisdom of the course and observed the sacrifice -in silence. During the rest of that day he chewed scraps of paper torn -from the corners of note-books. However, they lacked the insidious -fascination of spruce gum and he gave them up and was cured. Of course -they thanked Jim heartily a few days later, when he dropped in one -afternoon, offering as conclusive evidence of their appreciation the -fact that the supply was exhausted. Jim promptly promised to write to -his father and get him to send some more. Perhaps he forgot it, for the -new supply never reached Number 15 Haylow. - -It is possible that absorption in new interests was accountable for -Jim’s failure to make good on that promise, for it was shortly after -that that Mart brought word of the Maine Society. Neither he nor Clem -was eligible to membership, but that didn’t detract from their interest -in the Society which, as Mart had heard it from Sam Newson, had been -started by Jim Todd and already, while still less than a fortnight -old, had a membership of nine. The school already possessed a Southern -Club and a Western Society, but a social organization restricted to -residents of a single state in attendance at Alton was something new -and, like most innovations, it came in for some ridicule. The notice -board in Academy Hall fairly blossomed with calls for members of -similar societies. Some one named Henry Clay Calhoun, which may or -may not have been a cognomen assumed for the occasion, invited other -residents of South Carolina to meet in Number 14 Borden to effect the -organization of “The South Carolina Society of Alton Academy, Devoted -to the Abolishment of the Fifteenth Amendment to the Constitution and -to a Campaign of Education and Enlightenment among the Beknighted -Citizens of Northern States.” As Borden Hall was restricted to -freshmen, the authenticity of the invitation was questionable. The -same was true of a summons to resident Hawaiians, while a document -phrased in pidgin English and summoning all Chinese students at Alton -to meet in the school laundry and enter their names on the roster of -“The Chinese Tong” was even more palpably insincere. But ridicule -seemed just what the Maine Society required, for a fortnight later it -changed its name to the Maine-and-Vermont Society and increased its -membership to thirty-one. A fellow named Tupper became president of the -reorganized club and James Todd was secretary and treasurer. Meetings -were held weekly in the rooms of various members at first, and then, -securing faculty recognition, the Society was assigned the use of a -room on the top floor of Academy Hall. - -By invitation of Jim Todd, Clem attended one of the open meetings held -monthly and was well entertained. The sight of Jim slowly elongating -himself from behind the secretary’s table to read the previous minutes -was alone well worth the effort of climbing two flights of stairs to -Clem. Jim was very earnest and recited the doings of the last meeting -in tones that imbued them with a vast importance. “Moved and seconded,” -read Jim weightily, “that the Secretary be and hereby is empowered -to contract for a sufficient supply of letter paper, appropriately -printed with the Society’s name and emblem, and a sufficient supply -of envelopes likewise so printed, the total cost of the same not to -exceed seven dollars, and the same to be paid for out of the funds -of the Society. So voted.” There were light refreshments later, and -afterwards several members spoke informally--often embarrassedly--on -matters of interest to citizens of the affiliated states. The best of -the number was undoubtedly the secretary and treasurer. Jim was far -more self-possessed than of yore and he spoke in an easy conversational -style that pleased his hearers mightily. What he had to tell wasn’t -much; just a somewhat rambling account of a visit to a logging camp; -but he made it interesting and displayed a humorous perception that -Clem, for one, had never suspected him of. On the whole, Clem enjoyed -the evening and was quite sincere when he said as much to Jim on their -way back to Haylow. When they parted in the corridor, Clem said: - -“You haven’t been in to see us, Todd, for a long time. We’re getting -out of touch with events, Mart and I. Better drop in some time and -cheer us up.” - -Jim looked as if he suspected the other of joshing. He was never -absolutely certain about Clem’s ingenuousness. “Well,” he answered, -“I’d been around before only I knew you were pretty busy with hockey -and--and all like that.” - -“Oh, hockey doesn’t take all my time,” said Clem. “For instance, I -don’t play much after supper.” - -“Oh, well, I meant that being captain of the team you’d likely be -pretty busy one way and another. I’ll be dropping in some evening soon, -though, if you say so.” - -“Wish you would. Good night!” - -Seeking Number 15 and a bored Mart, who had refused the invitation to -the Maine-and-Vermont Society with scathing remarks, Clem marveled -at the perfectly idiotic way in which he persisted in fostering the -acquaintance of Jim Todd. He didn’t really care a hang about the queer -chap, of course, and-- But hold on! Was that quite true? Didn’t he -rather like Jim, if the truth had to be told? Well, yes, he sort of -guessed he did. There was something about Jim Todd that appealed to -him. Maybe--and he grinned as he flung open the door of Number 15--it -was just Todd’s quality of being “different”! - - - - -CHAPTER III - -ON THE ICE - - -A few days later Clem, smashing into the boards of the outdoor rink, -after a valiant effort to hook the puck from Landorf, of the scrub six, -almost bumped heads with Jim Todd. It was a nippingly cold February -afternoon, and Jim made one of the small audience that stamped about -on chilled feet and watched the progress of the practice game. Jim, -though, appeared less conscious of the cold than most of the others. He -had on the old gray woolen sweater, and a cloth cap set inadequately on -the back of his streaky brown locks. About him were overcoats--even one -or two of fur--and unfastened overshoes rattled their buckles as their -wearers kicked the wooden barrier or stamped about on the hard-trodden -snow to encourage circulation. Jim wore a pair of woolen socks of a -dubious shade of tan and low shoes that were ostensibly black. And he -didn’t prance about a bit. Once in a while he did rub his long bony -hands together, but the action seemed an indication of interest in the -hockey game rather than in the temperature. As a matter of fact, this -was Jim’s first glimpse of such a contest, and he was, for Jim Todd, -quite excited over it. - -Between the halves Clem skated over to him. “Aren’t you frozen?” he -asked wonderingly. - -“Me? No.” Jim shook his head slowly. “It’s right cold, though, ain’t -it? A whole lot colder than we have it in Maine, I guess. Say, what’s -that thing made of you’re hitting around on the ice?” - -“Rubber. Haven’t you ever played hockey?” - -“No. When I was a kid we used to whack a block of wood around with -sticks, but it wasn’t much like this hockey. Looks like you’ve got -almost as many rules as there are in football. You’re a pretty nice -skater, ain’t you?” - -“Not as good as some of the fellows,” replied Clem. “You skate, of -course.” - -Jim nodded. “That’s ’bout the only thing I can do real well,” he -answered. “Don’t believe I could get around the way you do, though; -dodge and turn so quick and all like that. I ain’t so bad at skating -fast, but I’ve got to have plenty of room.” - -“Better go into the races Saturday morning,” suggested Clem. “What’s -your distance?” - -“Distance?” - -“Yes, what are you best at? Half-mile? Mile? Two miles?” - -“Why, I don’t know. I’ve skated in a lot of races, you might say, -but we didn’t ever measure them. We’d race, generally, from the old -boat-house to the inlet; on Lower Pond, you know. Guess that’s about -three-quarters of a mile; more or less.” - -“Why don’t you enter for Saturday, then?” asked Clem. “You ought to be -able to do the mile if you’ve been doing the three-quarters, Todd.” - -“Well, I don’t know. Would you? Does it cost anything?” - -“Not a cent,” laughed Clem. “There’s a list of the events over on the -notice board in the gym. Better pick out a couple and get your name -down.” - -“Well-- Gosh, though, I can’t! I didn’t bring my skates. I sort of had -a notion there wasn’t much skating down here. I guess there wouldn’t be -time to send for them, either, to-day being Tuesday.” - -Clem leaned over the barrier and viewed Jim’s shoes. “No, I guess not, -but I think Mart’s skates will fit you. Drop in later and we’ll see. He -doesn’t use them much.” - -“Maybe he wouldn’t like me to have them,” responded Jim doubtfully. -“Anyway, I ain’t skated since last winter, Harland, and I guess I -wouldn’t be much good. Much obliged to you, but maybe I’d better not.” - -“Well, if you change your mind--” Clem hurried away to try some shots -at goal before the whistle blew again. - -Just before supper-time, however, Jim wandered into Number 15. He -announced that he guessed he’d take part in those races if it was all -right about the skates. “There’s a two-mile race down, I see, and I -guess I’d like to try that.” - -“Two miles? Thought you’d been doing three-quarters,” said Clem, while -Mart dug his skates out of the closet. - -“Yes, but sometimes I got licked, and I’ve got a sort of notion I can -do better at a longer distance. Maybe I’ll try for the mile, too. I -guess there’s a lot of pretty good skaters going into it, eh?” - -“Yes, I suppose so,” said Clem, “but you’ll have a good time. You don’t -mind getting beaten, do you?” - -Jim frowned slightly. “Why, yes, I guess I do,” he replied. “Every -fellow does, don’t he?” - -“Well, I meant to say you didn’t mind much. Of course no fellow wants -to take a defeat, but he has to do it just the same sometimes, you -know. And there’s a whole lot in taking it the right way.” - -“The right way?” inquired Jim. - -“Why, yes, Todd. Look here, are you joshing me? You know what I mean, -confound you!” - -“Well, I don’t know as I do,” said Jim doubtfully. “I don’t get mad -when I’m licked, if that’s what you mean. Leastways, I don’t let on I’m -mad. But it don’t make me feel any too good to get beat!” - -“I suppose your trouble is that you’ve never been beaten often enough -to get used to it, then,” answered Clem. “Getting mad doesn’t do any -good, you crazy goof. You want to smile and make believe you like it.” - -“What for?” - -“Oh, for the love of Liberty,” wailed Clem, “take this fellow off me, -Mart! He’s worse than a Philadelphia lawyer!” - -Mart’s return with the skates provided a diversion. They were a size -too small, but after a long and admiring appraisal of them Jim declared -that they would do. “I never saw a pair just like these before,” he -confided admiringly. “What they made of, Gray?” - -“Aluminum, mostly. Light, aren’t they? Like them?” - -“Gosh, yes, but I don’t know if I can do much with them. They don’t -weigh more’n a third what mine do. I’m going to try them, just the -same. I’m much obliged to you.” - -“You’re welcome. Just see that you win a race with them. We’ll go down -and root for you, Todd.” - -“I might win the two-mile race,” replied Jim, “if I get so I can use -these right. I’ll try ’em to-morrow.” - -They didn’t see Jim again until the morning of the races. It was a -corking day, that Saturday, with a wealth of winter sunshine flooding -the world and only the mildest of northerly breezes blowing down the -river. The weather and the list of events ought to have brought out a -larger representation of the student body, but as a matter of fact by -far the larger portion of those who had assembled at ten o’clock were -contestants. Clem, yielding to the solicitations of the Committee, -had entered for three races at the last moment, and it wasn’t until -he had won the 220-yard senior event in hollow fashion from a field -of more than a score of adversaries and been narrowly beaten in the -quarter-mile race that he encountered Jim. - -Jim had discarded his beloved gray sweater and was the cynosure of -all eyes in a mackinaw coat of green and black plaid. The green was -extremely green and the plaid was a very large one, and Jim presented -an almost thrilling appearance. Under the mackinaw, his lean body was -attired very simply in a white running shirt, and Clem addressed him -sternly. - -“Want to catch pneumonia and croak?” he demanded. “Don’t you know you -can’t skate with that state’s prison offense on and that if you take -it off you’ll freeze stiff? Where were you when they handed brains out, -Todd?” - -Jim grinned. “Hello,” he replied. “That was a nice licking you gave all -those other fellows. And, say, if you’d got going quicker in that other -race you’d have made it, easy.” - -Clem was looking attentively at the mackinaw. Now he felt of it. “Say, -that’s some coat, son. Where’d you get it?” - -“Back home.” - -“I’ll bet it’s warm. I never saw one made of as good stuff as that is. -Any more like it where it came from?” - -Jim chuckled. “I’m going to write pop to send down a couple dozen of -them,” he said. “You’re about the tenth fellow that’s asked me that so -far. I could sell a lot of ’em if I had ’em.” - -“Joking aside, though, can I get one, Todd?” - -“Sure. Pop sells them. I’ll give you the address if you want to send -for one. I’ve given it to a lot of fellows already.” - -“Oh, well, if the whole school’s going to come out in them I guess I’ll -pass,” said Clem regretfully. “I suppose those are what the lumbermen -wear, eh?” - -Jim nodded. “Lots of folks wear them. They’re mighty good coats. Only -six dollars, too. Better have one. Maybe pop’ll give me a commission.” - -“Six dollars! I believe you’re trying to make a dollar rake-off on each -one! Say, what are you down for, Todd?” - -“Down for? Oh, the mile and two miles. You?” - -“Just the half. I’ll get licked, too. See you later. But, honest, Todd, -you oughtn’t to skate two miles in just that cotton shirt, you know.” - -“Warm enough. It ain’t real cold to-day. Hope you win.” - -But Clem didn’t, making rather a sorry showing in fact. - -There was an obstacle race for the younger chaps next, an event that -provided plenty of amusement for entrants and spectators alike, and -then the contestants for the mile were called. This event was a popular -one, it appeared, for sixteen youths of all ages and from all classes -answered. A group of freshmen, about twenty in all, cheered lustily and -unflaggingly for their favorite, a small, slim, capable appearing boy -named Woodside. Jim towered over most of the lot, although his bare -brown head didn’t top that of Newt Young, guard on the football team -and a senior entrant. The seniors were represented by several others, -but their hopes were pinned on Newt. The bunch sped away at the crack -of a pistol and were soon well spread out. - -Jim didn’t have much hope of capturing that race, and certainly no -one who watched him could have censured him. Jim’s skating was far -from graceful. He didn’t suggest the flight of a bird, for instance. -Observing Jim, you were reminded chiefly of a windmill that had somehow -got loose and was blowing down the ice, blowing fast, to be sure, but -wasting a deal of motion. Jim’s arms did strange antics, seeming never -to duplicate a single movement that was once made. And he appeared to -have more than the usual number of joints in his long, thin body. He -bent everywhere; at knees, waist, shoulders, neck, elbows and wrists; -and some other places, too, unless sight deceived the onlookers. But -at the quarter distance he was still among the first half-dozen, and -when the turn was made those at the finish couldn’t determine for some -moments whether he or young Woodside led. - -It promised to be a close finish, in any case, for behind the two -leaders sped Newt Young, showing lots of reserve, and, not yet out of -the race, four others followed closely. But Jim began to fall back -after the race was three-fourths over, and for a hundred yards Woodside -loomed as the winner, while his enthusiastic classmates howled -ecstatically. Then, however, Young edged past Jim and set off after the -freshman and for the final fifty yards it was nip and tuck to the line. -Young won by a bare three feet, with Woodside second and Jim a poor -third. - -“Well, feel mad, do you?” asked Clem as he and Mart sought Jim. - -Jim scowled and then grinned sheepishly. “I could have won if I’d had -my own skates,” he muttered. “These are all right, only I ain’t used to -them. Bet you I could beat that big fellow if I had my own skates.” - -“Newt Young?” asked Mart. “Well, Newt’s a pretty good lad, they say.” - -“I could beat him,” reasserted Jim doggedly. “He gave me a jab in the -nose, too.” - -“What? Newt did?” Clem was incredulous. “I didn’t see it. Where was it?” - -“Playing football, I mean,” answered Jim. “He was on the first squad -when I was playing. He gave me a good one one day, and I don’t guess it -was any accident, neither.” - -“Ah,” murmured Clem sadly, “I fear yours is a vindictive nature, Todd. -I am disappointed in you.” - -Jim observed him doubtfully. Then he said “Huh!” Finally he grinned. -“Well, he didn’t have any cause to hit me,” he added, “and I sort of -wanted to beat him.” - -“Maybe he’s down for the two miles,” suggested Mart cheerfully. “Do you -know?” - -Jim didn’t know, but Clem did. “He is,” declared the latter. “So go -ahead and wreak vengeance, Todd. You have my blessing. And I guess -they’re about ready for you, too.” - -“Gosh, I wish I had my own skates,” muttered Jim wistfully. - -“No alibis, Todd,” said Clem sternly. “Do your duty.” - - - - -CHAPTER IV - -CLEM GETS A LETTER - - -There were only five entries for the two-mile race, all senior and -junior class fellows. The course was twice around the half-mile flag, -which made for slower time but enabled the audience to keep the skaters -in sight. The five started briskly from the mark, but this event called -for less speed than had the one-mile race, and none of the contestants -seemed especially anxious to set the pace. It was, finally, Newt Young -who took the lead, with a junior named Peele next and Jim Todd third. -That order held to the turn and all the way back to the line. Some one -clocked Young at three minutes and eighteen seconds, but in view of -the final figures that timing may have been wrong. The line was well -strung out when it turned again toward the distant flag, with the first -three skaters at four-yard intervals and the last two close together -a hundred feet back. Not until the figures had grown small in the -distance once more did the order change. Then the spectators saw Jim -Todd pass Peele and fall in close behind the leader. That was a signal -for triumphant cheers from a small coterie of devoted sons of the Pine -Tree State, to whose voices Clem and Mart added theirs. Such triumph -was, however, short-lived, for when Jim, still threshing his long arms -about, took the turn around the flag he tried to make it too short and -the watchers had a confused vision of the white-shirted youth going -over and over, with legs and arms whirling, far across the distant -surface. - -“That,” observed Clem dryly, “lets our Mr. Todd out of it.” - -The capsized one made a really astounding recovery and was on his -blades again almost before the spectators had sensed the catastrophe, -but Peele had passed him by that time, and Young was well away on his -last dash. The other two contestants, while still grimly pursuing, were -already out of the result. The half-dozen “Maniacs,” as Clem dubbed -them not very originally, refused to own defeat for their favorite -and continued to howl imploringly for Jim to “Come on and win it!” -It is doubtful if Jim heard that demand, for he was still a long way -off and there was plenty of other shouting beside that of the Maine -contingent, but it did look as if he had, quite of his own accord and -without prompting, made up his stubborn mind to do that very thing! He -went after Peele desperately and gradually closed the distance. Then, -while the growing excitement of the onlookers became every instant -more vocal, he edged past his classmate and steadily widened the ice -between them. Doubtless the fast-flying Young looked horribly like the -victor to Jim just then; he surely looked so to those at the line; and -probably the best that Jim hoped for was a close finish. In any event, -Jim came hard, desperately, arms flying all ways at once, a wild, -many-jointed figure that seemed somehow to fairly eat up distance. - -At the quarter-mile he was undoubtedly gaining on Young, and public -sympathy, ever tending toward the under dog, veered from the senior -suddenly and surprisingly, and the loyal sons of Maine found their -hoarse ravings drowned under a greater volume of cheers for Jim Todd. -“Come on, Todd! You can beat him!” “Skate, Skinny Boy! Come on! Come -on!” “You’ve got him, Todd! Hit it up! Hit it up!” Even Mart, who was -a most reticent youth when it came to public vocal demonstrations, -appeared to be trying very hard to climb Clem’s back and yelling: -“_Todd! Todd! Todd! Todd!_” in the most piercing tones about four -inches from Clem’s left ear. Clem, though, failed to comment on the -phenomenon at the time, being extremely busy enticing Todd to the -finish with both voice and gesture! - -It was somewhere about three hundred yards short of the line that Jim -realized that defeat was not necessarily to be his portion, that Newt -Young’s admirable grace and form were at last lacking and that that -youth was probably as tired as Jim Todd was. Jim devoutly hoped he was -even more tired, although he couldn’t conceive of such a thing! Any one -who has taken a header in an ice race knows that it produces a most -enervating effect and, for a time at least, leaves one in a painfully -breathless condition. Perhaps Jim recalled that, in his opinion, -superfluous tap on the nose of some three months previous, and perhaps -the recollection of that painful indignity urged him to superhuman -effort. That as may have been, the runaway windmill kept on closing the -gap, slowly but inexorably. - -The distance between the two dwindled from eight yards to half that -many, from four yards to two, from two to one! They were almost stride -for stride as they swept down on the finish line. Young, suddenly -aware of the loss of his advantage, seemed at once incredulous and -disheartened. There was a brief instant when he faltered, and in that -instant Jim swept into the lead. Perhaps thirty yards still lay before -the adversaries, and Young seized on his courage and determination -again. But once in the lead Jim was not to be headed. Indeed, it seemed -that until the instant of passing Young he had not shown what real -speed was! The tall youth found in those last few yards some joints -he had not suspected the possession of, made surprising use of them, -swayed, bent, buckled and threshed down the ice with the lithe grace -of a camel with a hundred-mile gale behind it, and gyrated across the -finish line a good eight yards ahead of his adversary! - -The sons of Maine went crazy, every one yelled and the official -timekeeper proclaimed that the school record had been burst into -infinitesimal fractions! As no one seemed to know what the Alton -Academy record for the two miles was, the present time of six minutes -and forty-one seconds was accepted as something to cheer for. So every -one cheered again. And about that time Young pushed through to Jim Todd -and shook hands with him, and Jim grinned and forgot to say anything -about that incident on the gridiron, and every one went home. - -But Jim Todd leaped into mild and momentary fame, and for some weeks -was pointed out as “that long drink of water who beat Newt Young on -the ice and broke the school record for the mile or two miles or -something.” Perhaps his fame would have lived longer if, at about that -time, Alton hadn’t played her final hockey game with Kenly Hall and -smeared up the Cherry-and-Black to the tune of 7 goals to 3, a feat -which, after last season’s defeat for Alton, was hailed with joy and -loud acclaim and resulted later in the election of Clement Harland to -succeed himself as captain of the team. Since Clem had been the first -youth to get the hockey captaincy in his junior year in the history of -that sport at Alton, he was now possessor of the unique distinction of -being the only hockey captain ever serving two terms. Mart sniffed and -said he hoped Clem wouldn’t get a swelled head over it, but that he -probably would and so wouldn’t be fit to live with much longer! - -Whether Clem was fit to live with or wasn’t, it strangely happened that -Mart never had an opportunity to reach a decision in the matter, for -after Spring recess Mart came back to Alton with a vast distaste for -exertion and a couple of degrees of temperature that he hadn’t had when -he went away. A day later he went to the infirmary and there he stayed -until well into May with a case of typhoid that seemed to give much -satisfaction to the doctor in charge but that failed to please Mart’s -parents to any noticeable degree. It was a strange, washed-out looking -Mart who rolled away one morning in an automobile for the station on -his way home, and while his smile was recognizable by Clem the rest -of him seemed strange and alien. Mart managed a joke before the car -started off, but it was such a weak, puerile effort that Clem found it -easier to cry than laugh over. - -During the rest of the term Clem saw more of Jim Todd than ever, for -Jim had been sincerely concerned about Mart and had offered all sorts -of well-meant but impossible services during the illness, and Clem -had liked the kindness and thoughtfulness shown. Besides, Clem felt -a bit lonesome after Mart’s departure, and Jim was handy. On one or -two occasions Clem even climbed to the upper floor and endured the -presence of Bradley Judson for the sake of Jim. Judson, who shared the -sloping-ceilinged room with Jim, was no treat, either, according to -Clem! - -At home, Mart wrote an occasional brief letter. He said he was getting -along finely, but the letters didn’t sound so. Jim, however, who, it -turned out, had seen typhoid fever before, reassured Clem. Typhoid, -declared Jim, left you pretty low in your mind and weak in your body, -and it took a long while for some folks to get back where they had -been. So Clem took comfort. And then June arrived suddenly, and the -school year was over. - -Toward the end of July, Clem, who was leading a life of blissful -ease at the Harland summer home in the Berkshires, received a letter -from Jim. He didn’t know it was from Jim until he had looked at the -bottom of the second sheet, for the writing was strange to him and the -inscription on the envelope--“Middle Carry Camps, Blaisdell’s Mills, -Me.”--failed to suggest the elongated Mr. Todd. Clem tucked his tennis -racket under his arm, seated himself on the lower step of the porch -and, seeking the beginning of the missive, wondered what on earth Jim -was writing about. He wouldn’t have been much more surprised had the -letter been from the President and summoning him to Washington to -confer on the Tariff! He hadn’t seen or heard from Jim since June, and, -since life had been full of a number of things, hadn’t thought of him -more than a dozen times. And now Jim was writing him a two-page letter -in queer up-and-down characters and faded ink on the cheap stationery -of a Maine sporting camp! - - “Friend Harland (Clem read): I guess you’ll be surprised to - get a letter from me and will wonder what in tuck I am writing - about. I just heard last week that Mart Gray’s folks have taken - him to Europe and that he will not be back to school this next - year. I’m right sorry he don’t pick up faster, but that’s the - way it is with typhoid lots of times. What I’m writing about is - whether you have made any arrangement with any other fellow to - room in with you. You see, Harland, it is like this. I wasn’t - very well fixed where I was last year. Judson is all right, I - guess, only I don’t cotton to him much. And I was thinking that - perhaps if you didn’t have any fellow in view to room in with - you now that Gray won’t be back, perhaps you wouldn’t mind me. - Of course, you may have some other in mind. I guess likely you - have, but I thought there wouldn’t be any harm in asking. - - “I’m right easy to get along with and I’m neat about the place. - I guess that’s about all I can say for myself, but you know me - well enough to know that we would likely get along pretty well - together if you thought well of the notion. Anyway, I’d like - you to answer this when you get time and let me know. It will - be all right just the same if you don’t like the notion or have - made other arrangements. I just thought I’d take a chance. - - “I’m up here at this place guiding. I’m just a local guide. - I’m having a right good time and the pay is pretty fair. There - are about seventy folks here this month and lots of women and - children. Mostly I look after the women and kids, take them - out in the boats or canoes and fishing. There’s good fishing - here all right, and if you ever want to catch some good bass - you come to this camp some time. I guess you wouldn’t be able - to come up for a spell this summer. I would show you where you - could catch them up to three pounds and no joking. The regular - guides here are a fine lot of fellows, and we have some pretty - good times. They eat you well, too, here. I’d like for you to - come on up if you could, if only for a week. I would guarantee - you to catch more fish here in a week than you would most - anywhere else in a month. Well, let me hear from you, please, - pretty soon, because whatever way you say I’m going to see if I - can’t make a change this fall. I hope you are having a pleasant - summer. Yours sincerely, James H. Todd.” - -Clem smiled when he had finished the letter. Then he frowned. It was -going to be rather awkward. How could he tell Jim that he didn’t want -him for a room-mate without hurting the chap’s feelings? “It will be -all right just the same if you don’t like the notion or have made other -arrangements.” Clem reread the sentence and smiled wryly. It was all -well enough for Jim Todd to say that, but Clem knew very well that it -wouldn’t be “just the same.” The difficulty was that he hadn’t made -other arrangements. He might tell Jim that he had, but that would be -a lie, and Clem didn’t like lies. Besides, Jim would find out he had -lied, and be a lot more hurt than if he had been told the unflattering -truth! Clem wished mightily that he could have foreseen this situation -and written to Mr. Wharton, the school secretary, as soon as the -tidings of Mart’s withdrawal had come. Wharton would have arranged -things for him in a minute. Instead, though, he had kept putting the -matter off, and now this had happened. Gosh! - -Clem recalled the fantastic figure that had wandered into Number -15 that afternoon. If the fellow would only dress less like a--a -backwoodsman--it would be something. Then Clem recalled the fact that -toward the end of the Spring term Jim had looked a great deal more -normal as to attire. Clem sighed perplexedly. He liked Jim, too, he -reflected. There were lots of nice traits in the fellow. In fact, after -Mart had gone home he had preferred Jim’s society to that of most -of the other chaps he knew in school; and he knew a good many, too. -Then what was wrong with having Jim for a room-mate? Clem pondered -that for some time. “Raw” appeared to be the most damaging charge he -could bring against the applicant, and that didn’t seem to him an -altogether sufficient indictment. Clem had never suspected himself of -being a snob, but just now the possibility occurred to him abruptly and -unpleasantly. To get away from the idea he reread Jim’s letter, and -this time he read as much between the lines as in them. - -It had taken courage to write that letter, he told himself. He would -wager that Jim had put it off more than once and had made more than -one false start. There was a humility all through it that was almost -pathetic when one remembered that the writer wasn’t much under six feet -in height! Yes, and he wasn’t so small other ways, Clem reflected. -Considering that he had entered Alton without knowing a soul there, -and had burst smack into the junior year, too, Jim had done pretty -well. He was no pill, even if he did wear queer things and could be -held accountable for the epidemic of loud-plaid mackinaws that had -raged violently throughout the school in the late Winter! He had -flivvered at football, to be sure, but he had won momentary fame as -a skater, and he had organized the Maine-and-Vermont Club. That last -feat proved pretty conclusively, thought Clem, that the fellow had -something in him. After all, then, the worst you could say of him was -that he was--Clem searched diligently for the word he wanted and found -it--uncouth! - -His thoughts went back to the afternoon when Jim Todd had first edged -into view and to Mart’s almost impassioned utterances just previous -thereto. Clem smiled. Mart had been hankering for new types and then -Jim had walked in quite as if he had been awaiting his cue off-stage! -Clem’s smile, though, was caused by the recollection that Mart hadn’t -been nearly so enthusiastic about “new blood” in the concrete--meaning -Jim Todd--as he had been in “new blood” in the abstract! Mart -had tolerated Jim, but had never derived much pleasure from the -acquaintanceship. Old Mart was a heap more conservative than he had -thought himself! - -Then, thinking of Mart, Clem remembered how perfectly corking Jim had -been during Mart’s illness. If he hadn’t done a great deal to help it -was only because there had been so little he could do. He had always -been ready, always eager, always sympathetic. Yes, and there were -those two days when poor old Mart had been so beastly sick, and Clem -had worried himself miserable, or would have if Jim hadn’t sort of -stuck around and kept telling him that folks could be awfully ill with -typhoid and yet pull out all hunky; that he’d seen it more’n once. Why, -come to think of it, there had been three or four days when Jim had -been with him half the time! How had he done it? He must have missed -class more than once, and as for studying--well, he just couldn’t have -studied! - -Clem got up very suddenly, stuffed Jim’s letter in a pocket of his -white flannels and stared savagely at an inoffensive palm in a gray -stone jar. But though he looked at the palm he didn’t seem to be -addressing it when he spoke, for what he said was: “Clem, you’re a -low-lived yellow pup! Get it?” - - - - -CHAPTER V - -A NEW TERM BEGINS - - -Clem returned to school the day before the beginning of the Fall term -to find Alton looking sun-smitten and feeling exceedingly hot. The air, -after the fresh, sweet breezes of the Berkshires, seemed stale and -stifling, although when the cab had borne him past the business section -of the town and residences surrounded by lawns and gardens and shaded -by trees had taken the place of brick blocks there was a perceptible -change for the better. It had been a dry summer and the campus showed -it as Clem was hurried up Meadow street. The trees looked droopy and -the grass parched. The buildings lined across the brow of the campus -had a deserted appearance, with only here and there a window open to -the faint stir of air. He almost wished he had waited until to-morrow. - -The cab swerved to the right, proceeded a short distance along the -gravel and stopped with a sudden setting of squeaking brakes in front -of the first building. Clem helped the driver upstairs with the trunk, -their feet echoing hollowly in the empty corridors. Number 15 was hot -and close, and Clem sent the two windows banging up even before he -paid the cabman. When the latter had gone clattering down again Clem -removed his jacket and looked speculatively about him. The old room -looked sort of homelike, after all, he concluded. He was glad that Mart -had decided to leave his furnishings and pictures for the present. Jim -Todd’s possessions up in Number 29, as Clem recalled them, were few and -more useful than ornamental! Of course, Clem could have spread his own -pictures and things about a bit more, but they’d probably have looked -sort of thin. He opened the door of Mart’s closet and the drawers of -his chiffonier and sighed as he saw what a deal of truck there was -to be packed. However, he had the rest of the afternoon and most of -the morning for his task. He routed a packing-case of Mart’s from the -basement store-room, tugged it up to the room and started to work. - -At five o’clock he had made the disconcerting discovery that Mart’s -clothing and books and small possessions, which had seemed to bulk so -large before, wouldn’t fill the big box more than three-quarters full, -and had thrown himself into a chair to consider the fact and cool off -when footsteps sounded below the window and then came nearer up the -stairs. Then a voice sounded. - -“You up there, Clem?” - -“Yes! Come on up!” - -“Saw your window open,” panted Lowell Woodruff as he came in, looking -very warm, “and thought you must be up here. How are you?” The two -shook hands, and Lowell subsided on the window-seat. “What’s brought -you back so early?” - -Clem pointed to the packing-case. “Mart’s not coming back this fall, -and I’ve got the job of getting his stuff packed up and shipped home to -him.” - -“Oh! Yes, I heard he was off to the Continong, lucky brute! What price -a winter on the Riviera, eh? Some guys get it soft! Who’s coming in -here with you?” - -“A chap named Todd. You know him, I guess. He’s in our class.” - -“Jim Todd? Sure I know him! And I’d like to meet up with the silly ass, -too. He got notice to report for early practice, and he hasn’t shown -hide nor hair.” - -“Football?” Clem laughed. “I don’t believe you’ll catch him, Woodie. -Didn’t you know he tried it last year and resigned?” - -“Crazy nut!” said Lowell disgustedly. “Sure, I knew it, but that’s got -nothing to do with this year. Listen, that guy ought to be able to play -football, Clem. He was all right for a fellow who didn’t know anything -about it, but he didn’t get handled right, see? He’s queer. Stubborn, -too, sort of. And Dolf Chapin wouldn’t see it. You know Dolf. Thinks -every one’s got to dance when he fiddles. Todd got discouraged and told -Dolf so and Dolf laughed at him and told him to quit his kidding. Bet -you I could have kept Todd going and made him like it.” - -“Why didn’t you?” asked Clem. - -“What chance? You know Dolf. Nice guy and all that, but no one else -must say a word when he’s around. An assistant coach here hasn’t any -say about anything. All he does is run errands and pick up things that -the players throw down. I could see that Todd was getting tired and--” - -“You really think he could play?” asked Clem incredulously. - -“Jim Todd? Sure he could! Why not? Put twenty pounds on him--” - -“How would you do it?” - -“Feed him up, of course. Pshaw, fellows like him don’t know what to -eat. Three weeks at training table would put the tallow on him so you -wouldn’t know him!” - -“Wasn’t he at table last Fall?” - -“No. He would have been if he’d stuck a few days longer, I guess, but -there were six or eight fellows who didn’t come to the table until -after the Hillsport game. That was another of Dolf’s fool notions.” - -“How many fellows have you got here now?” - -“Fourteen. Billy Frost didn’t show up; missed a steamer or something; -and a couple more failed us. Your friend Todd was one. He didn’t even -write and tell us to chase ourselves, drat him! And we need another -tackle like thunder.” - -“Tackle!” Clem whistled. Then he chuckled. “Gosh, Woodie, I can’t see -Jim Todd playing tackle! How’d you happen to send him a call, anyway? -Thought you only had the old players back for this early season stunt.” - -“We needed tackles, like I’m telling you, and both Johnny and I liked -Todd’s looks last season, and there weren’t many fellows for the -position. Doggone it, Clem, you don’t realize that we lost most of the -team last June!” - -[Illustration: We lost most of the team last June.] - -“How come? Billy Frost, Charley Levering, Fingal, Whittier--” - -“Oh, sure! And ‘Pep’ Kinsey and ‘Rolls’ Roice; but outside of Billy -and Gus Fingal and Pep Kinsey they’re all new men, aren’t they? Sure, -they played against Kenly, but that don’t make ’em veterans! We’ve got -to build a whole new team--pretty near, Clem. That’s why I want all -the fellows I can get who happen to know a football from a chocolate -sundae, and that’s why I’d like to see this here Jim Long-legged Todd -and tell him what I think of him!” - -“Stick around until to-morrow and you’ll get a chance. But I don’t -believe you’ll dent him any. I guess he’s through with football, if he -ever began.” - -“Can’t help that, old son. We’ve got to have him; him and two or three -others who quit last year for one reason or another; usually on account -of trouble with the office. I’m gunning for ’em. Say, Clem, you might -help a bit, you know.” - -“How?” - -“Well, you and Todd are sort of thick, I suppose. He’d listen to you, -wouldn’t he?” - -“Maybe. Meaning you want me to talk him around to going back? Any -inducements?” - -“How do you mean inducements?” asked Lowell suspiciously. - -“Well, a banana royal at The Mirror, for instikance.” - -“Sure! Just the same, it’s Johnny who ought to pay for it. It isn’t my -funeral whether any one plays or doesn’t play, is it?” - -“Well, you’re manager, aren’t you?” laughed Clem. “What’s the manager -for if not to do the dirty work and foot the bills? Besides, you’ll -work that banana royal into the expense account somehow!” - -“A fat chance!” scoffed Lowell. “Why, you can’t buy a pair of -shoe-laces without showing a voucher for it! Oh, well, I’ll stand for -your drink.” - -“No, I’ll let you off, Woodie. But don’t bank too much on seeing Todd -out there. I’ll do what I can, but when you said he was a nut you spoke -a mouthful. By the way, who’s your trusty lieutenant this year?” - -“A fellow named Barr, Johnny Barr. Know him? Not a bad sort, Johnny. -There’s likely to be some confusion, though. Some day I’ll yell -‘Johnny’ and Johnny Cade will think I’m getting fresh and crown me!” - -“I hope I’m there,” laughed Clem. “Where are you eating to-night?” - -“Anywhere you say, if you’re host.” - -“Nothing doing. I’m talking Dutch. How about the Beanery?” - -“All right. What time? I’m going to get under a shower before I’m ten -minutes older. It was as hot as Tophet on that field to-day!” - -“Say half-past six. I’ll meet you in front of Upton.” - -“You will not. I’m in Lykes this year. Got the room Spence Halliday -had; Number 9; hot stuff!” - -“No! Who’s with you? Billy Frost?” - -“No, ‘Hick’ Powers. Come and see our magnificence. Should think you’d -have changed, Clem.” - -“What for? You’ve got nothing in your dive the Lykes of this!” - -“Oh, good _night_! I’m off! Six-thirty, eh? If I’m not there, step -inside and yell. So long!” - -“Wait a minute! Listen, Woodie. What would you do with this junk? -There’s only enough stuff to fill that case about three-quarters full, -and if I ship it like that it’ll be an awful mess when it arrives, I -guess. What’s the answer?” - -“Stick in some of your own things.” - -“No, but really! No joking, Woodie. What would--” - -“Have a heart! Have a heart!” Lowell waved his hands protestingly at -the doorway. “Boy, I’ve got _problems_! Don’t pester me with trifles -like that!” - -The football manager was off, taking the stairs four at a time. Clem -went to the window and leaned over the sill. When Lowell emerged from -the doorway below he hailed him. - -“Oh, Woodie!” - -“Yeah, what you want?” Lowell peered up blinkingly through the sunlight. - -“Listen, Woodie,” went on Clem earnestly. “Haven’t you got half a dozen -old footballs over at the gym that you can’t use?” - -“Old foot-- Say, what’s your trouble? What do you want ’em for?” - -“To fill up this box,” jeered Clem. “Run along, sonny!” - -Clem didn’t pass a very restful night. For one thing, Number 15 -Haylow was hot and stuffy. Then, too, Clem and Lowell Woodruff and -two other fellows had sought to mitigate the heat of the evening by -partaking of many and various concoctions of ice cream and syrups, -and his stomach had faintly protested for some time. He awoke in the -morning, scandalously late, from what seemed to have been a night-long -succession of unpleasant dreams. But a bath and breakfast set him -right, and afterwards he completed the packing of Mart’s belongings. -By rummaging about in the store-room he collected enough pieces of -corrugated straw-board and excelsior and old newspapers to fill the -top of the packing-case after a fashion, and he hammered the lid down -with vast relief, addressed it with a paper spill dipped in the ink -bottle and pushed it into the corridor. A visit to the express office -completed his responsibilities, and, since it was then only a little -after ten, he returned to school and took the path that led, between -Academy and Upton Hall, and past the gymnasium, to the athletic field. - -Morning practice was already in full swing when he reached the -gridiron, and the small squad of perspiring youths were throwing and -catching, punting and chasing half a dozen pigskins about the field. -Clem greeted the trainer, whose real name was Jakin but who was never -called anything but Jake, was introduced by Lowell to Johnny Barr, -the assistant manager, and exchanged long-distance greetings with -several of the players. Then he found a seat on the edge of the green -wheelbarrow in which Peter, Jake’s underling, trundled the football -paraphernalia back and forth from the gymnasium and looked on. It -wasn’t a vastly interesting scene. Clem, who, while he thoroughly -enjoyed watching a football contest, had never felt any urge to play -the game, wasn’t able to get any thrill from watching practice. He -amused himself identifying some of the candidates, not such an easy -task when old gray jerseys, ancient khaki pants and disreputable -stockings comprised the attire of each and every one and effectually -disguised individuality. There, however, was Gus Fingal, the captain, -tall, with hair the color of new rope; and Charley Levering, taller -and lighter and as black of head as a burnt match; and Pep Kinsey, a -solid chunk of a youth slated for quarter-back position. And the big, -square fellow was, of course, Hick Powers, and the long-legged chap -farther down the field who was trying drop-kicks none too successfully -was Steve Whittier. The others Clem couldn’t place until Lowell came -to his assistance. Lowell pointed out Roland Roice--it was fated that -he should be known as ‘Rolls’!--Sawyer, Crumb, Cheswick, two or three -others, but Clem wasn’t greatly interested. Later, Coach Cade came off -the field and shook hands. Johnny, as he was called by the fellows, -though not to his face, was perspiring freely, and his face was the -color of a ripe tomato. The coach was a short man, perhaps twenty-eight -years of age, with a broad, solid body, a head of thick, bristle-like -black hair and two sharp eyes set wide apart. Clem reflected, not for -the first time, that Johnny Cade must have been a bad man to say “Whoa” -to on a football field in his playing days! He had a regular fighting -chin under that smiling mouth of his. Just now, having exchanged -greetings with Clem, he was mopping his face with the sleeve of a -tattered jersey. - -“Hot, isn’t it?” he asked. “We’ve had nearly a week of it here. -Mean weather for football work. We usually get it about like this -every Fall, though. Sometimes I doubt that this pays very well; this -before-season practice. I don’t know but that we’d get along just as -well without it. But as long as the other fellow does it I suppose -we’ve got to. You look well, Harland.” Then his smile deepened. “Lucky -for you, though, you’re not in my gang. You’d lose about ten pounds on -a day like this!” - -“I guess so,” agreed Clem. “Fact is, Mr. Cade, I’ve been pretty lazy -this summer. Played some tennis and a few games of golf, and that’s -about all.” - -“Tennis? Seems to me tennis ought to have kept you harder than you -look.” - -“Well, it wasn’t very strenuous, you see. Mixed doubles usually.” - -“He can’t keep away from the girls, Coach,” interpolated Lowell, -shaking his head sadly. “By the way, Clem here is rooming with that -Todd guy that didn’t R. S. V. P. to our invitation, and I told him he’d -be held accountable for Todd’s appearance on this here field not later -than one day hence.” - -“That so? Good idea. We want all the promising material we can get, -Harland.” - -“You think Todd is promising, then, sir?” - -“Why, yes, I’d say so. He gave us a mean deal last year, and I ought -to refuse to have anything more to do with him, but I can’t afford to -indulge my personal tastes. Todd looked to me like good material last -fall, and I told him that if he would buckle down and learn the game I -could pretty nearly promise him a job this year. But he got tired of -it and quit in the middle of the season. An odd chap. Stubborn, too. -He got my goat for fair, and I said some harsh things to him, but he -didn’t seem to mind much. About all I could get him to say was ‘I -guess I’d rather quit.’” - -“Well, as I told Woodie, Coach, I’ll speak to him, but I wouldn’t be -surprised if he didn’t see it.” - -“Huh!” said Lowell. “He’s got to see it! I’ll make his life a burden to -him until he does! You know me, Clem.” - -“Yes, indeed, Woodie, I know what a nuisance you can make of yourself. -Go to it, old son.” - -Mr. Cade chuckled at Lowell’s look of outrage and said: “Well, I -wouldn’t bother with him too much. If he doesn’t want to come out after -Harland’s talked with him I guess we’ll be better off without him. -After all, a man’s got to have some liking for football before he can -play it well.” - -Clem, Lowell and Hick Powers went to luncheon together after practice -was over and then repaired to Lowell’s room in Lykes and lolled about -for an hour or so, by which time the summer-long peacefulness of the -school was at an end. Taxi-cabs sped, honking, up Meadow street and -swirled into the drive that led along in front of the dormitories, -voices awoke echoes in the corridors, feet clattered on the stairs, -trunks banged and dust floated in at the window before which the three -boys, divested of coats and collars, lounged. “The clans gather,” -murmured Lowell. “Another year of beastly grinding begins. Ah, woe is -me!” - -Hick Powers, big, homely and good-natured, chuckled deeply. “Hear -him, Clem. The old four-flusher! Of all the snaps, he’s got it. Four -courses, mind you!” - -“How do you get that way?” demanded Lowell indignantly. “I’m taking six -the first half-year!” - -“Yeah, four required and two snaps! Bible History or--or Eskimo -Literature, or something! Gee, it doesn’t take much to get you guys -through your senior year!” - -“But think how we worked to get there!” laughed Clem. “You’re junior, -aren’t you, Hick?” - -“Sure! Finest class in school! First in war, first in peace, first--” - -“First at table,” ended Lowell. “What time is it?” - -“Twelve after two,” answered Clem. “Guess I’d better mosey along and -see if Jim Todd’s arrived.” - -“Oh, don’t go,” protested Lowell. “We’re just beginning to like you. -What time’s he due?” - -“I don’t know. Maybe he won’t get in until late. I suppose it takes -quite a while to get here from Maine.” - -“Sure. Two or three days. You do the first thousand miles on -snowshoes. Then you take a dog-sled at the trading post--” - -“You’re a nut,” laughed Clem. “I’m sorry for you, Hick. How do you -think you’re going to get through nearly nine months with him?” - -“Oh, he won’t get funny with me,” answered Hick comfortably. “I’ll -give him a paddling every now and then. I’ll make a new man of him by -Spring.” - -“You, you big flat tire!” responded Lowell. “It would take three like -you to paddle me! If it wasn’t so hot I’d box your ears for making a -crack like that right in front of visitors!” - -Clem’s progress from Lykes to Haylow was retarded by encounters with -several acquaintances, and once, having passed the corner of his own -building, he spent ten minutes with his arms on the window-sill of -a lower-floor room talking to the inmates of it. But he reached his -corridor eventually and found the door of Number 15 ajar. As he had -closed it behind him in the morning he reached the conclusion that Jim -had arrived, and when he had thrust it farther inward and crossed the -threshold he decided that the conclusion was correct. Then, as the -occupant of the room straightened up from the business of unpacking a -suit-case opened on the window-seat, he was in doubt for an instant. If -this was Jim, what had happened to him? - - - - -CHAPTER VI - -JIM REPORTS - - -After they had shaken hands, Clem took a good look at his new -room-mate. The change in Jim’s appearance was due to two things, he -decided. In the first place, Jim was dressed differently. He wore -trousers of a grayish brown, a white negligee shirt with a small blue -stripe, a semi-soft collar and a neatly tied dark-blue four-in-hand. -The shoes were brown Oxfords and evidently new. The coat that matched -the trousers was laid over the back of a chair. That suit, Clem -reflected, had probably cost very little, but it fitted extremely -well and looked well, too. Then Jim had filled out remarkably. He was -still a long way from stout, but there was flesh enough now on his -tall frame to take away the lanky look that had been his most striking -feature last year. He seemed to hold himself straighter, too, as though -he had become accustomed to his height, and to move with far less of -awkwardness. - -“What have you been doing to yourself?” asked Clem. - -Jim stared questioningly. Apparently he was not aware of any change, -and Clem explained. “Well, you look twenty pounds heavier, Jim; maybe -more; and--” But he stopped there. To approve his present attire would -be tantamount to a criticism of his former. - -“Yes, I guess I am heavier,” replied Jim. “I got mighty good food up -at Blaisdell’s, and a heap of it; and then I was outdoors most of the -time. Right healthy sort of life, I guess. Didn’t work hard, either; -not really _work_.” - -“I suppose it was pretty good fun,” mused Clem. “I’d liked to have got -up there for a few days, but it didn’t seem possible.” - -“Wish you had. I’d have shown you some real fishing. Like to fish, -Harland?” - -“N-no, I don’t believe I do. Maybe because I’ve never done much. But -it sounded pretty good, what you wrote, and if father hadn’t arranged -a motor trip for the last part of the summer I think I’d have gone up -there for three or four days.” - -“Guess you thought that was pretty cheeky, that letter of mine,” said -Jim consciously. - -“Not a bit,” Clem assured him heartily. If he had, he had forgotten it -now. “Awfully glad to have you, Jim.” - -“I hope you mean that.” Jim laughed sheepishly. “I tried hard to -get that letter back after I’d posted it, but it happened that the -fellow who carried the mail out got started half an hour earlier that -morning, and I was too late.” - -“Glad you were,” said Clem, and meant it. “Hope you don’t mind having -Mart’s things left around. He thinks now he will come back next year -and finish out.” - -Jim looked about the room and shook his head. “Mighty nice,” he said. -“I’ve got a few things upstairs that I’ll have to move out, but they -ain’t scarcely suitable for here: there’s a cushion and a couple of -pictures and a sort of a thing for books and two, three little things -besides.” - -“Bring them down and we’ll look them over,” said Clem. “What you -don’t want to use can go in your trunk when you send it down to the -store-room. Don’t believe we need any more cushions, though.” He -thought he knew which of the cushions in Number 29 was Jim’s! “Too much -in a place is worse than too little, eh?” - -“I suppose ’tis,” Jim agreed. “This room’s right pretty now, Harland, -and I guess those things of mine wouldn’t better it none.” - -“You’ll have to stop calling me ‘Harland’ sooner or later,” said Clem, -“so you might as well start now, Jim.” - -Jim nodded. “I was trying to work ’round to it,” he answered. “Guess -I’ll go up and get those things of mine out of 29.” - -“I’ll give you a hand,” said Clem. - -It was not until late that evening that Clem found an opportunity to -broach the subject of football. “By the way,” he said, “Lowell Woodruff -was in yesterday. He’s football manager, you know. Said he’d sent you a -call for early practice and that you hadn’t made a yip.” - -“Why, that’s right,” replied Jim. “I found a letter from him when I -got home three days ago. You see, after I left Blaisdell’s I went over -Moose River way with another fellow for a little fishing. Got some -whopping good trout, too. So I didn’t get back to Four Lakes until -Monday. Then I didn’t know if I’d ought to answer the letter or not. He -didn’t say to.” - -“No, I fancy he expected you’d show up. Well, there’s no harm done, I -guess. Be all right if you show up to-morrow afternoon.” Clem spoke -with studied carelessness and stooped to unlace a shoe. - -“Show up?” asked Jim. “Where do you mean?” - -“On the field. For practice. You’re going to play, of course.” This was -more an assertion than a question. - -“No,” said Jim, “I tried it last fall and quit. It takes a lot of a -fellow’s time, and then I ain’t--I’m not much good at it.” - -“Well, Jim, you’ll have a lot more time this year than you had last, -you know. And as for being good at it, why, Johnny Cade said only this -morning that you looked like promising stuff. Better think it over.” - -“You mean Mr. Cade is looking for me to play?” - -“Of course he is. You see, the team lost a good many of their best -players last June and Johnny’s pretty anxious to get hold of all the -material he can. I gathered from what Woodie said that they are looking -to you to fit in as a tackle.” - -“Tackle? He’s the fellow plays next to the end, ain’t he? Well, I don’t -see what he’d want me back again for, after the way he laid me out last -year.” Jim chuckled. “Gosh, he ’most tore the hide off me, Clem!” - -“Well, if you ask me, it was sort of cheeky, throwing him down in the -middle of the season, Jim, and I can’t say I blame him for getting -a bit waxy about it. However, he’s all over that. He isn’t holding -anything against you; I’ll swear to that; and if you go out you’ll get -treated right. Johnny and Woodie both believe in you as a football -player, Jim.” - -“If they do,” laughed Jim in a puzzled way, “they’ve got more faith -than I have. Why, honest, Clem, I don’t know much about the game, even -after what they showed me last fall, and I can’t say that I’m keen -about it, either. I always thought playing games was supposed to be -fun, but I call football mighty hard work!” - -“What of it? Aren’t afraid of hard work, are you? You know, Jim, a -fellow has a certain amount of--of responsibility toward his school. I -mean it’s his duty to do what he can for it, don’t you see? Now, if you -can play football--” - -“But I can’t, Clem.” - -“You don’t know. Johnny Cade says you can. Johnny’s a football -authority and ought to know.” - -Jim was silent a moment. Then he asked, almost plaintively: “You want I -should play, don’t you?” - -“Why, no, Jim. That is--well, I want you to do what you want to do. Of -course, if you think--” - -“Yes, but you think I ought to,” Jim persisted. “That’s so, ain’t it?” - -“I think,” responded Clem judicially, “that as long as Johnny Cade -wants you, and as long as you have no good reason for not playing, you -ought to try. I don’t want to influence you--” - -Clem became aware of Jim’s broad grin and ran down. Then: “What you -laughing at, confound you?” he asked. - -“Wasn’t laughing,” chuckled Jim. “Just smiling at the way you don’t -want to influence me.” - -“Well, suppose I do?” asked Clem, smiling too. “It’s for the good -of the football team, Jim. And, if you must have the whole truth, I -promised Woodie I’d talk to you. And I have. And now it’s up to you. -You do just as you please. Guess you know best, anyway.” - -“Well, maybe I haven’t got any good reason for not playing this year, -or trying to,” mused Jim, enveloping himself in an enormous nightshirt. -“I don’t think I’ll ever make a good football player, but if those -folks want I should try, and you want I should--” - -“Hang it, Jim, don’t drag me into it! I’d feel to blame every time you -got a bloody nose!” - -“--I don’t mind doing it,” concluded Jim. “Last year it didn’t seem -like I was really needed out there. Maybe this year it will be -different. Maybe Mr. Cade can make me into a tackle. If he can he’s -welcome. Maybe after I’ve been at it a while I’ll get to like it. -Maybe--” - -“Maybe you’ll put out that light and go to bed,” said Clem. “Of course -you’ll like it. You’ll be crazy about it after a week or two, or a -month or two, or--” - -“Well, if I got so I could really play,” said Jim musingly, as the -light went out, “maybe I would. You can’t tell.” - -The next afternoon, having resurrected the football togs he had worn -the season before, Jim went dutifully over to the field and stood -around amongst a steadily growing gathering of old and new candidates. -He found several fellows that he knew well enough to talk to, but, -having arrived early, much of his time was spent in looking on. He -observed the coming of Peter, preceded by a wheelbarrow laden high with -necessities of the game, the subsequent appearance of Manager Woodruff -and Assistant Manager Barr, the latter apparently weighted down with -the cares of all the world, and then the arrival of Coach Cade, in -company with Captain Gus Fingal. By that time fully sixty candidates -were on hand and balls were beginning to hurtle around. Formalities -were dispensed with to-day. Mr. Cade clapped his hands briskly and -announced: “Give your names to Mr. Woodruff or Mr. Barr, fellows, and -hustle it up. Men reporting for the first time will start to work on -the other gridiron. Last-year fellows report to Captain Fingal here. -Let’s get going, Mr. Manager!” - -Jim gave his name and other data to Johnny Barr and went across to the -second team field. No one seemed interested in his presence there, and -he stood around a while longer. Eventually the new candidates stopped -coming, and Latham, a substitute quarter-back of last season, took them -in charge. Jim went through just such a program as had engaged him a -year ago. The afternoon, while not so hot as yesterday, was far too -warm for comfort, and the work was a whole lot like drudgery. He caught -balls and passed them, chased them and fell on them, awkwardly rolling -around the turf, made frantic and generally unsuccessful grabs at them -as Latham sent them bouncing away, and then, after a few minutes of -rest, started all over again. At four-thirty he trotted two laps of the -field, keeping, by injunction, close to the edge of the cinder track. - -Save that he “weighed in” on the gymnasium scales the next afternoon, -while the worried looking Johnny Barr set the figures down against his -name, Saturday’s program was just like Friday’s. He wasn’t quite so -stiff Saturday night, though, as he had been after the first session. -Clem, feeling responsibility in the matter, asked how he had got along. -Jim said: “All right, I guess.” That’s about all he did say regarding -his football experiences for the next week. He had bought a book of -rules, and Clem observed that every evening he spent a matter of ten or -fifteen minutes on it. Once or twice he invited Clem’s aid, but Clem -wasn’t much use to him. - -“You know,” said Clem one evening, “you don’t really have to know the -rules by heart, Jim. You’re not going to referee; you’re just going to -play the game.” - -“I sort of like to know what it’s all about, though,” said Jim. “And -maybe,” he added, with a twinkle, “if the referee made a mistake I’d -want to be able to tell him.” - -“Yes, I’d try it,” scoffed Clem, who hadn’t seen the twinkle. “You’d -make a big hit all around!” - -He was “duck walking” and pushing the charging machine these days, for -he was listed as a lineman. And he was having his six goes regularly at -the tackling dummy, besides. His education was branching out. Perhaps -because he had been through the work last year he made steady progress, -although he was lacking in the experience of those of his companions -who had played football since they were twelve years old. At tackling -he was good, and he got praise more than once; and he was learning to -handle a ball in a safe, clean fashion, no longer treating it as if it -were an egg that might break if he was rude to it. At the end of the -first fortnight he was as good a football man as some twenty others -on the field and better than perhaps ten more. As that particular ten -ceased their connection with football shortly after the Banning High -game, Jim was left for a space superior to none. - -So far, save for a word in passing, he had held no communication with -Coach Cade, and if that gentleman felt any satisfaction over Jim’s -presence among the players he disguised it perfectly. Not that Jim had -expected any expression of gratitude, of course, but it was difficult -to reconcile Clem’s statement on that first night of the term with the -coach’s apparent complete indifference. Clem had declared that Mr. Cade -was anxious to have Jim report. And since he had reported, Mr. Cade had -never even noticed him. Jim reached the not unnatural conclusion that -Clem had slightly exaggerated the coach’s concern. - -Lowell Woodruff, though, fully atoned for any inattention on the -coach’s part. Lowell assured Jim more than once that he fully -appreciated the latter’s presence among the candidates, and he was -almost embarrassingly solicitous as to his welfare. In fact, his -efforts to keep Jim contented with his lot were so painstaking that Jim -got it into his head that the manager was making fun of him, and he -took a mild dislike to the well-meaning Lowell. As he made no mention -of the matter to Clem, the misunderstanding existed well into the -season. - -Alton played the local high school team, winning by 21 to 7 in a -long and uninteresting contest, and defeated Banning High School a -week later by 17 to 0. Jim watched both contests from the bench and -added considerably to his knowledge of the science in which he was -a beginner. But neither game produced any thrilling moments, and -Jim continued unmoved in his opinion that football was rather an -uninteresting pursuit and certainly not deserving of all the time -and attention given it. Then, after a week of practice that made the -preceding fortnight seem in retrospect a period of languid idleness, -Lorimer Academy visited Alton, and Jim’s conviction was slightly -shaken. - - - - -CHAPTER VII - -OFF-SIDE - - -Lorimer always gave a scrappy argument. In fact, she had on one -occasion argued so well that a tie score had resulted. This year she -looked better than usual when she went onto the field for practice, -and there were those on the stands who, perhaps naturally pessimistic, -shook their heads and predicted a defeat for the Gray-and-Gold. -They had reason on their side, too, for Lorimer was known to have a -practically veteran team while Alton’s team was still in the throes of -constructing itself around no more than four proven warriors. And the -visitors had superior weight in both line and backfield, although the -superiority was not vast. So the pessimists had plenty of arguments -with which to support their dismal prophecies. - -Coach Cade put his best foot forward when the game started, using the -best material he had in the hope of getting a safe lead in the first -half. After that he could use his substitutes with discrimination -and, he believed, hold the enemy at bay. But the safe lead didn’t -materialize according to his program. Gains through the Lorimer line -were few and difficult to make, and before the game was ten minutes old -it was apparent that, with the few plays Alton had at present, she was -going to be hard put to score unless the breaks came her way. In the -first period the only break came when Lorimer blocked Steve Whittier’s -try at a field goal on her thirty-three yards and a Lorimer tackle -scooped up the trickling ball and sped to Alton’s twenty-seven yards -before he was brought down from behind by Billy Frost. It looked very -much like a Lorimer score just then, and when the enemy had tossed a -forward pass across the center of the line for six yards more it looked -vastly more like it. It took Lorimer the next three downs to get the -rest of her distance and fetch up just inside the seventeen. Doubtless -the pessimists were gloomily happy then. But Lorimer didn’t have the -punch to score, for, after one smash at left tackle had been stopped, -an end run had lost half a yard and a forward pass had grounded near -the side-line, her try for a goal from near the twenty-five-yard line -failed. - -Alton had some success with a full-back run from kick-formation, Crumb -carrying the ball, and got off one forward-pass of twenty yards, Crumb -to Kinsey, and worked the pigskin back to mid-field and then into -Lorimer territory. But the invasion petered out in a punt that the -Lorimer quarter-back took on his five-yard-line and laid down finally -on his thirty-one. The Lorimer rooters thought well of that incident -and let the fact be known. Alton displayed scarcely any signs of -delight. That ended the first ten-minute quarter. - -As if to play even, Fortune favored the home team soon after the second -period began by giving her a chance to score when Billy Frost poked his -way outside tackle and got free for a thirty-eight-yard scamper that -put the ball down on the adversary’s twenty-six. Crumb hit the right -of center for two and got three more outside tackle. Billy Frost tried -the left end, was thrown for no gain, and Steve Whittier dropped back -to the thirty while Quarter-back Kinsey knelt on the turf in front of -him and held his hands out for the ball. Alton was all ready to burst -into triumphant cheers, for Steve was a good place-kicker, and the ball -was directly in front of the goal. But Alton was reckoning without -Mr. Loring Cheswick, center. Loring set himself firmly and carefully, -measured distance and noted direction and then sped the ball a foot -above Pep’s reach! - -So that ended that incident, except that Steve did all that was humanly -possible by chasing the bounding pigskin back to the forty-yard line, -gathering it up expeditiously and doubling back toward the Lorimer -goal. But the best he could do was to reach the thirty-four, close to -the side-line, where he was pulled to earth by no fewer than three -of the enemy. Alton seemed discouraged and Pep’s choice of plays was -not of the best. A plunge on the short side of the field netted but a -scant yard and didn’t take the runner over the side-line. Pep’s own -run to the left almost centered the ball but lost the first gain and -two yards more. A fake kick from placement, which fooled nobody, gave -Crumb four yards through center, and after a conference that was rudely -interrupted by the referee, Whittier punted to Lorimer’s three yards. - -Lorimer kicked promptly and got distance, and Pep was downed where he -caught. On the first play Levering, at left end, was caught off-side, -and Alton was set back to the forty-seven yards. Two downs failed to -gain, and Alton punted again. This time Pep got height but not much -more and the ball was Lorimer’s on her thirty-one when the catcher -was stopped. It was there and then that the visitor began a march up -the field that would not be denied. Three first downs brought her to -Alton’s thirty-seven. Coach Cade sent in fresh linemen to the number -of three and for a moment the advance faltered. Then a forward-pass -gathered in eight yards and a plunge at center brought another first -down. Progress was slower but still apparently sure, and Lorimer -reached the sixteen in four plays. There, however, with the time-keeper -hovering fatefully near, Alton dug her cleats and spoiled two attempts -at her line. From the fourteen yards Lorimer brought off a tricky -forward-pass that was shot across the goal-line from behind a wall of -moving interference. That pass failed badly, though, for the receiver -was not in position, and after the ball had been juggled by two Alton -backs it grounded. Had Lorimer fulfilled the expectations of the -audience she might have ended the first half with a three-point lead, -for it was only reasonable to suppose that a try-at-goal from the -twenty-four yards would succeed. But Lorimer, perhaps reasoning that -her opponent was certain to score before the game was over, in which -case three points would not be sufficient for a victory, decided on all -or nothing. With eight yards needed for a first down she set the stage -for a drop-kick and then shot her quarter-back on a wide run behind -good interference. For a moment it looked as if she was going to get -what she was after, for when the quarter turned in he went romping -straight for the goal-line, threw off two tacklers and seemed safe for -a touch-down. But Hick Powers saved the day for the Gray-and-Gold, -plunging into the runner and lifting him back into a fighting mêlée. -The referee whistled and dug his heel into the five-yard line, and -then, after a look at the rods, waved his hand up the field. Alton -shouted relief and triumph. After Whittier had punted from behind his -line the half ended. - -Jim went back to the gymnasium with the rest of the squad, feeling -for almost the first time that perhaps football did, after all, hold -compensations for all the drudgery and hard knocks entailed; that is, -if you were on the field instead of the bench! He began to wonder what -his chances were of ever taking a hand in a real contest, and what he -could do to better them. - -Mr. Cade’s talk before the players took the field again was brief -and energetic. Jim, listening attentively from the outer edge of the -circle, had lost his unsympathetic attitude. There was sense in what -Johnny was telling them, and reason. After all, it _did_ seem necessary -to lick Lorimer, and, if you granted that, then there was excuse enough -for all this intensity of purpose. Jim added his own voice to the cheer -that followed the coach’s final grim, “Let’s go get ’em!” - -There were changes in the line-up of each team when the ball was kicked -off again, but Alton presented more new faces than did her opponent. -There were new men in the line and two new men behind it. One of these -was Latham at quarter-back. Latham proved good medicine while he -stayed in, for Alton worked faster and with more vim than in the first -half. Yet for seven minutes of the ten neither team threatened. Then -a fumbled punt was recovered by Levering on Lorimer’s thirty-three -yards and suddenly the Gray-and-Gold visioned success and went after it -hard. Crumb, who had borne a great deal of the work in the first two -periods and had been taken out to rest, was hurried back and celebrated -his return with a fine off-tackle charge that took the ball to the -twenty-six. Latham gained a yard straight through center and Crumb made -it first down on the enemy’s twenty-two. - -An end run put away a scant two, and Frost was stopped trying to get -inside right tackle. Steve Whittier went back to the thirty-three -yards as though to try a goal, but the ball went to Crumb and the -full-back got another two through right guard. With six to go on fourth -down a field-goal seemed the only hope, for Alton’s passing game was -still undeveloped, and when Steve again went back the eyes of the -Lorimer sympathizers sought the cross-bar. But Steve didn’t kick the -ball when he got it. He lifted it in his right hand and stepped back -and out to the left. Then he shot it diagonally across toward the -right-hand corner of the field, where Levering was speeding toward the -goal-line. The right end looked over his shoulder, stopped abruptly, -letting a Lorimer back go past, and pulled the pass out of the air -on the seven yards. He made the four before he was forced over the -side-line. When the ball had been brought in and a winded Lorimer man -had been administered to, Crumb tried the right of center and made a -scant yard. Pandemonium reigned in the stands. Latham tried to knife -himself through center and added part of a second yard. Crumb again -went straight at center. It seemed that Alton was determined to make -that score there or not at all. The linesman’s little iron stick moved -forward another two feet. Fourth down and still about two to go. This -time Crumb went back a little farther from his line, and when, once -more, he took the pass from center he was going hard when he reached -the swaying lines. Playing desperately but playing low, Lorimer might -have withstood this final attack by the heavy full-back had he stayed -on his feet, but he didn’t. He went up and over, and although he was -soon borne back again, he had reached the last white line first, and -that long-deferred score had been won at last! - -When the last quarter started, a minute and a half after Captain Fingal -had missed the try-for-point by inches only, Coach Cade put back most -of his first-string players, and for the succeeding ten minutes of -playing time the Gray-and-Gold punted on first down as often as the -ball became hers inside her forty-yard line. She was frankly on the -defensive now and sought delay by all fair means. Twice, early in -the period, Lorimer started an advance by forward-passes that got -no farther than the thirty-five. The second one ended when Levering -intercepted a long heave and ran it back into enemy territory. On the -whole, that final quarter was all Alton’s, for the ball reached her -territory only three times and never stayed long. Lorimer’s passing -game failing her, she had little left to offer, for while her backs -could still gain through the opposing line the gains were too short to -score with. - -When the quarter was almost over, Coach Cade ripped his team apart and -put it together again with many new components. It was risky, but the -results upheld him. Jim Todd, never for an instant expecting the call -to duty, failed to hear it until a neighbor ejected him from the bench -with a rude hand at the back of his neck. Jim, blinking, found Coach -Cade beckoning. “Go in at left tackle,” he commanded. “Roice is out. -Report to the referee and don’t speak to another person until the first -play is over. Let’s see what you can do, Todd. If any one gets through -you you’ll hear from me!” - -Jim tried to remember all those instructions as he hurried on and -concluded that he had probably missed some of them. Probably he hadn’t, -though, for he fulfilled them all. No one threatened his position -seriously during the remaining three minutes of actual play. Or, if -any one did, Jim didn’t realize it. Once he got quite a thrill when a -scowling, dirt-smeared face crashed into his shoulder, and he seized a -writhing body and deposited it back where it had come from, and once -he got a terrific jar when, seeking to tackle a speeding Lorimer half, -he missed badly and landed, to the best of his knowledge, on the back -of his neck and did a wild and doubtless inelegant somersault. He -felt both hurt and foolish and wondered for an instant if any one had -observed his humiliation. There was, he concluded, quite a difference -between tackling the dummy and tackling an enemy runner. He made up -his mind that the next time he would do better. But, although he ran -around a good deal during the rest of the game, and got slightly winded -when some unknown person butted him in the stomach with a knee, he had -no opportunity to redeem himself as a tackler. To his surprise, he -discovered that he was considerably excited, so excited, in fact, that -after one play a horn squawked and a voice that Jim didn’t like at all -called: “Alton left tackle off-side!” - -“_Me?_” demanded Jim in tones of outrage. “Who says so?” - -He looked about for some one to discuss it with, but Pep Kinsey, back -at quarter, told him to shut up and watch what he was doing, and -then Lorimer’s signals came again and he had to accept the verdict. -Fortunately that five-yard set-back, occurring as it did well inside -Lorimer territory, made no real difference, and after a Lorimer back -had made a desperate effort to skirt the Alton left end and had been -piled on his head for a scant one-yard gain the game ended. - -Going back to the gymnasium, with the lessening cheers of the Alton -supporters in his ears, Jim tried to convince Charley Levering that -some one had done him a great injustice. But Charley only grinned and -said rudely: “You’re cuckoo, Todd. You were off-side a yard when the -ball moved.” - -“I was?” asked Jim, crestfallen, still incredulous. - -“Of course you were. I saw you myself, didn’t I? You’ve got to be -mighty clever to beat the ball and get away with it nowadays, Todd. If -I were you I’d cut it out.” - -“But I didn’t mean to! I didn’t know--” - -“That’s what we all say,” jeered Levering. “But all it gets us is five -yards--backward!” - -Jim was forced to the conclusion that the individual with the -unpleasant voice was probably right, after all. Jim recalled the fact -that at the moment he had been slightly excited. Maybe he had started -too soon. He wondered if Coach Cade would hold it against him. He must -take care not to do it again, anyhow! - -There was a meeting of the Maine-and-Vermont Club that evening and -Jim didn’t see Clem to talk to until bedtime. Then, to Clem’s utter -surprise, Jim began a narrative, a most detailed and exhaustive story -of the last three minutes of the afternoon’s contest. Jim recounted -what he had done, what he had failed to do, what he had thought and how -he had felt during every one of the, approximately, six hundred seconds -that he had been on the field. Clem let him run down. Then he said: -“Well, Jim, I’ll say you did mighty well.” - -Jim looked thoughtful while a slow smile encompassed his features. -“Well, I don’t know,” he answered modestly. “Do you really?” - -“I certainly do,” affirmed Clem emphatically. “Of course, Lorimer was -probably pretty well tuckered out by that time, but, just the same, for -you to keep them from scoring was quite a stunt.” - -“Well,” began Jim doubtfully. - -“If you’d had any help it would be different, Jim, but for you, alone -and unaided, to do a thing like you tell about was great!” - -“Alone?” faltered Jim, puzzled. “I didn’t say I was alone. Of course I -wasn’t alone, Clem!” - -“You weren’t?” Clem registered surprise. “Oh, my mistake, old son. -You see, you didn’t mention any one else and so I naturally concluded -that--” - -“Oh, gosh,” muttered Jim feebly. - -“So you had help, eh?” - -“For a rotten apple I’d punch your face,” replied Jim, grinning. -“Honest, I didn’t know I was bragging, Clem!” - -“I don’t think you were, Jim. I was just having my little joke. Anyway, -for a chap who couldn’t see football at all a couple of weeks ago you -seem to be at least faintly interested in it!” - -“I guess,” said Jim thoughtfully, “I’m going to like it!” - - - - -CHAPTER VIII - -JIM BUYS A FOOTBALL - - -As a room-mate Jim was, Clem soon decided, a very satisfactory -chap. They got on together excellently. Jim was not monotonous as -a companion, for while he might fairly be termed even tempered you -couldn’t call him good-natured in the popular meaning of the term. If -you expected to put anything over on Jim, relying on his good nature -to get away with it, you were in for a surprise. Clem realized that -without a demonstration. Jim would take a joke perfectly, but he had -a sense of dignity that prohibited liberties. That he was capable of -temper Clem didn’t doubt, although he held it well under control. - -When Jim had declared in his letter to Clem that he was “neat about -the place” he had, Clem soon decided, stated less than the facts. -Clem himself was certainly not untidy, but his idea of neatness and -Jim’s were wide apart. Jim looked after his part of Number 15 so -carefully and minutely that Clem’s half of the room suffered badly by -comparison. Clem said once: “You aren’t neat, Jim, you’re finnicky!” -For a fortnight Clem really suffered from such excess of tidiness, for -quite unconsciously Jim’s attentions were extended to his room-mate’s -territory and the book tossed on the table in the morning had -mysteriously disappeared by afternoon, to be discovered, after patient -search, neatly hidden under a pile of others. If he left his cap on his -bed, half an hour later it was gone. At first he used to look on the -floor for it and under the bed. Later he learned to go directly to his -closet and take it down from a hook. The second time this experience -fell to him he said: “Hang it all, Jim, what’s the idea? Here it is in -the closet. You must have put it there. I know I didn’t!” - -“Really?” asked Jim, surprised. “I don’t remember touching it. I’m -awfully sorry.” - -“Oh, it’s all right,” answered Clem, “but do you know what I think? I -think you must have been born in a filing cabinet!” - -Jim looked slightly blank, and Clem went out without elucidating. - -After some two weeks of life in Number 15 with Jim, Clem caught the -habit. He never attained to such perfection of orderliness as the -other’s, and doubtless to the end of their days together Jim secretly -considered Clem just a trifle careless about the room, but, just as -evidence of how thoroughly he had fallen under Jim’s spell, he once, -having reached the door on his way to chapel, returned the length of -the room to place his slippers more perfectly in alignment under the -head of the bed. It is doubtful, however, if Jim would have given him -any credit for that. Jim would have kept his slippers, had he owned a -pair, in his closet! - -At the beginning of the term the two were not together a great deal -outside of sleeping and study hours. Jim foregathered frequently with -certain members of the Maine-and-Vermont Club and Clem’s acquaintances -were not yet Jim’s. They might have been, for Clem suggested more than -once that his room-mate accompany him on his social excursions. But Jim -invariably had an excuse. The latter did meet two or three of Clem’s -circle of intimates, but the meetings were only casual. The school year -was a fortnight old when Jim first blossomed out in society. - -The occasion was a birthday party given by Arthur Landorf to Arthur -Landorf and some of Arthur Landorf’s friends. Much assistance, however, -was provided by Art’s parents, for they had sent a box holding -practically all the requirements of a birthday celebration, including a -frosted cake with seventeen pink candles. The affair was held in Number -20 Lykes, which room Art shared with Larry Adams. Art was a hockey and -baseball man and Larry a member of the second eleven. When Art invited -Clem he added: “And bring your room-mate, whatever his name is, if he -cares to come.” So Clem delivered the invitation to Jim and Jim started -to find an excuse, as usual. But Clem was fed up by now. - -“Stop it!” he said sternly. “I don’t give a continental if you’ve got a -dinner engagement with Doctor Maitland himself and are down to address -the faculty afterwards! You’re going with me to Art’s blow-out and you -might just as well make up your mind to it. Say, what’s the colossal -idea, anyhow? Aren’t my associates good enough for you?” - -“Oh, I don’t like to butt in on that crowd,” said Jim. “I ain’t their -sort, Clem. I--I haven’t got any parlor tricks.” - -“Parlor tricks! Who’s asking you to do tricks? You can sit on a chair -or a bed or something without falling off, can’t you? And you can say -‘Thank you’ when some one shoves a hunk of cake at you, I suppose. -Well, that’s all you have to do, you big lummox.” - -“We-ell, if you think I won’t be in the way,” said Jim dubiously, “and -this fellow really said to ask me--” - -“Oh, shut up,” grumbled Clem. “Would I be asking you if he didn’t? -Thursday night, old son, and don’t forget.” - -“Well, maybe--” - -“That’ll be all,” declared Clem. “It’s settled.” - -So Jim went along, somewhat subdued at first and hanging back when they -reached Number 20 Lykes, from beyond the closed door of which sounds of -merriment issued. But Clem herded him inside and shut off escape, and -then Jim was shaking hands with Art and assuring him that he was “glad -to make his acquaintance.” Whereupon, Art, not to be outdone, replied -gravely: “The pleasure is all mine, Mr. Todd,” and Jim made his way -through a sea of protruding legs to a seat in a far corner, fortunately -not observing the smiles that followed his progress. To his relief, he -presently discovered that he knew three of the party, at least to speak -to: Lowell Woodruff and Hick Powers and Larry Adams. The gathering was -presently completed by the arrival of Gus Fingal and George Imbrie, the -latter editor-in-chief of the school weekly, _The Doubleay_. The two -were amusingly unalike, for Imbrie’s short, slim form reached only to -the football captain’s shoulder, and whereas Gus’s big, square head was -radiant with tow-colored hair that looked almost silvery in the light, -Imbrie’s was clad in very dark locks slicked smoothly away from a pale, -intellectual forehead. Imbrie wore tortoise-shell “cheaters,” although -it was rumored that they were only for effect and aided his sight no -more than Harold Lloyd’s aided his! With the arrival of the last guests -the proceedings opened officially. That is, Art turned off the electric -light, switched aside a newspaper that had covered the birthday cake -and applied a match to the seventeen little pink candles. Loud applause -followed and then, at a signal from Larry Adams, Art tried to blow out -the candles in one mighty breath and failed because Gus slammed him -between the shoulders just then. After that the cake was cut--with a -clasp-knife for want of anything better--and the feast began. - -Some hosts might have kept the cake until toward the end of the repast, -but Art said it didn’t seem to him to matter whether you ate your cake -first or last, just so you got it, and so it was devoured right along -with the sandwiches and pickles and olives and ginger cookies and sweet -chocolate and all the other delicacies. Of the gathering, however, four -were out of luck, for although the football candidates at Alton were -allowed more leeway in the matter of diet than before the days of Coach -Cade, sweets were not in great favor, and so Jim, who, while not at -the training table, was still bound in honor to observe training table -rules, and Captain Gus and Powers and Adams had to be content with -homeopathic portions of cake and to confine the balance of their menu -to the sandwiches and olives. But there was plenty of tepid gingerale -and they fared well enough. - -Lowell Woodruff found a place next to Jim when the party reseated -itself and did his best to be agreeable. Jim, however, still viewed him -with suspicion and the conversation didn’t become animated, and after a -while Lowell gave up and turned to his neighbor on the other side. On -the whole, Jim didn’t have a very happy time at that party. Clem was -separated from him by the width of the room and hidden for the most -of the time by the table, and Jim felt rather out of it. He was glad -when Gus Fingal’s departure broke up the gathering. He tried to tell -his host politely that he had enjoyed his party, but was saved from -the untruth when one of the others pushed him outside. In the jostling -and confusion he got away without a word to Art. Returning to the next -dormitory, Clem did all the talking. Perhaps it didn’t occur to him to -ask if Jim had had a good time. At all events, he didn’t ask, and Jim -was glad of it. Jim was a poor liar, and knew it. - -That ended Jim’s social activities for some time. There were no more -birthday parties among Clem’s friends, but Clem tried on several -occasions to get Jim to accompany him on visits to other rooms, and Jim -thanked him and declined firmly. Clem called him a hermit. - -Following the Lorimer game Jim’s services were called on daily. -Sometimes he got into the scrimmage for only a handful of minutes, -infrequently he worked through a whole period. He had survived -the second and last cut and had taken his place on the squad as a -second-string tackle. There was even the possibility, indeed the -probability, of getting into the Kenly Hall game, for the roster of -tackles included only three others: Roice, Sawyer and Mulford. Jim was -the least experienced of the lot, and at this stage he knew perfectly -well that so far as playing ability went he was a bad fourth. But he -had hopes of becoming as good as Mulford, at least. In more optimistic -moments he even saw himself rivaling Willard Sawyer, who was the -present incumbent of the right tackle position. What he couldn’t -imagine was ever equaling Roice. “Rolls” was almost the best lineman on -the team. Only Captain Fingal was graded above him by popular opinion. - -Jim had not only held the weight he had brought back with him but had -added three pounds to it, and while, later on, he frequently dropped -those three during a hard afternoon, he always found them again. Had -Jim been more experienced he might well have wondered sometimes at -being retained on the squad. He had played football but three weeks -or so before the present season and had not during those three -weeks shown much ability. He was at least six pounds lighter than -the position called for, since Alton always presented a heavy line. -In general appearance, he did not suggest the ideal tackle. But Jim -had seen little football and so it didn’t occur to him that there was -anything unusual in his choice as a tackle. Not a few amateur critics, -however, declared that Todd might be end material but would never be -of any value as a tackle. He didn’t have enough weight, they said, and -what he had wasn’t distributed properly. Besides, who was he, anyway, -and what had he ever done to get where he was? - -But Coach Cade wasn’t making a very great mistake. If Jim was somewhat -lacking in weight--he was nine pounds lighter than Rolls Roice, for -instance--he possessed two other of the necessary qualifications of -a good tackle, and might later show that he had a third. Weight he -lacked, mental ability he had not shown, but physical speed and stamina -he did have. He was fast developing into the speediest candidate for -his position, and Coach Cade, who held speed in the deepest reverence, -was ready to forgive him many shortcomings. Also, Jim had hard muscles, -muscles developed in the open air and at a greater variety of strenuous -tasks than most boys know, and he had endurance. You might tire Jim, -but you couldn’t tire him out. At least, no one ever had. Jim’s father -could tell you of walking sixty miles between daybreak and sundown in -the old days of logging in Maine; and Jim looked a whole lot like his -father! Coach Cade couldn’t know of the boy’s stamina yet, but he did -suspect it, and as time went on he was able to indulge in not a little -self-gratulation, which is pleasant even to a football coach. - -Once having become thoroughly interested in the game, Jim learned -about twice as fast as he had before. At first he accepted instruction -without giving it much thought. Now he sought the reason for everything -he was taught, found it and understood what he was doing and why. Jim -liked to know the logic of what he undertook. If he couldn’t discover -a reason for doing a thing he didn’t do it unless some one forced him -to. Then he did it only half-heartedly. His rules book helped him a -lot. There were books that would have explained many things to him -and saved him much thought, but he didn’t know of them; and studying -things out for himself doubtless made him remember them better. He -amused Clem about this time--I am speaking of the week between the -Lorimer and Southport games--by buying a football of his own and -keeping it on the closet shelf. Several times daily he would take it -down and handle it; drop it on the floor and catch it as it rebounded, -place it on the floor and pick it up with one hand, his long fingers -wrapping themselves about the end like--as Clem phrased it--a starfish -on a quahog. Sometimes Clem would look up to find Jim with the ball -poised in his right hand as if he meant to hurl it straight through the -window, and always when he studied his rules book the brown leather -spheroid was in his lap. Clem told him one evening, in mild protest, -that he was sickening. - -“You fondle that silly thing like it was a baby! What’s the idea, Jim?” - -“Just want to--to get used to it,” replied Jim. “Want to know what I -can do with it. You see, shaped like it is, you can’t handle it just -like you can a round ball, Clem.” - -“My word! Think of that! And you discovered that all by yourself, too, -didn’t you?” - -“Shut up,” said Jim, grinning. “Say, just stand over there and toss me -a few, will you?” - -“Toss you-- No, I’ll be switched if I’m going to turn this room into -a gridiron. First thing I know you’ll be moving the furniture out and -kicking the thing around!” - -But he did toss the ball to Jim in the end, and Jim caught it various -ways, studying each way, while Clem looked on and waited for the return -of the ball with the expression of one humoring a lunatic. So far as -Clem ever discovered that ball was never taken out of Number 15, until -it went out for good, but it certainly saw a lot of handling there! - -The Thursday before the Southport game Jim played a full fifteen -minutes against the second team, and busy, strenuous minutes they were. -He had been tried at left tackle and right tackle, and had discovered -no preference, but to-day he went in between Smith, substituting -Captain Fingal, and Borden, the regular right end. There had already -been a fifteen-minute scrimmage with the scrubs, in which the big team -had scored a solitary touchdown, and now the scrubs were aching for -vengeance. Jim had his hands very full with the opposing guard when the -first team had the ball, for the guard played wide and Jim had a big -stretch of line to cover. But he was fast, and it soon developed that -plays sent through the right of its own line were netting the first -team more than those on the other side. Jim usually beat his opponent -on starting, and he came up hard, with his back straight and a lot of -power in his charge. He made mistakes still and was “called down” half -a dozen times for one thing or another. But even the most experienced -fared not much better that day. Twice Jim spilled a runner behind the -line--once, alas, receiving as his reward harsh words because he should -have gone for the interference instead--and he tackled well, using his -body and not relying on his arms alone. On the whole, while he made no -spectacular plays that afternoon, Jim came out of the fifteen-minute -session with his stock higher than it had been, and when the Alton -paper published the day’s line-up on Saturday morning, the sixth line -read: “Sawyer or Todd.” But then, a hard game was not looked for and -Coach Cade had planned to use several substitutes at the start. As it -turned out, Jim didn’t get in until the third period was half over and -the game was laid safely away, the score 26 to 9. But he showed up -rather well while he played, which was until he got a wrenched knee a -scant three minutes before the end, and emerged with a nickname. When -he came off, limping, some sympathetic freshman shouted, “Atta boy, -Slim!” And “Slim” Todd it was thereafter. - - - - -CHAPTER IX - -EXPERTS IN CONFERENCE - - -There was no work on Monday for those who had taken part in the -Southport game. Even Jim, although he had contributed but some fifteen -minutes of his time to the contest, was excused. The victory had been -an easy one, but it had nevertheless cost Alton heavily, since four of -the first and second-string men had met with injuries. Only Crumb had -fared seriously, however, and not for several days was the full extent -of his injury known to the school at large. Then it was learned that he -had fractured some bone with an unpronounceable name, located in his -left leg, and would be out of the game for some time. In fact, whether -he could get around again in time for the Kenly game was problematic. -This news was received with consternation, for Crumb had shown himself -the best ground-gainer in the Gray-and-Gold backfield, the only one, -indeed, who could be relied on for heavy line-smashes to produce short -but certain gains. Weight, speed and fight made him an ideal full-back, -and his loss, even if it proved only temporary, was going to be keenly -felt. Tennyson, who must fill his shoes, was twelve pounds lighter and -was an almost unknown quantity as yet. He had shown ability in practice -and in the first two games, but had not played against Lorimer, nor -against Southport until the last quarter was well along. However well -he might develop, it seemed certain that he would never show either the -power or the ding-dong fighting spirit that had made Tom Crumb’s work -notable. - -Jim’s knee responded readily to treatment, and he could have stood the -gaff on Monday had he been allowed to, which he wasn’t. All he could do -was go to the field and watch the first team substitutes practice and, -later, get mauled about by the second. The only incident of interest -to Jim occurred when Manager Woodruff found him on the stand and -announced: “Todd, you’re to join the training table to-night.” - -Jim blinked and considered. Then, “Well, I don’t know, Woodruff,” he -said slowly. “I guess I’d just as lief not.” - -“You--what?” gasped Lowell. - -“Well, you see I’m getting on right well where I am, and I’m sort of -used to the fellows.” - -“You’re a queer guy,” said Lowell, feelingly. “Don’t you know that any -other fellow would be tickled to death to be taken on?” - -Jim pondered that. “No, I didn’t know,” he acknowledged finally. -“Anyhow, I don’t really care two cents about it, and if there’s some -one else that would like it--” - -“Can’t be done, Todd,” Lowell grinned. “Mr. Cade’s set his heart on -you.” - -“He says I’m to go?” asked Jim with more animation. - -“He sure does. Them’s his orders, Todd. Show up this evening, eh?” - -“Of course. I didn’t quite understand. Much obliged.” - -“Quite welcome. Say, you’re getting along pretty well, aren’t you. -How’s the ankle, by the way?” - -“Ankle? Oh, it was my knee. It’s all right. Say, I guess maybe I acted -sort of sour the other night.” - -“What night was that?” asked Lowell. - -“Up in that fellow’s room. What’s his name? The fellow who had the -birthday cake. Yes, Landorf. Well, I guess I seemed like I didn’t want -to talk.” - -“Why, yes, I did get some such impression, Todd, but it was your say. -If I didn’t want to talk, I wouldn’t. But I always do!” - -“Well, it was like this.” Jim frowned slightly in the effort to -explain. “I sort of thought you were kidding me.” - -“Kidding you?” - -“Yes, before that. Right along. You were always sort of telling me that -I was getting on great, and things like that.” - -“Well, Great Scott, so you were!” - -“Maybe I was. I didn’t know. It didn’t seem so to me, anyhow. Seemed -to me I was pretty stupid. And I thought you were sort of having a -joke with me. I didn’t mind, exactly, only-- Well, maybe I did mind a -little.” - -“But I wasn’t joking, Todd. I--look here, I’ll be honest. Remember -how you up and flew the coop last Fall? That was Dolf Chapin’s fault. -You needed a bit of patting on the back and encouragement to make you -stick. He didn’t see it. So you got it into your head that nobody loved -you and your pie was all crust. Well, I didn’t want it to happen again -like that this year. Why, bless your dear heart, sonny, I’ve watched -you the way a fond mother watches her favorite kid. Every time I’ve -seen you sitting down there on the bench looking kind of lonesome I’ve -had heart failure. I wanted to go over and tell you funny stories -and sing songs and do tricks to bring the light of happiness back to -your sad eyes! I dare say I sounded like a silly ass sometimes when I -tried to cheer you up, but that was because you aren’t what I’d call -responsive, Todd, and I always had the feeling that you thought I was -a blamed pest. You know, anything like that does kind of take the zest -from a chap’s conversation!” - -Jim was smiling, and as Lowell paused he chuckled and said: “Gosh, I -thought all the time that you thought I was rotten and didn’t know -it, and were just having fun seeing how much I’d swallow! Say, I hope -you’ll excuse me, Woodruff.” - -“Sure will! Anyway, I fancy it was my--well--method of approach that -was at fault. I was so gol-derned anxious to make you one of our happy -little family so you wouldn’t jump the traces again that--well, I -guess I was _too_ anxious! Believe me, though, I wasn’t making fun of -you, Todd. Wouldn’t have had a chance, anyway. Why, hang it, you’ve -made more progress than any geezer in the bunch! You didn’t know much -football, when you come right down to it, and you _learned_. Now you -know more than a lot of the fellows who have been playing for four or -five years.” - -“_Me?_” ejaculated Jim. He looked at Lowell with something of the -old suspicion. But the manager met his eyes squarely and nodded -emphatically. - -“You, Todd! Why, you’re coming ahead so fast that you’ve got Johnny -Cade blinking. I could tell you something that would make you open -your eyes, but I mustn’t. Well, I’ve got to be getting back down there -and earning my princely wage. Don’t forget to show up at training table -to-night. I’m responsible for you.” - -“I won’t. And--say, I’m glad you really think I’m getting on. It was -right hard at first to get the hang of things. Maybe I ain’t got the -hang of ’em yet, but I guess I’m some better.” - -“Rather! That’s speaking very mildly, too. See you later!” - -Being only human, Jim sat there and basked in the sunshine of Lowell’s -praise for some time. He had worked hard and faithfully and until now -he had never been assured that he had really won success. Of course, -Clem had spoken encouragingly many times, but Clem was a friend and -no football man and maybe didn’t know. Lowell Woodruff was different. -Lowell knew football and football players and he was on the inside. Jim -hugged his knees and felt that life was a very satisfactory affair. -And then, when practice was over, he followed the players back to the -gymnasium, realized that he had no reason for going inside and so -wandered across the campus and through State street and at the next -corner met with an encounter that caused him to reconsider his opinion -of life. - -There was a conference in Coach Cade’s quarters that Monday evening. -The coach occupied rooms in the old-fashioned white house at the -corner of Academy and State streets, opposite the main gate to the -campus. His living-room was a comfortable place of faded carpet and -old walnut furniture brightened by such modern things as a handsome -electric lamp on the big round table, a steel filing cabinet and many -books and magazines littering the apartment. To-night were present the -host himself, Captain Gus Fingal, Lowell Woodruff, Johnny Barr, Pep -Kinsey, Steve Whittier, Rolls Roice, Billy Frost and Charley Levering. -Coach Cade, seated by the table, held several sheets of paper in one -hand and a briar pipe in the other. The visitors sat around the table -or adjacent to it and were respectfully attentive to the coach’s words. - -“I thought,” Mr. Cade was saying in his quiet, pleasant voice, “it was -about time for some of us to get together and look over the ground. I -asked two or three more to be present to-night, but I don’t see them. -Perhaps they’ll show up later.” - -“My fault, Coach,” said Lowell. “I couldn’t get in touch with them in -time.” - -“Then it wasn’t your fault, Lowell. But there are enough of us here to -discuss things, and a discussion is about all I had in mind. You see, -fellows, Saturday’s game finished the half-season. From now on we’ll be -pointing to the Kenly game. What comes before that must be met as best -it can. Our job now, and it’s a big job, too, is to build up for Kenly -Hall.” - -“Don’t forget Mount Millard, Mr. Cade,” said Billy Frost. “We’ve got to -lick them, sir, after what they did to us last year!” - -“We’ll do our best, Frost, but we mustn’t go out of our way much. -So far, we’ve come along pretty easily, fellows. We’re fairly -well grounded in the rudiments, although there’s still chance for -improvement, of course, and we’ve developed some team play. Now, -however, we’ve got to consider a plan of campaign. In doing that we -must take into account our own material and Kenly’s, decide what sort -of a game we are best fitted to play and what style of game we may -expect from the enemy. The one outstanding feature of our team so far -is speed. We’ve shown more speed than we showed at any time last year, -and I’m convinced that we can show still more. I like speed, fellows, -speed in starting and speed afterwards. I’ve seen a fast team win from -a team that knew more football and played far smoother more than once, -only because the better team--better theoretically, that is--lacked -speed. The simplest plays will go well if they go fast, and the -cleverest, most deceptive ones will fail if they’re run off slow. - -“This year we’ve got a fast line and a fast backfield. We aren’t quite -as heavy in the line as we were either last year or the year before -that, and we don’t begin to have the weight in the backfield. But lack -of weight can be more than offset by speed, and so it’s speed and more -speed that we must go after. It’s rather early to say what we’re to -expect from Kenly. She’s made a good start, but no better than our own, -and hasn’t had to show anything but ordinary formations and old-stock -plays. But we know that she’s got most of her last year’s line back -again and three or four of the backs that gave us so much trouble. Her -line is heavy and her backfield’s heavy, and it’s reasonable to suppose -that she’ll build her game on those facts. Kenly has always favored the -line-smashing game and I’d be surprised if she changed much this year. -However, we’ll know more about that later.” - -Mr. Cade studied a paper a moment. “It comes to this, then,” he -resumed. “Granted that Kenly will rely on line bucks and runs outside -tackles for most of her gains, it’s up to us to build a defense that -will meet that style of play. Weight won’t do it, for she’ll beat us -there. She’ll go through us if we give her the start. The only way to -stop her is to not let her get started. We must get the jump on her, -fellows, and that means speed. If we can hold her in the line we can -meet her on equal terms in other departments, I think. We may even -have a slight edge on her when it comes to the kicking game. What Kenly -will bring in the way of forward passes I can’t say. That, too, is -something we’ll have to get a line on later. But she has never been -dangerous with her overhead stuff. Her coach has never taken to that -style of game much. But if she does develop a good passing game we’ve -got to meet it with the same stuff, speed. Speed, then, is going to be -the big cry here this Fall. I want to impress that fact on you here and -now. I want you to go away from here thinking speed, and I want you to -keep right on thinking it until the last play of the Kenly game is over. - -“Now let’s talk about offense a little. For the sake of argument, we’ll -say that we’ve got the edge on Kenly for fast playing. We’ll assume -that our line charges quicker than hers, that our backs get started -faster and run faster, that we pull off our plays and our kicks faster. -Now, then, what sort of an attack are we going to use? What style of -offense are we going to build on? What do you think, Captain Fingal?” - -“If we’re faster than Kenly, and speed makes up for the difference in -weight, we’re starting even, aren’t we?” - -“Possibly, yes. We’ll say so.” - -“Then we can play any style there is, can’t we? I mean, Coach, we -stand just as good a chance of making our line plays good as she does; -and the same with kicks and passes and end runs.” - -“True, assuming that the teams are evenly balanced, which we are -assuming. But what we want for an attack isn’t something just as good, -Gus, but something better. Now, suppose--” - -“I’d say we ought to dope out a passing and running game, Coach,” broke -in Pep Kinsey. “Something based on speed that might take them off their -feet. Say we had a formation that was good for a punt or a pass or a -run outside tackle. Then suppose we put a lot of fizz into it and had -them guessing what was coming. If Tom Crumb’s out of the game we can’t -look for a whole lot against their line between tackles, I guess. I -don’t know how Sam Tennyson will develop, but he’s light, sir, and the -rest of us aren’t whales. I guess you’ve got the right dope, all right, -when you talk speed!” - -“A corking good passing game is our best bet, Mr. Cade,” offered -Levering. “Don’t you think so, sir?” - -“I’ll tell you what I think, Levering. I think whatever we build on -that thing’s got to have speed underneath it. All right. Here’s speed.” -He held a hand out, palm upward. “Now what? What shall we put on next -for a second story?” - -There was a moment’s silence. Then the quarter-back spoke eagerly. -“Deception!” - -“Right! Speed and deception, fellows. That’s a tough combination to -beat. And it’s tougher than ever if the other fellow is slow in getting -off. Kinsey’s idea of a triple-threat formation is what I’ve had in -mind. That’s what we ought to have, I’m sure. Last Fall showed me one -thing conclusively, and that is that having more than two formations, -one for kicking and one for everything else, is a big mistake. You -remember that we changed our backfield all about when we made a -forward-pass. Of course, we did run from that formation now and then, -but the thing was a give-away, just the same. When Kenly saw that ‘C -Formation’ she knew pretty well what to expect, and after the first -half she looked for a pass every time and, if I remember correctly, -we made just five out of fourteen attempts. This year I propose that -we find a formation for the backs that will answer every purpose of -attack, even punting. When we decide on that we’ll build our plays on -the formation instead of suiting the formation to the plays.” - -“That sounds good,” said Gus. “Only I don’t just see how it’s to be -done. If we place our backs too far behind the line we can’t get them -through on quick openings. If we put Steve too close he won’t be able -to get punts off before Kenly gets on top of him.” - -“As for the latter,” said Coach Cade, “I don’t agree. Remember, Gus, -we’re building on speed. If Steve gets his kicks off a bit quicker than -he does now he can kick from nearer the line.” - -“Besides,” said Pep, “how is Kenly going to know that it is a kick if -Steve doesn’t go back? Seems to me that’s the beauty of it. Keep ’em -guessing every minute! Hot stuff!” - -“We’ll take up the matter of that formation later,” said the coach. -“Just now there’s another thing I want to talk about. What kind of a -passing game can we work out? I have my own idea, but I’d like to hear -from you.” - -“Whatever it is, it’s got to be a heap better than last year’s,” said -Rolls Roice. “As you said, Coach, they were looking for our tosses -every time toward the last and they didn’t go for a hang. If Kenly had -had the sense to grab the ball sometimes instead of knocking it down -she’d have licked us worse than she did.” - -“There’s one thing about the passing game,” said the coach. “If you -can’t have a good one you’re better off with none. And having a good -one isn’t so easy. You can plan it out on paper so that it looks -like a world-beater, but if your ends and backs can’t reach the ball -and handle it perfectly, your plan’s a fizzle. You didn’t have much -luck last year, Pep, and neither did Knowles or Suydman. Catches were -mighty few, even when there was a fair chance. I’m not saying this -in criticism of you, but just to emphasize the fact that it’s the -individual player who counts in the passing game, and that if we’re to -show anything in that line, anything worth while, we’ve got to go into -the business in real earnest. Half the value of the forward pass is in -keeping the opponent scared. If you have a passing game and he knows -it, he’s looking for it more than half the time. But you’ve got to -really have something. If you haven’t, he soon discovers it and pulls -his backfield in. Just as long as you’ve got the goods, even if you -don’t deliver them, he will play a fifth man back and weaken his line -by just so much. That fifth man is almost invariably the center, and a -quick plunge at the center position will usually gain. Personally, I -think that no one has yet discovered nearly all the possibilities of -the forward-pass as an offensive play. I believe that, unless a change -in the playing rules comes that will place restrictions on the pass, -another five years will see the old line-plunging game subordinated to -it. But I’m getting away from the business of this gathering. - -“Suppose you fellows put your minds to work along the lines suggested -this evening. Start with the fact that, no matter what else we have -when we meet Kenly, we’re going to have speed, and lots of it. Then try -to think of the best way to use that speed on attack. I’ll take care -of using it for defense. Figure out a--let us call it an all-purpose -formation, a formation from which we can hit the line, run the ends, -punt and pass. It’s possible. I’m not certain that the Princeton -formation doesn’t come pretty close to it except as to punting. Anyhow, -put your minds to work, fellows, and see what comes of it. We’ll get -together again Wednesday evening here, and we’ll try to get more of the -team on hand. Remind me about that, Mister Manager, and I’ll tell you -who I want here that evening.” - -“Shucks,” said Charley Levering, “I never could dope out plays. On -paper, I mean.” - -“As long as you dope them out on the field we’ll be satisfied,” replied -Mr. Cade. “I’m not looking for plays from you, Levering. We can find -plenty of those when we’re ready for them. What I want is ideas. You -know the team and you know pretty well what its merits are and what its -faults are. Credit it with speed. You can do that fairly enough, for -I’ll say frankly that you fellows look mighty good to me at that angle. -Then try to think up the sort of game we can best play to make full -use of that speed. Never mind trick plays and all that sort of thing. -Those will come later. Consider the Kenly game as a campaign and decide -how, if you were the General in command of our Army, you’d conduct it. -Not as to detail. A General can’t foresee the skirmishes, sometimes not -even the battles. The best he can do is plan. I’m hoping that some of -you will bring ideas that will help in determining our campaign. Two -heads are better than one, you know, and so eight ought to be still -better. Now, if any one likes Swiss cheese, made in Wisconsin, and -pilot bread and ginger ale, we’ll blow the whistle!” - - - - -CHAPTER X - -JIM ASKS A LOAN - - -On Tuesday all but one of the Alton football squad reported for -practice, the exception being Greenough, a substitute end, who had -sustained a badly wrenched ankle in the Southport game. To be exact, -there were twenty-nine khaki-trousered youths on hand when three -o’clock struck. Of this number, nineteen were linemen, one of them a -second team fellow named Cooper who had that day been snatched to the -first as a substitute guard, that Fillmore might go to the backfield -to understudy Tennyson. To-day new emphasis was laid on throwing -and catching, end, tackle and backfield candidates to the number of -seventeen being put through a long drill. Subsequently, during signal -work, forward passes were more frequent than usual. Jim’s knee bothered -him at first, but he speedily forgot about it, and when the afternoon’s -session was at an end it seemed just as good as ever. The second was -cocky that day and twice held the first inside her five-yard line, -and, since Coach Cade had ruled out field-goals, there was no scoring -until, just before the end of the second period--two halves of fifteen -minutes constituted the practice game--Plant, at right half for Billy -Frost, got away on his own twenty-four and raced some seventy-six yards -for a touch-down. - -Jim played through all of the last half and pleased himself thoroughly. -Those second-team fellows weren’t so hard to handle to-day. He had -three men opposed to him while he was in and none outplayed him in -his opinion. To be sure, no one stopped proceedings to tell him he -was doing well, but Jim had learned that praise, even commendation, -was dealt out sparingly, and that so long as a player got along -without being scolded it could be assumed that he was performing -very creditably. Although he had been at training table but two days -he found things not a little different on the field. He was no more -a part of the squad than before, but it seemed that being taken to -the table had served as an initiation that had admitted him to an -inner sanctuary. Fellows who had never recognized him three days ago -now hailed him as “Slim”--possibly without always knowing his last -name--quite in the off-hand manner of age-old acquaintances. At first -it embarrassed him greatly, but he liked it even then. He felt of -importance for the first time since he had begun to play. He was, at -last, somebody in the football world of Alton! Before, he had thought -of himself as being there on sufferance; now he belonged. The sense of -camaraderie helped a lot, too. Somehow, now when Pep Kinsey or Latham -or Barnhart, playing quarter, yelped at him for playing too far in or -too far out or, as once happened, starting before the signal, he didn’t -take it to heart. The quarter was just one of his own crowd! - -It was still light when Jim got back to Haylow that afternoon, and Clem -was sprawled on the window-seat, reading, his book held close to the -pane. “There’s been a gentleman here to see you, Jim,” he announced. -There was faint emphasis on the word “gentleman,” and Jim’s brows -contracted as he turned to the closet to hang up his cap. “Said he’d be -back again.” - -“What did he look like?” asked Jim soberly. - -“Well, to tell you the truth, old son, he looked rather seedy. Slight -chap, about twenty-four, perhaps. In case he’s a particular friend of -yours, I won’t be too detailed.” Clem grinned. “Anyhow, he’s coming -back, and if I were you, Jim, I’d pay the bill.” - -“What bill?” - -“How do I know?” chuckled Clem. “Perhaps the bill you owe his poor old -widowed mother for the washing. He struck me as the sort of guy who’d -be likely to land you one on the nose if you didn’t settle prompt. How -did football go?” - -“All right.” Jim seemed rather thoughtful. Instead of sitting down he -walked twice between the window and the door, his hands in his pockets. -Then, “All right,” he said again. - -“Still all right, eh?” asked Clem. “That’s fine. When a thing’s all -right I do love to have it stay that way.” Jim looked at him in -puzzlement. “If it happened to change, you’d let me know, wouldn’t -you?” pursued Clem anxiously. - -“What are you talking about?” asked Jim, frowning perplexedly. But he -didn’t hear Clem’s reply, for just then the sound of footsteps in the -corridor caused him to swing expectantly toward the door. But the steps -went by. Clem was still talking. - -“If it’s anything serious, I’ll be glad to help any way I can. You know -that, Jim. I haven’t much influence with the police, but what I have -will be gladly exerted in your behalf. Perhaps a confession would ease -your mind, old son. Where and when did the crime take place, and what -motive induced you to kill the beautiful girl?” - -“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” protested Jim worriedly. “You -asked about practice and I told you--” - -“‘All right.’ Quite so. But if ever a fellow had guilt written all over -his phiz, you’re the fellow, Jim. You’ll have to do better than that -when you face the jury!” - -Jim managed a laugh. “Oh, I thought you were talking serious about -something.” He sat down then, but he didn’t relax as he might have been -expected to after as strenuous an afternoon’s work as he had put in. It -became apparent to Clem that he was really uneasy, and probably about -the visitor. - -“If you’d rather not see that chap when he returns,” said Clem -carelessly after a moment’s silence, “if he does return, I’ll send him -away. I wouldn’t be surprised if he was just some one trying to sell -books or something, you know.” - -“Yes,” replied Jim vaguely. “Thanks.” After a pause he added: “Guess -I’d better see him, though.” - -“Have your own way, but you won’t be seeing much. He struck me as--” - -But at that instant there was a knock on the door, a knock that had -been preceded by no warning footfalls outside. “That’s probably he -now,” said Clem. “Want me to--” - -But Jim had sprung up and was already at the door. He opened it no -more than a foot, and from where Clem sat the visitor was invisible. -“Hello,” said Jim. There was no pleasure in his voice, and Clem smiled -even as his curiosity increased. There was a subdued response from -beyond the portal which Clem couldn’t catch, and then: “But I asked -you not to,” said Jim accusingly. “You ought to do like--” Then Jim -slipped through into the corridor and the door closed tightly behind -him. - -Clem pursed his lips and shook his head. “Now what the dickens?” he -asked himself. “Mystery, by gum! Conspiracy even! And old Jim acting -like the villain in ‘A Guilty Secret’! What do you know? Gosh, you -never can tell about these innocent-looking chaps. Wonder what that -cheap skate wants with Jim.” No sound came from the corridor. Probably -the two had moved away from the door. Some five minutes passed, and -Clem, staring into the darkening world, was watching the campus lights -come on one by one and had forgotten Jim and his mysterious caller when -the door opened once more. - -Jim came in alone, thrusting the door back behind him. Clem said: “You -might switch on the light if you don’t mind, Jim.” Jim did so, and the -yellow radiance that still showed through the crack of the door and -proclaimed the corridor lights going, paled. “Well,” continued Clem -gayly, “did you have to pay him hush-money?” Then he saw Jim’s troubled -and embarrassed countenance and the raillery died out of his voice, -“What’s up?” he asked. - -“Clem, I hate to ask you, but I--” Jim stopped, gulped and went on. -“Can you lend me five dollars, Clem?” - -“Great Scott! Is that all it is?” Clem laughed with relief as he jumped -up. “I thought murder had been done and you wanted me to help conceal -the body! Five dollars? Ten if you want it, old son. I happen to be in -funds just now.” - -“Five will be plenty,” said Jim in a subdued tone. “I’ll give it -back to you just as soon as I can, but maybe it won’t be this week, -because--” - -“There’s no hurry at all, Jim, so don’t be so down-hearted.” He opened -a drawer in his chiffonier, found a bunch of keys and then went to his -closet. “We will now open the strong-box,” he continued as he pulled a -black leather suit-case from the shelf. “Say, I hope you aren’t being -blackmailed, old son,” he added, chuckling. - -From the suit-case, which apparently held only a discarded shirt and -two ancient tennis balls, he magically produced a folded envelope. This -he took to the table and opened. From it came several bills and four -gold coins. “You may have gold if you’d rather,” he laughed. “That’s -Christmas money from last year and the year before. I’ve got an uncle -who always comes across with two of those, and somehow they never get -spent. I meant to put them in the bank before I came back, but forgot -it and I found them in my trunk when I landed. Here you are, old son. -Sure five’s enough? Here’s two more if you say the word; or you can -have one of these lovely gold coins.” - -“This is plenty,” said Jim earnestly, his voice low. “Thanks, Clem. -It’s mighty good of you.” He disappeared once more and again the door -closed tightly behind him. Clem stared in a puzzled way, then shrugged -his shoulders, returned the four gold pieces and two crumpled dollar -bills to the old envelope and tossed the latter back into the bag. Then -he turned the key, placed the suit-case back on the shelf and dropped -the key-ring into the drawer in the chiffonier. When he had rescued his -book from the window-seat and pulled the curtains across the casements, -Jim had returned to the room. He had paused inside the door, his back -against it, and was staring thoughtfully at the floor. Then, before -Clem thought of anything to say, he roused himself and came to the -table. - -“I guess you’re wondering about--about that fellow,” he said slowly, -“and me lending him money.” - -“Well, curiosity won’t hurt me,” answered Clem cheerfully. “It’s no -affair of mine, Jim, and you don’t owe any explanations.” - -“He’s a fellow I used to know pretty well,” Jim went on. “He--we used -to live close together and he was always mighty good to me when I was -a little codger. He’s been having trouble lately; out of work and the -like of that, Clem; and he’s sort of lost hold, I guess. I ran across -him yesterday afternoon on State street. He was looking for me to get a -little money to carry him along. I gave him three dollars and a half. -That’s all I had. That’s why I had to ask you for that five dollars -just now.” - -“I see. But that chap doesn’t expect you to lend him money right along, -I hope. Eight dollars in two days is fairly steep, isn’t it?” - -Jim nodded. “He said yesterday he was going to Norwalk. Said he had a -job promised him there. But it seems he didn’t have enough money left -this morning for his ticket. So he wanted me to lend him some more.” - -“Well, that’s all right,” said Clem. “Let’s hope he gets his job. To -speak right out in meeting, Jim, I didn’t like his looks much, and -his hands didn’t seem to me to show many signs of hard and honest -labor. Also, if you’ll pardon me for seeming disrespect to a friend -of yours--or, let us say, acquaintance--I thought I detected an aroma -about him that--well, it wasn’t exactly the odor of sanctity, Jim.” - -“Yes, I noticed it, too,” replied Jim sadly. “I guess he’s been sort -of up against things and--and discouraged, Clem. He’s had no job for -more than a month, he says. But I made him promise me he’d behave if I -let him have that five. And I guess he will. He used to be such a nice -fellow, Clem!” - -“Too bad,” said Clem sympathetically. “Lost his grip, I suppose. Well, -maybe he’ll land on his feet again. I dare say it’s not any too easy -to keep straight, Jim, when you’re on your uppers. Don’t you think of -paying back that five, old son, until you get it back from that fellow, -no matter if it’s ten years from now. I don’t need it.” - -“Thanks, but I’d rather pay it as soon as I get my allowance,” Jim -protested. “That’ll be about ten days from now.” - -“You’re a stubborn old Maineiac,” said Clem sadly, “but have your own -way about it. Meanwhile, has it occurred to you that the time is twelve -minutes past six and that if we want food we’d better get a move on -us? Of course, you, being on the training table, don’t need to worry -so much, but where I battle for sustenance it’s a case of first come, -first get it! And,” added Clem, waving a towel as he made for the -door, “there are those at my table who have no conscience at all where -another man’s butter is concerned!” - - - - -CHAPTER XI - -THE ART OF LINE PLAYING - - -On Wednesday a stranger appeared at practice. He was a large, -broad-shouldered man of perhaps twenty-five or twenty-six years, with a -jovial voice and a pleasant smile. He wore a nondescript assortment of -football togs among which was a blue sweater bearing a white Y. He did -not, however, retain the sweater long, for five minutes after practice -had started he was down by the farther goal in charge of a bunch of -guards and tackles. With the sweater he seemed to have discarded the -jovial voice and the pleasant smile. Presently the rumor spread that -the stranger was one Myers, an Alton guard of some years before and, -more recently, _the_ Myers who had helped put Yale back on the football -map. Also, rumor had it, he was to remain at Alton until the Kenly game -and take charge of the linemen. - -That afternoon Jim added not a little to his knowledge of playing in -the line. Myers spent much time showing his charges how to stand, both -on attack and defense. After Hick Powers, invited by the coach to take -his position on attack, had set himself, Myers charged into him and -sent him sprawling on his back. “There you are,” said Myers. “You -were all right for a straight-on attack, but your feet were too much -on a line for a side-swipe. You can’t always tell how the other fellow -is going to come at you. Try it again. Spread wider. All right. Hold -it! Not too much weight on your hand, though. Just steady yourself -with your finger-tips. Now you fellows study that position. You see -that this man is set so that no matter how I may come at him he’s got -stability. This right foot is far enough behind the left so that I -can’t throw him off his balance by going straight into him, and far -enough to the right so that I can’t throw him to his left by charging -him sidewise. All of you take that stance. You fourth chap there, bring -that rear foot out more. That’s better. Now look at your feet and see -how you’re standing. Got it? Good! One thing more before we drop the -attack position. Don’t anchor yourself by putting your weight on your -hands. What you are doing is taking the position of a sprinter, and -the sprinter doesn’t put the weight of his upper body on his hands. If -he did he’d do one of two things when the pistol barked; he’d either -plunge forward on his face or he’d have to shift his weight back to his -legs before he left the mark. You’re using that position because it’s -the position that will get you into play quickest. But your weight -must always be on your feet. Never use your fingers to more than steady -yourself. Myself, I like to put only one hand to the ground. I let my -left hand point back. It seems to me that it helps me start. But that’s -not important. Use both hands if it seems better for you. Only, and I’m -repeating this purposely, don’t get anchored. And when I say put the -weight on the feet, I don’t mean, of course, that you’re to distribute -the weight evenly. The front foot carries most of the weight. It sets -flat on the ground. The rear foot holds the ground only with the ball -and the toes. But you know that, even if you don’t know that you know -it!” - -“Now let’s take the position on defense. The other side has the ball. -Show me now. Not bad, the most of you. Several of you are too high. -Remember this, fellows. Up and forward is the direction, not just -forward. You must come from below and push upward first. Then forward. -Up and forward! Remember that. Ever see a clay pigeon released from a -trap? Well, that’s the way you fellows ought to charge. Just as though -some one had released a spring and sent you straight and hard into the -air. Straddle well, keep your head up, hold your arms wide and your -hands open and then _snap_! Don’t go at it like a crane lifting a block -of stone, slow and steady. Don’t try any tank warfare. Speed, fellows! -Get the jump every time! Drive into him from below and push him up and -back, and do it before he can throw his weight to meet you. And when -you charge know what you’re going to do, where you’re going to apply -your power. Be ready with your hands. They’ll get there before your -body. And then don’t stride forward. Use the short, quick crawling -steps you’ve been taught. Then you’ll get the power from low down. -_But_ if you don’t keep your back straight that power, originating in -your legs, won’t reach your arms. There’ll be a break in the line of -transmission. Now, then, let’s try it. Set wide and get steady. Elbows -out, hands ready. Go! Not bad. You fellow with the long legs, you make -your steps too long. Duck-walk it. This way. Waddle--waddle--waddle! -See? Try it again. Better. All right for that. One more thing, though. -Don’t neglect to hog every inch the officials will let you get away -with. Your hand, the left if you use it to balance with, the right -if you use but one, will be in advance of every portion of your body -except your head. Find out how far forward you can set your hand -without bringing your head beyond your scrimmage line and always put -it there. The difference of even six inches counts. Now we’ll see how -much you remember. Let’s have two lines here. I’ll snap the ball. This -side’s attacking. Now remember that position first. All right. Get -down to it. Here we go!” - -Afterwards, during the thirty minutes’ scrimmage with the scrubs, Myers -dogged the first team every moment. “Keep your back straight, right -guard! Lock it! Watch your feet, right tackle! That’s not the way I -showed you, not by a long sight! You played too high, left guard! You -let your man under you! Charge from below! Great jumpin’ Judas! Use -your hands, center! That man ought never to have got through!” And so -it went, with Coach Cade making life merry for the backs, Captain Gus -doing a little criticizing on his own hook and the quarter imploring -the gray empyrean for just one man who could keep his signals straight! -Jim played a long session that Wednesday afternoon, and he finished -with the suspicion that football practice, as the season neared its -climax, was going to be something quite different from anything he had -imagined. But he was going to like it. He knew that! - -That evening coaches and players met again in Mr. Cade’s quarters and -a long session developed. Jim was not among the eight or nine players -invited, and he spent most of the evening going over the affairs of the -Maine-and-Vermont Society, which, with a present membership of nearly -forty, was in flourishing condition. Last of all, he wrote politely -imperative reminders to delinquent members on Clem’s small typewriter. -Jim was not an accomplished typist and he spent a good deal more time -than he would have consumed had he written the notes by hand. But -there is no denying that the typed results possessed a certain air of -authority that Jim’s sprawling writing would have failed to attain, -and this in spite of many erasures and several misspelled words. Clem -came back while Jim was still struggling with the envelopes and offered -advice of no value and laughed immoderately at the way Jim’s tongue -stuck out when he was hunting for what he called the “pedals.” Jim -finally ended his task and assembled the half-dozen missives atop his -chiffonier for delivery on the morrow, looking not a little triumphant. - -“Aren’t you going to put stamps on them?” asked Clem from the depths of -his arm-chair. - -“Stamps cost money,” replied Jim, shaking his head. “I’m my own -postman.” - -“That’s a swell society! Doesn’t allow the secretary money for postage!” - -“Yes, it does, but the secretary has good legs,” countered Jim. “It’s -no trouble to dump these things in the letter boxes in the halls as I -go by. You see, Clem, I was brought up economical!” - -“That so?” Clem yawned and began to unlace a shoe. “Maybe they don’t -have stamps in Maine. I suppose when you write a letter at home, Jim, -you put your snowshoes on and hike across country with it, eh? Say, -talking of societies, how would you like to join Janus?” - -“Me?” said Jim. “That the one you belong to? What’s it cost?” - -“Not much. Anyway, a fellow doesn’t generally ask the cost of joining, -old son; he looks grateful and kisses his benefactor’s hand. Janus, -Jim, is--well, it’s Janus. ’Nough said. If you belong to Janus you’re -made for life.” - -“Huh,” said Jim, “that’s what you hear about all of ’em. Guess it’s too -high for my pocket-book, Clem. Much obliged, though.” - -“Don’t be a goof! This, old son, is one of life’s fine moments. Why, -dog my cats, you’re only the third senior that’s ever been proposed. -Either you make it in your junior year or you don’t make it at all.” - -“Mean that I’ve been proposed? Who did it? You?” - -“Exactly. And I don’t think there’s any doubt about you getting -through. Hang it, show a little enthusiasm, you cold-blooded fish! -Don’t you understand you’re being honored? Say ‘Hooray!’” - -“Yeah, but, honest, Clem, I don’t believe I could afford it. I’m sort -of hard-up right now, and I guess likely I’ll be that way for some -time.” - -“Well, but I thought-- It’s none of my business, Jim, but isn’t your -father pretty comfortable?” - -Jim shook his head. “No, he isn’t, Clem. Not lately. I guess you don’t -know what a hard time country folks have nowadays, farmers especially. -They can’t get money for what they raise like they could a few years -ago. Up our way most farmers raise potatoes for their main crop, but -they’re a good ways from the market and lots of times it don’t pay ’em -to ship ’em. Right on our place I’ve seen more than two hundred bushels -raised on a little piece of ground and piled in the cellar, and they’d -be there, most of ’em, in the Spring. After you’d paid for bags and -carting and freight to Boston and commission to the produce man you’d -be out of pocket. Same way with hogs and most everything else now. -There’s money in lumber, but it’s the fellows in the cities gets it. -When folks haven’t got money to spend, they don’t spend it, and dad’s -business ain’t very good any more. The only way I could come back here -this year was by earning some money last summer. That’s why I went to -that sporting camp. You see, I could have gone to college this Fall if -I’d been willing to. I’d have had a couple of conditions, though, and -I thought it would be better to come here another year. Besides, I--I -got to liking Alton pretty well, and when you wrote you were willing -to let me come in with you I just made up my mind I’d put in another -year here. But I couldn’t very well ask dad to pay for all of it. I -made enough at the camp to pay my tuition, and dad he allows me ten -dollars a month for extras and spending money. Now I’m in debt to you -five dollars, Clem, and I’ve got to go sort of careful or I won’t have -enough money to get home Christmas time.” - -“That’s kind of tough,” mused Clem. “Funny, but I had an idea that your -folks were pretty well fixed. Anyhow, don’t you worry about getting -home, old son. There’s still money in the strong-box!” - -“I’d borrow if I found I had to, I guess,” said Jim, “but I guess I -won’t have to. Giving that money to Webb--the fellow who was up here -the other day, you know,--sort of put me short, but now he’s gone I -guess I won’t--” - -“Gosh! That reminds me, Jim! I’d nearly forgotten it. Say, I don’t -believe he has gone, that guy. This afternoon I’ll swear I saw him on -West street. Or if it wasn’t him it was his double. I didn’t have a -very good look at him, for he was going into that cigar store next to -the express office, but it sure looked like him, clothes and all!” - -Jim looked worried. “Maybe it was just some fellow who looked like -Webb,” he said. But his tone lacked conviction. “He promised me he’d -go to Norwalk the next morning, and I’d be right sorry to find he -hadn’t. Besides--” Jim didn’t finish the sentence. - -“Well, you should worry,” said Clem cheerfully. “If he comes around -here again just you hand him over to me, old son. I’ve got a system -with pan-handlers and book agents and their ilk. How’s that for a word? -‘Ilk’! I’ll say that’s cute!” - -But Clem couldn’t get Jim to smile. “It wouldn’t do him any good to -come to me again,” he said soberly. “I haven’t got any more money. I do -wish, though, he’d gone like he said he would. That is, if he ain’t.” - -“Probably he has,” replied Clem encouragingly. “I dare say I was just -fooled by a resemblance, Jim. After all, there’s quite a bunch of -fellows of his style around town since they started the new factory -up.” Secretly, though, Clem was convinced that he had not been -mistaken, and two days later that conviction was strengthened. - -Presently, returning to the original subject of discourse, he said: -“About coming into Janus, Jim. Suppose you just let it rest for a -while. There’s no great rush in the matter, anyway. I’ll let your name -go over the next meeting. That will give you time to think it over. The -expense isn’t much anyway. I’d tell you exactly, only it’s against the -rules to give out information of any sort. You take a couple of weeks -and think it over. I want you to come in if you can possibly do it, old -son, so don’t say no now.” - -So Jim didn’t say no. He merely shook his head and, so to speak, laid -the question on the table. After that, while Clem, propped against -his pillow, read in bed, Jim took his football from the closet shelf, -snuggled it lovingly in his lap and started all over again on the rules -book. When Clem’s book dropped from his hand and he turned over and -closed his eyes, his room-mate was still fondling the ball and frowning -over the apparent intricacies of the following: “Players of the side -which did not put the ball in play may use (1) their hands and arms to -push opponents out of the way in order to get at the ball and (2) their -bodies or their arms close to the body to obstruct opponents who are -going down the field from getting at a player of their own side who is -endeavoring to get at the ball.” - -Jim rubbed a hand across his eyes and read it again. There were, he -thought, too many “get ats.” Maybe, though, he was too sleepy to--yes, -to “get at” the sense. He’d try it again to-morrow. - - - - -CHAPTER XII - -AT THE POLICE STATION - - -If Wednesday’s practice had been stiff Thursday’s was adamantine. -With the intention of providing better defense for the drop-kickers -the first team was lined up near the goal and the substitutes were -set against them. With Steve Whittier and Pep Kinsey alternating -at kicking, all the rest of the first team had to do was keep the -substitutes from breaking through or otherwise interfering with the -kick. Myers was behind the subs and the manner in which he egged them -on to atrocities of attack proved him, in the minds of the first team -players, a man of singularly cruel disposition. Friendship ceased and -no quarter was asked. Loring Cheswick at first, and then Benning, sped -the ball to the kicker and simultaneously goaded by Myers’ commands to -“Bust it up! Get through! Use your hands!” and “Fight ’em, Subs! Rip -’em up! Block that kick!” the substitutes hurled themselves ferociously -forward and committed nearly everything except murder. - -Jim received hard knocks that afternoon. One of the knocks set his nose -to bleeding and another crippled his left leg for the rest of the -proceedings. But he managed to disguise the damage to his leg, and, of -course, a bleeding nose was a mere incident, and so he managed to stay -in and to give a very good account of himself. And it seemed once that -the Demon Coach, as Myers was dubbed that afternoon, had determined to -concentrate on Jim until he got results. He sent a two-man tandem at -the right tackle position until he was finally satisfied that he was -wasting his time. Perhaps he concluded that he was wasting players, -too, for the members of the tandem, especially the second man, got -rather roughly treated in the course of events! Jim found the head of -the tandem could be thrown off in time to give full attention to the -next comer, and, while Jim got some hard knocks, he certainly wore that -second man out! - -Sometimes the subs did get through and the ball went anywhere save over -the goal, and then you should have heard Coach Cade become eloquent! As -Jake Borden, right end, remarked, Johnny’s words were more refined-like -but they cut deeper. Later, when the scrimmage started, Jim discovered -to his dismay that he was playing with the subs. He jumped to the -conclusion that he had been demoted and felt rather badly, which fact -told somewhat on his playing, and, when the second team came over -and took the place of the substitutes Jim was one of those who were -sent to the showers. As a matter of fact he had been placed with the -substitute team to strengthen the right of its line, and retired after -the first half of the scrimmage because in the opinion of Jake, the -trainer, he had seen service enough. But Jim didn’t know that, and he -returned to Haylow rather down in the mouth. - -Friday’s practice was less severe, with the emphasis on signal drill -and the handling of punts and passes, and the first-string players -went through only a ten-minute scrimmage and were then sent off. Jim’s -misgivings were slightly assuaged when he read the list of the players -who were to go to New Falmouth the next afternoon and found his name on -it. If he was very bad, he argued, they wouldn’t pay his railway fare! -Then, feeling more chirpy, he went back to Number 15 Haylow and ran -into trouble. - -Clem, who had reached the room but a minute before, was gazing -perplexedly at the third drawer in his chiffonier. He turned to Jim -without greeting to ask: “You haven’t had this drawer open, have you, -Jim?” - -Jim blinked and shook his head. “No, Clem. Why?” - -“Well, just look at it, will you?” The drawer held underwear, -stockings, a blue flannel shirt, a candy box with a piece of red -Christmas ribbon trailing from it, a pair of discarded garters; -possibly other things as well, but Jim’s attention was held by the -number of undergarments in sight and the general disorder of the -drawer’s contents. He looked inquiringly at Clem. - -“Nice mess, eh?” asked Clem indignantly. “Some one’s been poking around -in here. Look at that box. It was tied with that ribbon. Someone opened -it and didn’t do it up again.” - -“Well, I guess I’m the only one who could have done it if you didn’t,” -said Jim slowly, “and I’ve never been near anything of yours, Clem. So -it looks--” - -“Of course you didn’t do it,” answered Clem. “I needn’t have asked you, -only I was so--so blamed mad--” - -“You’re sure you didn’t leave the box untied?” - -“Me? Why, there’s nothing in the box but a lot of old gimcracks”--he -removed the lid impatiently for Jim’s benefit--“and I haven’t had it -open since I put it in there. Besides, hang it all, Jim, you know I -wouldn’t leave this drawer looking like that!” - -Jim wasn’t convinced of it, but he nodded agreement. “Who do you -suppose--” he began. Then he asked quickly; “Anything missing?” - -“Missing? Why, no, I guess not. Gosh, there’s nothing here any one -would want!” He had begun putting the things in order again, folding -the garments and piling them neatly back in place. He really seemed -more disturbed by the disorder of things than by the fact that some -person had intruded. “We’ll just have to lock the door when we go out, -Jim. I’ve been here three years and this is the first time I’ve had -anything of mine troubled.” - -“Suppose some one did it for a joke?” asked Jim. - -“Mighty poor joke,” Clem grumbled. “Any one could come in here that -wanted to when we’re both out, but I don’t see why they’d want to muss -my drawer all up.” - -“When did you look in here last, Clem?” - -“This morning. I got a pair of socks out. It was all right then.” -Something rattled under his hand as he spoke, and he picked up a steel -key-ring with five keys attached. “If folks are going to get fresh -this way,” he muttered, “I’d better put these somewhere--” He stopped, -stared for an instant at the keys and then swung around and strode to -the closet. From the shelf he lowered the black suit-case. In a moment -he had unlocked it and thrown the lid back. Jim, watching over his -shoulder, spoke relievedly. - -“It’s there,” he said. - -But Clem had the folded envelope in his hand, and it was empty! He -looked blankly over his shoulder. “Well, what do you know!” he -ejaculated. Jim shook his head. - -“Sure it was there, Clem?” - -“Great Scott, you saw me put it there, didn’t you? Night before last, -or night-- Gosh, that makes me sore!” - -“How much was in the envelope?” asked Jim. - -“Twenty-seven--no, twenty-two dollars. I lent you five. That left a -two-dollar bill and four five-dollar gold-pieces. Oh, I don’t care such -an awful lot about the money, but it’s rotten to know that there’s a -thief in the dormitory! Why, it may be--” - -[Illustration: It’s rotten to know that there’s a thief in the -dormitory.] - -“It might have been some one from one of the other halls,” said Jim. -“Or maybe a sneak-thief from outside.” - -“Oh, it might be any one!” Clem slammed the bag shut and tossed it back -to the shelf. “He was after those keys, whoever he was, and that’s the -reason he messed everything up so. But how did he know where they were, -eh? The other drawers are just as I left them. How about yours? Better -have a look.” - -“I don’t think they’ve been touched,” Jim reported. “Guess whoever was -in here came while we were both out this afternoon. How long were you -gone?” - -“I haven’t been here since about half-past two, until just now. I was -over at Upton for an hour or more. Then Carl Stevens and I went -downtown. What time’s it now? Twenty past five? Well, that’s nearly -three hours. When were you up last?” - -“Just before practice. About five to three, I guess.” - -Clem, hands in pockets, stared at the floor and then flung himself into -a chair. “Well, I’m going to report it. Something will have to be done -if a fellow can’t leave his room door unlocked. I don’t care a hang -about the money, Jim, but I’d certainly like to catch the sneak that -got it!” - -Jim, still standing, nodded. “Come to think of it, Clem, it wouldn’t be -hard for a fellow to walk in the Meadow street gate and go through a -dozen rooms if he found ’em empty. All he’d have to do would be pretend -that he was looking for some fellow and didn’t know where he lived, -sort of.” - -“The way you looked for Dolf Chapin last year,” said Clem, managing a -brief smile. “Still, he’d have to get past Mr. Tarbot, and his door is -nearly always open and looks right into the corridor down there.” - -“Yes, but I guess he isn’t always in,” said Jim. “And even if he saw -some one he mightn’t know he wasn’t one of the fellows from another -hall. Gosh, I guess he can’t know more than four hundred fellows by -sight!” - -“No, but there’s never been any stealing like that since I’ve been -here,” objected Clem. “Folks don’t come on the campus unless they’ve -got business; fellows from the presser’s or the laundry or--and even -they aren’t supposed to come upstairs.” - -“They do it, though.” - -“Yes, I know, but-- Now think a minute, Jim. It must have taken a good -five minutes to find the keys in that drawer--and you can see by the -way things were left that he must have had to hunt for them--and get -the suit-case down and unlock it and lock it and put the keys back and -everything. An outsider wouldn’t dare take the risk, Jim. How’d he know -that one of us wouldn’t walk in on him?” - -“Yes, it would be risky,” Jim owned somewhat unwillingly. - -“It sure would! No, sir, the guy that pulled this trick knew that we -were both out. I dare say he watched us go. Then he had all the time in -the world.” - -“Yes, but if he had so much time why did he pull things around so in -the drawer? Or why didn’t he fix them back the way he found them? He -might have known that you’d notice and get suspicious and miss the -money.” - -“Probably didn’t think about that. Oh, well, I’ve got to go down and -see Old Tarbox. Come along and give your evidence, old son. He will -ask a lot of questions, I suppose.” - -“Maybe you could make it clearer if you went alone.” - -“Well, he’d want to question you anyway, sooner or later. Come on.” - -So Jim went. Mr. Tarbot, whose suite of study, bedroom and bath was -the first on the right from the dormitory entrance, bade them enter -when Clem had knocked on the half-open door and the two filed in. The -instructor was reading in a deep chair set close to a window, but at -sight of Jim he suddenly sat up straight. “I’ve been watching for you, -Todd,” he announced briskly. “Some one telephoned about ten minutes ago -from the Police Station. I didn’t understand who he was. One of the -officers, I fancy. He said I was to ask you to come over there directly -you got in. He didn’t say what was wanted. I hope your conscience -is clear, my boy.” Mr. Tarbot smiled to show that he was joking, -but behind the smile one might have detected anxiety. Jim stared -incredulously for an instant. Then his face clouded suddenly. - -“I’ll go right away, sir,” he replied. - -Mr. Tarbot nodded and picked up his book again. Clem, his mission -forgotten for the moment, followed Jim to the corridor. “What the -dickens do you suppose they want?” he asked with lively curiosity. Jim -shook his head. “Well, I’ll go along and see you through,” chuckled -Clem. “Nothing like having a friend at court, old son!” - -Jim stopped at the bottom of the steps and shook his head again. “You -needn’t come, Clem,” he said. “You’d better see Tarbot about--” - -“Oh, that can wait. This is a lot more exciting. Go? You bet I’ll go. -Why, I may have to bail you out!” - -After an instant of indecision Jim went on and Clem fell in beside him, -chattering animatedly to apparently deaf ears. Jim looked troubled, and -by the time they were half-way toward the main gate Clem noted the fact -and, after a second puzzled glance at his companion, said: “Look here, -old son, if you’d really rather I didn’t go along I won’t.” - -Jim shook his head once more. “No, you might as well come, I guess. If -it’s what I think it is--” - -“What do you think it is?” asked Clem when the other paused. - -“Webb,” said Jim after a moment. “The fellow I lent the money to. Maybe -he didn’t go away, like he said he would, and maybe he’s got in trouble -with the police.” - -Clem whistled expressively. “Bet you that’s just it!” he murmured. “I -didn’t want to say so, Jim, but I was absolutely certain that was he I -saw that day on West street.” - -Jim nodded and they crossed Academy street in silence and went into -State. “Know where it is?” asked Jim presently. “The police place, I -mean.” - -“Yes, turn to the left on West. It’s about four blocks over and one -through. Opposite the Odd Fellow’s building. Say, if they want money to -let him out, Jim, we’re in a mess, eh?” - -Once more Jim nodded affirmatively. After that conversation was -virtually prohibited by the fact that the home-seeking throngs on -the busy streets made it nearly impossible for the two boys to stay -together. After a five-minute hurried walk they reached the Police -Station, an old red-brick building with an entrance of granite steps -and rusty iron-railings much too large for the small, square edifice. -Past the doorway, Jim paused in doubt, but Clem, with a familiarity -that might have seemed suspicious to one of uncharitable mind, -straightway guided him to the right and into a scantily furnished -apartment occupied principally by a broad oak railing, a large, -flat-topped desk and a large red-faced man in a blue uniform. There -were some minor furnishings too, such as a few chairs, a telephone, -three framed pictures and a wobbly costumer which sagged sidewise -under the weight of a policeman’s overcoat. - -The big man behind the desk was proclaimed a sergeant by the insignia -on his sleeve and the letters on the hat that perched rakishly on the -back of his bristly head. There was a cigar in one corner of his mouth, -a much-chewed, down-at-the-side cigar that gave off rank fumes of -gray smoke and caused the sergeant to close one eye as he viewed the -arrivals. - -“My name,” announced Jim in a voice so fraught with guilt that -the sergeant would have been entirely justified in locking him up -instantly, “is Todd. They said over at school that some one wanted to -see me here--about something.” - -“Oh, yes! Sure, young feller. Say, just step in the next room, will -you? That’s the door. The Captain’s in there and he’ll ’tend to -you. Sure, you can go in, too, if you want.” The latter part of the -invitation was to Clem, who had hesitated to follow his companion. So -Clem trod closely on the heels of Jim, and they passed through a heavy -door and found themselves in a second room that was much like the -first. Here, though, there was a brilliantly red carpet on the floor, -the desk was a roll-top, there was an inhospitable looking leather -couch along one wall and the single occupant, instead of being large -and red of countenance, was tall and lean, with a military carriage and -a healthily tanned face. - -“Todd, eh?” he asked tersely. “Sit down, please. This gentleman a -friend of yours? I see. Very well. I have a question or two to ask, Mr. -Todd. Know a man who calls himself James Webster?” - -“No, sir.” Relief struggled with doubt in Jim’s face. - -“Didn’t think you did, because I guess that isn’t the fellow’s right -name. Know any one with a name like that?” - -“I know a man whose name is Webb,” faltered Jim. “His first name, I -mean.” - -“Webb, eh? What’s his last name?” - -Jim’s hesitation was pronounced, but he finally answered, “Todd, sir.” - -Clem shot a quick, startled look at Jim. Jim didn’t meet it. He was -staring anxiously at the police captain. - -“Webb Todd? I see. Relative of yours?” - -“Cousin; sort of. His mother and my mother were half-sisters.” - -“Not exactly a cousin, then, my boy. Known him long?” - -“Yes, sir, ever since I can remember. Up in Maine. He lived right near -us for a good while.” - -“Seen him lately?” - -“Yes, sir, twice. Once I met him on the street and the next time he -came to our room in Haylow Hall. Is--has he been arrested?” - -The Captain nodded. “Yes, we took him in charge about four o’clock. -He’s been loafing around town for several days. He will be up in court -in the morning charged with vagrancy. I dare say he’ll get off with a -suspended sentence if he agrees to quit town.” - -Jim breathed loudly with relief. - -“Only thing puzzles us,” continued the Captain, “is where he got what -we took off him.” He opened a drawer at his side and took out a small -parcel. “Ever lend him money, Mr. Todd?” - -“Yes, sir.” - -“How much money?” - -Jim hesitated again. “Eight dollars and a half,” he answered. - -“That all?” Jim nodded. “Haven’t forgotten any?” Jim shook his head. -“Funny,” said the Captain. He opened the parcel, displaying a soiled -envelope with a letter showing beyond its torn edge, a cheap-pocket -knife and an assortment of coins. Three of the coins glittered brightly -in the light from the near-by window. “This fellow had sixteen dollars -and forty-one cents when we searched him. Fifteen dollars was in -five-dollar gold coins. We asked him where he got them. He said”--the -Captain eyed Jim intently--“you gave them to him.” - -There was a moment’s silence. Jim was still staring wide-eyed at the -officer. Clem was staring fascinatedly at the three gold coins. Then -the Captain’s voice came again. “Of course, if you didn’t give them to -him he probably stole them and it’ll be up to us to find out where. -It probably won’t be hard, for gold-pieces are scarce and folks who -have them miss them if they disappear. I didn’t believe the fellow’s -statement, because it didn’t seem likely to me that any of you fellows -at the school would have so much money on hand. Judging from the -condition he was in when we took charge of him, he must have had -considerably more to start with. Anyhow, that’s his story. Says he was -looking for work and was strapped and asked you for a loan and you came -across with twenty dollars in five dollar coins. He was lying, eh?” - -Silence again. Clem’s gaze was on Jim. Jim’s was on the bright red -carpet. Jim moistened his lips with his tongue and looked again at the -questioner. He shook his head. - -“No, sir, he wasn’t lying,” he said evenly. “I had--forgotten.” - -“Oh, you’d forgotten.” The Captain’s gaze narrowed. “It’s a bad idea to -forget things, Todd, when it’s the police who want to know,” he went -on dryly. “You did give him the money, did you? How much?” - -“Twenty-two dollars--the last time, sir.” - -“To-day?” Jim nodded. “Part gold, was it?” - -“Four five-dollar gold-pieces and a two dollar bill,” replied Jim. - -“Quite a lot of money for you to have, wasn’t it?” - -“Yes, sir.” - -The Captain stared at Jim a moment longer. Then his gaze shifted to -the collection of coins at his elbow. He wrapped the paper about them -again and tossed the packet back in the drawer. “Well, all right,” he -said finally. “He says you did and you say you did, and so I guess that -settles it. That’s all, Mr. Todd. Much obliged to you.” - -“He won’t be sent to jail, will he?” asked Jim. - -“Don’t believe so. He ought to be, for he looks to me like a bad egg. -If you like to come over to-morrow about nine-thirty and speak to the -Judge, I’ll fix it for you. You might say a good word for the man if -you’ve known him so long.” - -“I’d like to,” answered Jim gratefully. Then, hesitantly, “Could I see -him, please, sir?” - -“I guess so.” He pressed a button on the edge of the desk and, when -an elderly man in a police uniform appeared, waved toward Jim. “This -gentleman wants to see the nut that was brought in this afternoon; -Webster’s the name he’s entered under. Just show him down, Grogan.” - -Jim followed the turnkey without a glance toward Clem. - -Ten minutes later Jim emerged from the station. Clem had not waited. -Jim made his way back to school alone, hurrying at times, since the six -o’clock whistle had long since blown, and at other times slowing to a -pace that indicated that his thoughts were concerned with a subject -more weighty than supper. - - - - -CHAPTER XIII - -MR. WEBB TODD - - -Although Jim went directly back to Number 15 after his delayed supper -he did not find Clem there. Perhaps, he thought, Clem had been there -and, not finding him, had gone to look for him. In a way Jim was not -sorry, for the explanation that was Clem’s due wasn’t going to be easy -to make. He prepared to write a letter to his father, but, with pen -hovering above paper, his thoughts went back to his talk with Webb and -the letter was forgotten. - -Webb had been so glad to see him that Jim’s anger had softened -instantly, even though the former had shown no signs of contrition. He -had been perfectly frank. Leaning against the sill of a barred window -at one end of the corridor that extended along the front of the cells, -Webb had explained everything in matter-of-fact fashion. After he had -got that five dollars from Jim he had changed his mind about going to -Norwalk just then. He didn’t see any sense in working so long as he -had money. But yesterday the money had given out and in the afternoon -he had gone to Haylow to ask for another loan. If he had got it he -would have jumped the train at four and gone to Norwalk. Anyway, he -had really meant to then. But no one had answered his knock, and he -had gone in. He had looked around a bit and then sat down, intending -to wait for Jim’s return. It wasn’t until then that the idea of taking -Clem’s money had occurred to him. - -When he had called there before and Jim had gone back into the room to -ask Clem for the loan Webb had watched and listened through a crack -in the door, for Jim had not quite closed it. He had seen Clem take -the bunch of keys from the drawer and go to the closet. After that the -action had been outside his range of vision, but his ears had supplied -him with what his eyes had missed. So yesterday it had been easy -enough. He had had trouble finding the keys, for they had become tucked -into a fold of a garment, but after he had them what followed was fair -sailing. A few minutes later, opening the door cautiously on an empty -corridor, he had walked away again and down the stairs. Near the front -door he had seen, both on entering and leaving, a “funny-looking sketch -with a trick mustache readin’ a book, but he didn’t pay no attention -to me, kid.” He went out the gate to Meadow street and returned to the -village. There he visited a lunch-room and had a good feed, and it was -while he was standing harmlessly in front of it that “a cop come along -and pinched me.” - -Webb had seemed neither proud nor ashamed nor greatly concerned with -his present plight. He had heard that the Judge here was a “good guy,” -and they didn’t have anything on him, anyway, because they couldn’t -send a guy up for vagrancy when he had more than fifteen dollars in his -pocket and was tryin’ hard to find a job. Webb had winked there. - -“But suppose they found out you’d stolen that money, Webb?” - -“How could they? I told ’em you gave it to me. All you got to do is -tell ’em the same story, kid.” - -“That would make me a thief, Webb.” - -“How would it? I’ll be out o’ here to-morrow, and all you got to do is -tell that guy the facts. Say, ain’t they asked you about it yet?” Jim -nodded. “Well, what did you tell ’em?” - -“That I gave it to you--lent it to you--this afternoon.” - -“Sure! Well, that’s all right, ain’t it? They can’t do nothin’ to me if -you stick to that, kid!” - -“If I do stick to it, Webb, you’ve got to make me a promise and keep -it.” - -“Sure I will! You know me, kid. You and me was always the best ’o pals, -and I ain’t the kind of a guy to go back on my friends. What’s it you -want me to do?” - -“I want you to leave here on the first train after they let you go, -Webb, and find a job and stick to it. You know mighty well this way of -living ain’t going to get you anywhere, Webb. Gosh, when I was a kid I -thought you were just about the finest fellow in the world! You were -always mighty good to me, Webb, and I just can’t forget it. I want you -should quit this business and be like you used to be. You can if you’ll -try, Webb, I know you can!” - -“Sure!” Webb Todd’s voice had been a little husky. “You’re dead right, -too, kid. This is a rotten life, and I know it. But--” He had sort of -run down there. After a moment he said almost wistfully: “Say, kid, -I wasn’t a bad sort back in the old days, was I? You and me had some -swell times, didn’t we? Remember the time the old red sow got out and -we was chasin’ it and it ran in the kitchen and your ma was making -bread and the old sow came out with the pan o’ dough on her head?” - -“Yes, and I remember the time I fell between the logs in Beecher’s Cove -and you dived in and got me out, Webb.” - -“Sure.” Webb had nodded reminiscently. “You come near kicking in that -time, kid.” After a moment’s silence Jim had asked: - -“Well, will you do it, Webb?” - -“I’ll try, kid.” - -“You mean it? You promise me you’ll really try, Webb? Try as hard as -you know how?” - -“Yeah, I’ll try hard. I don’t know as I’ll make it, kid. A guy gets -sort o’ used to doin’ without a job after a while. It ain’t so hard, -kid. If you’ve got a good spiel you won’t never starve. There’s a lot -of mushy folks in the world. You’d be surprised how easy they fall for -a hard-luck steer, kid.” - -“Just as I did,” Jim had said. - -“Yeah. But, say, kid, honest I wasn’t meanin’ to bleed you. I really -meant to go to Norwalk the day after I first saw you, just like I told -you. But somethin’ sort o’ prevented.” - -“There’s another thing, Webb. I’m going to see the Judge in the morning -before he goes into court. The Police Captain said he’d fix it so I -could. And I’m going to tell him you ain’t really a--a loafer, and -about how good you used to be to me, Webb, and I guess he won’t be hard -on you. But if I do that you must give me back that money, what’s left -of it.” - -“All of it? Well, but listen, kid, how am I goin’ to get to Norwalk?” - -“I’ll bring you enough for that. How much does it cost on the train?” - -“Four dollars.” Jim blinked at that, and then Webb had said: “That’s a -lie, kid. Two-eighty’s the price.” - -“I’ll get it. That other money, what you stole from Clem Harland, must -go back to him. Remember, Webb, I’ll have to pay back what you used of -it, and the five dollars I borrowed for you besides, and it ain’t going -to be easy. Father’s pretty hard up this year, and I don’t get but ten -dollars a month.” - -“Yeah, I know about your father. I wrote and tried to make a touch -awhile back, but nothin’ stirrin’. Well, what you say goes, kid. You’re -sure white, and I won’t forget it.” - -When he had reached the door Webb had called: “Say, kid, if you’ve got -a quarter you ain’t needin’ you might hand it to the old guy there an’ -tell him to fetch me in some supper. I’ll bet the _cuisine_ at this -hotel’s rotten.” - -Jim had thrust a hand into an empty pocket and replied regretfully: “I -haven’t got it, Webb.” - -“All right, kid. Don’t you worry. I ate good a while back. See you -to-morrow.” - -Now, staring at the unsullied sheet of note paper before him and -tapping his teeth with the end of his fountain pen, Jim was wondering -where and how he was to get two dollars and eighty cents to give to -Webb in the morning. He was determined that all that was left of Clem’s -twenty-two dollars should go back to him untouched. Webb ought to -have more than the mere price of his fare, too. He seemed certain that -he had only to reach Norwalk to find work, but he would have to have -money for food to eat to-morrow and the part of the next at least. Four -dollars wouldn’t be a cent too much. Jim went to his closet and looked -over his none too ample wardrobe. Jim knew nothing of institutions that -loaned money on personal property and allowed you the privilege of -redeeming it; he was trying to decide whether his heavy winter overcoat -which, if truth were told, was far heavier than it was warm, or the -light-weight suit he had worn back to school in the fall could be best -given up. Either one ought to sell for a good deal more than four -dollars; but how much more he didn’t know. His movements dislodged the -football from the shelf above and it dropped with a startling thud on -his head. He picked it up and was looking it over appraisingly when the -door opened and Clem entered. - -Clem said “Hello,” glancing briefly from Jim’s face to the ball in his -hands, and turned to his own closet to hang up his cap. If there was -anything unaccustomed in his tone Jim didn’t notice it. He was thinking -of what he had to say and wondering how Clem was going to take it. He -walked back to the table, stared down at the waiting letter paper and, -when Clem turned away from the closet, said: “I’m terribly sorry about -what happened to-day, Clem.” - -After a slight hesitation Clem replied: “Yes. Well, so am I, Jim.” -It sounded as though he had tried to speak lightly, but he had only -succeeded in sounding oddly stiff. Jim looked across inquiringly, but -Clem had seated himself on his side of the table and was pulling over -his books. - -“I’m going to get what’s left of that money in the morning,” Jim -continued, “and give it back to you. There’s only a little over sixteen -dollars of it, though, and so I’m owing you eleven now. I’m going to -write to dad and ask him to send me ten and take it out of my December -and January allowances. Then--then I thought of another way, but I -don’t know--I ain’t sure about that yet.” - -“Don’t bother about it,” said Clem. “I don’t care a hang if you never -pay it back.” He opened a book, propped his elbows and indicated that -the subject was closed. Something in his voice and attitude puzzled -Jim, and he jumped to a conclusion. - -“I guess I know how you feel,” he said. “It--it isn’t very pleasant to -find that the fellow you’re rooming with has a cousin--well, a sort of -a cousin--who’s a--a thief. I sort of wish you hadn’t gone over there -with me, Clem.” - -Clem lifted his head and stared a moment. Then he laughed shortly. -“Well, I can certainly believe that!” he said. - -“What I mean is if you hadn’t known about Webb, about his being related -to me, it wouldn’t have troubled you. But I’d sort of like you to -believe that he ain’t--isn’t really bad, Clem. If you had known him -five or six years ago--” - -“Look here, Jim, let me understand you. This cousin of yours, or -whatever he is, is a ne’er-do-well, all right; I guess you could call -him a bum without being sued for libel, but just what do you mean by -calling him a thief?” - -“Why, I--well, I don’t want to call him that, Clem, because I--I’m -awfully fond of him, but I guess I’ve got to, haven’t I, after what -happened?” - -“What did happen?” asked Clem brusquely. - -Jim stared in puzzlement. “Why, he stole your money, Clem!” - -“Oh, I see. Your cousin stole it.” - -“Well--well, didn’t he?” asked Jim. “Didn’t you see it? Didn’t you hear -what that man said, the Police Captain? I thought--” - -“Yes, I saw and heard both, Jim, and-- Look here, suppose we leave the -word ‘stole’ out of it. Let’s say ‘borrowed.’ It sounds better. Anyway, -what’s the good of talking about it any more? You’re sorry and I’m -sorry. Let it go that way.” - -“We-ell, all right,” answered Jim dubiously. “Only I wanted you to know -that you were going to get your money back, Clem.” - -“I’ve told you I didn’t care about that. Besides, hang it all, Jim, -if this fellow Webb stole it why don’t you let him pay it back? If he -stole it where does your liability come in?” - -“Why, he couldn’t pay it back, Clem. Or he wouldn’t, I guess. He’s -promised to go straight, but I don’t know if he will. I’m responsible, -of course. If it wasn’t for me he wouldn’t have come here and taken it.” - -“When was it he took it?” asked Clem coldly. - -“About three, he said. The other night he saw you get your keys out and -open the suit-case, and he heard us talking, and to-day--” - -“Saw us through the door, eh?” - -“No, he says the door wasn’t quite closed. But he didn’t think of -stealing the money until to-day. He came up here to ask me for another -loan, and we were both out, and he remembered about the money in the -suit-case and--and took it.” - -“And no one saw him?” asked Clem incredulously. - -“He says Mr. Tarbot saw him go by his study but didn’t pay any -attention.” - -“That’s hard to believe. And look here, Jim, I don’t remember that door -being ajar. My recollection is that you closed it tight when you came -in from the hall.” - -“I guess I meant to, but maybe I didn’t, because Webb saw you go to -your drawer and get the keys.” - -Clem jumped up impatiently, went to the door and set it open an inch -or two. “Like that?” he asked, with a trace of sarcasm. “Tell me how -he could have seen me go to the closet and open the bag on the floor -there.” - -“He couldn’t.” Jim was finding his chum’s manner more puzzling every -minute. “He didn’t say he did. He only said he saw you open the drawer -and get the bunch of keys. The rest he just heard.” - -Clem shrugged as he closed the door again and went back to his chair. -Jim was watching him anxiously, disturbed by something he couldn’t -define. “Over there at the police station,” said Clem, after a moment’s -silence, “the Captain told us that your--friend said he got the money -from you.” - -“Yes,” agreed Jim, frowning. - -“And you said so, too, didn’t you?” - -“Of course! What else could I say? I _had_ to lie, Clem. If I hadn’t -they’d have accused him of theft. I thought you understood why I was -doing it!” - -“Oh! Yes, I see.” - -Suddenly Jim realized. Indignation sent the blood flooding up into his -cheeks and for an instant his hands clutched the back of the chair -on which they rested until the knuckles showed white. He stifled the -exclamation of angry dismay that rushed to his lips, and in the moment -he realized that, on evidence alone, Clem was fairly entitled to his -belief. Yes, circumstances undoubtedly pointed to him rather than to -Webb as the culprit! But the thought that Clem could believe him a -thief, on any sort of evidence save that of his own eyesight, hurt him -horribly. He felt almost sick for a minute. - -Clem’s eyes were on the book opened before him, but I doubt that he saw -the words there. He was secretly at odds with himself. He had returned -to the room determined to make no reference to the affair of the stolen -money. It had not occurred to him that Jim had sought to protect Webb. -It did not occur to him now, seriously. Webb had demanded more money, -Jim had known about the twenty-two dollars and had yielded to a sudden -temptation. That was how Clem figured it. The mere act of thievery -didn’t seem so bad to him, nor did the loss of the money--if it proved -a loss--trouble him at all. But he felt terribly injured, spiritually -bruised, by the revelation that Jim could do so small and mean an -act. He had, almost without realizing it, grown very fond of Jim, -and now the discovery that the latter was not worthy of the affection -wounded him sorely. But he had meant to keep all this to himself; -Jim, he had thought, would be glad to say no more of the affair; and -he would have done so if Jim had not made matters worse by attempting -to shift the blame to Webb. That had turned Clem’s sorrow to disgust -and, finally, to something close to anger. To him, accusing Webb was -far worse than taking the money. The latter was capable of palliation -if one granted sudden temptation, but to seek to clear himself at the -expense of another, one who could not testify on his own behalf, was -indefensible; it was the worst of all offenses to Clem’s eyes, it was -poor sportsmanship! - -Jim’s voice broke the silence finally. It was harsh and strained, for -he was trying desperately to hide his hurt, and it was so low that it -scarcely carried across the table. - -“Clem,” he said, “are you thinking that I stole that money?” - -Clem looked up, his face oddly expressionless. “I thought we had agreed -to leave that word out of it.” - -“What does it matter what you call it?” asked Jim, his voice trembling -a trifle in spite of his efforts to keep it steady. “You are thinking -it! You don’t dare look me in the face and deny it!” - -Clem frowned. “Let’s not be tiresome, Jim. It’s done. Let’s not say -anything more about it.” - -There was another silence. Then: “All right,” said Jim. “I will never -speak of it again--until you do.” The strained expression went out of -his face, but it remained white and grim as he seated himself in his -chair and took up his pen once more. Now there was no hesitation. The -sprawling letters followed each other rapidly across the white sheet. -“Friday,” he wrote; “Dear Father: I am sorry to have to ask you for -money again but I must have twelve dollars within a few days. This -is right important. I want you should take it out of my allowances -for December, January and February, so I’m not asking anything extra. -Please try hard to send me this twelve dollars just as soon as you get -this letter. I’m not in trouble, so you don’t need to be worried any, -and when I see you I’ll tell you what I have to have it for. I am well -and getting along nicely--” - -Jim paused there and stared sadly at the base of the lamp for a long -moment before he went on. - - - - -CHAPTER XIV - -IN THE JUDGE’S CHAMBER - - -Jim was the first one at the training table the next morning and the -first one away, and it wasn’t much after half-past eight when he -emerged from Haylow and made his way across the campus. Under one -arm he carried his football. At West street he turned to the left -and, about a third of the way along the block, turned in under a -swinging sign on which a football was portrayed. It was a prosperous -looking store whose well-filled shelves and cases and counters offered -everything in the athletic and sporting goods lines. At this time of -morning there were no customers, and the only occupant was a youth of -nineteen or twenty, a graduate of the Academy and a resident of the -town. To him Jim explained his errand. - -“I bought this football here awhile back,” he stated, “and it’s never -been used any to speak of. Hasn’t even been out of my room until -to-day. You can see it’s almost like new.” - -“Yes, I see, but what’s the matter with it?” The clerk was examining -the stitching frowningly. - -“Nothing,” said Jim, “but I ain’t got any more use for it and I -thought maybe you could sell it again.” - -“Well, I don’t know. It’s just about as good as a new one, Mr. Todd; -I’ve got you right, haven’t I? You are Todd of the Eleven, aren’t you? -I thought so. Well, as I was saying, I’d like to oblige you, but we -don’t very often have calls for second-hand footballs. I don’t suppose -we ever had, still I’ll be glad to do what I can for you. I’ll take it -on sale, Mr. Todd. It’s kind of late now, though, and the demand for -footballs is about over.” - -“I wanted you to buy it from me,” said Jim. “I need the money right -away.” - -“Oh! Well, I don’t see how we could do that. If Mr. Emerson was here -he might be willing to do it, but he isn’t. I don’t see much of him -at this time of the year. Guess he’s pretty busy playing football. He -telephones a couple of times a week, but he may not call up to-day.” - -Jim’s disappointment showed plainly. “Well, I’ve got to have the money -this morning,” he muttered. “I--I’d sell it back to you right cheap.” - -“How cheap?” asked the clerk. “You paid seven for this, didn’t you?” - -“Six-thirty. I got the academy discount.” - -“That’s right. Well, how much do you want for it?” - -“Four,” answered Jim. - -“Well, I don’t say it isn’t worth it,” said the other dubiously, “but I -guess three and a half would be the best I could get for it, if it sold -at all.” - -“Three and a half?” Jim considered. “All right, I’ll take three and a -half.” - -“I may get stuck on it,” said the clerk hesitantly, “but I’ll take a -chance. Mind, I’m doing this, not the store, Mr. Todd. I wouldn’t have -any right to risk the store’s money like this.” - -Jim nodded. The point wasn’t important to him, and he was trying to -think of some way in which to get the other fifty cents of the four -dollars. The clerk took three dollars and a half from his pocket, handed -the sum across the counter and the transaction was completed. Jim -hurried out. - -Had he passed that way half an hour later and looked in the left-hand -window he would have seen his ball prominently displayed above a card -on which was printed: “Shopworn--A Bargain at $4.50.” - -Further along on the opposite side of the street was a tiny jewelry -store. On the single narrow window was printed “The Diamond Palace--I. -Kohn & Son.” Crossing the street, Jim removed his cuff-links. Whether -they were solid gold or merely plated had never interested him before, -but he hoped now that they were solid. They were, and after Mr. Kohn, -Junior, a personable youth with extremely red cheeks, a diminutive -black mustache and brilliantly shining hair smoothed back from his -forehead, had carefully satisfied himself on that point he asked -severely: “You want to sell them?” - -Jim said that he did. Young Mr. Kohn shrugged, laid them back on -a rusty square of purple velvet and pushed the square toward the -customer. “We don’t buy second-hand jewelry,” he said. Jim picked up -the links. “If you want to sell those for old gold, we’ll pay you what -they’re worth.” - -Jim hesitated. “How much?” he asked. - -Mr. Kohn, Junior, weighed the links on a small scales, out of sight of -Jim, by the way, and replied; “A dollar and a half. They don’t weigh -quite so much, but I’ll call it a dollar and a half even.” - -“They’re worth more than that,” answered Jim, remembering that there -were at least six more jewelry stores in town. - -“Not for old gold they ain’t.” - -“Well, I guess I don’t want to sell them,” said Jim. - -“How much you think they’re worth?” asked the other, still keeping the -cuff-links. - -“Two dollars.” - -“You’re making fun of me,” answered the other, smiling patiently. -“I ain’t saying they ain’t worth two dollars to you for cuff-links, -because maybe they’d be worth three, but for old gold--” - -“All right,” replied Jim, holding out his hand. - -“Say, ain’t you one of the fellows that plays with the football team -over to the Academy?” asked young Mr. Kohn. - -“Yes.” - -“Sure! I recognized you when I see you coming in the door. You was -playing in that game last week, wasn’t you? Sure! Well, now, listen, -to you I’ll say a dollar and seventy-five cents. If papa was here he’d -skin me, but I’m a great feller for football, and--” - -Jim was pointing through the top of the case to a pair of cheap -imitation gold cuff-links fixed in a small card. “I’ll let you have -them for a dollar, seventy-five and those links there.” - -“I couldn’t, positively!” Mr. Kohn, Junior, extracted the links in -question from the tray and read the cryptic figures on a corner of the -soiled card. “Say, you know what these sell for. Sixty-five cents! Look -for yourself!” - -“‘g n l’” read Jim. “That don’t spell sixty-five to me; it spells -twenty-five.” - -Perhaps Mr. Kohn, Junior, was not without a sense of humor, for he -chuckled quite humanly, hesitated a moment and finally turned to a -huge safe at the back of the narrow shop. “Say, you got a cheek, ain’t -you?” he asked almost approvingly. “I got to give you that. I guess you -football fellers is great bluffers maybe.” He counted out a dollar and -seventy-five cents. “There you are, Mister. Call again. Good morning.” -Jim took the money and the awful cuff-links and departed. After he -had gone young Mr. Kohn rubbed his purchase diligently with a soiled -chamois, fixed them to a card, wrote “l d b” in a corner and placed -them on a glass shelf. In the obscure code of the Diamond Palace “l d -b” signified that the article was to be disposed of for five dollars. -As, however, the proprietors permitted themselves the privilege of -reducing their goods twenty per centum below the marked prices to -secure a sale it was possible that Jim’s cuff-links might some day go -for as little as four dollars. - -On his way to the Police Station Jim put his new purchases in place -and felt vastly more comfortable. The Captain was not in, but the -stout Sergeant served as well and conducted Jim up a broad flight of -much-worn steps to the second floor of the building. Facing the top of -the staircase, a wide portal, its double doors swung open, showed the -court room in possession of a few loungers and a clerk busily at work -under the judge’s desk. Jim, however, was conducted past the doorway -and to a smaller door at the end of the hall. The Sergeant knocked, -received no answer and looked in. - -“He ain’t come yet. You set down, kid, and make yourself comfortable. -He’ll be along in a minute or two.” - -The Sergeant left him and Jim took one of the several severe-looking -chairs and waited. He didn’t have to wait long, for presently brisk -steps sounded on stairs and corridor and a middle-aged man in a -closely-fitting suit of small gray checks and a bright red necktie -swung through the doorway. Jim arose. The Judge grunted, dropped a -bag on the desk, placed a morning paper atop, hung his derby hat in -a wardrobe, sank into a swivel chair and lighted a cigar. All these -things were done very briskly, so that Jim was on his feet less than a -minute before the Judge waved him back to it. - -“Want to see me?” asked the Judge in an accusing voice. - -“Yes, sir, if you please.” Jim wondered if he should have said “Your -Honor.” But if he had failed in respect the Judge let it pass. He -shifted his cigar so that the smoke allowed him a view of the visitor -and, after a longing glance at the newspaper, crossed one plump knee -over the other. - -“What about?” - -“About one of the--the prisoners, sir.” - -“Coming before me this morning?” - -“Yes, sir, so the Police Captain said, and he said I could see you -before court began and tell you about him. You see, Judge, Webb is all -right, only--” - -“What’s his name?” - -“Webb Todd, but he called himself Webster when they arrested him.” - -“Gave an assumed name, eh? What’s he charged with?” - -“Vagrancy, sir.” - -“That all?” - -“Yes, sir.” - -“Well, there have been too many vagrants around here lately, and I -guess it’s about time some of them were made examples of. What do you -know about this Webster?” - -So Jim, beginning rather timorously but soon forgetting his awe of the -listener, said his say. He made Webb out rather a fine character, and -once or twice the Judge’s cigar trembled in his mouth and the Judge’s -keen gray eyes, which weren’t really half so steel-like as he tried to -make them, softened. Jim told how Webb had taught him to swim and pull -an oar and use a paddle and had, in short, looked after him like an -elder brother for so many years. And he told how Webb had dived into -icy water that time when Jim had gone beneath the logs and had saved -his life. Now and then the Judge asked a question, and one of them was -“What’s your name?” and another was “You’re the boy they call ‘Slim’ -Todd, aren’t you?” And finally, to Jim’s utter surprise, he and the -Judge were talking football! - -The Judge knew football, too. There wasn’t any doubt as to that. He -had played it in school and college, and, although that had been a -good twenty years before, he still followed the game and was an ardent -“fan”; and traveled many miles each November to see his college meet -its ancient rival. He hadn’t missed an Alton game so far this season, -he told Jim, but he didn’t believe he’d be able to make the trip to New -Falmouth this afternoon. Then he asked if Jim was going to play, and -Jim said he expected to, and the Judge sighed and pushed his newspaper -aside and made finger spots on the polished mahogany surface of the -desk and moved his hands hither and yon and explained to Jim in detail -the way in which he had got away around the enemy’s right on a certain -blustery afternoon many years ago and sped twenty-six yards for the -touchdown that had won the game. And Jim, watching and listening, saw -the picture clearly and said “_Gee!_” once or twice with bated breath -and sighed with vast relief when the Judge--only, of course, he wasn’t -the Judge then--tore loose from the last tackler and fell across the -blurred white line! - -Then there was a knock on the door that led to the court room and the -Judge straightened himself back in his chair and looked very judge-like -on the instant. When the Clerk entered the Judge shook hands with Jim -and walked to the corridor door with him. “I’m glad to have met you, -Mr. Todd,” he said in his best judicial tones. “Good morning.” But the -Judge’s hand pressed Jim’s very hard, and so Jim found courage to ask -before the door closed behind them: “And about--about Webb, sir? You’ll -be easy with him, sir?” - -“My boy,” answered the Judge, looking just a bit pompous and severe, -“his case will be judged absolutely on its merits. I can say no more -than that.” - -After which, while the Clerk of the Court coughed deprecatively in -token that the Judge was due on the bench, the Judge’s right eye-lid, -without in the least altering the expression of his face, closed slowly -down over the steel-gray eye. - -Comforted, indeed rather happier than he had been since yesterday -afternoon, Jim passed into the court room and took a seat at the rear. -The rest of the audience counted no more than two dozen. Jim had never -been in any sort of a court before, and he was a little disappointed -at the almost casual way in which the cases were disposed of. But the -offenses were all minor ones and so probably deserved little ceremony. -The Judge--strangely enough, Jim didn’t yet know his name--sat very -straight behind his desk and looked unemotionally stern and gave his -verdicts in crisp, terse words. Jim began to be a little uneasy. It -seemed to him that the Judge was absolutely unable to say “Discharged”! -Instead, it was “Ten days in jail” or “You are fined fifty dollars” -or “Sentenced to thirty days: sentence suspended.” The prisoners were -a dejected looking lot until Webb Todd stood up in his turn. Webb was -perhaps more rumpled and seedy-looking than his predecessors, but there -were no signs of dejection about him. Indeed he had a rather jaunty air -as he faced the Judge, in spite of his unshaven face and cheap, skimpy, -frayed clothes. The Judge viewed him keenly and at greater length than -usual. The charge was read. - -“What have you got to say for yourself, Webster?” asked the Judge. - -“Not much, your Honor,” Webb answered easily. “Just that I ain’t -guilty. I’ve been here three or four days looking for work, but I ain’t -a vagrant.” - -“Where did you work last?” - -“Manchester, New Hampshire, sir.” - -“How long ago?” - -“About a month. Nearly five weeks.” - -“How did you happen to come here?” - -“I was going to Norwalk. I got a job promised me in Norwalk. I got out -of money and I had a friend here and I stopped to make a touch.” - -“Succeed?” - -“Yes, sir.” - -“When?” - -“Yesterday afternoon.” - -“Before that?” The Judge’s eyes bored hard. Webb stroked his chin. - -“A couple of days ago, sir.” - -“Why didn’t you go to Norwalk when you got the first money from this -friend?” - -“I--I guess I felt lazy,” said Webb. He smiled engagingly, and the -Judge frowned. - -“Where’s your home?” - -“New York City.” - -“Ever been in Maine?” - -“Yes, sir.” - -“Four Lakes?” - -Jim could see the sudden stiffening of Webb’s thin form at the far end -of the room. “Yes, sir,” answered Webb after a moment. - -“As a matter of fact, Webster, that’s your home, isn’t it?” - -“It used to be, Judge. I--I guess I ain’t got any now.” - -The Judge stared intently at Webb for a long while across the desk, -and, to his credit be it said, Webb returned the look unflinchingly. -“If I let you off, Webster, will you promise me to leave this town -before night and secure work inside of twenty-four hours?” - -“I’ll say so, Judge.” - -“Think you can secure work?” - -“I know it.” - -The Judge leaned back. “Discharged,” he said. “Next case.” - -Jim followed Webb into the corridor and went down stairs with him. -“Gee, I’m awfully glad, Webb!” he said. - -“Pshaw, he didn’t have nothin’ on me, kid. What did I tell you? But, -say, I forgot about you seeing him, and when he asked me about Four -Lakes I got a swell jar! Did you bring the money, kid?” - -“Yes. You get what they took away from you, Webb, and we’ll trade.” - -Webb didn’t seem enthusiastic about that, but he disappeared and after -a few minutes returned with his possessions. “Fifteen dollars,” he -said, offering Jim three five-dollar coins. - -“Sixteen, forty-one,” said Jim implacably. Webb sighed, grinned and -found the balance. - -“Gee, kid, you’re a regular Shylock, ain’t you?” - -“This isn’t my money, Webb. Remember that I’ve got to pay back the -difference, too.” - -“That’s right. Say, I’m sorry, kid, honest I am. I ain’t used you -right, and I know it. Comin’ along to the railway station with me?” - -“No,” answered Jim. “I haven’t time, Webb. Here’s five dollars. You’ll -be able to eat for a few days if you don’t get that job right off.” - -“Kid, you’re a prince! But I’ll get the job, all right. And say, this -ain’t any promise, ’cause I ain’t good at keeping promises, but maybe -I’ll be sending you that money back before long.” - -“I hope you will,” replied Jim soberly. “Anyway, I’ll be expecting you -to, Webb, for you really owe it to me, you know.” - -“Help!” said Webb. “Well, that’s right, too. So long, kid. See you -again some day likely.” - -They shook hands; they were at the corner now; and Jim said: “You’ll -keep your promise, won’t you, Webb? I mean you’ll really go to Norwalk -and get work.” - -“Take it from me, kid,” answered Webb, grinning, “it ain’t going to be -healthy for me in this town after to-day. That Judge back there’s a -hard-boiled egg, or I miss my guess! So long, kid!” - - - - -CHAPTER XV - -LOWELL IS WORRIED - - -Too late for a ten o’clock recitation, Jim went back to Haylow and -deposited Clem’s money in a drawer. At twenty minutes to eleven he went -to his last class of the day, and when he returned to Number 15 Clem -was there ahead of him. Jim took the money from his drawer and laid it -on Clem’s chiffonier. - -“That’s yours,” he stated. - -Clem nodded carelessly. “Yes. Much obliged.” Presently he arose and -took the money and placed it back in the suit-case, dropping the bunch -of keys back into the chiffonier drawer as before. It is possible -that the act was well intended. Perhaps he meant to convey to Jim -that, despite what had happened, he still trusted him. But Jim read it -differently. To Jim the proceeding announced: “You’ve been caught once, -so I guess you won’t try it again!” Since last night the two had not -had much to say to each other, and what conversation there had been had -sounded lame. Probably in another day or two the feeling of constraint -on each side would wear off, but just now it was far easier to remain -silent than to make their remarks sound natural. After a few minutes, -though, Clem looked at his watch and asked: - -“Aren’t you going with the team, Jim?” - -Jim started and hurriedly consulted his own timepiece. “Gosh, yes!” he -ejaculated. “I’d forgotten!” He hustled about and finally made for the -door. - -“Good luck,” said Clem. “Hope you trim them.” - -“Thanks,” Jim called back. - -There was an early dinner, at which Jim was late, and then the squad -piled into two buses and were trundled to the station. New Falmouth was -not far, but the train was a slow one and, to-day, was twenty minutes -behind schedule besides. It was well after two when they reached their -destination. Mr. Cade had taken twenty-six players, and these with -coaches, managers, trainer and rubber made quite an addition to New -Falmouth’s population and caused considerable stir in the little town. - -The game started at three o’clock and went the visitors’ way from -the kick-off. New Falmouth High School was a team that varied from -very good to extremely poor with the seasons. This year it was an -aggregation of big, husky youths who seemed to have a lot of football -inside them but couldn’t get it out. That, at least, was the way -Lowell Woodruff put it to Jim on the way home. Alton confined herself -to straight plays and had so little difficulty making ground through -the opponent’s line that she was not called on to play an open game. -Rolls Roice made the first score when he picked up a fumbled ball -and dashed nearly thirty yards with it. Billy Frost added a second -touchdown six minutes later. Pep Kinsey, who started the game at -quarter, kicked both goals and the first period ended with Alton 14 and -New Falmouth 0. - -Mr. Cade began substitutions with the beginning of the next quarter. -Latham took Pep’s place, Plant went in for Billy Frost and Benning -displaced Cheswick at center. A long march put Alton on the home team’s -eight yards where a mistake in signals set her back to the fourteen. -Two drives by Tennyson, at full-back, netted five and, with ten to -go on fourth down, Latham tossed to Levering, left end. But the ball -grounded and went to the enemy. It was not until the half was nearly -over that the Gray-and-Gold’s next invasion yielded a profit. Then -Plant broke through from New Falmouth’s twenty-seven yards and wormed -through a crowded field to the twelve. From there it took the visitors -just five plays to put the pigskin across, Tennyson making the final -plunge straight through center. Whittier missed the goal. By that time -Alton’s line was largely composed of second and third string players, -and during the few minutes that remained New Falmouth made her second -first-down and kept the ball in her possession. - -Jim didn’t see service until the third period started. His opponent -was a big heavy youth, but he was correspondingly slow, and Jim didn’t -have much trouble with him. Yet, somehow, Jim played listlessly -to-day. Usually he was surprisingly quick after the ball, and had -not infrequently beaten his own ends down the field under punts, but -this afternoon he and the pigskin were more like strangers and he was -forever running into the interference instead of around it. He was not -the only one who failed to show his best form, however, for there was a -noticeable let-down in aggressiveness as the score grew. Mr. Cade used -every man he had brought along before the end, but re-instated several -first-string fellows in the final period. Jim was one of those who -retired then. He didn’t much care, for some reason. Perhaps, because -when your side is 30 and the other side is 0, some of the zest of -playing is lacking. - -New Falmouth made her single score while Jim was still in as a result -of abandoning her off-tackle and around-the-end plays, which had -netted her little, and taking to a passing game. Twice she tried long -passes and failed, largely because the thrower waited so long that -Alton easily covered the receivers. Finally, though, having caught a -short punt on Alton’s forty-seven yards, she changed her tactics and -used a short pass across the line from a moving formation by which the -pass was well screened. Possibly she would have found less success -had the Gray-and-Gold team not been at the time composed largely of -substitutes. As it was she managed to fool the opponents very neatly -by varying the passes with end runs. Several times Alton’s back-field -followed across to the apparently threatened territory only to find -that a run had suddenly developed into a forward pass that sent them -doubling back, usually too late. Once Smith, who had taken Gus Fingal’s -place, saved the day by pulling down the receiver from behind. On -three other occasions New Falmouth got the pass to the runner almost -unchallenged, and only the fact that the receivers seemed incapable of -getting off quickly kept the home team from crossing Alton’s goal-line. -As it was, New Falmouth swept from the forty-seven to the fifteen, -losing a yard now and then on end plays and gaining from eight to -twelve on passes across the line. - -On the fifteen-yard line, however, Alton, reinforced by two first-string -backs, stopped progress. New Falmouth shot a forward to the left only to -have it knocked down by Billy Frost. A plunge off tackle gained less -than a yard. Faking a try-at-goal, the invaders tossed over the middle -of the line and in the wild scramble that ensued the pigskin again went -to earth. With one chance left New Falmouth put it up to the toe of her -full-back and, although Alton tried desperately to break through, and -although both Jim and Hick Powers actually did succeed in almost -reaching the kicker, he made good and sent the pigskin neatly between -the uprights for New Falmouth’s single score of the day. In revenge the -visiting team took the ball a few minutes later and, strengthened by the -return of many of her players who had started the contest, walked down -the field for the last tally, sending Steve Whittier over for the fifth -touchdown just before time was up. Steve added the 1 to the 6 a moment -later, and, since she had previously scored a field-goal, Alton Academy -returned home in the November twilight with a 37 to 3 victory. - -On the train Lowell Woodruff sat with Jim and was very talkative on -the subject of the contest and the lessons to be learned from it. Jim, -feeling rather glum, would much rather have watched the gray landscape -and thought his thoughts, even if they weren’t very cheering. But he -managed to make Lowell think he was attentive, and, since Lowell never -demanded too much of his listeners, he had little opportunity to -commune either with Nature or with Jim Todd during that forty-minute -train ride. “We don’t want to get proud and haughty about this game,” -was part of the wisdom imparted by the manager. “Of course, it wasn’t -so bad, and if we’d played our best men all through we might easily -have scored a couple more times and kept our own slate clean. But -the point is that those raw meat eaters back there are slow as cold -molasses. And their brains are sort of torpid, too. If they had a -chance to make a gain they went into conference, you might say, and by -the time they’d reached a decision some one of our crowd spilled the -beans. I wouldn’t wonder if they had a pretty fair team by the end of -the season, but any fast bunch could tie knots in ’em. That’s one thing -we showed ourselves to be to-day, Slim, fast. Yes, sir, we’re plumb -sudden the way we get started and move around. And Johnny Cade was -mighty pleased, too. I guess there was a whole lot he didn’t like, but -the speed we showed had him tickled to death. All we’ve got to do is -keep up the speed, work out a nice running and passing game, and walk -right away from Kenly Hall.” - -“You think we can do it?” asked Jim, who, having heard no more than -half of Lowell’s remarks, was driven by compunction to a show of -interest. Lowell grunted and looked past Jim into the gathering -darkness. - -“I think we can beat Kenly, but I don’t think it the way I talked -then,” he replied slowly. “That’s the trouble with these easy games. -They make you see things that ain’t. Kenly licked the boots off us -two years ago and tied us last, and I don’t see why she shouldn’t do -it again. That is, if we aren’t a hundred per cent better than we -were when she did it before. We’re some better already, but we’re a -long way from twice as good. Kenly’s got most of her last year crowd -on hand again, and you know we’ve had to build almost a new team. -Anyway, I’d rather see Kenly win than tie us. There’s something beastly -unsatisfactory about a game that neither side wins. Seems as if all the -season’s work and planning had been wasted. It’s like a crazy dream I -had once. I dreamed I was climbing up a lot of ladders hitched together -at the ends. There were dozens of ’em, and I kept on climbing, rung -over rung, scared blue all the time. And then when I finally reached -the top of the last ladder I was just where I’d started!” - -Jim laughed. Then: “Tie games never come together, though,” he said -knowingly. “I noticed that when I was reading the football records the -other day.” - -“I dare say that’s so,” said Lowell. “I think we’ve only played three -of them with Kenly since the fun started. Anyway, I don’t want to see -another one this year. How did you get on to-day?” - -“All right, I guess,” answered Jim without much conviction in his -tones. “Not so well as sometimes, maybe. Guess I didn’t feel very zippy -to start with.” - -“I dare say. Every fellow has an off-day now and then. Probably ate -something. Take it easy to-morrow and be good to yourself. You know, -Todd, I’m kind of banking on you to finish the season strong. ‘Slim and -Victory’s’ my motto!” - -“Shucks,” muttered Jim. “I ain’t much good, I guess.” - -“That,” responded Lowell, “is just your modesty. The fact is,” he added -benignantly, “you play your position just as I should if I were a -football man, Todd. I can think of no greater praise!” - -Jim was glad that he had a meeting of the Maine-and-Vermont Society to -interest him that evening. Anything was preferable to sitting alone in -Number 15, and the companionship of Clem offered even less attraction. - -Clem had spent a dull afternoon. When it was too late he wished that he -had followed his first impulse and journeyed to New Falmouth for the -game. After sitting listlessly in the room a while, trying to write -a letter and failing, trying to read and again failing, he started -downstairs with the intention of finding some one who, like himself, -had the afternoon on his hands. But the sight of Mr. Tarbot’s open door -produced a sudden impulse and he stopped and knocked. - -The instructor was at his desk, but he greeted Clem cordially and asked -him to sit down. Clem seated himself in the attitude of one who has but -a moment to spare. “Mr. Tarbot,” he asked, “did you notice a fellow -pass your door yesterday afternoon?” - -“A fellow?” inquired the instructor, smiling. - -“Well, a stranger, sir, sort of a smallish, thin chap in gray, with a -cloth cap; awfully seedy-looking.” - -“No, I don’t recall him,” replied Mr. Tarbot, “but then so many go in -and out, Harland, that I pay very little attention.” - -“If you’d seen this fellow I think you’d have remembered him,” said -Clem. “I mean you’d have seen he wasn’t one of us, sir.” - -“Probably. At least, I trust so. As a matter of fact, Harland, I find -myself as I grow older contracting the odd habit of seeing things with -my eyes but not with my brain. For instance, had I been facing the door -when you went past I should probably have raised my eyes and seen you -quite clearly, but if you asked me five minutes later if I had seen -you I’d have had to say no. So it isn’t beyond possibility that your -friend with the cloth cap did go past here. I assume that my habit of -seeing without realizing is a natural and usual symptom of approaching -senility.” - -Mr. Tarbot, although he looked somewhat older, was still well under -forty, and Clem laughed. “Well, I guess you’d have noticed this -fellow,” he said. “He probably didn’t come here.” - -“There’s nothing wrong, I hope?” said the instructor. - -Clem shook his head. Of course there was a good deal wrong, but he -couldn’t tell Mr. Tarbot so. Outside, he felt at once disappointed and -satisfied; disappointed because, as thoroughly as he disbelieved Jim’s -version, he would have been glad to find it true; satisfied because it -is human nature to relish confirmation of one’s convictions. He spent -the subsequent twenty minutes or so trying to find an acquaintance with -whom to cast in his lot for the afternoon, but each room he visited was -deserted, and finally he went back to Haylow and tried to make the best -of the four empty hours ahead. - -Already Jim’s crime looked less heinous to Clem. Of course, he assured -himself, he could never feel toward Jim quite as he had before, but -his first severity had waned. He even sought excuses for the other. -Probably Webb had worked on Jim’s sympathies until the latter had -become desperate and on impulse, without sober thought, had taken the -only way to satisfy Webb’s demand that was possible. Perhaps, he told -himself, even he, placed as Jim had been placed, would have done the -same. But he couldn’t convince himself of that. And he was certain -that had he stolen that money he could never have sought to escape -suspicion by throwing the blame on another. That, in Clem’s eyes, was -the deadliest sin. - -He determined that so far as was possible he would put the affair out -of his mind and behave as though nothing had ever happened. At least -for the rest of the term. Perhaps after Christmas recess there would -be a chance to move into Lykes. Lykes was the senior dormitory and if -there was a vacancy he would be eligible for it. Of course the matter -of getting Jim into Janus Society was at an end. Doubtless Jim would -understand that. Clem felt a little bit happier--and perhaps a trifle -heroic--after his decision, and he was all prepared to carry his plan -into effect when Jim returned from the game. But Jim went right from -the station to supper and, although Clem waited in Number 15 until -nearly eight o’clock, didn’t get back to the room until ten. By that -time Clem was feeling somewhat disgruntled, as well as sleepy, and in -the few words that were exchanged constraint was as much in evidence as -ever. - -But the next morning Clem arose in a kindly and even expansive mood. -It was Sunday, there was no work to be done and the sun was shining -brightly on the best of worlds. So he began promptly to show Jim -that everything was to be just as it had been--almost--and sustained -a distinct surprise when Jim failed--or refused--to read the signs. -Jim was calm and polite, but he was also brief and reserved. In fact, -somewhat to Clem’s indignation, Jim appeared to be trying to swipe -Clem’s rôle of Wounded Virtue! Hang it all, Jim sounded as if it were -his feelings that had been outraged and hurt! Clem couldn’t make it -out, and after a few futile efforts to reëstablish the former _entente_ -he relapsed into silence. Oh, well, if the idiot didn’t appreciate his -intentions he could--could chase his blind aunt! He, Clem, was through! - -So, on the whole Sunday wasn’t a very merry day in Number 15 Haylow, -and the days that followed weren’t much better save in so far as that -both Jim and Clem became gradually accustomed to the estrangement as -time passed. Clem sought other companionship and seldom remained in -the room after supper and Jim redoubled his interest in football and -the affairs of the Maine-and-Vermont Society. Perhaps it would be -more truthful to say that he sought to redouble his interest, for he -didn’t really succeed. In fact, he wasn’t getting along so well on -the gridiron these days. The process of making a star tackle out of -Jim Todd appeared to have reached an end. By the last of the week he -seemed to have retired permanently to the substitute status and even -Mulford filled in as often as he did. Lowell Woodruff was puzzled and -distressed. Lowell liked to believe that he had in a manner discovered -Slim Todd; or that, if the actual discovery wasn’t his, he had at least -preserved it to the world and established its value. He broached the -subject of Jim’s slump to Clem one evening. - -“I don’t know what’s happened to the blighter,” he said plaintively. -“Up to a week or so ago he was going great and Johnny was building -plays around him. But now look at the blamed thing! He’s forgetting -everything he ever learned and a babe in arms could make him look like -a joke.” This was an exaggeration, but Lowell dealt in exaggerations. - -“I fancy,” answered Clem, plainly evasive, “that he’s not feeling very -fit, Woodie.” - -“Fit my eye! He’s fit but he won’t fight! Something’s taken all the pep -out of him. Know what it is?” - -Clem shook his head. Lowell eyed him sharply and said in pained tones: -“You’re a liar, Clem.” - -Clem blustered a little but Lowell refused to retract. “Yes, you are,” -he insisted. “But I suppose it’s something you can’t talk about, so -I’ll forgive you.” - -“Better let it go at that,” said Clem, grinning. “Anyway, I guess the -team will survive without Jim.” - -“Oh, sure. It would survive without any fellow on the squad; even -Gus; but that doesn’t mean we want to lose a good, promising player, -you old coot, and if you know of any way of waking Jim up out of his -trance I wish to goodness you’d try it. I’ve exhausted all my methods. -When I talk to him he just grins and nods and says, ‘Maybe you’re -right, Woodruff’ or ‘There’s nothing the matter with me. You’ll see -to-morrow.’ Well, I look and I don’t see. Perhaps the chap has a secret -sorrow or--or something. Any of his folks ill that you know of?” - -Clem shook his head. - -“How does he stand with the Office? Hear of any trouble?” - -“No, he’s all right there. He always is. He’s a shark.” - -“Oh, well, I give it up. Just one more good man gone wrong, I suppose. -But if you have any influence--” - -“I haven’t,” interrupted Clem shortly. “Let’s drop it.” - -So Lowell dropped it, but he wasn’t satisfied. He retired from the -conversation firmly convinced that Clem knew a heap more than he would -acknowledge and that if Clem was in any way responsible for Jim’s -deficiency boiling oil was far too good for him. - -On Wednesday Jim received a check for twelve dollars from his father, -cashed it at the Office and laid the sum of ten dollars and fifty-nine -cents on Clem’s chiffonier. For some inexplicable reason the finding -of the money seemed to annoy Clem, for he swept it into one hand and -fairly hurled it into the top drawer. Jim, observing the strange -action, made no comment. You just couldn’t account for Clem’s behavior -and moods any more! - - - - -CHAPTER XVI - -JIM DABBLES IN STRATEGY - - -November was nearly a fortnight old and football was fairly on the -home-stretch. With the New Falmouth game out of the way, Alton had -still to face Mount Millard, Oak Grove and Kenly Hall, the first two -at home, the latter at Lakeville. Frosty nights and frequent chill -and lowery days had taken the place of October mildness, and football -enthusiasm, which, like the witch hazel, only comes into full blossom -after the tang of frost is in the air, was rampant. Football tunes were -heard in the dormitories and wherever two or more fellows were gathered -together the talk was of the team and of Kenly Hall’s warriors and of -the prospects of a Gray-and-Gold victory. In short, it was the season -of the year when most normal American youths talk, think and dream -football. - -Kenly Hall had won her five games with seeming ease, rolling up large -scores on three occasions, and Alton scouts had returned to speak -with much respect of the Cherry-and-Black. Those seeking light on the -comparative merits of Alton and Kenly had little to work on. Lorimer -Academy was the only adversary appearing on the schedules of both. -Alton had won from Lorimer 6 to 0. Kenly had defeated Lorimer 27 to 6. -From these scores a variety of conclusions could be and were drawn. -Pessimists pointed gloomily to the fact that whereas Alton had been -able to put over but one touchdown against Lorimer, Kenly had made -four. Optimists dwelt on the fact that although unable to cross Alton’s -goal-line Lorimer had found Kenly’s pregnable. So there you were. -Unlimited argument was possible. - -Coach Cade and his assistants, though, had more information to work -on. To them it was known that Kenly had a heavy, powerful team which -had developed early in the season and which had yet to meet opposition -strong enough to thoroughly test it. Kenly’s line was strong, if -sluggish, and her backfield had weight and experience. So far her backs -had shown better ability at plunging than at running plays, and Kenly -had won her battles largely on assaults inside and outside tackles. -If she had any running game it had not been shown, and the same was -only slightly less true of her kicking. In short, Kenly appeared to be -standing pat on the style of football played by her last year and the -year before; and for several years before that. She was using a fairly -well diversified attack inasmuch as she used short over-the-line -passes inside the opponent’s forty-yard line and pulled off an end run, -not often successfully, frequently enough to keep the adversary in -doubt. If the Cherry-and-Black had one weakness it was in the position -of quarter-back. She had tried out three men there and none had -exhibited much genius for generalship, although all had plenty of skill -as players. Coach Cade drew most satisfaction from the fact that so far -Kenly had persisted along old lines and still showed no disposition to -upset his plans by introducing innovation. - -On the Tuesday following the New Falmouth game the second team, when -it faced the first for the first scrimmage of the week, discovered -that the opponent was using a new arrangement of the backs. Quarter -and one half-back stood five yards behind the line of scrimmage, the -former opposite left tackle, the latter opposite the guard-tackle -hole on the right. The other half-back and the full-back stood three -yards behind the first two, the first directly back of center and the -second directly back of the outside half. With this arrangement every -pass from center was necessarily made straight to the runner and every -member of the back-field was eligible to take a forward pass. There -was no variation of the formation save for drop--or place-kicking. The -punting was done by Whittier from approximately six yards behind the -center. This necessitated getting kicks off quickly, but Steve was -equal to it. The first team’s first punt from the new formation so -surprised the second team that the ball went over the defensive back’s -head! - -Combined with line shifts of various sorts, the new backfield formation -showed more and more merit as the season progressed. Plays in which the -back received the ball while moving seemed especially adapted to it -since speed was one thing that the Gray-and-Gold backfield possessed. -Such plays demand extreme nicety in their execution and following the -New Falmouth game the blackboard became a prominent feature in the -instruction and dummy drills a favorite occupation. Evening sessions -were held five times a week and plays were set forth in diagram on the -blackboard and then walked through on the gymnasium floor. A second -volunteer coach had appeared in the person of an old Alton player named -Lake, and to him fell the task of putting the final polish on the -backs. Football at Alton was now running under forced draft. - -Thursday, which would ordinarily have seen a hard practice in -preparation for Mount Millard, was very nearly a wasted day, for a hard -rain set in about mid-morning and continued until long after dark. The -gridiron became a squashy, soggy territory interspersed with miniature -lakes by three o’clock, and so, although the afternoon was to have -been devoted to the perfecting of several plays to be used on Saturday, -the best coaches and players could do was to hold a blackboard party in -the gymnasium. Five first-string men were to go to Lakeville Saturday -to watch Kenly play Comerford and the players who were to take their -places were none too well drilled in their rôles. Jim was one of the -latter, for Rolls Roice was included in the scouting expedition, and he -and George Mulford would both be called on to fill in. Jim suspected -that Mulford would be Mr. Cade’s first choice, and the suspicion didn’t -worry him at all. Of course he would rather play against Mount Millard -than sit on the bench, but whether he was put in at left tackle at the -start or only sent in as a substitute for Mulford or Sawyer didn’t -matter much to him. He paid strict attention to the blackboard talk and -went through formations and signal drill afterwards conscientiously -enough, but his heart wasn’t in it. The squad was dismissed early, -with instructions to report there again at seven-fifteen for a night -session, and Jim trailed back to Haylow through the downpour to find, -whether to his relief or disappointment he couldn’t have said, Number -15 empty. - -He was up on his studies for Friday, and so he tried to read a story -in a magazine, stretching his long form on the window-seat and -holding the pages close to the pane in the dim white light. But the -story failed to win his interest, and after a while he arose, found -his rules book, a pad of paper and a pencil and began to make lines -and circles and crosses. Lots of times, lying wakeful in bed, Jim had -concocted quite marvelous plays in his mind. At least, they had seemed -marvelous at the time. Now he proposed to set them down on paper and -see what they really looked like. It proved to be a most entertaining, -even absorbing, occupation. The plays he had figured out in bed, or, -at least, the few he could remember now, weren’t at all startling when -put to the test. Indeed, few of them were original even to Jim, and -those that were transgressed some rule of play. A perfectly gorgeous -end-run looked like a world-beater until it dawned on its inventor that -it depended for its effectiveness on the presence of a back between -tackle and end and that if the back put himself there one of the other -line-men would have to drop out. But difficulties were made to be -overcome, problems to be solved, and as soon as one diagram had been -proved valueless Jim tore off a sheet from the pad and began all over -again. When it was almost too dark to see he heard Clem’s steps in the -corridor and gathered the discarded sheets up very quickly and stuffed -them in a pocket. He suspected that trying to discover football plays -not already discovered was a puerile pursuit, and he didn’t want Clem -to catch him at it. What he did not have time to do, however, before -the door opened was to tear off the top sheet of the pad on which he -had just finished the plan for a forward-pass. So he dropped the pad -face-down beside him, and when Clem entered he was innocently gazing -through the rain-washed pane at the dripping trees and sodden turf -below. - -“Hello,” said Clem. “Why the gloom?” - -“Too lazy to get up,” replied Jim. Clem put the lights on and viewed -his room-mate curiously. “Probably,” he had thought, “the poor duffer’s -sort of blue and lonesome.” And, being sorry, he was prepared to “eat -dirt,” if necessary, to put things back on something like the old -footing. But Jim was thinking of the last play he had fashioned. It -had looked good to him, although there had not been time to go over -it thoroughly after completion. He wished that Clem had delayed his -arrival by another five minutes; or would take himself out again so -that he could study the new play at his leisure. Consequently, when -Clem looked for pathos in Jim’s face he didn’t find it. Jim looked -anything but lonesome and unhappy. Sitting in the dark and staring out -onto a rain-drenched world, which would have given Clem the dumps in -no time, appeared to have an animating, even cheering, effect on his -room-mate. Clem grunted as he turned to hang up his cap. - -“No practice to-day, I suppose,” he remarked, returning to the table. - -“Only indoors. What sort of a team does Mount Millard have generally?” - -“Fair to middling, I believe. Seems to me they’ve beaten us once or -twice. I think they licked us in my freshman year. I forget, though. -Maybe it was the year before, and I just heard talk of it. You playing -Saturday?” - -“Guess so. I’ll probably get in for a while. Roice is going to -Lakeville with three or four other fellows to see Kenly Hall play.” - -“I see.” Clem settled himself in a chair under the light and began -to read over a theme that had been returned to him that morning, -frowning over the red-penciled criticisms that adorned the margins. -Surreptitiously Jim tore the top sheet off the pad, folded it and -consigned it to a pocket for future reference. When supper time came -Clem showed no disposition to leave, so Jim went to the lavatory -first. There, finding it empty for the moment, he disposed of soap and -towel and drew out the diagram and studied it for a moment under the -light. He was still so occupied when footfalls beyond the swinging -doors caused him to thrust the paper hurriedly from sight again. The -arrival proved to be Clem, but Jim didn’t take the paper out again. -He washed and went back to the room for his cap and was soon on his -way to Lawrence Hall and supper. In other times he and Clem had always -gone together, but now they carefully avoided doing that. Sometimes the -avoidance resulted in quite embarrassing situations; as when, a night -or so before, Clem had started off first only to stop in the lower -corridor to talk to an acquaintance and Jim had come down just as Clem -and the other chap were parting. Jim had had to retrace his steps to -the mail-boxes and search for a letter he knew wasn’t there. - -At supper he asked a question of Jake Borden, the right end, who sat -beside him. “How do they make up these plays they use, Jake?” Jim -inquired. - -“What plays?” asked Jake. - -“Any of them. Like that end-around play the second sprung yesterday.” - -“Oh, that one’s as old as the hills,” replied Jake contemptuously, -helping himself to a third piece of toast. “So old we weren’t expecting -it. Going to use your butter, Slim?” - -Jim pushed it over. “Well, who do you suppose thought of it? And--and -how?” - -“Search me! Some one’s always springing new ones. It isn’t hard to make -’em up, but only one in a dozen amount to anything. A play may look -great on a blackboard and not amount to a row of pins when you try it -out against another team.” - -“I suppose so. I guess there are lots of them, too.” - -“A couple of hundred, probably. Whose apricots are those, Pep?” - -“Mine. Want ’em?” - -When the dish of stewed fruit had reached Jake and been sampled he -resumed. “I don’t suppose there’s any limit to the different plays that -could be invented. Of course, most of them would be a whole lot like a -whole lot of others, and not many of them would be--er--practicable, -but just consider that you’ve got, say, four backs and two linemen -who can carry the ball and that there are eight holes for them to -go through. There you’ve got forty-eight straight plays right off -the reel. Then you’ve got all sorts of forward-passes, punts, drops -and placements: maybe another twenty-five or thirty. And you haven’t -started on fakes and tricks at all yet! Two hundred? I’ll bet there are -three hundred already! And all over this benighted land Smart Alecks -are sitting up with paper and pencils trying to dope out more. It’s a -fearsome thought, if you ask me.” - -“I suppose all the good plays have been used, anyway, by this time,” -reflected Jim. - -“Well, I don’t know. No, I don’t believe so. Besides, the Rules -Committee sees to that. Just as soon as there aren’t any more nut -plays to spring on us poor players the Committee changes the rules and -the parlor strategists start all over again. And then there’s this -forward-pass, Slim. That’s got all sorts of possibilities that haven’t -been--what you might call developed yet. Last year folks thought there -wasn’t anything new under the sun and two or three wild western coaches -had brain-storms and showed the eastern guys how they’d been asleep at -the switch. You know, Slim, it takes those western chaps to spring the -new stuff. If it wasn’t for them we fellows back here in the effete -east would still be thinking the criss-cross the absolute knees plush -ultra of trick football!” - -“What are you fellows gassing about so earnest-like?” inquired “Tip” -Benning from across the table. - -“Football plays,” answered Jake. “I was saying that if it wasn’t for -the fellows out west we’d still be doddering along with the delayed -pass and the good old criss-cross. They’re the guys who give us the new -stuff.” - -“How do you get that way?” demanded Billy Frost derisively. “Who -invented the unbalanced line, for instance?” - -“Well, who invented the shift? And what about the pass to moving back? -And--” - -“All right! What about the concealed pass? I suppose Harvard sent west -for that? And what about Cornell’s--” - -“I’ll tell you one play the west did invent,” interrupted Latham, “and -that’s the concealed ball trick! It took an Indian to spring that, and -if Indians aren’t Westerners--” - -“Listen! Who was coaching the Indians that year?” demanded Billy Frost. - -“How do I know? I wasn’t born, I guess!” - -“Well, it was a man named Warner. Maybe you’ve heard of him?” - -“I’ve heard of two Warners,” laughed Latham. “One of ’em makes -speedometers.” - -“Well, I’ll bet that Indian would never have thought of hiding the ball -under his jersey. It was the coach pulled that one. And, anyway, it was -against the rules.” - -“No, sir, it wasn’t! Not then. Anyhow, the Indians won the game with -it!” - -“Come to that,” some one else broke in, “Glenn Warner’s a Westerner, -anyway, isn’t he? Didn’t he go to Cornell?” - -“What of it?” asked Jake. “Say, where do you think Cornell is?” The -first speaker had to acknowledge that he had confused it with Kenyon, -and while Coach Cade, at the farther end of the long table, was being -appealed to to locate Kenyon College, Jim left the board. - -Back in his room he settled down to study that forward-pass play again. -He had told himself, coming back from Lawrence, that there was probably -nothing in it, or, if there was, the play had long since been evolved. -Still, however, Jake Borden had distinctly stated that the forward-pass -still held unthought of possibilities, and so it was barely possible-- - -Right there his reflections were rudely disturbed by the fact that his -precious diagram was not where he had placed it. Nor was it in any -other pocket. All he could find were the several crumpled sheets of -paper he had thrust from sight before Clem’s arrival. Probably he had -failed to put in safely back in his vest pocket in the lavatory and it -had fallen out. He tore the discarded diagrams into minute pieces and -placed them well at the bottom of the waste-basket. Then he proceeded -to redraw his forward-pass play. - -When it was again accomplished he tried to find its weak points. He -made certain by repeated reference to the rules book, now pretty -well worn and parting from its covers, that he had not violated any -of the twenty-eight mandates, and after that he viewed it from the -enemy’s side. In the end he decided that the play was perfectly legal -and that it was capable of success, but those facts made him doubly -suspicious of its originality, and, after admiring it for some time and -speculating about it and trying to improve it, he crumpled the paper -up and dropped it, too, into the basket. He guessed he was no football -strategist. - -On Friday, although the gridiron was still soggy and slippery under a -cloudy sky, the squad held outdoor practice for two full hours. Two -very full hours indeed, Jim thought. With half the first-string players -on the bench, the big team met the second for thirty strenuous minutes -and failed to score in spite of the fact that three coaches bellowed -and thundered, threatened and implored. Twice the first reached the -second team’s ten-yard line and twice it was forced to yield the ball. -Field-goals were not in Mr. Cade’s philosophy this afternoon, and so -that means of scoring was denied. However, even though the second was -time and again given an extra down, it was equally unable to pass its -opponent’s goal-line, and the wearied and somewhat disgruntled first -team players derived some satisfaction. After a five-minute rest a team -of substitutes was run out and the first eleven, somewhat changed, was -sent against it with instructions to use only forward-passes. There -was ten minutes or so of that added insult, during which Jim, without -really trying and without knowing it, somewhat distinguished himself -as the receiving end of several tosses, Kruger, playing right end, -being shifted to the other side of the line at such times and leaving -Jim eligible. It was almost too dark to see the ball when Jim made -his final catch of a long heave toward the side-line that netted a -good eighteen yards to the first, and that play ended the work. In the -evening there was an hour of drill in the gymnasium followed by a brief -quiz by the coach. And then, on Saturday, Mount Millard came charging -down on Alton, with most of her students in the line of march that -wound through town from the station, and when Josh Plant, down to play -right half in place of the absent Billy Frost, glimpsed the team as it -romped away from the gymnasium he turned strickenly to Steve Whittier -and grasped his hand. - -“Tell them,” he said tremulously, “that I died game, fighting against -tremendous odds!” - - - - -CHAPTER XVII - -ALTON MEETS WITH DISASTER - - -The Gray-and-Gold presented a line-up that afternoon that lacked the -names of four of its best players. Smith was at right guard in place of -Captain Gus Fingal, Mulford played left tackle in place of Roice, Plant -substituted Frost at right half and Barnhart ran the team. It was still -a moot question whether Kinsey or Latham was first-choice quarter-back, -but Barnhart was undeniably third-choice, and to-day, in the absence -of both the others, he was faced by a stiff proposition. As Josh Plant -had intimated, the visitors were a fine, sturdy looking lot, and they -outsized Alton both in the line and the backfield. That they would -score was a foregone conclusion. Whether Alton would score, too, was -problematic. Watching the visitors perform during the brief warming-up -session, many Alton partisans were flat-footed in the assertion that -Coach Cade had erred in weakening his team as he had. - -Before the first half was well along it had become evident that nothing -save a miracle could save the home team from defeat. And miracles, -as we all know, as often as they are longed for, seldom happen on -the football field. Mount Millard found a soft place in the Alton -line early in the game and pounded Smith for repeated gains. Varying -attacks at right guard with off-tackle plays, the visitors rushed from -their own thirty-five-yard line to Alton’s twenty-eight. There Cooper -was sent in for Smith and two tries at the new incumbent gained but -four yards and Mount Millard shot a forward-pass to the twelve yards. -Levering was caught napping and Whittier reached the receiver too late -to spoil the catch. Steve did the next best thing, however, and threw -the enemy hard on the ten-yard line. Mount Millard wasted a down in -an attempt to carry the ball out-of-bounds, missing by inches. Faking -a similar attempt, she got three outside of tackle on the other side -and landed the ball on the seven yards. Here an off-side penalty put -her back to the twelve and she faked a try-at-goal that turned out -to be a plunge inside tackle. Mulford was put out neatly and a Mount -Millard back crashed through to the five-yard line. Scorning a fairly -certain three points, the enemy tried a complicated cross-buck which, -since the play had all the ear-marks of a forward-pass, nearly won her -a touchdown. It failed, though, by a half-yard and Whittier punted on -first down from behind his goal. Catching on Alton’s thirty-eight, -the visitors started a second advance but lost the ball near the -twenty-five just before the quarter ended. - -At the resumption of hostilities Alton tried hard to get her attack -going, but twice the enemy broke through and stopped the runner for -a loss, and after an end-run had been spilled for a two-yard gain -Whittier booted the ball. A fumble by the Mount Millard quarter was -recovered for a ten-yard loss and the enemy put the ball in play on -her thirty. She made it first down on her forty-three and crossed the -middle of the field in two plays by her full-back. Her next attempt was -stopped, however, and, with one to go, she tried a long forward-pass -that was intercepted by Tennyson. The Alton full-back fought his way -for eight yards before he was thrown. A moment later it was Tennyson -who found a hole to his liking on the left of the Mount Millard line -and plunged through for seven yards more. A second attempt by the same -player failed to gain and it was Plant who made it first down. Two -slams at the line netted but three yards and Whittier tossed across the -right of the line to Levering who, although pulled to earth promptly, -secured all but a few feet of the needed distance. Tennyson piled over -the center for the rest. But what looked like an Alton invasion stopped -on the enemy’s thirty-seven and Whittier punted. Those kicks from close -behind the line found Mount Millard unprepared for a while, and on -this occasion the quarter again fumbled. A team-mate saved the day, -though, and reeled off twelve yards through a crowded field before he -was finally run out. After that the play hovered about the middle of -the field until, just before the end of the half, the Mount Millard -left half got away inside Sawyer, at right tackle, and zigzagged toward -the Alton goal in a breath-taking fashion for some thirty yards. It was -Whittier who finally pulled him down near the twenty. - -This was Mount Millard’s second chance to score, and now she had no -intention of being denied. Really exceptional football was played by -the visitors then, and the Alton line broke time and again before -desperate attacks. The Mount Millard full-back was the star of that -skirmish, making gains of four and five and six yards at a time. The -right of the Alton line was weakened by the absence of Captain Fingal, -just as Mount Millard had probably surmised it would be, and it was at -the right that most of the gains were made. Alton stiffened on her four -yards and gave grudgingly, but the enemy finally piled across, beating -the whistle by a matter of seconds only. An easy goal followed, and -Alton retired from the field with seven points scored against her. - -Jim had his chance when the third quarter started, and, while he -played a steadier game than had Sawyer, Mount Millard still found the -Alton right side vulnerable when a short gain was needed. Cooper, -playing in Captain Gus’s position, proved no better than Smith, and -when, toward the close of the period, he began to show the effects of -the attention given him by the enemy backs he was taken out and Smith -was reinstated. The Alton rooters expected that their team would show -some of the new plays that had been drilled into it during the past -fortnight and momentarily looked for Whittier or Plant to get clear and -put the game on an even basis. But the few plays didn’t materialize. -Save for the new formation, which had its defamers on the Alton stand, -the Gray-and-Gold showed nothing it had not shown before during the -season. Even the nine forward-passes attempted in the course of the -contest lacked novelty, and the running plays which Alton was supposed -to have been perfecting were not exhibited. Alton was handicapped -by the lack of a really first-class quarter, for Barnhart, while a -hard-working, snappy youth, lacked experience sadly. His choice of -plays were frequently more than questionable and he seemed unable to -inspire his team. Yet in the final period he came near to atoning for -all shortcomings when he shot out of what seemed an inextricable tangle -of Alton backs and ends and skirted the enemy’s wing for sixty-two -yards. It was the Mount Millard quarter who brought him down on the -seventeen yards just when the shouting Alton rooters were visioning -a touchdown. One unlucky stumble spelled Barnhart’s doom and Alton’s -defeat. Had he not stumbled and momentarily lost his stride just before -the enemy quarter sprang for him he would undoubtedly have gone on over -the line, for Whittier was protecting him in the rear from the foremost -of the Mount Millard pursuers. On such small things may Victory hinge! - -Barnhart called for a smash at the left that sent Tennyson over the -side-line and when the ball had been walked in he sent Whittier sliding -off tackle at the right for six yards, and the Alton stand whooped it -up deliriously. But when Steve went back to kicking position as the -ball was snapped the enemy was not fooled and Tennyson’s dash around -the right was nipped for a two-yard loss. Barnhart and Whittier, the -latter captain pro tem, held a consultation then. The fourth period was -young and there was still time to score again if the present venture -failed. Barnhart wanted the three points a field-goal would bring, but -Steve was firm for everything or nothing and Steve’s word carried. -So Steve went back to drop-kicking position, and Cheswick passed the -ball to him. It looked as though Jake Borden, well over to the left -and sidling across the goal-line, was well uncovered, yet between the -time that Steve shot the ball away to him and the instant it arrived a -Mount Millard man dropped from the sky, or so it seemed, and smote the -pigskin fairly out of Borden’s hands. - -That ended Alton’s threat. For the rest of the game the enemy played -it safe, punting and punting again while the Gray-and-Gold sought -desperately to again reach scoring distance. Toward the end play slowed -up sadly for Alton, Barnhart seemingly at a loss and confusing his -signals more than once. Cheswick gave way to Tip Benning and Levering -to Tate in the line. Fillmore took Tennyson’s place and Adams and -Ness became the halfs. But even fresh men couldn’t stave off defeat, -and finally the game came to an end with the home team fairly at a -stand-still on her forty-five. - -That evening Alton, saddened by the defeat, took second thought. -Reference to Mount Millard’s record for the season somewhat eased -the pain, for the big team had six victories to its credit, four of -them against most worthy adversaries. Consequently, it was fair to -assume that Alton, deprived as she had been of her captain and best -quarter-backs, to say nothing of the other absentees, had done not -so badly after all. Of course a defeat was a defeat, but it need not -necessarily be a disgrace, and by Sunday Alton as a whole had reached -the cheering decision that her team had performed very creditably. In -support of this contention it was rumored that Johnny Cade had shown -signs of satisfaction both during and subsequent to the battle. This, -however, was only hearsay. In any event, Alton was, it was universally -acknowledged, to be congratulated on one thing. She had gone through -the Mount Millard game without once showing the hand she was holding -for Kenly. Not a single new play had been used. Even the line shifts -had been no different. To be sure, Coach Cade had shown the half-dozen -Kenly scouts who had openly invaded the Mount Millard stands his new -backfield formation, but since he had used it as the basis for only -the most ordinary, time-honored plays it was held to be doubtful that -the enemy observers would derive much profit from seeing it. Rather -oddly--not so oddly, either, if you know human nature--those who now -expressed the most pleasure over the withholding of new plays were -those who had during the game most vigorously denounced Coach Cade for -not using them. - -Jim derived little satisfaction from his playing in the Mount -Millard contest. He could, he decided, boast of a cut cheek and two -fingers of his left hand bandaged together, but of little else. In -retrospect it seemed to Jim that he had played like a loon. He had -missed interference more often than he cared to think of, he had twice -allowed the big Mount Millard guard, who faced him on offense, to get -under him and spill him on his face and he had several times failed -to open the hole he was expected to. Jim felt extremely depressed -whenever he reviewed his activities of that afternoon, failing to take -into account, unlike one or two of his team-mates, the fact that Mount -Millard had presented a far better opposition than Alton had hitherto -experienced. - -It rained on Sunday; one of those desultory, half-hearted rains that -seem always on the point of letting up, and don’t; and Jim’s spirits -became as gloomy as the view from the windows of Number 15. He told -himself that it would have been a lot better if he had stuck to the -decision he had made last fall and kept firmly away from football. The -first rift in the clouds didn’t appear until Monday morning. Then the -glint of sunshine that peered through wasn’t very bright. When Jim -looked in the letter-box on his way to breakfast he found a letter -postmarked at Norwalk. It was a brief and frequently misspelled missive -from Webb Todd from which fell a soiled and flabby two-dollar bill. -Webb reported that he was working, though the wages weren’t much--Jim -thought four dollars and a half a day quite fabulous!--and that he was -well and hoped this would find Jimmy the same, and he was sending two -dollars. There was more, but this was the gist of it. It was enough -to cheer Jim up a little, for he had a genuine affection for Webb, and -life didn’t look quite so dark afterwards. - -Practice was light that Monday afternoon and there was no visit from -the second. The only hostilities that developed were between the first -team and the substitutes, and they lasted only ten minutes and were -used by the coaches to illustrate the mistakes made on Saturday. On -the bench it was confidentially noised that Gus and the others who -had gone over to Lakeville Saturday had returned primed with all -sorts of invaluable information, and strong in the belief that Kenly -had something big up her sleeve that wouldn’t slip into sight before -the big game. Kenly, it seemed, had toyed with her opponent, using -two full teams in the process of running up a 41 to 0 score, and had -showed nothing she didn’t want to. What information the Alton scouts -had brought back was mainly concerned with the individual performances -of the Kenly players, although certain other features had not escaped -their eyes. The general verdict to-day was to the effect that “Kenly -has a strong team, all right, but we can lick ’em!” - -The usual evening session in the gymnasium came off as usual at -seven-thirty, and Coach Cade, chalk in hand, drew diagrams on the -blackboard and explained them, after which the plays were walked off. -Some of the plays were fairly complicated, and to-night the class -seemed duller than usual. Perhaps for that reason Mr. Cade shortened -the session. Having, however, released them, he called them back in the -next breath. - -“Just a minute, fellows!” - -The exodus halted short of the doors. Mr. Cade was holding a sheet of -paper up. - -“Does this belong to any one here?” he asked. - -Some of the nearer fellows retraced their steps for a closer view, -while a voice from further away asked: “What is it, Mr. Cade?” - -“Well, it’s a sheet of paper,” was the answer. “It was found somewhere, -in one of the dormitories, I think, and handed to me. It has a football -play on one side, done in pencil, and--” - -Laughter met that announcement. Mr. Cade smiled, too, but he went on -to add: “I understand your amusement, but it happens that this play -strikes me as rather ingenious and novel. Certainly, I don’t remember -ever having seen it in use. That’s why I want to find the fellow who -drew it. I’d like to ask him where he found it.” - -By this time most of the squad had clustered around, but no one laid -claim to the paper. There was a good deal of laughter and speculation, -but in the end the coach refolded the sheet and placed it back in his -pocket and the fellows crowded out, bandying joking explanations, such -as that the thing had been “planted” by the enemy. Mr. Cade left the -floor some moments after the players, accompanied by Lowell Woodruff. -They walked together as far as the corner of Borden Hall, and there -Lowell turned off along the walk and the coach started across the -campus on a bee-line for the main gate. Footfalls made scarcely any -sound on the turf and consequently the coach gave a start of surprise -when a voice called to him from hardly more than a yard behind. He -wheeled quickly and found a tall figure at his elbow. - -“Mr. Cade, that piece of paper was mine. I lost it somewhere two or -three days ago.” - -“Oh, it’s Todd! Yours, you say? Well, why didn’t you claim it, Todd?” - -Jim hesitated an instant. “Well, sir, you see I thought those fellows -would rag me if they knew.” - -Mr. Cade laughed. “I see,” he said. “Well, where did you get hold of -this idea, Todd?” - -“I don’t know, sir.” - -“Don’t know? What do you mean by that? You got it somewhere, of course. -Did you find it in a book or in a paper? Ever seen it used?” - -“No, sir, what I mean is--well, I just _thought_ of it.” - -“Made it up yourself, you mean? Are you sure of that?” - -“Yes, sir. I’ve never seen any of those plays in books, Mr. Cade, and -I haven’t seen many games, either. Maybe it ain’t new, of course. I--I -was just sort of amusing myself.” - -“No, the chances are that it isn’t new. Mighty few plays are. But it’s -new to me, Todd, and it might be new to--” He broke off. Then: “Are you -going to be busy this evening?” he asked. - -“Not all evening,” answered Jim. “I’ve got about an hour’s studying to -do, but after that--” - -“It’s a little after eight. Can you drop over and see me about nine or -a few minutes later? You know where I live?” - -“Yes, sir, I know. I’ll come.” - -“Good enough. I’d like to talk to you about this. And, if you don’t -mind, I’ll keep it until I see you.” - -“Yes, sir.” - -Jim watched the dark form of the coach vanish into the gloom of -the trees and then turned and made his way back to Haylow. He felt -rather excited, rather elated. Suppose-- No, he wouldn’t suppose -anything--yet! Probably it was all just nothing at all. Maybe Mr. Cade -hadn’t really looked at the diagram yet. Maybe-- - -That and a few more “maybes” brought Jim to Number 15 and the sight -of Clem studying at the table. He wished he could tell Clem about the -momentous happening. But he couldn’t. And he mustn’t think about it -any more now. There was Latin to be dug into. Very determinedly he -seated himself opposite the absorbed Clem and drew his books toward -him. - - - - -CHAPTER XVIII - -THE REVERSE PASS - - -Mr. Cade answered Jim’s ring and led the way into the big, comfortable -sitting-room, where, observing no appropriate accommodation for -caps, Jim disposed of his own by putting it in his pocket. Then he -took a chair close to the big round table that held a huge lamp, -magazines and books and ash-trays and battered pipes and a strange but -interesting litter of other things, and Mr. Cade dropped back into his -leather arm-chair, took up the diagram and studied it for a moment in -silence. During the moment Jim looked around him, felt the somewhat -out-at-elbows hominess of the room and relaxed against the frayed -cushions behind him. - -“As I make out this reverse pass, Todd,” said the coach, “it’s a good -scoring play under certain conditions--_if_ it proves practical. Its -weakness lies in the fact that three passes are involved. Every pass -depends primarily for its success on two players, the man who throws -and the man who receives. If either one fails the pass fails. This play -consequently offers a bigger chance for failure than the play calling -for two passes. On the other hand its principal feature, which is that -of deception, seems to me to justify the added risk. Now, suppose you -explain it to me, Todd.” - -“Explain it?” faltered Jim. - -“Yes, I’d like to get your version of it. It’s your idea, and I want -to learn just what that idea is. What I make of this sketch may not be -what you had in mind.” - -“Well,” began Jim, leaning forward to refresh his memory from the -diagram in the other’s hand, “it uses the regular back-field formation.” - -“Yes, so I see, but what about the line? You can’t see this from there, -can you? Suppose you bring your chair nearer.” - -“I’ll just sort of draw it over,” said Jim. He looked about for paper -and, seeing none, thrust a hand into the inner pocket of his jacket. - -“What do you want? Paper? Wait, there’s some here somewhere.” Mr. Cade -started to rise but Jim had found what he was after. He always carried -three or four old letters or similar documents and now he selected one -and pulled out his fountain pen. - -“This will do, sir,” he said. “Maybe if I can see that plan a minute--” -Mr. Cade handed it to him and he made a hurried copy of it on the -back of a folded letter. Then he began again, clearing his throat -portentously. “You move your right guard and tackle to the other side, -sir, and bring your left end over. That gives you two ends on the right -of your line.” Mr. Cade nodded thoughtfully. “Your left half-back--or -whoever stands behind the center--gets the ball on a direct pass and-- -Hold on, though, I forgot. First, this fellow here--” - -“Let’s call them by name, Todd. Here’s Kinsey at the left, here’s Frost -at the right, this is Tennyson behind Frost, and this is Whittier -directly back of the center. All right. Now you were going to say that -Tennyson--what?” - -“He starts before the ball, sir, running to the left. That--that’s all -right, isn’t it?” - -“Absolutely, as long as he runs toward his goal-line as well as to the -left. That is, a back may be moving when the ball is put in play so -long as he is taking a course which at some time or other would cause -him to intersect an extension of his own goal-line. Not very lucid, but -go on.” - -“Well, he runs to the left, passing behind Whittier and going over -here.” - -“Where is ‘over here,’ Todd?” - -“I don’t know exactly, sir. I suppose about twelve yards back of the -scrimmage line and maybe about five yards outside the end.” He looked -questioningly across and the coach nodded again. - -“Something that can be best determined by experiment, I fancy. Then -what?” - -“Center passes to Whittier and Whittier holds the ball as if to throw -it, but he goes back and to the left until he gets here, about half-way -between where he was and where Tennyson is. Then he makes a short pass, -a sort of a toss--” - -“Which must be on-side,” interpolated the coach. - -“Yes, sir, not a forward-pass. He tosses the ball to Tennyson. I forgot -to say, though, that he ought to be always facing to the left after he -gets the ball from center, sort of making like he means to pass to the -left across the end of the line.” - -“Why?” demanded Mr. Cade. - -“So as to make the other fellows, the other team, move that way. You -see, sir, the idea is to draw the other players to their right.” - -“I see, but if Whittier emphasizes the intention to throw to his left, -won’t the opponents argue that his real intention is a heave in the -other direction?” - -Jim studied a moment. “Well, maybe they would, sir,” he said finally. -“Maybe he’d better not do that.” - -“I don’t think he should overdo it, anyway, Todd. He might defeat -his own ends and make the opposing backs cover the left side of -their territory. Anyway, the real deception comes when he passes to -Tennyson. That makes it look like an end-run for the moment. Now go on.” - -“Well, then, Tennyson passes to the right, just about over the center -of the line, to the right end.” - -Mr. Cade frowned over the diagram in his hand. “How does that end get -into position, Todd?” - -“He blocks the opposing end until Whittier has the ball and has started -back with it. Then he lets the end through and goes on down about ten -yards and pretty well over toward the side.” - -“Question is whether Frost couldn’t do that part better, Todd. You’re -counting on the opposing backs swinging to their right and not coming -around our right end, but I don’t believe you can do that. Wouldn’t the -end be in better position than Frost to put out a back coming around? -But never mind that for the moment. What’s Kinsey’s duty?” - -“I thought he’d block off the outside back on our left until Tennyson -made the throw. Then Whittier, after he has passed to Tennyson, guards -him on the inside in case one of the other side gets through. And I’d -figured it that the right end would just block long enough to keep the -opposing end, or, maybe, a tackle, from spoiling the play and then he’d -go down for the catch. He’d sort of take it easy, too, like the play -wasn’t on his side and he was out of it. Then Frost there would take -care of a back in case one tried to slip around that side.” - -“Sounds fairly reasonable, too,” mused the coach. “One thing, though, -won’t do, Todd. You’ve got all your heavy men on the left of center and -both ends on the right. Now ends mean speed, and when the opponents see -two ends on one side they’re going to smell a mouse. They’re going to -suspect the play, whatever it is, is coming on that side, and they’re -going to stick around a while. Of course you need the strong side of -the line in front of the play, but perhaps you don’t need all the -strength you’ve put there. You could leave a tackle and end on the -right, or even a guard and end, I fancy, which wouldn’t cause so much -suspicion on the part of the enemy. Or--” Mr. Cade stopped, thrust out -a lower lip and lifted a speculative glance to Jim. “Or, much better -yet, Todd, you could simply move your end to the other side.” - -“Then who would take the pass, sir? You mean let Frost get it?” - -“Not necessarily. The last man on that side of the line would be -eligible.” - -“Well, but--but you’ve got to have a fellow who can catch forward-passes, -Mr. Cade,” said Jim earnestly. “That’s a long pass, nearly forty-five -yards, maybe, and it would need a mighty good fellow to catch it. That’s -why I thought it ought to be Jake Borden.” - -“Yes, Borden’s pretty good,” agreed the coach. “But that’s another part -that can be decided later. The first thing we’ve got to do is try this -out in actual play and see whether it goes the way it looks on paper. -It ought to, but you can’t tell. If it ever did get pulled off just -right in a game, Todd, it would be a whaling ground-gainer. The start -of this play ought to draw the whole opposing team to our left, and -once there they’d never get back again to the other side of the field -to prevent a catch. In fact, it wouldn’t be surprising if the man who -received that ball found a clear path to the goal-line. In any case -he’d be certain of ten yards, even if he didn’t stir after the catch. -By Jingo, Todd, I like the thing, I honestly do!” - -“I wish it would go like I--like it looks like--” Jim got tangled -there, and before he could get straightened out and go on Mr. Cade was -speaking again. - -“Of course the play has its limitation, Todd. As, for instance, it -couldn’t be used if the ball was very close to either side-line. Wait, -though! That’s wrong. It could be pulled off all right pretty close to -the right side of the field, couldn’t it? Todd, I’m going to sit up -with this thing to-night and figure it out!” He was staring at the -diagram again. Then: “Thunder, here’s another bad feature! Look here, -Todd. About the time when Tennyson gets set to make that forty or -forty-five yard heave he’s going to have in the neighborhood of sixteen -men dodging around between him and the receiver. Well, that means that -it’s going to be mighty hard for him to sight his man. Of course he can -throw the ball to a certain specified spot across the field, trusting -Borden or some one to be there-- That reminds me.” Mr. Cade added -another memorandum to those he had already jotted on the side of the -paper he held. “It might be possible to make this a two-man pass. How -about Frost? I wonder if we could fix it so as to put him over there -with Borden in time to make the catch or to interfere.” - -Jim studied his plan and looked dubious. “I don’t believe so, sir. -Besides, wouldn’t it be sort of a give-away if two fellows went over -there? One might look like an accident, but two--” - -“I fancy you’re right. Well, we’ll see.” Mr. Cade laid the diagram -aside and picked up his pipe. “I wish you’d tell me something, Todd,” -he said. “You started out like a comer and I had great hopes of you. -You went finely until a week or so ago, two weeks, perhaps; then you -laid down on us. What’s the matter?” - -“I--I don’t know, Mr. Cade,” answered Jim. “I guess there isn’t -anything the matter. I mean I don’t know why I can’t seem to play like -I used to.” - -“Lost interest?” - -Jim hesitated. “N-no, sir, not exactly.” - -“That means you have. Why? Feeling all right?” - -“Yes, sir, fine.” - -“Anything worrying you?” - -Jim started to shake his head, but stopped, his eyes falling before the -coach’s steady look. For the first time he realized what his trouble -was. After a moment he answered: “Maybe, sir, a little.” - -“That’s it then. Well, I won’t ask you what it is that’s bothering you, -Todd. It’s none of my business. But I am going to ask you to put it out -of your mind, whatever it is, for the next fortnight. I can use you, -my boy, if you’ll let me. As long ago as the fourth or fifth day of -the season I assigned you a distinct and important place in the scheme -of winning the Kenly game. I didn’t take you into my confidence for a -very good reason. You had a lot to learn about the game, about the very -beginning of football, and I didn’t want you to get it into your head -that you were a specialist and neglect the essentials. The only kind of -a specialist I want around me is the man who knows every department of -the game and then can do one thing better than any one else. That’s -why I’ve let you go your own gait, in a way, and that’s why I’m not -telling you even now what’s been in my mind. For that matter, I haven’t -told any one. Just now it doesn’t look as though I’d have to, Todd. -But if you can just manage to snap out of the doldrums and get back to -where you were a week or ten days back, why, that’ll be different. Just -show me that you’re on your toes again, keen and anxious and chock-full -of fight and I’ll show you how you can help me and the team and the -School to a victory a week from next Saturday. Now do you think you can -do that, Todd?” - -“I’ll try awful hard, sir,” answered Jim earnestly. “I guess if I knew -that--that it really mattered, Mr. Cade, I could do a heap better.” - -“Matters! Great Scott, of course it matters! You ought to know that -without being told, Todd. The fact that you were kept on the squad when -twenty or thirty other chaps, some of whom were showing more football -than you were, were let go should have proved to you that you were -valuable; or, anyway, that we thought you valuable. Every man on the -squad, Todd, is supposed to do his level best, his very utmost, every -minute of every day while the season lasts. He mustn’t expect the coach -to pat him on the back or thank him after every practice, my boy. You -went bad on us last year, you know, and I’d have had a very good -excuse for keeping you out of the squad this fall if I’d wanted one. -Now it looks as though you were working yourself into the same attitude -of mind again, Todd. It’s all wrong, though. When we pick a man out of -sixty or seventy others we do it not only because he shows football -ability--football ability alone never won a game--but because we say -to ourselves, ‘There’s a man who has the right stuff in him: loyalty, -obedience, courage, determination, in short, the qualities that win -battles whether in war or in football.’ Do you get the idea, Todd?” - -“Yes, sir.” Jim looked troubled. “I’m sorry, but no one ever said it -was like that. You see, Mr. Cade, I never saw much football till last -fall, and I never knew much about--about schools and how fellows feel -about them. Maybe I ain’t making myself clear--” - -“I understand, my boy. Well, don’t you feel somewhat about this -school, your school, as you’ve discovered that other chaps feel? You -understand, don’t you, why a fellow will work and drudge and take hard -knocks for two long months with no hope of glory, no expectation of -getting into the limelight, as those fellows on the second team are -doing?” - -“Yes, sir, I understand that. Only--” - -“Only what?” - -Jim smiled apologetically. “It never seemed that anything I could do -would--would make much difference, sir. I just ain’t much of a hero, I -guess.” - -“Well, you’ve got the wrong slant, Todd. Heroes don’t all win the -Croix de Guerre. A lot of them just eat mud and never get their names -on a citation. Modesty is all right, too, Todd, but too much of it is -worse than too little sometimes. Perhaps what you need is a little -praise.” He leaned forward and laid a hand on Jim’s knee. “So I’ll tell -you this, and you can believe every word of it. You’re a natural-born -football player, Todd. If you were going to be here one more year I’d -turn you into as pretty a tackle as this school ever saw; and I’m not -forgetting men like Martin Proctor, either. Even now, as inexperienced -as you are, I’d back you against a lot of the fellows who have played -your position on Alton Field this fall. Now does that help any?” - -Jim shook his head, supremely embarrassed. “I don’t know, Mr. Cade. If -you say so I guess I’ve got to believe it, but, gee, I ain’t--I can’t--” - -Mr. Cade slapped the knee under his hand and sat back with a laugh. -“Todd, you’re hopeless,” he said. “You’ve got a bad case of ingrowing -modesty; what the psychologists call an inferiority complex, I suppose. -But never mind. You start in to-morrow and show me that you mean -business, and about the middle of the week I’ll tell you what I want -you to do to help win the Kenly game. The best thing about it, too, is -that you can do it--if you will.” - -“I’ll try mighty hard-- Gee, that’s ten o’clock.” At sound of the -strokes Jim jumped to his feet in dismay. “I’ll get the dickens for -being out of hall!” - -“Perhaps I can fix that. Who’s in charge of your hall?” - -“Mr. Tarbot.” - -The coach rummaged about the table and finally uncovered a writing pad. -When the four lines were finished he tore off the sheet and handed it -to Jim. “I fancy that will pacify him,” he said. - -“Dear Mr. Tarbot: (Jim read) This is my fault. Todd has been detained -by me at my room on a matter concerning the football team. _Inter arma -silent leges!_ Cordially, John Cade.” Jim grinned as he folded the -paper once and thrust it into a pocket. - -“Thank you, sir,” he said gratefully. “I guess that will fix him.” - -“I hope so. Thanks for coming over, Todd, and-- Wait just a minute. -Stand where you are, please, and put your hand up. Away up. That’s it. -Fine!” Mr. Cade stared across the room a moment while Jim, perplexed, -stood by the door with one hand--that, as it chanced, of which two -fingers were bound with an already soiled white bandage--extended -almost to the ceiling. Then: “All right, Todd. Much obliged. Good -night!” - -“Now,” Jim asked himself as he let himself out and took long strides -across Academy street, “I wonder what that was for!” - -Mr. Tarbot, looking as Jim thought a whole lot like a spider awaiting -the unsuspecting fly, sat in view of the corridor as Jim entered the -dormitory. - -“Ah, Todd,” he began blandly. But Jim presented his note before the -instructor got further. Mr. Tarbot read it, smiled faintly and laid it -aside. “A football coach who quotes Latin so aptly, Todd, is not to be -refused. Good night.” - -“Good night, sir. Thanks.” - -“Ah, just a moment. Was the mystery of the stranger in the cloth cap -ever fathomed, Todd?” - -“Mystery, sir?” - -“Ah, I see you are not in your room-mate’s confidence, so never mind. -Possibly I have been indiscreet. Pay no heed to my maudlin mutterings, -Todd. Good night to you.” - -“Gee,” reflected Jim as he went on upstairs, “every one’s acting sort -of crazy to-night!” - -Clem was in bed, although he had left the light burning for Jim, and he -raised an inquiring, even slightly anxious, face above the clothes as -the latter entered. “Did he nab you?” he asked. - -Jim nodded. “Mr. Cade gave me a note for him, though, and he didn’t say -a word.” - -Clem’s face disappeared again. “Lucky for you,” he muttered from under -the sheet. “Good night.” - - - - -CHAPTER XIX - -FULL-BACK TO RIGHT TACKLE - - -Returning to Number 15 Tuesday to look over his mathematics before an -eleven o’clock recitation, Jim found Clem reading a letter from Martin -Gray. Jim knew that the letter was from Mart because the envelope of -thin, ash-hued paper, adorned with a foreign stamp, lay face-up on -the table. Mart had written to Clem several times since school had -commenced and each letter had reported improvement. When Clem finished -the present missive he folded it and returned it to the envelope rather -thoughtfully. Then he raised his eyes and regarded Jim, who had taken -possession of the window-seat, for a long moment before he finally -announced: “Had a letter from Mart.” - -“How is he?” asked Jim. - -“Fine, and having a wonderful time. They’re at some place outside -Florence. They’ve taken a place called the Palazzo Something-or-Other -which Mart says is a stone morgue entirely surrounded by flowers. He’s -playing tennis a lot, so I think he must be a good deal better.” - -“I’m awfully glad,” said Jim. - -“Yes, so am I.” Clem paused in the manner of one who has not finished, -and after a moment’s silence he added: “He writes that he thinks now he -will be able to come back to school after Christmas.” - -Jim raised his eyes from the book he held and looked out of the window. -“Well, that’s certainly fine news,” he commented. “Maybe he can make up -enough to graduate next spring.” - -“He seems to think so,” agreed Clem. - -“Well, as soon as you know for certain, Clem, let me know and I’ll fix -to get out.” - -“No need of that. I don’t think he’d expect you to. Don’t see how he -could.” - -“It would be only fair, though. I’d rather, Clem.” - -Clem flushed slightly and shrugged. “Oh, if you feel that way,” he said -stiffly. “But I dare say he and I could get into Lykes, and so you -wouldn’t have to budge.” - -Jim considered that placidly. “Mean I’d stay here and get a room-mate?” - -“Yes, or you could keep the room alone, unless Faculty put some one in -with you.” - -“Would I have to pay for the whole room if I was alone?” - -“No, of course not. But I fancy they’d find some one to dump in on you. -Trust them for that! Well, there’s nothing sure about it yet. Maybe -you’ll have to put up with me for the rest of the year.” - -“I wouldn’t mind,” replied the other mildly. - -Clem frowned slightly, placed Mart’s letter in his pocket and went -out, closing the door behind him with a soft violence that to a close -observer might have suggested disapproval if not indignation. - -At about the same time Lowell Woodruff and Coach Cade were in -consultation in the latter’s room regarding the accommodations for the -football squad at the hotel in Lakeville. The team and substitutes -were to have luncheon at the hotel and were to dress there before and -after the game, and the price submitted by the hotel had brought the -alarmed manager to Mr. Cade post-haste. “Of course,” Lowell was saying -sarcastically, “the poor fish misunderstood my letter. He’s laboring -under the delusion that I asked a price on a week’s accommodations for -the whole thirty-five.” - -Mr. Cade chuckled. “It does sound so, doesn’t it? But I suppose, as -the letter says, prices have risen since two years back. I’d tell him -what a small appetite you have and ask him to knock off about fifteen -dollars.” - -Lowell grinned, but became serious again in the instant. “Oh, well, -if we had plenty of money in the old sock, it wouldn’t matter a whole -lot, but the jolly old treasury is so low you can see the bottom of -it. And, what with fares and getting out to the field, we’ll be closing -the season no better than even.” - -“The field,” said Mr. Cade, “is merely a pleasant walk from the hotel, -and I don’t think it would hurt any of the crowd to do it afoot. You -can save ten dollars or so right there.” - -“That’s so. Some of the fellows will kick, though. We’ve always ridden -out before, you know.” - -“There’ll be no chance of a kick,” returned the coach. “I’ll tell them -I want them to have the exercise. As a matter of hard fact, I think it -will do them good.” - -“All right, sir. Then I’ll close with the old robber. See you this -afternoon.” - -“By the way, I had a caller last night. That fellow Todd.” - -“Todd! Don’t tell me he’s resigned again!” - -“No, he followed me after I left you to say that that paper you handed -me was his.” - -“The one Squires found? Well, why didn’t he say so when--” - -“I asked him that and he said he was afraid the fellows would make fun -of him.” - -“And I guess they would have. Is the play really any good, Coach?” - -“Tell you more in a day or two, after we’ve tried it out. It looks -promising, though. I sat up with it until after midnight and I think -we’ve got a pretty smooth-running play. By the way, get this back to -Todd, will you? There’s some sort of a letter on the other side. Not -valuable, probably, but he may want it. He left it on the table. I’m -certain to forget it, myself.” - -“Yes, sir.” Lowell accepted the folded sheet and dropped it in an -inside pocket. “I’ll see him in math class. That all? Then I’ll beat -it.” - -Jim went out for practice that afternoon determined to make good. He -had thought a great deal about what Mr. Cade had said the evening -before and as a result the task ahead of him seemed now vastly more -important and much more worth-while. He had taken the coach’s praise -with a generous pinch of salt, but it had encouraged him nevertheless. -To-day he showed up a great deal better than he had at any time since -his misunderstanding with Clem, and those who played opposite him -on the second team had their hands more than full. Both he and Sam -Tennyson were relieved before the last period of the scrimmage game was -over and sent off behind the north stand by Mr. Cade. - -“I want you fellows to take a ball,” said the coach, “and practice some -long passes. Start in at about twenty yards and increase the distance -gradually. I want you, Tennyson, to get the overhand spiral throw down -pat. You know how it should be made. Go ahead and learn to make it. -Take plenty of time and try for accuracy and precision first. Speed and -distance can come later. You, Todd, practice catching. I’ve seen you -make several very good catches of a passed ball. See if you can’t do -still better. Learn to take them high and make them sure. Put in about -twenty minutes of it, but quit before that if your arms get tired. Go -ahead.” - -Sam Tennyson, who was a tall and fairly heavy youth with light-brown -hair and a pair of sharp dark eyes, accompanied Jim in silence after he -had obtained a ball. The full-back was a quiet chap at best, and just -now he had less to say than usual. About all he did say as they made -their way around the empty stand was: “Something up, Slim. Johnny’s got -a hunch.” - -Wednesday again the pair went through the passing practice and spent -nearly a half-hour at it this time. Tennyson, who had not been called -on before for the trick, progressed more slowly than did Jim. He got -along well enough until he tried to speed the throw. Then the ball’s -flight became erratic and Jim had to run three, four or five yards -out of position to get it. But Tennyson had a long arm and plenty of -strength and, throwing slowly, could make the oval travel a remarkable -distance. The work went on each day, sometimes before scrimmage, -sometimes after. On Friday, since there was only one scrimmage period, -and the first-string players were dismissed a half-hour earlier than -usual, Mr. Cade himself took Jim and Sam Tennyson in charge, leaving -the argument between the substitutes and the second to Mr. Lake and Mr. -Myers. When he had watched two throws he stopped the performance and -coached Sam in holding the ball and in spinning it as it was shot away. -“Now,” he said, “go back another five yards, Todd. What do you make -that distance?” - -“About forty, sir.” - -“Or forty-five. All right. Now, Tennyson, elbow close to your side, -and don’t forget to whip your fingers under. Just think that you’re -pegging a baseball from the plate to second. It’s the same sort of a -motion: a throw from the ear, as the catchers call it. That’s not bad, -but you went three yards at least to the left. That’s another thing, by -the way. If you must shoot to one side of the receiver, shoot to the -right--your right, not his. But try to land the ball in his hand.” - -Presently he walked over and joined Jim. “I think you’d better put -your hand up and signal,” he said. “Better get used to doing it. Don’t -signal, though, until you know that the thrower has the ball and is -looking for you. If you do you advertise to the other team. That’s -it, only stretch your hand just as high as you can. You’ve got a long -arm, Todd, and you might as well make use of it. Remember that the -thrower has to find his target quick. By the way, I see you’ve taken -the bandage off your fingers. Did it bother you in catching?” - -“No, sir, but the fingers are all right now.” - -“Think you could catch if you had your four fingers bandaged?” - -Jim observed the coach doubtfully. It sounded like a joke, but Mr. -Cade’s face was quite serious. “I don’t know, sir,” answered Jim, “but -I guess I could.” - -“We’ll try it Monday. That’s the way. Take them high and pull them down -quick. And freeze onto them hard, Todd. Never mind about being too -particular on the throw. I don’t believe you’ll be on that end of it -much. I want you to specialize on catching. You see, I’ve had you in -view all the season as the man who might work in nicely at the other -end of a long pass. You might drop around this evening after nine and -I’ll tell you how I mean to use you a week from to-morrow.” - -Saturday’s game with Oak Grove went about as predicted. The opponent -was never dangerous, and this year, while the visitors put up rather -a sterner defense than usual, Alton had no difficulty in scoring two -touchdowns in the first period and one in the third and in keeping -her own goal-line uncrossed. In fact, Oak Grove never had the ball -inside the Gray-and-Gold’s thirty-yard line save in the last quarter -when the Alton team was composed almost entirely of first and second -substitutes. Pep Kinsey, who acted as quarter-back during three -periods, was the individual star for the home team, making some -dazzling run-backs of punted balls and twice scampering around the Oak -Grove end for long gains. Besides that he ran the team smoothly and -fast, getting plays off with a celerity that more than once found the -opponents completely unprepared. Frost made two touchdowns and Sam -Tennyson one, and Steve Whittier kicked two goals. Steve had rather -an off-day in the backfield and yielded his place to Larry Adams when -the last half began. It was in Steve’s absence that Kinsey missed -the try-for-point after that third touchdown. The final score was -consequently 20 to 0. - -Nothing new was shown by Alton, although Oak Grove opened her bag of -tricks wide and tried some weird plays in an effort to score in the -fourth period. There was a good deal of punting, with honors fairly -even, and each team tried the passing game, Alton making good four out -of seven attempts and Oak Grove succeeding five times out of fourteen. -Two of Alton’s passes were pulled down by Jim, and only a watchful -defense prevented him from getting away on long runs. He showed an -almost uncanny ability to get into position unnoticed and on each -occasion that the ball was thrown to him he caught unchallenged. Only -alertness and speed on the part of the Oak Grove backs spoiled his -chances of long gains. Jim put himself back on the football map that -afternoon and finally and conclusively ousted Willard Sawyer from the -position of right tackle. This fact was not known to Jim then, but he -may have guessed it. Others did. Jim was a terror on offense and as -solid as a stone wall on defense. He raced his end nip-and-tuck down -the field under punts and was into every play it was possible for -him to reach. In brief, Jim had a big day, and if half a dozen other -Alton men hadn’t played far better than they had played before that -season he might easily have shared the honors with Pep Kinsey. But the -Gray-and-Gold eleven had found its stride and Jim’s work was no better -than that of several others. - -In the last period there was a brief scare when Oak Grove, fighting -valiantly and desperately against what was almost a third-string -Alton team, hurling forward-passes of all sorts to all directions, -faking passes to hide off-tackle plays, using criss-crosses of every -conceivable variety, worked her way to Alton’s twenty-seven yards, -where, meeting at last with denial, she was forced to a well-nigh -hopeless try-at-goal from the thirty-six yards. The attempt failed -widely and she had shot her bolt. - -That game added more enthusiasm at Alton, and the mass meeting in the -auditorium that evening attained unprecedented heights of emotion. -There were speeches and songs and cheers, and noise and confusion -enough to gladden the heart of the most irrepressible freshman. And -after the adjournment the whole affair was reënacted with only slightly -less enthusiasm in front of Academy Hall, the evening’s program ending -with a large and certainly hilarious parade around the campus and, -finally, to Coach Cade’s residence. Learning at last, after repeated -demands for a speech, that the coach had gone home over Sunday, the -parade disintegrated, its component parts returning to their various -domiciles in small, but far from silent, groups. - -On Monday the final week of preparation for the great battle started -with a hard practice for all hands. No one was spared and no one, it -seemed, desired to be. The second earned a broad niche in the local -Hall of Fame that afternoon if only for emerging from the two periods -of fighting without casualties. The first team had found itself and was -there to show the world! - - - - -CHAPTER XX - -CLEM DELIVERS A LETTER - - -Tuesday and Wednesday rushed by. Thursday lagged. Friday stood still, -quite as though Time had stopped doing business. Saturday-- - -Practice had been secret since the Tuesday following the New Falmouth -game. That is to say, patriotic lower class fellows had daily, between -the hours of three and five, patrolled the outskirts of Alton Field, -warning away inquisitive townsfolk and intrusive small boys. Since it -was quite possible to stand on Meadow street and see from a distance -the players moving about on the gridiron, the word secret in relation -to practice was an exaggeration. Also, any resident of senior or -freshman dormitory whose window looked westward could, had he wished, -have solved the most puzzling of the plays in which the Gray-and-Gold -team was seeking to perfect itself. However, protracted occupancy of -dormitory windows overlooking the field was frowned upon during the -latter part of the season, and, on the whole, Coach Cade was well -enough satisfied with the concealment allowed him and his works. Since -the same conditions had prevailed so long as football had been played -at Alton and no precious secret had ever reached the enemy the coach’s -confidence seemed well founded. - -Tuesday and Wednesday saw long sessions for the squad, the emphasis -being laid on precision and smoothness. Tuesday evening it was rumored -that the first team had scored four times on the scrub, and the school -found new cause for enthusiasm. Thursday witnessed a let-up in the -work. Individual instruction occupied much of the time. Later there -was a period of formation drill, a long practice for the kickers and, -finally, a short tussle with the second team in which no effort was -made to run up the score. There was, so report had it, much aerial -football that day. Practice was over early and some thirty youths, -unaccustomed to finding themselves foot-loose at half-past four, -wondered what to do with themselves. Of course the usual evening -sessions--“bean-tests” the players called them--were continued right up -to and including Friday. - -Friday was, from the football man’s point of view, a day without rime -or reason. Save that the players reported in togs at four o’clock and -trotted around a while in signal drill, what time the rest of the -school looked on and practiced cheers and songs, there was nothing -to do and too much time to do it. The second team made its final -appearance and staged a ten-minute scrimmage with an eleven composed -of its own substitutes and a few first team third-stringers. Then -it performed the sacred rites incident to disbanding, cheered and -was cheered, marched in solemn file around a pile of discarded--and -incidentally worthless--apparel and at last, followed by the audience, -still noisy, cavorted back to the gymnasium. - -With nothing to do save await the morrow and what it might bring, Jim, -like most of the other players, felt suddenly let-down. Although not -of a nervous temperament, he found it extremely difficult to sit still -and even more difficult to fix his thoughts on any one subject for -more than a half-minute at a time. Supper was hectic, marked by sudden -outbursts of laughter and equally sudden lapses to silence. Every one -made a great pretense of hunger, but only a few of the veterans ate -normally. Coach Cade seemed more quiet and thoughtful than usual. -At Jim’s end of the long table Lowell Woodruff, ably aided by Billy -Frost, managed to keep things enlivened, but even so Jim was relieved -when he could push back his chair and return to Number 15. Pending the -“bean-test,” he tried to study and failed, tried to write a letter to -Webb Todd and again failed. Perhaps had he been able to find the letter -that Webb had written to him, enclosing the two-dollar bill, he might -have obtained sufficient inspiration, but that letter had mysteriously -disappeared. At seven-thirty he went around to the gymnasium, but even -Coach Cade failed him to some extent, for the Coach had little to -say about plays and a good deal about playing and sent them away at -eight with instructions to keep their minds off football and go to bed -promptly at ten o’clock; advice far easier to give than to act on. - -Jim, realizing how futile was the effort to think of anything save -football, got his rules book and began to turn the well-thumbed leaves. -If there was anything contained therein that he didn’t know by heart -and couldn’t have recited almost word for word he failed to find it, -and he was very glad when Clem’s hurried steps sounded in the corridor -and the door flew open before him. Any sort of companionship, even -unharmonious, was welcome to-night. - -Clem closed the door behind him and gave a triumphant grunt that -sounded like “_Huh!_” Jim, looking up inquiringly, thought that his -room-mate looked awfully funny. By funny, Jim, of course, meant -strange. Still keeping what amounted to an accusing glare on Jim, Clem -advanced in a peculiarly remorseless manner to his side of the table, -threw one leg over his chair, lowered himself into place and folded his -elbows on the table edge. Then: - -“You’re a fine piece of cheese, aren’t you?” he demanded. - -There was no insult in the words as Clem said them. On the contrary -they seemed to have an undertone of affection, and Jim was more puzzled -than ever, and found the other’s gaze increasingly disconcerting. The -fact must have shown on his countenance, for Clem went on triumphantly: -“No wonder you look guilty, you--you blamed old fraud!” - -“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” grumbled Jim, uncomfortable -from the fact that he knew he was looking guilty in spite of a clear -conscience. - -“I’ll soon tell you,” announced Clem. “I went over to Art’s after -supper; Art Landorf, you know. Woodie was there. When I was coming away -he asked me to give you a piece of paper. Said Johnny Cade had given -it to him a week ago to hand to you. Something you’d left at Johnny’s -one night. I asked him what it was and he said he didn’t know, but he -pulled it out of a mess of other truck in a pocket and handed it to me.” - -Jim flushed a little. “What was it?” he asked uneasily. - -“I guess you know what it was, you poor prune. It was a letter from -that yegg friend of yours, Webb Todd.” - -“Oh!” murmured Jim. - -“Yes, ‘oh’!” mimicked Clem unfeelingly. “It had some sort of a crazy -cubist drawing on one side and I naturally opened it. Of course when I -saw it was a letter I tried not to read it, but I had to read some of -it because my eyes lighted right on it.” Clem looked so defiant as to -appear almost threatening. Jim nodded. - -“That’s all right,” he muttered. - -“You bet it’s all right!” Clem was getting truculent. “And now I’m -going to read the whole of it, and you’re going to sit still and listen -to it!” He drew the somewhat soiled rectangular object from his pocket -and shook it challengingly at the other. - -“I’d rather you didn’t,” objected Jim weakly. - -Clem’s laugh was derisive. “You go to thunder! Anyway, I read the part -that matters, so--” He hesitated and tossed the letter across the -table. Jim picked it up without more than a glance and buried it under -a blue book. “He says there ‘I wasn’t meaning to swipe that money, like -I told you, kid, and I’m sorry I done it. I ain’t a thief--’ and a lot -more guff. Now, then, what about it?” - -“Well, _what_ about it?” asked Jim with returning spirit. “I told you, -but you wouldn’t believe me.” - -“Yes, I know,” acknowledged Clem somewhat shamefacedly. “Gosh, I -wanted to, Jim, but it looked awfully fishy. And I asked Old Tarbox if -a stranger had been up here that afternoon and he didn’t remember one. -He said he might have got by without his noticing, but it didn’t seem -to me that any one could fail to notice that queer-looking guy! But, -hang it, why didn’t you show me that letter when you got it? Think I’ve -had a jolly time with you treating me like dirt? Why--” - -“Isn’t that the way you treated me?” asked Jim, smiling faintly. - -“No, sir, I treated you decently! Anyway, I tried to, but you wouldn’t -let me, confound you. Didn’t you intend to show me that letter at all, -Jim?” - -Jim shook his head. - -“Well,” exclaimed Clem in outraged tones, “then all I can say is that -you’re the doggonedest, meanest, false-pridest--” - -“You’re another!” Jim was grinning now, suddenly feeling very warm -and happy, and somewhat foolish. Clem grinned back. Then he laughed -uncertainly. - -“You blamed old idiot!” he said affectionately. - -Jim blinked. “Guess I was to blame, Clem,” he said reflectively. “Maybe -I’d ought to have made you believe me; licked you until you did -or--or something. But it didn’t seem right you should think I was a -thief, even if it did look like I was, and so I--I got sort of uppity -and--and--” - -“Don’t blame you,” growled Clem. “Ought to have punched my head. Wish -you had. I don’t know what made me so rotten mean. Anyhow, I’m mighty -sorry and--and I beg your pardon, old son.” - -“Aw, shut up,” said Jim. “Guess we both acted loony. Let’s forget it.” - -Clem nodded. “Hope you will. I wouldn’t care to think that you were -holding it in for me, Jim. Funny thing is,” he went on in tones that -held embarrassment, “I don’t know whether I got to thinking you -didn’t--didn’t do it or whether I got to not caring whether you did or -didn’t, but I’d have called quits long ago, two or three days after, I -guess, if you’d given me a chance.” - -“Well, as long as you were thinking me a thief--” - -“But I could see how most any fellow might make a foozle like that,” -interrupted Clem eagerly. “I said that here was that fellow you’d known -and been fond of nagging you for money, and you not having any, and -there was that money in the suit-case which you knew mighty well I’d -give you if you asked for it--” - -“I suppose you’d do it yourself?” inquired Jim innocently. - -“Sure! That is--” Then Clem found Jim grinning broadly. “Well, I -might. How do I know? How does any one know what he will do when faced -by--er--by sudden temptation and all that sort of thing?” - -“No, you wouldn’t,” answered Jim. “Neither would I. Webb could have -starved. But, just the same, and I think it’s sort of funny, too, I -didn’t think anything about lying! Seems like stealing and lying aren’t -much different, don’t it?” - -“Well, yes, but, gosh, a fellow’s got to tell a whopper sometimes to -protect a friend, hasn’t he? And that’s what you did.” - -“I guess a lie’s a lie, just the same,” responded Jim regretfully, “and -I didn’t feel right about telling that one to the police captain that -time. Only, I didn’t want Webb to go to jail. Gee, I don’t know!” - -“You needn’t have told him you gave the money to Webb, as far as that -goes. They couldn’t have proved it on him if I hadn’t said I’d lost it.” - -“Gee, I never thought of that, Clem! But it was all so sort of sudden -that I didn’t have much time to think. Lying comes mighty easy, don’t -it?” - -Well, it was just like old times in Number 15 that evening. There was a -lot to be said, things that ought to have been said days and days ago -and things that had been unthought of before, and almost before Jim -knew that it was as late as nine the ten o’clock bell rang. Even after -they were in bed the talk kept on, as: - -“Say, Jim, it’s a shame to keep you awake, but--” - -“Gee, I ain’t sleepy. I’d rather talk than not.” - -“Well, about Janus. You know we were speaking of it a while back. -You’ll join, eh?” - -“I don’t know, Clem. I ain’t--I’m not much for society doings. Gee, I -don’t even own a dress-suit!” - -“You don’t need a dress-suit, you gump! I’m going to put you through -next week, and there’s an end to it.” - -“Well, if you want me to, all right. Father got rid of some timberland -the other day that he’s been trying to sell for three or four years. He -didn’t get quite all he wanted, but he did pretty well. So I guess I -can afford this Janus thing.” - -Still later: “Jim, you asleep?” - -“Yes. What’ll you have?” - -“Listen. About Mart coming back--” - -“I know. That’s all right.” - -“How do you mean, all right?” - -“Why, you fellows can have this room or I’ll find some one else to come -in here. Just as long as I don’t have to pay the whole rent--” - -“You make me sick! I never had any notion of going in with Mart. He -doesn’t expect me to. I just said that because you made me mad, you -silly ass!” - -“Oh! Well, I didn’t--understand. Still, you mustn’t feel like you’ve -got to turn Mart down, Clem.” - -“I don’t. I’m not turning him down because he hasn’t even suggested it. -If you can’t talk sense you’d better go to sleep.” - -“All right,” chuckled Jim. “Good night.” - -Some time later Clem awoke in the darkness to find groans and -heart-breaking gasps coming from Jim’s bed. After a moment of sleepy -concern Clem went across and shook his chum into consciousness. “Hey, -wake up! What’s the matter, old son? Got the nightmare?” - -“Gee!” muttered Jim. “That you, Clem? Was I making a row?” - -“Were you! Well, rather! What--” - -“Gee, it was awful! Sam threw the ball to me and I was all set for it -when the crazy thing began running around my head in circles and making -a noise like--like an automobile and I couldn’t catch it! Every time -I’d make a grab it would dodge out of the way! And about a hundred -fellows with big white mittens on stood and laughed at me. Gee, it was -fierce!” - -“White mittens?” chuckled Clem. “Well, you did have the Willies for -fair! Calm yourself, old son, and nuzzle down again. It must be mighty -close to daylight.” - - - - -CHAPTER XXI - -ALTON VS. KENLY HALL - - -The players trundled away from school that Saturday morning at -ten o’clock, cheered to the echo by some three hundred and fifty -football-mad adherents. The rest of the student body left on the -twelve-eight train, to which an extra day-coach had been added. Clem, -sharing a seat with Landorf and Imbrie--Imbrie sat on the arm--beguiled -the first part of the journey with the morning papers. Both the Alton -paper and that published in the near-by city gave a flattering amount -of space to the Alton-Kenly Hall game. Not unnaturally, the home -journal predicted a victory for the Gray-and-Gold. The other favored -Kenly. Some writer signing himself “Sporticus” told his city readers -that he had seen both Alton and Kenly Hall in action and that it would -take a much better prophet than he pretended to be to pick certainly -the winner of to-day’s contest. - -“Alton,” he continued, “has a fine-looking team that is well grounded -in the rudiments, plays with unusual speed and has been developed -steadily since the first of the season with the single purpose of -reaching the apex of its power at two o’clock this afternoon. Starting -with a practically green team, Coach ‘Johnny’ Cade has built around -a nucleus of four veterans an aggregation that has shown a lot of -football gumption and a good deal of strength during the last three -games. The Gray-and-Gold looks to be better on attack than on defense, -but the last week may have brought about an improvement in the latter -department, and her line may prove strong enough to stop the efforts -of the Kenly backs. If it can Alton will stand a good chance to cop -the contest, for I like her attack. Rumor credits her with having -developed a nice bunch of running and passing plays that have not, so -far, been shown. Whether she has anything that will prevail against a -defense as experienced and steady as Kenly’s, only developments can -prove. Alton’s center-trio is quite as good as Kenly’s. Cheswick, at -center, combines weight with speed and has shown himself a master at -diagnosing the opponent’s plays. Captain Gus Fingal, right guard, is -playing an even better game than last season when he was a large, -sharp thorn in the side of the enemy. Powers, the other guard, lacks -Fingal’s weight but is remarkably steady. He also has speed. Speed, in -fact, is the outstanding feature of the Gray-and-Gold line from end -to end. At tackles Alton will play Roice and either Sawyer or Todd. -Sawyer has seen more service, but Todd has been coming fast for the -last fortnight and, in spite of lack of weight, looks to have the -call for the right side position. Levering and Borden, ends, have not -shown anything spectacular so far except an ability to move fast, and -they sure do that. In the backfield Alton will start ‘Pep’ Kinsey at -quarter. Kinsey doesn’t look like a quarter-back, but he has held down -the job satisfactorily most of the season and seems to get more out of -his team than his alternate, Latham. Whittier and Frost are two good -half-backs who will have quite a lot to say for themselves. Whittier -is rather more of the defensive back than ‘Billy’ Frost, but he, too, -is capable of gaining if given the ball. Frost is the lad for Kenly to -keep an eye on, for he can hit the line like a five-ton truck and is a -wonder at running. He will also be on the receiving end of some of the -forward heaves that Alton is expected to pull off. The remaining back, -Tennyson, is something of an unknown quantity, since he took the place -of Crumb late in the season when the latter was injured.” - -“Sporticus” gave an equal amount of space in his column to an appraisal -of the individual members of the Kenly team and then summed up as -follows: “On season’s performance, then, Kenly ought to win to-day’s -fracas by two scores, but no football solon pins his faith utterly on -performance. So when I predict a verdict for the Cherry-and-Black I -have in mind one important fact that has been fully established, which -is: The team with the power wins. Kenly has the power. She lacks the -speed of her opponent and uses fewer plays. But she has a line that -has proved practically shot-proof, and her attack, while not varied, -has a relentless quality that makes it a ground-gainer. Of course, -surprises may happen and upset the dope. Some of those trick plays that -Alton is believed to have in her duffle-bag may catch Kenly napping. A -forward-pass thrown at the right moment may land over the goal-line. -But every student of the gentle Art of Football knows that where one -game is won by forward-passes or trick runs nine are won by the plain, -old-fashioned, garden-variety of football. That’s why I select Kenly; -reserving an alibi, though, as set forth above.” - -“Humph,” said Clem, when he had finished the article, “these newspaper -sport writers are great guys to play it safe. This fellow just -knows that Kenly is going to win--_if_! You’d think from the way he -goes on that Kenly’s line hadn’t been shot more than once already. -‘Invulnerable’ he calls it. What about Lorimer? I suppose she didn’t -get a touchdown against Kenly! And look at last Saturday’s game. Emmons -scored twice, once by a pass from the ten-yard line and once from the -field. If she found Kenly’s line invulnerable how the heck did she get -within scoring distance? ‘Sporticus’ has his signals crossed!” - -“Don’t be hard on the poor chaps,” said Imbrie. “They have to fill -their columns somehow, old dear.” - -“‘Somehow’ is right,” grumbled Clem. - -At two o’clock, when Alton kicked off to Kenly, the sun was shining -brightly and a slight breeze was quartering the field, lending some -advantage to the visiting team. The air held quite a nip, and coat -collars were generally worn turned up. From the player’s standpoint -it was ideal weather, from the spectator’s it was a bit unpleasant on -hands and feet. The cheering, which had been fairly incessant for the -past ten minutes, ceased as Captain Gus stepped forward and booted the -new brown oval high and far. - -The Kenly quarter fumbled, but a half-back rescued the ball on his -seventeen yards and ran it back to the twenty. Kenly tested Cheswick -and got one yard. Then she punted to Alton’s thirty-three, the ball -going outside. Frost got two through the center and Tennyson slid -off right tackle for three more. Whittier punted to the opponent’s -twenty-seven and Levering missed a tackle, the catcher advancing seven -yards before he was spilled by Powers. Two tries at the Alton line -netted but five yards and a short pass over the center grounded. Kenly -kicked beautifully against the breeze, the ball falling on Alton’s -seventeen, where Kinsey was thrown hard. Time was called for Alton. -Frost got two through the right of the enemy’s line when play was -resumed and followed it with six more on an off-tackle run. Whittier -tried a run around the left and was stopped for a loss of a yard. -Whittier punted, but Kenly was off-side and it was Alton’s ball on her -twenty-nine. Whittier circled left end on first down and gained two -yards and Tennyson gathered in one more by a plunge at center. Whittier -punted to Kenly’s twenty-six and the Cherry-and-Black quarter ran the -ball back to the forty before he was stopped by Levering. - -Kenly got started then and punched the enemy line for short gains, -making it first down on Alton’s forty-eight. Then the Kenly full-back -managed to get free on a wide run and landed the pigskin on the -visitor’s thirty-six, following this with a fierce plunge at Powers -that gave him three more. On the next play Roice was off-side and Kenly -advanced to Alton’s twenty-eight. She made it first down on Alton’s -twenty-five-yard line. A plunge at the left of the visitor’s line was -stopped and a short pass grounded. On a fake-kick play Kenly’s big -full-back gained three off Todd, at right tackle. Kenly’s drop-kicker -retired to the thirty-yard line and, since the ball was directly in -front of goal, a score seemed imminent. But the pass from center was -short and before the kicker could get the ball away the Alton forwards -were through on top of him and the kick was blocked. - -Kenly’s left tackle recovered the rolling ball on his thirty-eight, -beating Whittier to it by inches only, and, after she had failed -to gain through Powers, Kenly grounded a pass. A second pass was -intercepted by Frost. - -Alton tried to knife Kinsey through but lost a yard, and Tennyson’s -slide off tackle regained the loss and no more. Then Frost slipped off -right tackle for a run of seventeen yards, being finally forced out -on his forty-four. A cross-buck, with Borden carrying, gained four, -Tennyson got two through right guard and Whittier skirted the left end -for six more, making it first down on the enemy’s forty-four. After -three wasted efforts, Whittier punted over Kenly’s goal-line, and the -ball came back to the twenty. Two attempts at the line failed and Kenly -punted on third down to mid-field. An off-side play gave Alton five -yards and in two downs she added four more. Whittier punted to Kenly’s -eleven and the Cherry-and-Black left half was downed in his tracks by -Todd. Kenly lost four yards on an end run, made two off left tackle and -two more through center and then punted to her own forty-one. Frost -was thrown for a loss on an end run and the quarter ended with the ball -in Alton’s possession on the enemy’s forty-three yards. - -So far it was still anybody’s game and even the clever “Sporticus,” -whose narrative of the first period I have quoted almost verbatim, -after seeing Kenly’s line pierced more than once, would have hesitated -about making another prediction. Neither team had shown the ability -to gain through the other’s line consistently. Although outweighted, -the Alton forwards had held their own very well against the enemy, -usually getting the jump on their slower opponents with good effect. -The hard-hitting Kenly backs had found the going more difficult than -had been prophesied, while the Alton backs, starting quickly from their -positions well behind their line, had already proved the value of -the new formation. Whittier’s punts from close behind center had not -surprised Kenly greatly, since her scouts had prepared her for them, -but the fact that she was always more or less uncertain when they were -coming did worry her far more than appeared. - -The second period started without changes in either line-up: for Alton -it was still Levering, Roice, Powers, Cheswick, Fingal, Todd, Borden, -Kinsey, Whittier, Frost and Tennyson. Coach Cade had put his best foot -forward and meant to keep it there as long as he could. With the wind -slightly in her favor, Kenly punted frequently in the second quarter, -trusting to get a break that would put her within scoring distance. -Alton kicked only when all other means had failed. She managed to keep -her territory fairly free of the enemy through most of the period, -but in the final five minutes Kenly worked an invasion. Punting from -her thirty-two yards, the Cherry-and-Black landed the pigskin in Pep -Kinsey’s arms near his twenty-yard line. The kick was long and fairly -high, the wind floating the ball along for an added ten yards, and Pep -misjudged and at the last moment had to run back. Frost, playing back -with him, saw the ball in jeopardy and raced across for it with the -result that the pigskin was almost lost to both of them. Pep managed to -hold it after a moment’s juggling, however, but by that time a frantic -Kenly end was on him and he was tackled fiercely, Frost being out of -position to offer protection. Pep stayed flat and time was called. -After working over the Alton quarter for a while, Jake signaled and -Horace Latham, already warming up before the bench, ran on. Pep was led -off looking pretty groggy. - -Two attacks on tackles failed to get the ball much farther out of -the dangerous neighborhood and Latham punted. The kick was poor and -the ball went out at Alton’s forty-yard line. Then it was that Kenly -showed her power, for she marched back to the eighteen yards without a -pause, making her distance the first time by two inches and gaining her -final stand by a short toss across the Alton left wing that gave her -a needed four yards. Then, however, Alton stood firm. Walzer had been -sent in for Hick Powers, who had been pretty roughly used, and Kenly’s -two attempts on the left of the enemy’s center were piled up for no -gain. Another of the Kenly short passes grounded and once more her -drop-kicker stepped into the limelight. This time the Cherry-and-Black -line was a stone wall, the ball was passed neatly and the kicker had -plenty of leisure to perform his trick. The ball thudded away from -his foot and climbed into the air, far beyond the upraised tips of -eager fingers, passing squarely between the uprights and high over the -cross-bar. Kenly had drawn first blood and the vacant space beside her -name on the scoreboard suddenly held a large white 3! - -That was just about all there was to that second quarter. Jim was taken -out in favor of Sawyer just before the end of it. Alton fought into the -enemy’s territory in the last minute of play only to yield the pigskin -on a punt, and before the teams could line up again the whistle blew. - - - - -CHAPTER XXII - -THE BANDAGED HAND - - -Back in the gymnasium, in a small room provided for its use, the Alton -team spent eleven tense minutes. Coaches, trainer and rubbers toiled -without let-up. Faults were pointed out by stern-faced assistants and -offenders were taken severely to task. Johnny Cade, one forefinger -tapping Latham’s chest, spoke quietly but earnestly. The pungent odor -of rubbing liniment filled the air. Jake moved briskly and cheerfully -about, unwinding bandage and tape and clipping with his little -blunt-nosed scissors. And finally Manager Woodruff took his eyes from -the dial of his watch and called: “Four minutes!” - -On the field Kenly sang and cheered, and Alton, although outnumbered, -was scarcely less vociferous. The big cherry-red flag stood out above -the home stand, snapping briskly in the increasing wind. Chilled -feet were coaxed back to warmth and coats more closely buttoned. The -sunlight had lost its heat now and the breeze was taking on an icier -tang. The minutes passed slowly, but at last the Kenly stand sprang -to its feet with an “Aye-e-e!” as the red-stockinged warriors came -into view again. Then the cheer leaders waved and the long Kenly cheer -swept across the field. Ere it had ended the Alton side was vocal, too, -for a tall, light-haired youth, gray-armed and gray-legged, trotted -into sight. Behind him trailed twenty-nine others of his kind, and -then a little squad of non-combatants. A white-sweatered man moved -into the field, a gray-sweatered man joined him. The cheers continued -deafeningly. Linesmen, blowing on chilled hands, dragged their long -rods down near the thirty-yard line. Alton had to yield the advantage -of the wind this time, but had elected to receive the kick-off. - -Three changes in the Kenly team were seen, two in the line and one in -the backfield. For Alton, Latham remained at quarter, Sawyer at right -tackle and Walzer at left guard. With the wind behind it, the ball -sailed almost to the five-yard line before it dropped, and Alton let -it go over. Back on her twenty, the Gray-and-Gold flashed into life. -It seemed that she was showing her true strength for the first time. -Straight down the field she marched, overwhelming Kenly with the speed -of her attack, mingling straight line-jabs, swift dashes around the -tackles and short side passes that led to wide runs. Every shot found -its mark and not once was Alton halted until, almost on Kenly’s thirty, -a wide run went agley and Billy Frost was thrown behind his line for a -five-yard loss. - -A short pass across the left of the line was caught by Latham, but the -gain was less than the previous loss. Once more, Tennyson heaved the -ball, this time far toward the side-line, but it was knocked down. -Kenly’s hoarse reiterated appeal of “_Hold ’em, Kenly! Hold ’em, -Kenly!_” was being answered. It was fourth down now and there was -still five yards to gain, with the ball on Kenly’s thirty-one yards. A -goal from the field seemed a hopeless thought, yet that is what Latham -called for. Captain Gus was summoned back and Latham dropped to a knee -in front of him close to the forty-yard line. Shouts of “_Block it! -Block it!_” swept across from the home stand. Cheswick sped the ball -back, Latham caught it and placed it and Gus stepped forward. The lines -heaved and bent. But foot met ball and the pigskin shot forward. Latham -had canted it, as he hoped, so that it would fly low, but after it -had cleared the frantic arms of the oncoming enemy it was caught by a -sudden gust and changed its flight. For an instant it seemed to pause. -Then it went up and up, hung for a breathless moment high in air and -began its descent. Already Kenly was howling its relief, for the ball -was coming down well short of the bar. - -It descended close to the five-yard line and it was a red-legged -tackle who caught it to him and sprang forward. But Sam Tennyson -wrapped his long arms about his neck and pulled him back and down. It -was Kenly’s ball on her three yards. - -The Kenly kicker stepped back well behind his goal-line and a little -to the left of center, mindful of the nearer post looming dangerously -close, and the silence of suspense fell. Alton’s “_Block that kick! -Block that kick!_” dwindled to a faint, hoarse mutter. Back went -the ball, but low, and the kicker had to step forward to get it. -Recovering, he saw the left of his line torn apart as Alton burst -through. There was no time now for a punt. Tucking the ball under his -arm, he started away to the right, seeking to pass behind the goal and -find a safe path out of his dilemma. And for a second success seemed -to await him. But just as he swung back toward the field, Jake Borden -swept down on him. Jake missed his tackle, but he stopped the runner -long enough for Roice to reach him and the two went down together a -yard behind the goal-line. - -Alton roared in triumph and a figure 2 went up for the visitors. It was -not much of a score, but it was something, and the faint-hearted among -the Alton adherents were jubilant. At least, the Gray-and-Gold had not -been shut-out! The ball went out to the thirty yards and play began -once more. Kenly twice failed to advance a runner and then kicked. -Latham caught and was downed instantly. Alton began another march, -but it ended at her own forty-yard line and there Latham punted short -to the enemy’s thirty-eight. Kenly sprang a long forward-pass that -almost but not quite succeeded. A shorter attempt went for six yards -and two slams at the line gave her first down on the fifty-yard line. -Then followed Kenly’s moment of power, for she plunged and battered -her way forward for two first downs and placed the ball on Alton’s -twenty-eight. Walzer was hurt and Hick Powers went back to left guard -position. Kenly tried a full-back run that would have netted her twelve -yards had not an end been off-side. As it was, she was set back to the -thirty-three, and two plunges were stopped and a third down gained -but three yards off left tackle. Kenly set herself as for a try at a -field goal but, instead, hurled a long pass diagonally toward the right -corner of the field. The wind both aided and hindered that throw. It -added distance but it also swept the ball away from the waiting end and -into the outstretched hands of Sam Tennyson. Sam dodged and wriggled -and fought back to the seventeen before force of numbers laid him low. - -Presently Latham again punted and, although the kick failed of -distance, the Kenly back who caught was dropped the instant the pigskin -was in his hands. From Alton’s forty-six yards, Kenly began another -advance. This time she reached only the thirty-two yards, where, -with three downs gone, she decided to take what was offered her. Her -kicker was squarely on the forty-yard line when he booted, and this -time the Kenly line held fast. But the ball, while it had both height -and distance, passed outside the left-hand upright; although it was -not until a moment had passed and the figure 3 on the scoreboard was -not changed that the spectators knew whether or not the goal had been -kicked. Then Alton voiced her relief in hearty fashion. Two more plays -laid the pigskin on Alton’s twenty-four yards and the whistle blew for -the last intermission. - -Three to two and still anybody’s game! - -That either team would be able to put over a touchdown looked -improbable. One or the other might win in the last quarter by a -field-goal, but it seemed a safe wager that neither Gray-and-Gold -nor Cherry-and-Black had enough strength to cross her opponent’s -goal-line. Both in attack and defense the rivals had shown themselves -well matched. What Kenly possessed of superiority in weight was offset -by Alton’s speed, while Alton’s speed was not a sufficient asset to -win her passage over the last five lines. But with the favoring wind -behind her now Alton might, thought the more hopeful of the visitors, -bring some trick into play that would decide the contest in her favor. -Among the hopeful was Clem, shivering between Imbrie and Landorf, high -on the Alton stand. Clem’s shivers were due more to excitement than -cold, however, and that excitement was heightened when, as the teams -gathered again, two forms ran on from the visitors’ side-line. One was -Pep Kinsey. The other was Jim Todd. Clem arose to his feet and shouted -madly. - -“_Atta boy, Jim! Atta boy! Atta boy! Atta--_” - -Landorf pulled him down to his seat. Those around laughed and cheered -him. Then the leaders called for short cheers for Latham and Sawyer, -and then for Kinsey and Todd. Clem was babbling incoherently and not -until the cheers were over did Landorf sense what he was saying. - -“That’s why Johnny took him out in the third,” Clem was exclaiming. -“Must have hurt his hand pretty badly.” - -“Who hurt his hand?” asked Art. - -“Jim. Look at it. Wait till he turns--there! His left hand is all -bandaged up!” - -It certainly was. Against the soiled khaki of his pants his left hand -shone like an Easter lily against dark foliage. The four fingers were -bound separately with clean white gauze and looked oddly conspicuous, -Landorf thought. “Funny he managed to get ’em all hurt,” he said. -“That’s what I call hogging it!” - -A whistle blew and Pep Kinsey’s voice piped out sharply. Whittier took -the ball as it sped back from center and dashed toward the left. Kinsey -caught it at a short pass and sped along the line to the right. Jim -had a hole there. Tennyson went through, clearing it out and crashing -against a Kenly back, and Pep followed. Three yards gain. Fourth down -and three to go. Again the ball went to Whittier and with two short -strides toward his line he punted high. Down went the ends and down -went Jim, racing them to the enemy’s eighteen. Above them sailed -the ball, turning lazily over and over. A Kenly back edged forward, -paused, turned and raced backward. He caught on his eighteen yards and -it was Jim who closed his arms about his thighs, lifted him back and -deposited him on his sixteen. A hard-hearted referee put the ball on -the eighteen, waved a hand and slipped out of the way. Kenly started -toward the Alton goal once more. - -Failing, at last, near mid-field to gain at the line, she passed across -the center and made eight. But a moment later she was again forced to -kick. Frost pulled the ball down on his twenty-two, side-stepped a -Kenly end, whirled from the grasp of a Kenly tackle and went plunging -in and out until the enemy closed in about him on the thirty-six. An -off-side penalty put Alton back to the thirty-one, and two plays later -Whittier again punted, from his thirty-five. Once more the Kenly back -was thrown in his tracks and once more Kenly set her face toward the -distant goal. Then came a punt from her thirty-nine that went almost -straight in air and dropped out-of-bounds at Alton’s forty-three. - -Ever since the beginning of the quarter Jim had been listening for a -certain signal and now it came. “Formation L!” called the quarter. Jake -Borden swung out and trotted to the left of the line, taking position -between Roice and Levering. “Signals! Fifteen, thirty-seven, twelve! -Fifteen, thirty-seven--” - -The ball went back and Alton flew into action. It was the signal Jim -had been awaiting, yet it was not the play, for although Sam had -started before the ball and raced off and backward to the left, and -although Whittier, with ball poised high, was following him slowly, -stepping back warily and apparently searching for an uncovered -receiver, Jim knew that Play 37 was to go for a run the first time -it was called. So, instead of wandering away to the right and trying -to look as if he was searching for four-leaf clovers or had lost his -pocket-knife and was trying to find it, Jim threw himself into the -opposing tackle, twisted past and slammed around behind the opposing -line. Whittier turned and tossed to Tennyson and Sam sprang forward. -Kinsey laid low the Kenly right half and Sam was going hard when he -gained the line, well outside, but the entire Kenly backfield had -been drawn to its right, and so had every other member of the team, -and the best Tennyson could do was fight his way to the forty-seven -for a four-yard gain. But the play had proved itself. Kenly had first -suspected a forward-pass and guarded against it, her backs spreading -and waiting. Then, when Whittier had made the on-side toss to Tennyson, -she had concluded that it meant a run and had moved, almost as one man, -across to meet it. And now Jim waited eagerly to hear the “37” again. - -But it didn’t come. Alton made her way to the enemy’s thirty-seven -only to lose the ball when Frost fumbled when tackled. A few minutes -later she was back on her own thirty-five, the ball in her possession -after a Kenly punt. Kenly was now satisfied, it seemed, to play for -time and trust to fortune to bring her another scoring opportunity. If -that failed her, she was still certain of victory if she could keep -Alton from adding to that insufficient 2. Twice she punted out of -danger and back into Alton territory. Alton was using every play she -knew now, but Kenly was resisting desperately. New men were running on -for her and old and wearied ones were stumbling off. Alton, too, made -changes, though fewer. Tate and Kruger went in at the ends of the line -and Cheswick, thoroughly played out, gave place to Benning. The end was -drawing nigh. Seven minutes became six and six minutes dwindled to five. - -It was Alton’s ball again, following a punt, on her thirty-four. -Tennyson made four outside tackles on a delayed buck, Whittier gained -three straight ahead between center and right guard and Frost made it -first down on a slide off left tackle. Tennyson passed to Whittier and -the latter scampered around the short end for seven more and put the -ball over the center line. Frost lost two, got three and made it first -down again. So it went, Kenly fighting but yielding. On the enemy’s -thirty-eight, on fourth down, Whittier faked a kick and tossed to Frost -and Frost ran to the left and got his distance on a wide run behind -fine interference. The ball was close to the left side-line now and -on the next play Whittier shot off to the right on a wide sweep that -gained only a yard. And then Jim, achingly impatient, heard what he had -been longing to hear once more. - -“Formation L!” - -“Seventeen, thirty-seven, eleven! Seventeen--” - -Tennyson was off, running hard, to the left. - -“--Thirty-seven!” - -Jim engaged the opposing end, blocked him for an instant and then let -him through inside. Kenly was crying “Watch a pass!” and “Fake!” and -“End run on right!” Jim ambled around his end, the enemy moving before -him. The Kenly defensive back was edging to his right, well down the -field. Jim swung aside and sped toward the side of the field. Then, -turning, he faced the confusion he had left behind. He was alone and -unnoted as yet. Up went his long left arm and the four white-bandaged -fingers made a startling beacon against the dark hues of the stand -behind him. Whittier had tossed to Sam and Sam was peering across the -confusion of leaping, struggling forms. They were closing in on him -fast. A Kenly lineman had trickled through and Whittier met him square -and sent him reeling aside. But the whole Cherry-and-Black team was -bearing down now and Sam, scorning further subterfuge, raised the ball -in his right hand, faced the distant white signal, drew his arm back -and threw! - -Then he was out of sight behind leaping figures, and Jim, his gaze -on the speeding ball, knew that the tide had set back his way. Forms -sensed rather than seen grew larger and larger as they raced toward -him. Frantic cries of warning and shouts of alarm came to him. He had -himself ready now, though, and the ball, sent low and hard and -straight, was shooting at him, a brown missile that grew ever larger. -Then he met it with his hands, gave one step to ease the catch, tucked -the ball under his right hand and sped away. - -He had been just over Kenly’s forty-yard line when he had caught, and -some twelve yards from the side-line. When he had put one more white -streak underfoot he turned to the left, the nearer upright of the goal -his destination. But that course was not to be held long. Already -a fleet-footed Kenly quarter-back was speeding to meet him, while -steps pounded hard behind and to the right. Jim eased away toward the -side-line and pushed the thirty-yard mark behind him. Then the quarter -was on him, coming straight from the side. Jim thought quick, dug one -heel and spun to the left. A hand slapped at his thigh and a red-clad -arm swept upward, but the quarter fell past, clutching vainly, and Jim -Todd went on, friend and foe racing and falling behind him, on past -the twenty yards and the fifteen and to the ten. There the enemy made -its last appeal to Fortune. A Kenly end hurled himself forward and -his fingers seized about Jim’s left leg. Jim faltered, then went on a -stride, dropped to a knee, struggled erect again and again advanced. A -stride--another-- Figures were all about him now and suddenly he could -go no farther. He plunged forward, face-down, the ball, firmly grasped, -held at arms’ length. A ton of weight fell on him. - -[Illustration: Jim dropped to a knee, struggled erect again and again -advanced.] - -Some one was tugging at the ball, but Jim held it in a death grip. A -voice was calling: “Get up! Get up!” Then a white sweater sleeve came -into his vision and his fingers released their hold. The weight was -gone and arms were pulling him to his feet. He stood erect, breathless, -anxious, and looked about. Gus Fingal was grinning as well as a cut and -swollen lip would allow. So was Hick Powers. The rest of his team were -gathering along the five-yard line and Kenly, suddenly strangely weary -and discouraged-looking, was assembling between them and the goal. Then -Jim understood. His own grin answered the others. - -“Gee, I guess it was over, wasn’t it?” he panted. - -“Two feet over,” said Captain Gus. “Come on and let’s finish it up, -Slim. Only forty seconds more!” - -Slim went back to his place, the lines heaved, a thud followed and -again wild, triumphant cheers burst from the Alton stand. On the -scoreboard an 8 was changed to a 9. - -Half a minute later, having joined in a hoarse cheer for the defeated -rival, Slim fought his way toward the bench. But there wasn’t much -fight left now and he was soon captured. From the shoulders of two -shouting, maniacal schoolmates he looked down over a sea of bobbing -heads. He felt rather tired, very happy and--extremely foolish! - - -THE END - - - - -Football and Baseball Stories - - -Durably Bound. Illustrated. Colored Wrappers. - -Every Volume Complete in Itself. - - -The Ralph Henry Barbour Books For Boys - -In these up-to the minute, spirited genuine stories of boy life there -is something which will appeal to every boy with the love of manliness, -cleanness and sportsmanship in his heart. - - LEFT END EDWARDS - LEFT TACKLE THAYER - LEFT GUARD GILBERT - CENTER RUSH ROWLAND - FULLBACK FOSTER - LEFT HALF HARMON - RIGHT END EMERSON - RIGHT GUARD GRANT - QUARTERBACK BATES - RIGHT TACKLE TODD - RIGHT HALF HOLLINS - - -The Tod Hale Series - - TOD HALE IN CAMP - TOD HALE WITH THE CREW - TOD HALE ON THE SCRUB - - -The Christy Mathewson Books For Boys - -Every boy wants to know how to play ball in the fairest and squarest -way. These books about boys and baseball are full of wholesome and -manly interest and information. - - PITCHER POLLOCK - CATCHER CRAIG - FIRST BASE FAULKNER - SECOND BASE SLOAN - PITCHING IN A PINCH - - THIRD BASE THATCHER, By Everett Scott. - - -GROSSET & DUNLAP, Publishers, NEW YORK - - - - -STORIES OF SPORT AND ADVENTURE - -By HAROLD M. SHERMAN - -May be had wherever books are sold. Ask for Grosset and Dunlap’s List. - - -THE HOME RUN SERIES - -Here are thrilling baseball stories filled with fast playing and keen -rivalry. The author of these books writes from his own experience as a -player. - - Bases Full - Hit by Pitcher - Safe! - Hit and Run - Double Play - - -ROUSING FOOTBALL STORIES - -These stories of the gridiron are packed full of excitement and real -smashing, heart-breaking football. - - Touchdown! - One Minute to Play - Block That Kick! - Fight ’Em, Big Three! - - -THE FIGHTING FIVE BASKET BALL SERIES - -These stories record the uphill fight of a group of boys to wake up -the citizens of a dull town to enthusiasm for sport, by winning a -championship against great odds. - - Mayfield’s Fighting Five - Get ’Em, Mayfield - - -OTHER STORIES OF SPORT AND ADVENTURE - - Flashing Steel - Don Razer, Trail Blazer - Flying Heels - Cameron MacBain, Backwoodsman - - -GROSSET & DUNLAP, Publishers, NEW YORK - - - - -BUDDY BOOKS FOR BOYS - -Illustrated. Individual Colored Wrappers. - - -Tales of old Western pioneer days and the California gold fields, tales -of mystery, humor, adventure, thrilling stories of sports and aviation. -There is a wide range of subjects in this list of titles--all by well -known authors of books for boys. - - BEAN BALL BILL William Heyliger - -A book filled with adventure and sport by a favorite boys’ author. - - - MARK GILMORE, SCOUT OF THE AIR Percy Keese Fitzhugh - -The story of how a boy scout falls in with an aviator and helps him -accomplish a mission. - - - CAMERON MACBAIN, BACKWOODSMAN Harold M. Sherman - -A boy from the backwoods has some strange adventures in the city. - - - FLYING HEELS Harold M. Sherman - -How a postponed hockey game brought about a thrilling series of events. - - - FLASHING STEEL Harold M. Sherman - -A great hockey story which tells of a game between an American -championship team and a Canadian championship team. - - - BUFFALO BOY J. Allan Dunn - -A boy’s adventure in the old pioneer days. - - - THE CLOUD PATROL Irving Crump - -The thrilling experiences of a young air pilot. - - - THE PILOT OF THE CLOUD PATROL Irving Crump - -A sequel to “The Cloud Patrol.” - - - DON RAIDER, TRAIL BLAZER Harold M. Sherman - -Don was not used to the city but he knew how to handle himself against -an alley gang that was set against him. - - - TUCK SIMMS, FORTY NINER Edward Leonard - -Excitement and danger in the California gold fields. - - - WIGWAG WEIGAND Percy Keese Fitzhugh - -A charming story of mystery and true fellowship. - - - HERVEY WILLETTS Percy Keese Fitzhugh - -Readers of Tom Slade and Roy Blakeley will be glad to learn more of -Hervey Willetts. - - - SKINNY McCORD Percy Keese Fitzhugh - -Skinny is a queer, amusing chap and he has a lot of thrilling -adventures. - - -GROSSET & DUNLAP, _Publishers_, NEW YORK - - - - -FLYING STORIES FOR BOYS - -IN THE AIR WITH ANDY LANE - -By EUSTACE L. ADAMS - - -Individual Colored Wrappers. Illustrated. - -Every Volume Complete in Itself. - - -May be had wherever books are sold. Ask for Grosset & Dunlap’s list - - -Mr. Adams, the author of this flying series for boys is an experienced -aviator and has had many thrilling adventures in the air--both as a -member of the famous Lafayette Escadrille in the World War and in -the United States Naval Aviation Service flying with the squadrons -patrolling the Atlantic Coast. His stories reveal not only his ability -to tell daring and exciting air episodes but also his first hand -knowledge of modern aeroplanes and the marvelous technical improvements -which have been made in the past few years. Andy Lane flies the latest -and most highly developed machines in the field of aviation. - - -FIFTEEN DAYS IN THE AIR - -Andy refuels his ship in the air and sets a new endurance record. - - -OVER THE POLAR ICE - -In a giant flying boat Andy beats his enemy in a dash to the South Pole. - - -RACING ROUND THE WORLD - -In a series of thrilling flights Andy wins an air dash around the globe -to win a $100,000 prize. - - -THE RUNAWAY AIRSHIP - -Through foggy skies Andy Lane brings back the world’s greatest -passenger carrying dirigible, blown away on the wings of a storm. - - -PIRATES OF THE AIR - -Andy Lane pilots the giant passenger plane Apex No. 4 across the -Atlantic in the face of almost overwhelming odds. - - -ON THE WINGS OF FLAME - -Andy makes a forced landing in the South American jungle in the dead of -night and has thrilling experiences with the natives. - - -GROSSET & DUNLAP, Publishers, NEW YORK - - - - - Transcriber’s Notes: - - --Text in italics is enclosed by underscores (_italics_). - - --Except for the frontispiece, illustrations have been moved to - follow the text that they illustrate - - --Printer's, punctuation and spelling inaccuracies were silently - corrected. - - --Archaic and variable spelling has been preserved. - - --Variations in hyphenation and compound words have been preserved. - - --The author’s em-dash style has been retained. - - - - - - -End of Project Gutenberg's Right Tackle Todd, by Ralph Henry Barbour - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK RIGHT TACKLE TODD *** - -***** This file should be named 53518-0.txt or 53518-0.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/5/3/5/1/53518/ - -Produced by Donald Cummings and the Online Distributed -Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions will -be renamed. - -Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright -law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works, -so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United -States without permission and without paying copyright -royalties. 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You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of -the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at -www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you'll have -to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this ebook. - -Title: Right Tackle Todd - -Author: Ralph Henry Barbour - -Illustrator: Leslie Crump - -Release Date: November 13, 2016 [EBook #53518] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: UTF-8 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK RIGHT TACKLE TODD *** - - - - -Produced by Donald Cummings and the Online Distributed -Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net - - - - - - -</pre> - - - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 600px;"> -<img src="images/cover.jpg" width="600" height="701" alt="cover" title="cover" /> -</div> - - - - -<hr class="chap" /> -<p class="noic">RIGHT TACKLE TODD</p> - - - - -<hr class="chap" /> -<div class="adbox"> -<p class="noic adauthor">THE FOOTBALL ELEVEN BOOKS</p> - -<p class="noic">BY</p> - -<p class="noic adauthor"><span class="smcap">Ralph Henry Barbour</span></p> - -<ul> -<li class="hang">LEFT END EDWARDS</li> -<li class="hang">LEFT TACKLE THAYER</li> -<li class="hang">LEFT GUARD GILBERT</li> -<li class="hang">CENTER RUSH ROWLAND</li> -<li class="hang">FULL-BACK FOSTER</li> -<li class="hang">QUARTER-BACK BATES</li> -<li class="hang">LEFT HALF HARMON</li> -<li class="hang">RIGHT END EMERSON</li> -<li class="hang">RIGHT GUARD GRANT</li> -<li class="hang">RIGHT TACKLE TODD</li> -</ul> -</div> - - - - -<hr class="chap" /> -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 389px;"> -<a id="image01"> - <img src="images/image01.jpg" width="389" height="600" alt="" title="" /> -</a><br /> -<div class="caption"><a href="#Page_291">He felt rather tired, very happy and—extremely foolish.</a></div> -</div> - - - - -<hr class="chap" /> -<h1>RIGHT TACKLE<br /> -TODD</h1> - -<p class="p2 noic">BY</p> - -<p class="noi subtitle">RALPH HENRY BARBOUR</p> - -<p class="p2 noi works">AUTHOR OF</p> - -<p class="noic">LEFT END EDWARDS,<br /> -FULL BACK FOSTER,<br /> -RIGHT GUARD GRANT, <span class="smcap">Etc.</span></p> - -<p class="p4 noi works">ILLUSTRATED BY</p> - -<p class="noi author">LESLIE CRUMP</p> - -<div class="pad4"> -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 84px;"> -<img src="images/logo.jpg" width="84" height="91" alt="logo" title="logo" /> -</div> -</div> - -<p class="noic"><span class="author">GROSSET & DUNLAP</span><br /> -PUBLISHERS NEW YORK</p> - -<p class="p2 noi works">Made in the United States of America</p> - - - - -<hr class="chap" /> -<p class="noic"><span class="smcap">Copyright, 1924,<br /> -By DODD, MEAD AND COMPANY, Inc.</span></p> - - - - -<hr class="chap" /> -<h2>CONTENTS</h2> - - -<table border="0" cellpadding="5" cellspacing="0" summary="Contents"> -<col style="width: 20%;" /> -<col style="width: 70%;" /> -<col style="width: 10%;" /> -<tr> - <th class="smfontr">CHAPTER</th> - <th class="tdl"></th> - <th class="smfontr">PAGE</th> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdrt">I</td> - <td class="tdl smcap"><a href="#CHAPTER_I">“Different”</a></td> - <td class="tdrb">1</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdrt">II</td> - <td class="tdl smcap"><a href="#CHAPTER_II">Jim Todd Quits</a></td> - <td class="tdrb">13</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdrt">III</td> - <td class="tdl smcap"><a href="#CHAPTER_III">On the Ice</a></td> - <td class="tdrb">25</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdrt">IV</td> - <td class="tdl smcap"><a href="#CHAPTER_IV">Clem Gets a Letter</a></td> - <td class="tdrb">36</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdrt">V</td> - <td class="tdl smcap"><a href="#CHAPTER_V">A New Term Begins</a></td> - <td class="tdrb">49</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdrt">VI</td> - <td class="tdl smcap"><a href="#CHAPTER_VI">Jim Reports</a></td> - <td class="tdrb">64</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdrt">VII</td> - <td class="tdl smcap"><a href="#CHAPTER_VII">Off-Side</a></td> - <td class="tdrb">76</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdrt">VIII</td> - <td class="tdl smcap"><a href="#CHAPTER_VIII">Jim Buys a Football</a></td> - <td class="tdrb">89</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdrt">IX</td> - <td class="tdl smcap"><a href="#CHAPTER_IX">Experts in Conference</a></td> - <td class="tdrb">102</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdrt">X</td> - <td class="tdl smcap"><a href="#CHAPTER_X">Jim Asks a Loan</a></td> - <td class="tdrb">118</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdrt">XI</td> - <td class="tdl smcap"><a href="#CHAPTER_XI">The Art of Line Playing</a></td> - <td class="tdrb">128</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdrt">XII</td> - <td class="tdl smcap"><a href="#CHAPTER_XII">At the Police Station</a></td> - <td class="tdrb">139</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdrt">XIII</td> - <td class="tdl smcap"><a href="#CHAPTER_XIII">Mr. Webb Todd</a></td> - <td class="tdrb">156</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdrt">XIV</td> - <td class="tdl smcap"><a href="#CHAPTER_XIV">In the Judge’s Chamber</a></td> - <td class="tdrb">170</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdrt">XV</td> - <td class="tdl smcap"><a href="#CHAPTER_XV">Lowell Is Worried</a></td> - <td class="tdrb">184</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdrt">XVI</td> - <td class="tdl smcap"><a href="#CHAPTER_XVI">Jim Dabbles in Strategy</a></td> - <td class="tdrb">200</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdrt">XVII</td> - <td class="tdl smcap"><a href="#CHAPTER_XVII">Alton Meets with Disaster</a></td> - <td class="tdrb">215</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdrt">XVIII</td> - <td class="tdl smcap"><a href="#CHAPTER_XVIII">The Reverse Pass</a></td> - <td class="tdrb">229</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdrt">XIX</td> - <td class="tdl smcap"><a href="#CHAPTER_XIX">Full-back to Right Tackle</a></td> - <td class="tdrb">244</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdrt">XX</td> - <td class="tdl smcap"><a href="#CHAPTER_XX">Clem Delivers a Letter</a></td> - <td class="tdrb">255</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdrt">XXI</td> - <td class="tdl smcap"><a href="#CHAPTER_XXI">Alton vs. Kenly Hall</a></td> - <td class="tdrb">267</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdrt">XXII</td> - <td class="tdl smcap"><a href="#CHAPTER_XXII">The Bandaged Hand</a></td> - <td class="tdrb">277</td> -</tr> -</table> - - - - -<hr class="chap" /> -<h2>ILLUSTRATIONS</h2> - - -<table border="0" cellpadding="5" cellspacing="0" summary="Illustrations"> -<col style="width: 80%;" /> -<col style="width: 20%;" /> -<tr> - <td class="tdl hang"><a href="#image01">He felt rather tired, very happy and—extremely -foolish</a></td> - <td class="tdrb"><i>Frontispiece</i></td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdl hang"> </td> - <td class="smfontr">PAGE</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdl hang"><a href="#image02">We lost most of the team last June</a></td> - <td class="tdrb">52</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdl hang"><a href="#image03">It’s rotten to know that there’s a thief in the -dormitory</a></td> - <td class="tdrb">144</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdl hang"><a href="#image04">Jim dropped to a knee, struggled erect again and -again advanced</a></td> - <td class="tdrb">288</td> -</tr> -</table> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_1" id="Page_1">[1]</a></span></p> - - - - -<p class="noi title">RIGHT TACKLE TODD</p> - - - - -<div class="chapter"> -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_I" id="CHAPTER_I">CHAPTER I</a><br /> -<small>“DIFFERENT”</small></h2> -</div> - - -<p>“Stereotyped,” said Martin Gray. “That’s the -word!” He spoke triumphantly, as one will -when a moment’s search for the proper term -has been rewarded. “Stereotyped, Clem!”</p> - -<p>“Oh, I don’t know,” replied his room-mate, -only mildly interested in Mart’s subject. “Of -course they do look pretty much alike—”</p> - -<p>“It isn’t only their looks, though. But, come -to think of it, that’s another proof of my—er—contention. -Hang it, Clem, if they weren’t all -alike as so many—er—beans—”</p> - -<p>“Don’t you mean peas?” asked Clement Harland, -grinning.</p> - -<p>“Beans,” continued Mart emphatically. “They -wouldn’t all wear the same things, would they?”</p> - -<p>“Don’t see that, Mart. After all, a chap’s -simply got to follow the jolly old style, eh?”</p> - -<p>“Not if he has any—er—individuality! No, -sir! I saw fifty at least of the new class arrive<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_2" id="Page_2">[2]</a></span> -yesterday, and except that sometimes one was -shorter or taller or fatter than the others, you -could have sworn they were all from the same -town. Yes, sir, and the same street! Same -clothes, same hats, same shoes, same—”</p> - -<p>“Well, after all, why not? Besides, after -they’ve been here awhile they develop different—as -you’d say—‘er—characteristics.’ What if the -kids do look alike when they first come?”</p> - -<p>“But you don’t get the—er—the idea at all!” -protested Martin. “What I’m trying to get -at—”</p> - -<p>“Is that Alton Academy attracts a certain type -of fellow and doesn’t get enough freaks to suit -you.”</p> - -<p>“Freaks be blowed! I don’t want freaks, I -want new blood, something different now and -then. You know as well as I do that new blood -is what—”</p> - -<p>“You’ve got the ‘melting pot’ idea, eh?”</p> - -<p>“Yes, I guess so. Why not? Look at the other -schools; some of ’em, anyway: Dexter, Dover—”</p> - -<p>“Croton?”</p> - -<p>“I said some of ’em. Take Dexter now.”</p> - -<p>“I refuse.”</p> - -<p>“Look at the—er—variety of fellows that go -there. What’s the result?”</p> - -<p>“Why, the result is that they manage to beat -Dover pretty often at football, but I always<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_3" id="Page_3">[3]</a></span> -thought that coach of theirs had a good deal to -do with that!”</p> - -<p>“Shucks, I’m not talking about athletics, although -that’s a pretty good test, too. What I -mean is that it’s the school that draws its enrollment -from all over the country and from all—er—classes -that does the biggest things; and -that’s the most use, too.”</p> - -<p>“I don’t believe it,” answered Mart. “It’s -the school itself, its policy, its traditions that -count. You might have every state in the -Union—”</p> - -<p>“Oh, that, of course, but I say that a student -body composed of a lot of totally different -types—”</p> - -<p>“All right, but how are you going to get them?”</p> - -<p>“Reach out for ’em! How do other schools -get ’em?”</p> - -<p>“Search me, old son! Maybe they advertise -in the papers; Dakotas, New Mexico, Florida, -Hawaii—”</p> - -<p>“Sure! Why not! This school’s in danger -of—er—dry-rot, Clem! Four hundred or so fellows -all alike, speaking the same language—”</p> - -<p>“I should hope so!”</p> - -<p>“Thinking the same thoughts, having the same -views on every subject. Gosh, can’t you see that -you and I don’t get as much out of it as if we -could rub up against something different now and<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_4" id="Page_4">[4]</a></span> -then? Wouldn’t it be refreshing to find a fellow -who didn’t think just as we think about everything, -who didn’t wear exactly the same kind of -clothes, who didn’t think the sun rose and set in -New England?”</p> - -<p>“But the sun does rise and set in New England,” -objected Clem. “I’ve seen it.”</p> - -<p>“Oh, shut up! You know what I mean. -Wouldn’t it?”</p> - -<p>Clem considered a moment. Then he shook his -head doubtfully. “You should have gone to -Kenly Hall, Mart,” he answered. “They have -all kinds there, the whole fifty-seven varieties.”</p> - -<p>“Yes, and they’re better off for it. Of course -it’s the proper thing for us to make fun of Kenly, -but you know mighty well that it’s every bit as -good a school as Alton; maybe better in some -ways. But Kenly isn’t much different from us. -They get about the same lot year after year, just -as we do. One year’s freshman class looks just -like last year’s. Maybe they do get an occasional -outsider. Quite a few middle-west chaps go -there. But mostly they draw them from right -around this part of the country, as we do. Gee, -I’d certainly like to see, just for once, a fellow -turn up here who didn’t look as if he’d been cast -in the same mold with all the others!”</p> - -<p>“You’re getting all worked up about nothing, -old son,” said Clem soothingly. “You mustn’t<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_5" id="Page_5">[5]</a></span> -do it. It always upsets you so you can’t eat your -meals, and it’s only half an hour to supper.”</p> - -<p>“If you weren’t so blamed stubborn—”</p> - -<p>“Shut up a minute! Hello! Come in!”</p> - -<p>The door of Number 15 opened slowly until the -more dimly lighted corridor was revealed through -a narrow aperture and a voice said: “Excuse me, -please, but is this where the fellow that hires the -football players lives?”</p> - -<p>From where Martin sat the owner of the voice -was hidden, and so he could not account for the -radiant grin that enveloped his room-mate’s -countenance for an instant.</p> - -<p>“I didn’t get it,” said Clem, politely apologetic. -“Won’t you come in?” His face was -sober again, unnaturally sober in the judgment -of Martin Gray.</p> - -<p>“Well,” said the unseen speaker doubtfully. -Then the door again began its cautious passage -across the old brown carpet, and Mart understood -Clem’s grin.</p> - -<p>The youth who now stood revealed to Mart’s -astounded gaze was little short of six feet tall, -it seemed. In age he might have been anywhere -from sixteen to twenty, with eighteen as a likely -compromise. He was attired neatly but, it appeared, -uncomfortably in a suit of dark gray -which fitted him too loosely across the shoulders -and too abruptly at the ankles, its deficiency at<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_6" id="Page_6">[6]</a></span> -the latter point exposing to Mart’s fascinated -eyes a pair of wrinkled woolen socks of sky-blue. -The low shoes were not extraordinary, but there -was something deliciously quaint about the collar, -with its widely parted corners, and the pale -blue satin tie that failed to hide the brass collar-stud. -Even the hat, a black Alpine shape, struck -a note of originality, possibly because it was a -full size too small and was poised so precariously -atop a thickish mass of tumbled hair that seemed -not yet to have decided just what shade of brown -to assume. Clem coughed delicately and asked: -“You were looking for some one?”</p> - -<p>“Guess I’ve got the wrong place,” said the -stranger, his first embarrassment increasing at -the discovery of Mart beyond the door’s edge. -“The fellow I’m looking for is the one who hires—well, -takes on the football players. Guess he’s -the manager, ain’t he?”</p> - -<p>“Possibly,” answered Clem, turning to Mart -with an inquiring glance. “What do you think?”</p> - -<p>Martin took his cue promptly. “Or, maybe -the coach,” he suggested. “You don’t know his -name?”</p> - -<p>The stranger shook his head. He held firmly -to the outer knob of the door, resting his shoulders -against the edge of it as he frowned in an -effort of memory. “I heard it,” he replied, “but -I forget what it was. He said I was to see him<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_7" id="Page_7">[7]</a></span> -between five and six about me getting on the football -team and I thought he said he lived in Number -15 in Lykes Hall, but—”</p> - -<p>“Well, you see, this isn’t—”</p> - -<p>But Clem interrupted Mart swiftly. “Sit -down, won’t you?” he asked, smiling hospitably. -“I dare say we can thresh out the mystery. And -you might shove that door too, if you don’t mind. -Thanks.”</p> - -<p>The stranger closed the door as slowly as he -had opened it, removed his hat and advanced gingerly -to the chair that Clem’s foot had deftly -thrust toward him. He gave them the impression -of having attained his growth so suddenly -as to be a little uncertain about managing it. He -lowered himself almost cautiously into the chair, -placing two rather large feet closely together and -holding his hat firmly by its creased crown with -both hands, hands generously proportioned, -darkly tanned and extremely clean. He looked -about the room and then back to Clem, while a -slow smile radiated the long, somewhat plain -face.</p> - -<p>“You fellows got it right nice here,” he ventured.</p> - -<p>“Like it?” asked Clem in a more friendly tone. -The stranger’s smile had transformed him on the -instant from a queer, almost uncouth figure to -something quite human and likable. “Yes, it<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_8" id="Page_8">[8]</a></span> -isn’t a bad room. Where do you hang out? By -the way, you didn’t mention your name, did -you?”</p> - -<p>“Todd’s my name. My room’s over in Haylow; -Number 33. A fellow named Judson and I -have it together. It ain’t like this, though. Not -so big, for one thing, and then the ceiling comes -down, over there like, and I keep hitting my head -on it.”</p> - -<p>Mart laughed. “They didn’t build you for -one of those third floor rooms, Todd.”</p> - -<p>The slow smile came again and the gray eyes -twinkled, and the visitor relaxed a little in the -straight chair. “Gosh, I started to grow last -year and it looks like I can’t stop. I didn’t use -to be such an ungainly cuss.”</p> - -<p>“I wouldn’t let that bother me,” returned -Mart. “You’ll fill out pretty soon, I dare say. -How tall are you?”</p> - -<p>Todd shook his head. “I ain’t measured -lately,” he acknowledged a trifle sheepishly. -“Been scared to. Pop says if I don’t stop pretty -soon it won’t be safe for me to go out in the -woods less’n some one might mistake me for a -tree and put an ax to me!”</p> - -<p>“Where’s your home?” asked Clem, with a -side glance at his room-mate.</p> - -<p>“Four Lakes, Maine. At least, we don’t live -right in the village, but that’s our postoffice address.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_9" id="Page_9">[9]</a></span> -We live about three miles north, up the -Ludic road. You ever been around there?”</p> - -<p>It seemed that they hadn’t, but once started -Todd was not averse to supplying personal information. -Clem fancied that Judson, whoever -he might be, had not proved a sympathetic listener -and that Todd was heartily glad to find some one -to talk to. His father had a store, it seemed, -and was also interested in timber lands and numerous -other interests. There was a large family -of children of which the present representative -was the senior member. He had been going -to school at Four Lakes until last Spring.</p> - -<p>“I was set on going to college, you see, and I -thought I’d learned enough, but I went down to -Lewiston and talked with a fellow down there and -he said I’d better go to a preparatory school for -a couple of years first. I asked where and he -said this place. So I came down here. Seems -like he might have said some place nearer home, -but I guess it don’t matter. This looks like a -right nice school. I guess you fellows are seniors, -aren’t you?”</p> - -<p>“Juniors,” corrected Clem. “I suppose you’re -one of us, Todd.”</p> - -<p>“I guess so. I ain’t heard for sure yet. They -started me off as a junior, though.”</p> - -<p>“Oh, you’ll make it,” declared Mart. “So -you’re going to play football, eh?”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_10" id="Page_10">[10]</a></span></p> - -<p>“Oh, I don’t know.” Todd smiled embarrassedly. -“I ain’t ever yet, but this fellow I was -looking for stopped me this morning and asked -if I was going to and I said no, and then he asked -didn’t I want to and I said I didn’t know if I -did or not, and he said for me to come and see -him between five and six o’clock and we’d talk -about it. He said what his name was, but I forget. -I think he said he managed the players.”</p> - -<p>“He didn’t,” inquired Clem very innocently, -“mention what position he thought you’d fill best -on the team?”</p> - -<p>Todd’s gray eyes twinkled again. “No, he -didn’t, but I guess maybe one of the posts at the -end of the field’s got broken and he’s looking for -a new one.”</p> - -<p>“I think it must have been Dolf Chapin you -saw,” said Mart, smiling at Clem’s slight discomfiture. -“He’s—”</p> - -<p>“That’s the name,” declared Todd with relief. -“Where’s his room, please?”</p> - -<p>“He’s in 15 Lykes.”</p> - -<p>“Well, isn’t this—” Then Todd’s countenance -proclaimed understanding and he chuckled. -“Gosh, I went right by it, didn’t I? I was over -at that building where they have the library—”</p> - -<p>“Memorial,” said Mart.</p> - -<p>“And meant to stop at the first building after -I came off that path that comes from there. Instead<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_11" id="Page_11">[11]</a></span> -of that I got right back in my own house, -didn’t I? I ain’t got this place learned very well -yet. Well, I’m much obliged to you. Maybe I’ll -see you again. My name, like I told you, is Todd, -Jim Todd.” He arose and offered a big hand to -Clem and then to Mart.</p> - -<p>“Glad to have met you, Todd,” responded -Clem, spreading his fingers experimentally after -the crushing grip they had sustained. “My -name’s Harland, and this is Gray. Drop in again -some time, won’t you? I’d like mighty well to -hear how you get along with football.”</p> - -<p>“Well, I ain’t so sure I’ll play it,” answered -Todd from the doorway, frowning a little. “I -guess playing games sort of interferes with a fellow’s -school work, and what I’ve seen of the -courses they’ve got me down for makes me think -I’ll have to do some tall studying. I’m glad to -have met you, and maybe I might come in and -see you again some time.”</p> - -<p>“Do that,” said Clem earnestly.</p> - -<p>Then the door closed slowly but decidedly and -Clem and Mart dropped back into their chairs. -After a moment Clem said: “Looks to me like -your prayer was answered, Mart.”</p> - -<p>“Well, he’s only one, but he’s a hopeful sign.”</p> - -<p>Clem chuckled softly. “You and Todd ought -to get along pretty well together,” he continued. -“You wanted something different, and there you<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_12" id="Page_12">[12]</a></span> -have it. At least, he doesn’t wear clothes like -the rest of us; he’s no slave to Fashion, old son. -Maybe he won’t mind telling you where he buys -his togs, eh?”</p> - -<p>“Some way,” answered Mart, “it doesn’t seem -quite fair to make fun of him. There was something -awfully decent about the chap, in spite of -his clothes and his—er—queer appearance.”</p> - -<p>“That’s true, and I wasn’t really making fun. -Only—” Clem interrupted himself with a laugh. -“Say, isn’t it just like Chapin to try to round -that fellow up for the football squad? Honest, -Mart, if a one-legged fellow showed up here and -Dolf saw him he wouldn’t be happy until he had -him out on the field!”</p> - -<p>“At that,” replied Mart, as he arose to prepare -for supper, “Jim Todd might be a blamed -sight better player than some of those cripples -who lost the game last year for us! I noticed -that your delicate sarcasm was trumped very -neatly by our recent guest, old timer!”</p> - -<p>“Yes,” Clem acknowledged, “that’s so. I -fancy our friend James isn’t such a fool as his -hat makes him out!”</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_13" id="Page_13">[13]</a></span></p> - - - - -<div class="chapter"> -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_II" id="CHAPTER_II">CHAPTER II</a><br /> -<small>JIM TODD QUITS</small></h2> -</div> - - -<p>The occupants of Number 15 Haylow didn’t see -anything more of Jim Todd for a while. In fact, -he had nearly gone from their memories when -Clem collided with him at the entrance to the -dormitory one day in late October. Jim only said -“Hello” and would have gone by, but something -prompted Clem to renew the acquaintance.</p> - -<p>“Well, how do you like things now that you’ve -been with us awhile, Todd?” he asked.</p> - -<p>“Fine, thanks. I’m getting on real well.”</p> - -<p>“Good! By the way, you never paid that next -call, you know. Gray and I have been wondering -about you.” That was more flattering than -truthful perhaps. “Still playing football, or did -you decide not to go in for the manly pastime?”</p> - -<p>Jim smiled. “Well, I’m still on the squad,” -he said, “but I don’t do very well at that game. -Guess I’ll be quitting this week. It’s pretty hard, -and it takes a good deal of a fellow’s time, too.”</p> - -<p>“Well, if they’ve kept you all this time you’ll -probably last the season out,” responded Clem, -not a little surprised.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_14" id="Page_14">[14]</a></span></p> - -<p>But Jim Todd shook his head. “I guess I’ll -be getting through pretty soon,” he said firmly.</p> - -<p>“Well, drop in and see us again, anyway.” -Clem hurried on to a recitation, wondering most -of the way to Academy Hall why he had renewed -the invitation. Nothing came of it for nearly a -fortnight, however. Then, late one afternoon, -Mr. James Todd knocked and entered. Six weeks -had somewhat altered his appearance, and he -looked far less “different.” He was still the -same tall, loose-jointed chap, but he wore a gray -sweater and a pair of old blue trousers and no -hat, and so much of his oddity was missing. He -was, too, more at ease on this occasion, and settled -his long length back in the Morris chair that Clem -indicated without his former hesitation. Presently, -in the course of conversation, Mart observed:</p> - -<p>“I’ve been looking for you on the football team, -Todd, but I missed you. Still, it’s hard to recognize -your friends under those leather domes -you fellows wear. You didn’t get into the Mount -Millard game, did you?”</p> - -<p>“I ain’t been in any of them,” answered Jim. -“I ain’t much of a football player.”</p> - -<p>“Oh, well, you’ve got two chances yet,” replied -Mart cheeringly. “Maybe Cade is keeping you -back for the Kenly Hall game.”</p> - -<p>“I quit last week,” said Jim simply.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_15" id="Page_15">[15]</a></span></p> - -<p>“Quit? You mean—er—is that so?” floundered -Mart. “Well, maybe next year—”</p> - -<p>“It was pretty hard work,” added Jim Todd. -“Pretty wearing. I got tired of it finally. Mr. -Cade and me had a sort of argument about it, -but I told him I wouldn’t ever make a football -man and that I had sort of got behind with my -studies and he let me go finally. I like him. He -got sort of mad with me, but I guess he’s over -it by now.”</p> - -<p>Clem and Mart exchanged glances that indicated -puzzlement. “You mean,” asked Clem at -last, “that you resigned? You weren’t fired -off?”</p> - -<p>“No, I just quit,” answered Jim untroubledly. -“You see, it’s like this, Harland. Most of the -fellows in the squad had played football before. -Some of them have been at it two or three years, -likely. It was new to me. Of course I’d seen -fellows playing it, you know; they had a sort of -a team at the school I went to back home; but it -never interested me much and I never thought -I’d care to try it. Well, I was pretty green when -I started off and I had a lot to learn. Guess I -didn’t learn very well, either. Seems like I was -pretty stupid about it. Mr. Cade said I didn’t -put my mind on it, but I don’t think that was so. -Guess the trouble was I didn’t get real interested -in it. He told me that if I worked hard this Fall<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_16" id="Page_16">[16]</a></span> -I’d likely get to play next year. He tried to make -an end of me, but I never got good enough to -play in any of the games. I just sat on that -bench out there at the field and looked on. They -keep you on the field two hours every afternoon; -sometimes longer than that; and I could see I was -just wasting my time. I kept saying so to Dolf -Chapin, but he said I wasn’t, that I was learning -and that it was my duty to stick it out. So I did -till last week. Then I decided I’d better quit. -So I quit.”</p> - -<p>“I see,” said Mart dryly. “And Johnny -Cade? I suppose he had something to say, -Todd.”</p> - -<p>“Yes, he said a whole lot,” answered Jim -soberly. “Looked once like I’d have to paste -him in the jaw, the way he was talking, but I -didn’t because I knew he didn’t mean all he said. -He was sort of upset, I guess.”</p> - -<p>“Sounds to me as if you were a more valuable -man than you realized,” said Clem.</p> - -<p>“No, I guess I wasn’t very valuable, really. I -guess these football coaches like to have their -own way pretty well.”</p> - -<p>“Well,” said Mart, laughing, “I’ll bet you’ve -earned the distinction of being one of the few fellows -that ever <em>resigned</em> from the squad! No -wonder Cade was grumpy! He’s not used to -that!”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_17" id="Page_17">[17]</a></span></p> - -<p>There followed another lapse in the acquaintanceship. -Clem and Mart caught glimpses of -Jim Todd in class room and dining hall; infrequently -passed him on the campus; sometimes -exchanged greetings by word or sign. The Kenly -Hall game came and went, bringing the football -season to a disappointingly inconclusive end. -Beaten the year before, Alton tried desperately -to wreak vengeance, but, although her players -and her game were infinitely superior to those -of the preceding season, Kenly Hall, too, showed -improvement, and at the final whistle the score -stood just where it had stood at the end of the -first half, at 7 to 7. Each team had scored one -touchdown and followed it with a clean goal. -Each team, too, had narrowly failed of a second -score, Kenly Hall when a forward-pass over the -goal-line had been tipped but not caught and -Alton when a fourth down on the enemy’s four-yard -line had gained but one foot of the necessary -two. Both touchdowns had resulted from -long runs, a Kenly Hall quarter-back bringing -glory to the Cherry-and-Black by a thirty-four-yard -dash around the opponent’s left and -“Cricket” Menge, left half on the Gray-and-Gold -team, evening things up a few minutes later -by wrapping himself about a lateral pass and -dodging and twirling his way over eleven white -lines to a score.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_18" id="Page_18">[18]</a></span></p> - -<p>After the first disappointment, Alton Academy, -viewing the result more calmly and fairly, came -to the conclusion that her gridiron warriors had -gained more glory than had been thus far accorded -them. Both Kenly Hall coach and captain -had stated publicly that the team which had -met Alton was the best eleven that had represented -the Cherry-and-Black in six years, and if -that was so—and certainly Alton Academy had -no reason to doubt it!—then Captain Grant’s -team—“‘General’ Grant’s Army” the football -song called it—had secured a virtual victory in -spite of the score. Careful analysis of the contest -added strength to that verdict, for the records -showed that Alton had outrushed her opponent -by thirty-two yards, gained two more first -downs than her ancient enemy had secured and -had had slightly the better of the kicking argument. -So on Monday night there was a delayed, -but intensely enthusiastic, mass meeting in the -auditorium and honor was done to the heroes. -Everybody spoke who had any right to, and a -few who hadn’t, and there was much singing and -a great deal of cheering. Clem and Mart, neither -of them football enthusiasts, attended the celebration, -as in duty bound, and ended by cheering -quite as loudly as any. The testimonial had -one result that the school in general never learned -of. It decided a wavering Athletic Committee in<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_19" id="Page_19">[19]</a></span> -favor of renewing Coach “Johnny” Cade’s contract, -which terminated that Fall, for another -two seasons. Prior to seven-thirty that Monday -evening his last two years’ record of one defeat -and one tie, even when balanced against previous -success, had looked more than black to the -Committee. At nine o’clock it was viewing that -record more leniently. And on Wednesday Coach -Cade departed with a new contract in his trunk.</p> - -<p>When Clem came back to school after Christmas -he found a package awaiting him in the mail -box. Opened, it revealed a long, flat box of small -cubes wrapped in pink tissue paper. Investigation -proved the cubes to be spruce gum. There -was also a scrawling enclosure from Jim Todd. -“Wishing you a Merry Christmas,” Clem read. -“This is the real thing. Hope you like it. I’m -sending it to Alton because I don’t know where -you are. Give some to Gray. Yours, J. T.”</p> - -<p>Mart declared that he detested gum and -wouldn’t chew the stuff on a bet, but after -watching Clem’s jaws rhythmically champing for -some ten minutes he perjured himself and was -soon as busy as his chum. Two days later, suffering -from lame jaws after almost continuous -chewing during waking hours, Clem seized the -box, now half empty, and consigned it to the -depths of the waste basket. “The pesky stuff!” -he grumbled. “First thing we know we’ll have<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_20" id="Page_20">[20]</a></span> -the habit!” Mart, one hand raised in protest, -recognized the wisdom of the course and observed -the sacrifice in silence. During the rest of that -day he chewed scraps of paper torn from the corners -of note-books. However, they lacked the insidious -fascination of spruce gum and he gave -them up and was cured. Of course they thanked -Jim heartily a few days later, when he dropped -in one afternoon, offering as conclusive evidence -of their appreciation the fact that the supply was -exhausted. Jim promptly promised to write to -his father and get him to send some more. Perhaps -he forgot it, for the new supply never -reached Number 15 Haylow.</p> - -<p>It is possible that absorption in new interests -was accountable for Jim’s failure to make good -on that promise, for it was shortly after that -that Mart brought word of the Maine Society. -Neither he nor Clem was eligible to membership, -but that didn’t detract from their interest in the -Society which, as Mart had heard it from Sam -Newson, had been started by Jim Todd and already, -while still less than a fortnight old, had -a membership of nine. The school already possessed -a Southern Club and a Western Society, -but a social organization restricted to residents -of a single state in attendance at Alton was something -new and, like most innovations, it came in -for some ridicule. The notice board in Academy<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_21" id="Page_21">[21]</a></span> -Hall fairly blossomed with calls for members of -similar societies. Some one named Henry Clay -Calhoun, which may or may not have been a cognomen -assumed for the occasion, invited other -residents of South Carolina to meet in Number -14 Borden to effect the organization of “The -South Carolina Society of Alton Academy, Devoted -to the Abolishment of the Fifteenth Amendment -to the Constitution and to a Campaign of -Education and Enlightenment among the Beknighted -Citizens of Northern States.” As Borden -Hall was restricted to freshmen, the authenticity -of the invitation was questionable. The -same was true of a summons to resident Hawaiians, -while a document phrased in pidgin -English and summoning all Chinese students at -Alton to meet in the school laundry and enter -their names on the roster of “The Chinese Tong” -was even more palpably insincere. But ridicule -seemed just what the Maine Society required, for -a fortnight later it changed its name to the Maine-and-Vermont -Society and increased its membership -to thirty-one. A fellow named Tupper became -president of the reorganized club and James -Todd was secretary and treasurer. Meetings -were held weekly in the rooms of various members -at first, and then, securing faculty recognition, -the Society was assigned the use of a room -on the top floor of Academy Hall.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_22" id="Page_22">[22]</a></span></p> - -<p>By invitation of Jim Todd, Clem attended one -of the open meetings held monthly and was well -entertained. The sight of Jim slowly elongating -himself from behind the secretary’s table to read -the previous minutes was alone well worth the -effort of climbing two flights of stairs to Clem. -Jim was very earnest and recited the doings of -the last meeting in tones that imbued them with -a vast importance. “Moved and seconded,” read -Jim weightily, “that the Secretary be and hereby -is empowered to contract for a sufficient supply -of letter paper, appropriately printed with the -Society’s name and emblem, and a sufficient supply -of envelopes likewise so printed, the total -cost of the same not to exceed seven dollars, and -the same to be paid for out of the funds of the -Society. So voted.” There were light refreshments -later, and afterwards several members -spoke informally—often embarrassedly—on matters -of interest to citizens of the affiliated states. -The best of the number was undoubtedly the secretary -and treasurer. Jim was far more self-possessed -than of yore and he spoke in an easy -conversational style that pleased his hearers -mightily. What he had to tell wasn’t much; just -a somewhat rambling account of a visit to a logging -camp; but he made it interesting and displayed -a humorous perception that Clem, for one, -had never suspected him of. On the whole, Clem<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_23" id="Page_23">[23]</a></span> -enjoyed the evening and was quite sincere when -he said as much to Jim on their way back to Haylow. -When they parted in the corridor, Clem -said:</p> - -<p>“You haven’t been in to see us, Todd, for a -long time. We’re getting out of touch with -events, Mart and I. Better drop in some time -and cheer us up.”</p> - -<p>Jim looked as if he suspected the other of joshing. -He was never absolutely certain about -Clem’s ingenuousness. “Well,” he answered, -“I’d been around before only I knew you were -pretty busy with hockey and—and all like that.”</p> - -<p>“Oh, hockey doesn’t take all my time,” said -Clem. “For instance, I don’t play much after -supper.”</p> - -<p>“Oh, well, I meant that being captain of the -team you’d likely be pretty busy one way and -another. I’ll be dropping in some evening soon, -though, if you say so.”</p> - -<p>“Wish you would. Good night!”</p> - -<p>Seeking Number 15 and a bored Mart, who had -refused the invitation to the Maine-and-Vermont -Society with scathing remarks, Clem marveled -at the perfectly idiotic way in which he persisted -in fostering the acquaintance of Jim Todd. He -didn’t really care a hang about the queer chap, -of course, and— But hold on! Was that quite -true? Didn’t he rather like Jim, if the truth had<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_24" id="Page_24">[24]</a></span> -to be told? Well, yes, he sort of guessed he did. -There was something about Jim Todd that appealed -to him. Maybe—and he grinned as he -flung open the door of Number 15—it was just -Todd’s quality of being “different”!</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_25" id="Page_25">[25]</a></span></p> - - - - -<div class="chapter"> -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_III" id="CHAPTER_III">CHAPTER III</a><br /> -<small>ON THE ICE</small></h2> -</div> - - -<p>A few days later Clem, smashing into the boards -of the outdoor rink, after a valiant effort to hook -the puck from Landorf, of the scrub six, almost -bumped heads with Jim Todd. It was a nippingly -cold February afternoon, and Jim made -one of the small audience that stamped about on -chilled feet and watched the progress of the practice -game. Jim, though, appeared less conscious -of the cold than most of the others. He had on -the old gray woolen sweater, and a cloth cap set -inadequately on the back of his streaky brown -locks. About him were overcoats—even one or -two of fur—and unfastened overshoes rattled -their buckles as their wearers kicked the wooden -barrier or stamped about on the hard-trodden -snow to encourage circulation. Jim wore a pair -of woolen socks of a dubious shade of tan and -low shoes that were ostensibly black. And he -didn’t prance about a bit. Once in a while he did -rub his long bony hands together, but the action -seemed an indication of interest in the hockey -game rather than in the temperature. As a matter -of fact, this was Jim’s first glimpse of such<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_26" id="Page_26">[26]</a></span> -a contest, and he was, for Jim Todd, quite excited -over it.</p> - -<p>Between the halves Clem skated over to him. -“Aren’t you frozen?” he asked wonderingly.</p> - -<p>“Me? No.” Jim shook his head slowly. -“It’s right cold, though, ain’t it? A whole lot -colder than we have it in Maine, I guess. Say, -what’s that thing made of you’re hitting around -on the ice?”</p> - -<p>“Rubber. Haven’t you ever played hockey?”</p> - -<p>“No. When I was a kid we used to whack a -block of wood around with sticks, but it wasn’t -much like this hockey. Looks like you’ve got almost -as many rules as there are in football. -You’re a pretty nice skater, ain’t you?”</p> - -<p>“Not as good as some of the fellows,” replied -Clem. “You skate, of course.”</p> - -<p>Jim nodded. “That’s ’bout the only thing I -can do real well,” he answered. “Don’t believe -I could get around the way you do, though; dodge -and turn so quick and all like that. I ain’t so -bad at skating fast, but I’ve got to have plenty -of room.”</p> - -<p>“Better go into the races Saturday morning,” -suggested Clem. “What’s your distance?”</p> - -<p>“Distance?”</p> - -<p>“Yes, what are you best at? Half-mile? -Mile? Two miles?”</p> - -<p>“Why, I don’t know. I’ve skated in a lot of<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_27" id="Page_27">[27]</a></span> -races, you might say, but we didn’t ever measure -them. We’d race, generally, from the old -boat-house to the inlet; on Lower Pond, you know. -Guess that’s about three-quarters of a mile; more -or less.”</p> - -<p>“Why don’t you enter for Saturday, then?” -asked Clem. “You ought to be able to do the -mile if you’ve been doing the three-quarters, -Todd.”</p> - -<p>“Well, I don’t know. Would you? Does it -cost anything?”</p> - -<p>“Not a cent,” laughed Clem. “There’s a list -of the events over on the notice board in the gym. -Better pick out a couple and get your name -down.”</p> - -<p>“Well— Gosh, though, I can’t! I didn’t -bring my skates. I sort of had a notion there -wasn’t much skating down here. I guess there -wouldn’t be time to send for them, either, to-day -being Tuesday.”</p> - -<p>Clem leaned over the barrier and viewed Jim’s -shoes. “No, I guess not, but I think Mart’s -skates will fit you. Drop in later and we’ll see. -He doesn’t use them much.”</p> - -<p>“Maybe he wouldn’t like me to have them,” -responded Jim doubtfully. “Anyway, I ain’t -skated since last winter, Harland, and I guess I -wouldn’t be much good. Much obliged to you, -but maybe I’d better not.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_28" id="Page_28">[28]</a></span></p> - -<p>“Well, if you change your mind—” Clem -hurried away to try some shots at goal before -the whistle blew again.</p> - -<p>Just before supper-time, however, Jim wandered -into Number 15. He announced that he -guessed he’d take part in those races if it was -all right about the skates. “There’s a two-mile -race down, I see, and I guess I’d like to try that.”</p> - -<p>“Two miles? Thought you’d been doing three-quarters,” -said Clem, while Mart dug his skates -out of the closet.</p> - -<p>“Yes, but sometimes I got licked, and I’ve got -a sort of notion I can do better at a longer distance. -Maybe I’ll try for the mile, too. I guess -there’s a lot of pretty good skaters going into -it, eh?”</p> - -<p>“Yes, I suppose so,” said Clem, “but you’ll -have a good time. You don’t mind getting beaten, -do you?”</p> - -<p>Jim frowned slightly. “Why, yes, I guess I -do,” he replied. “Every fellow does, don’t he?”</p> - -<p>“Well, I meant to say you didn’t mind much. -Of course no fellow wants to take a defeat, but -he has to do it just the same sometimes, you know. -And there’s a whole lot in taking it the right -way.”</p> - -<p>“The right way?” inquired Jim.</p> - -<p>“Why, yes, Todd. Look here, are you joshing -me? You know what I mean, confound you!”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_29" id="Page_29">[29]</a></span></p> - -<p>“Well, I don’t know as I do,” said Jim doubtfully. -“I don’t get mad when I’m licked, if that’s -what you mean. Leastways, I don’t let on I’m -mad. But it don’t make me feel any too good -to get beat!”</p> - -<p>“I suppose your trouble is that you’ve never -been beaten often enough to get used to it, then,” -answered Clem. “Getting mad doesn’t do any -good, you crazy goof. You want to smile and -make believe you like it.”</p> - -<p>“What for?”</p> - -<p>“Oh, for the love of Liberty,” wailed Clem, -“take this fellow off me, Mart! He’s worse than -a Philadelphia lawyer!”</p> - -<p>Mart’s return with the skates provided a diversion. -They were a size too small, but after -a long and admiring appraisal of them Jim declared -that they would do. “I never saw a pair -just like these before,” he confided admiringly. -“What they made of, Gray?”</p> - -<p>“Aluminum, mostly. Light, aren’t they? Like -them?”</p> - -<p>“Gosh, yes, but I don’t know if I can do much -with them. They don’t weigh more’n a third -what mine do. I’m going to try them, just the -same. I’m much obliged to you.”</p> - -<p>“You’re welcome. Just see that you win a race -with them. We’ll go down and root for you, -Todd.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_30" id="Page_30">[30]</a></span></p> - -<p>“I might win the two-mile race,” replied Jim, -“if I get so I can use these right. I’ll try ’em -to-morrow.”</p> - -<p>They didn’t see Jim again until the morning -of the races. It was a corking day, that Saturday, -with a wealth of winter sunshine flooding -the world and only the mildest of northerly -breezes blowing down the river. The weather -and the list of events ought to have brought out -a larger representation of the student body, but -as a matter of fact by far the larger portion of -those who had assembled at ten o’clock were contestants. -Clem, yielding to the solicitations of -the Committee, had entered for three races at -the last moment, and it wasn’t until he had won -the 220-yard senior event in hollow fashion from -a field of more than a score of adversaries and -been narrowly beaten in the quarter-mile race -that he encountered Jim.</p> - -<p>Jim had discarded his beloved gray sweater -and was the cynosure of all eyes in a mackinaw -coat of green and black plaid. The green was -extremely green and the plaid was a very large -one, and Jim presented an almost thrilling appearance. -Under the mackinaw, his lean body -was attired very simply in a white running shirt, -and Clem addressed him sternly.</p> - -<p>“Want to catch pneumonia and croak?” he demanded. -“Don’t you know you can’t skate with<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_31" id="Page_31">[31]</a></span> -that state’s prison offense on and that if you take -it off you’ll freeze stiff? Where were you when -they handed brains out, Todd?”</p> - -<p>Jim grinned. “Hello,” he replied. “That -was a nice licking you gave all those other fellows. -And, say, if you’d got going quicker in -that other race you’d have made it, easy.”</p> - -<p>Clem was looking attentively at the mackinaw. -Now he felt of it. “Say, that’s some coat, son. -Where’d you get it?”</p> - -<p>“Back home.”</p> - -<p>“I’ll bet it’s warm. I never saw one made of -as good stuff as that is. Any more like it where -it came from?”</p> - -<p>Jim chuckled. “I’m going to write pop to -send down a couple dozen of them,” he said. -“You’re about the tenth fellow that’s asked me -that so far. I could sell a lot of ’em if I had -’em.”</p> - -<p>“Joking aside, though, can I get one, Todd?”</p> - -<p>“Sure. Pop sells them. I’ll give you the address -if you want to send for one. I’ve given it -to a lot of fellows already.”</p> - -<p>“Oh, well, if the whole school’s going to come -out in them I guess I’ll pass,” said Clem regretfully. -“I suppose those are what the lumbermen -wear, eh?”</p> - -<p>Jim nodded. “Lots of folks wear them. -They’re mighty good coats. Only six dollars,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_32" id="Page_32">[32]</a></span> -too. Better have one. Maybe pop’ll give me a -commission.”</p> - -<p>“Six dollars! I believe you’re trying to make -a dollar rake-off on each one! Say, what are you -down for, Todd?”</p> - -<p>“Down for? Oh, the mile and two miles. -You?”</p> - -<p>“Just the half. I’ll get licked, too. See you -later. But, honest, Todd, you oughtn’t to skate -two miles in just that cotton shirt, you know.”</p> - -<p>“Warm enough. It ain’t real cold to-day. -Hope you win.”</p> - -<p>But Clem didn’t, making rather a sorry showing -in fact.</p> - -<p>There was an obstacle race for the younger -chaps next, an event that provided plenty of -amusement for entrants and spectators alike, and -then the contestants for the mile were called. -This event was a popular one, it appeared, for -sixteen youths of all ages and from all classes -answered. A group of freshmen, about twenty -in all, cheered lustily and unflaggingly for their -favorite, a small, slim, capable appearing boy -named Woodside. Jim towered over most of the -lot, although his bare brown head didn’t top that -of Newt Young, guard on the football team and -a senior entrant. The seniors were represented -by several others, but their hopes were pinned<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_33" id="Page_33">[33]</a></span> -on Newt. The bunch sped away at the crack of -a pistol and were soon well spread out.</p> - -<p>Jim didn’t have much hope of capturing that -race, and certainly no one who watched him could -have censured him. Jim’s skating was far from -graceful. He didn’t suggest the flight of a bird, -for instance. Observing Jim, you were reminded -chiefly of a windmill that had somehow got loose -and was blowing down the ice, blowing fast, to -be sure, but wasting a deal of motion. Jim’s -arms did strange antics, seeming never to duplicate -a single movement that was once made. And -he appeared to have more than the usual number -of joints in his long, thin body. He bent everywhere; -at knees, waist, shoulders, neck, elbows -and wrists; and some other places, too, unless -sight deceived the onlookers. But at the quarter -distance he was still among the first half-dozen, -and when the turn was made those at the -finish couldn’t determine for some moments -whether he or young Woodside led.</p> - -<p>It promised to be a close finish, in any case, -for behind the two leaders sped Newt Young, -showing lots of reserve, and, not yet out of the -race, four others followed closely. But Jim began -to fall back after the race was three-fourths -over, and for a hundred yards Woodside loomed -as the winner, while his enthusiastic classmates<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_34" id="Page_34">[34]</a></span> -howled ecstatically. Then, however, Young edged -past Jim and set off after the freshman and for -the final fifty yards it was nip and tuck to the -line. Young won by a bare three feet, with -Woodside second and Jim a poor third.</p> - -<p>“Well, feel mad, do you?” asked Clem as he -and Mart sought Jim.</p> - -<p>Jim scowled and then grinned sheepishly. “I -could have won if I’d had my own skates,” he -muttered. “These are all right, only I ain’t used -to them. Bet you I could beat that big fellow if -I had my own skates.”</p> - -<p>“Newt Young?” asked Mart. “Well, Newt’s -a pretty good lad, they say.”</p> - -<p>“I could beat him,” reasserted Jim doggedly. -“He gave me a jab in the nose, too.”</p> - -<p>“What? Newt did?” Clem was incredulous. -“I didn’t see it. Where was it?”</p> - -<p>“Playing football, I mean,” answered Jim. -“He was on the first squad when I was playing. -He gave me a good one one day, and I don’t guess -it was any accident, neither.”</p> - -<p>“Ah,” murmured Clem sadly, “I fear yours is -a vindictive nature, Todd. I am disappointed -in you.”</p> - -<p>Jim observed him doubtfully. Then he said -“Huh!” Finally he grinned. “Well, he didn’t -have any cause to hit me,” he added, “and I sort -of wanted to beat him.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_35" id="Page_35">[35]</a></span></p> - -<p>“Maybe he’s down for the two miles,” suggested -Mart cheerfully. “Do you know?”</p> - -<p>Jim didn’t know, but Clem did. “He is,” declared -the latter. “So go ahead and wreak vengeance, -Todd. You have my blessing. And I -guess they’re about ready for you, too.”</p> - -<p>“Gosh, I wish I had my own skates,” muttered -Jim wistfully.</p> - -<p>“No alibis, Todd,” said Clem sternly. “Do -your duty.”</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_36" id="Page_36">[36]</a></span></p> - - - - -<div class="chapter"> -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_IV" id="CHAPTER_IV">CHAPTER IV</a><br /> -<small>CLEM GETS A LETTER</small></h2> -</div> - - -<p>There were only five entries for the two-mile -race, all senior and junior class fellows. The -course was twice around the half-mile flag, which -made for slower time but enabled the audience to -keep the skaters in sight. The five started briskly -from the mark, but this event called for less speed -than had the one-mile race, and none of the contestants -seemed especially anxious to set the pace. -It was, finally, Newt Young who took the lead, -with a junior named Peele next and Jim Todd -third. That order held to the turn and all the -way back to the line. Some one clocked Young -at three minutes and eighteen seconds, but in -view of the final figures that timing may have -been wrong. The line was well strung out when -it turned again toward the distant flag, with the -first three skaters at four-yard intervals and the -last two close together a hundred feet back. Not -until the figures had grown small in the distance -once more did the order change. Then the spectators -saw Jim Todd pass Peele and fall in close -behind the leader. That was a signal for triumphant -cheers from a small coterie of devoted<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_37" id="Page_37">[37]</a></span> -sons of the Pine Tree State, to whose voices Clem -and Mart added theirs. Such triumph was, however, -short-lived, for when Jim, still threshing -his long arms about, took the turn around the -flag he tried to make it too short and the watchers -had a confused vision of the white-shirted youth -going over and over, with legs and arms whirling, -far across the distant surface.</p> - -<p>“That,” observed Clem dryly, “lets our Mr. -Todd out of it.”</p> - -<p>The capsized one made a really astounding recovery -and was on his blades again almost before -the spectators had sensed the catastrophe, but -Peele had passed him by that time, and Young -was well away on his last dash. The other two -contestants, while still grimly pursuing, were already -out of the result. The half-dozen “Maniacs,” -as Clem dubbed them not very originally, -refused to own defeat for their favorite and continued -to howl imploringly for Jim to “Come on -and win it!” It is doubtful if Jim heard that demand, -for he was still a long way off and there -was plenty of other shouting beside that of the -Maine contingent, but it did look as if he had, -quite of his own accord and without prompting, -made up his stubborn mind to do that very thing! -He went after Peele desperately and gradually -closed the distance. Then, while the growing excitement -of the onlookers became every instant<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_38" id="Page_38">[38]</a></span> -more vocal, he edged past his classmate and -steadily widened the ice between them. Doubtless -the fast-flying Young looked horribly like the -victor to Jim just then; he surely looked so to -those at the line; and probably the best that Jim -hoped for was a close finish. In any event, Jim -came hard, desperately, arms flying all ways at -once, a wild, many-jointed figure that seemed -somehow to fairly eat up distance.</p> - -<p>At the quarter-mile he was undoubtedly gaining -on Young, and public sympathy, ever tending -toward the under dog, veered from the senior -suddenly and surprisingly, and the loyal sons of -Maine found their hoarse ravings drowned under -a greater volume of cheers for Jim Todd. “Come -on, Todd! You can beat him!” “Skate, Skinny -Boy! Come on! Come on!” “You’ve got him, -Todd! Hit it up! Hit it up!” Even Mart, who -was a most reticent youth when it came to public -vocal demonstrations, appeared to be trying very -hard to climb Clem’s back and yelling: “<em>Todd! -Todd! Todd! Todd!</em>” in the most piercing tones -about four inches from Clem’s left ear. Clem, -though, failed to comment on the phenomenon at -the time, being extremely busy enticing Todd to -the finish with both voice and gesture!</p> - -<p>It was somewhere about three hundred yards -short of the line that Jim realized that defeat -was not necessarily to be his portion, that Newt<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_39" id="Page_39">[39]</a></span> -Young’s admirable grace and form were at last -lacking and that that youth was probably as tired -as Jim Todd was. Jim devoutly hoped he was -even more tired, although he couldn’t conceive -of such a thing! Any one who has taken a -header in an ice race knows that it produces a -most enervating effect and, for a time at least, -leaves one in a painfully breathless condition. -Perhaps Jim recalled that, in his opinion, superfluous -tap on the nose of some three months -previous, and perhaps the recollection of that -painful indignity urged him to superhuman effort. -That as may have been, the runaway windmill -kept on closing the gap, slowly but inexorably.</p> - -<p>The distance between the two dwindled from -eight yards to half that many, from four yards -to two, from two to one! They were almost stride -for stride as they swept down on the finish line. -Young, suddenly aware of the loss of his advantage, -seemed at once incredulous and disheartened. -There was a brief instant when he faltered, -and in that instant Jim swept into the -lead. Perhaps thirty yards still lay before the -adversaries, and Young seized on his courage -and determination again. But once in the lead -Jim was not to be headed. Indeed, it seemed -that until the instant of passing Young he had -not shown what real speed was! The tall youth<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_40" id="Page_40">[40]</a></span> -found in those last few yards some joints he had -not suspected the possession of, made surprising -use of them, swayed, bent, buckled and -threshed down the ice with the lithe grace of a -camel with a hundred-mile gale behind it, and -gyrated across the finish line a good eight yards -ahead of his adversary!</p> - -<p>The sons of Maine went crazy, every one yelled -and the official timekeeper proclaimed that the -school record had been burst into infinitesimal -fractions! As no one seemed to know what the -Alton Academy record for the two miles was, -the present time of six minutes and forty-one -seconds was accepted as something to cheer for. -So every one cheered again. And about that -time Young pushed through to Jim Todd and -shook hands with him, and Jim grinned and forgot -to say anything about that incident on the -gridiron, and every one went home.</p> - -<p>But Jim Todd leaped into mild and momentary -fame, and for some weeks was pointed out as -“that long drink of water who beat Newt Young -on the ice and broke the school record for the -mile or two miles or something.” Perhaps his -fame would have lived longer if, at about that -time, Alton hadn’t played her final hockey game -with Kenly Hall and smeared up the Cherry-and-Black -to the tune of 7 goals to 3, a feat which,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_41" id="Page_41">[41]</a></span> -after last season’s defeat for Alton, was hailed -with joy and loud acclaim and resulted later in -the election of Clement Harland to succeed himself -as captain of the team. Since Clem had been -the first youth to get the hockey captaincy in his -junior year in the history of that sport at Alton, -he was now possessor of the unique distinction -of being the only hockey captain ever serving two -terms. Mart sniffed and said he hoped Clem -wouldn’t get a swelled head over it, but that he -probably would and so wouldn’t be fit to live -with much longer!</p> - -<p>Whether Clem was fit to live with or wasn’t, -it strangely happened that Mart never had an -opportunity to reach a decision in the matter, for -after Spring recess Mart came back to Alton -with a vast distaste for exertion and a couple -of degrees of temperature that he hadn’t had -when he went away. A day later he went to the -infirmary and there he stayed until well into May -with a case of typhoid that seemed to give much -satisfaction to the doctor in charge but that failed -to please Mart’s parents to any noticeable degree. -It was a strange, washed-out looking Mart -who rolled away one morning in an automobile -for the station on his way home, and while his -smile was recognizable by Clem the rest of him -seemed strange and alien. Mart managed a joke<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_42" id="Page_42">[42]</a></span> -before the car started off, but it was such a weak, -puerile effort that Clem found it easier to cry -than laugh over.</p> - -<p>During the rest of the term Clem saw more of -Jim Todd than ever, for Jim had been sincerely -concerned about Mart and had offered all sorts -of well-meant but impossible services during the -illness, and Clem had liked the kindness and -thoughtfulness shown. Besides, Clem felt a bit -lonesome after Mart’s departure, and Jim was -handy. On one or two occasions Clem even -climbed to the upper floor and endured the presence -of Bradley Judson for the sake of Jim. Judson, -who shared the sloping-ceilinged room with -Jim, was no treat, either, according to Clem!</p> - -<p>At home, Mart wrote an occasional brief letter. -He said he was getting along finely, but the -letters didn’t sound so. Jim, however, who, it -turned out, had seen typhoid fever before, reassured -Clem. Typhoid, declared Jim, left you -pretty low in your mind and weak in your body, -and it took a long while for some folks to get -back where they had been. So Clem took comfort. -And then June arrived suddenly, and the -school year was over.</p> - -<p>Toward the end of July, Clem, who was leading -a life of blissful ease at the Harland summer -home in the Berkshires, received a letter from -Jim. He didn’t know it was from Jim until he<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_43" id="Page_43">[43]</a></span> -had looked at the bottom of the second sheet, for -the writing was strange to him and the inscription -on the envelope—“Middle Carry Camps, -Blaisdell’s Mills, Me.”—failed to suggest the -elongated Mr. Todd. Clem tucked his tennis -racket under his arm, seated himself on the lower -step of the porch and, seeking the beginning of -the missive, wondered what on earth Jim was -writing about. He wouldn’t have been much -more surprised had the letter been from the -President and summoning him to Washington to -confer on the Tariff! He hadn’t seen or heard -from Jim since June, and, since life had been -full of a number of things, hadn’t thought of him -more than a dozen times. And now Jim was -writing him a two-page letter in queer up-and-down -characters and faded ink on the cheap stationery -of a Maine sporting camp!</p> - -<div class="blockquot"> - -<p>“Friend Harland (Clem read): I guess you’ll be surprised -to get a letter from me and will wonder what in -tuck I am writing about. I just heard last week that -Mart Gray’s folks have taken him to Europe and that -he will not be back to school this next year. I’m right -sorry he don’t pick up faster, but that’s the way it is -with typhoid lots of times. What I’m writing about is -whether you have made any arrangement with any other -fellow to room in with you. You see, Harland, it is -like this. I wasn’t very well fixed where I was last year. -Judson is all right, I guess, only I don’t cotton to him -much. And I was thinking that perhaps if you didn’t<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_44" id="Page_44">[44]</a></span> -have any fellow in view to room in with you now that -Gray won’t be back, perhaps you wouldn’t mind me. -Of course, you may have some other in mind. I guess -likely you have, but I thought there wouldn’t be any -harm in asking.</p> - -<p>“I’m right easy to get along with and I’m neat about -the place. I guess that’s about all I can say for myself, -but you know me well enough to know that we would -likely get along pretty well together if you thought well -of the notion. Anyway, I’d like you to answer this -when you get time and let me know. It will be all right -just the same if you don’t like the notion or have -made other arrangements. I just thought I’d take a -chance.</p> - -<p>“I’m up here at this place guiding. I’m just a local -guide. I’m having a right good time and the pay is -pretty fair. There are about seventy folks here this -month and lots of women and children. Mostly I look -after the women and kids, take them out in the boats -or canoes and fishing. There’s good fishing here all -right, and if you ever want to catch some good bass you -come to this camp some time. I guess you wouldn’t be -able to come up for a spell this summer. I would show -you where you could catch them up to three pounds and -no joking. The regular guides here are a fine lot of -fellows, and we have some pretty good times. They eat -you well, too, here. I’d like for you to come on up if -you could, if only for a week. I would guarantee you -to catch more fish here in a week than you would most -anywhere else in a month. Well, let me hear from you, -please, pretty soon, because whatever way you say I’m -going to see if I can’t make a change this fall. I hope -you are having a pleasant summer. Yours sincerely, -James H. Todd.”</p></div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_45" id="Page_45">[45]</a></span></p> - -<p>Clem smiled when he had finished the letter. -Then he frowned. It was going to be rather -awkward. How could he tell Jim that he didn’t -want him for a room-mate without hurting the -chap’s feelings? “It will be all right just the -same if you don’t like the notion or have made -other arrangements.” Clem reread the sentence -and smiled wryly. It was all well enough -for Jim Todd to say that, but Clem knew very -well that it wouldn’t be “just the same.” The -difficulty was that he hadn’t made other arrangements. -He might tell Jim that he had, but that -would be a lie, and Clem didn’t like lies. Besides, -Jim would find out he had lied, and be a -lot more hurt than if he had been told the unflattering -truth! Clem wished mightily that he -could have foreseen this situation and written to -Mr. Wharton, the school secretary, as soon as -the tidings of Mart’s withdrawal had come. -Wharton would have arranged things for him in -a minute. Instead, though, he had kept putting -the matter off, and now this had happened. Gosh!</p> - -<p>Clem recalled the fantastic figure that had -wandered into Number 15 that afternoon. If the -fellow would only dress less like a—a backwoodsman—it -would be something. Then Clem recalled -the fact that toward the end of the Spring -term Jim had looked a great deal more normal -as to attire. Clem sighed perplexedly. He liked<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_46" id="Page_46">[46]</a></span> -Jim, too, he reflected. There were lots of nice -traits in the fellow. In fact, after Mart had gone -home he had preferred Jim’s society to that of -most of the other chaps he knew in school; and -he knew a good many, too. Then what was wrong -with having Jim for a room-mate? Clem pondered -that for some time. “Raw” appeared to -be the most damaging charge he could bring -against the applicant, and that didn’t seem to him -an altogether sufficient indictment. Clem had -never suspected himself of being a snob, but just -now the possibility occurred to him abruptly and -unpleasantly. To get away from the idea he reread -Jim’s letter, and this time he read as much -between the lines as in them.</p> - -<p>It had taken courage to write that letter, he -told himself. He would wager that Jim had put -it off more than once and had made more than -one false start. There was a humility all through -it that was almost pathetic when one remembered -that the writer wasn’t much under six feet in -height! Yes, and he wasn’t so small other ways, -Clem reflected. Considering that he had entered -Alton without knowing a soul there, and had burst -smack into the junior year, too, Jim had done -pretty well. He was no pill, even if he did wear -queer things and could be held accountable for -the epidemic of loud-plaid mackinaws that had -raged violently throughout the school in the late<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_47" id="Page_47">[47]</a></span> -Winter! He had flivvered at football, to be sure, -but he had won momentary fame as a skater, and -he had organized the Maine-and-Vermont Club. -That last feat proved pretty conclusively, thought -Clem, that the fellow had something in him. -After all, then, the worst you could say of him -was that he was—Clem searched diligently for -the word he wanted and found it—uncouth!</p> - -<p>His thoughts went back to the afternoon when -Jim Todd had first edged into view and to Mart’s -almost impassioned utterances just previous -thereto. Clem smiled. Mart had been hankering -for new types and then Jim had walked in -quite as if he had been awaiting his cue off-stage! -Clem’s smile, though, was caused by the recollection -that Mart hadn’t been nearly so enthusiastic -about “new blood” in the concrete—meaning -Jim Todd—as he had been in “new -blood” in the abstract! Mart had tolerated Jim, -but had never derived much pleasure from the -acquaintanceship. Old Mart was a heap more -conservative than he had thought himself!</p> - -<p>Then, thinking of Mart, Clem remembered how -perfectly corking Jim had been during Mart’s -illness. If he hadn’t done a great deal to help -it was only because there had been so little he -could do. He had always been ready, always -eager, always sympathetic. Yes, and there were -those two days when poor old Mart had been so<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_48" id="Page_48">[48]</a></span> -beastly sick, and Clem had worried himself miserable, -or would have if Jim hadn’t sort of stuck -around and kept telling him that folks could be -awfully ill with typhoid and yet pull out all -hunky; that he’d seen it more’n once. Why, come -to think of it, there had been three or four days -when Jim had been with him half the time! How -had he done it? He must have missed class more -than once, and as for studying—well, he just -couldn’t have studied!</p> - -<p>Clem got up very suddenly, stuffed Jim’s letter -in a pocket of his white flannels and stared -savagely at an inoffensive palm in a gray stone -jar. But though he looked at the palm he didn’t -seem to be addressing it when he spoke, for what -he said was: “Clem, you’re a low-lived yellow -pup! Get it?”</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_49" id="Page_49">[49]</a></span></p> - - - - -<div class="chapter"> -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_V" id="CHAPTER_V">CHAPTER V</a><br /> -<small>A NEW TERM BEGINS</small></h2> -</div> - - -<p>Clem returned to school the day before the beginning -of the Fall term to find Alton looking sun-smitten -and feeling exceedingly hot. The air, -after the fresh, sweet breezes of the Berkshires, -seemed stale and stifling, although when the cab -had borne him past the business section of the -town and residences surrounded by lawns and -gardens and shaded by trees had taken the place -of brick blocks there was a perceptible change -for the better. It had been a dry summer and -the campus showed it as Clem was hurried up -Meadow street. The trees looked droopy and the -grass parched. The buildings lined across the -brow of the campus had a deserted appearance, -with only here and there a window open to the -faint stir of air. He almost wished he had -waited until to-morrow.</p> - -<p>The cab swerved to the right, proceeded a short -distance along the gravel and stopped with a sudden -setting of squeaking brakes in front of the -first building. Clem helped the driver upstairs -with the trunk, their feet echoing hollowly in the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_50" id="Page_50">[50]</a></span> -empty corridors. Number 15 was hot and close, -and Clem sent the two windows banging up even -before he paid the cabman. When the latter had -gone clattering down again Clem removed his -jacket and looked speculatively about him. The -old room looked sort of homelike, after all, he -concluded. He was glad that Mart had decided -to leave his furnishings and pictures for the present. -Jim Todd’s possessions up in Number 29, -as Clem recalled them, were few and more useful -than ornamental! Of course, Clem could -have spread his own pictures and things about a -bit more, but they’d probably have looked sort -of thin. He opened the door of Mart’s closet -and the drawers of his chiffonier and sighed as -he saw what a deal of truck there was to be -packed. However, he had the rest of the afternoon -and most of the morning for his task. He -routed a packing-case of Mart’s from the basement -store-room, tugged it up to the room and -started to work.</p> - -<p>At five o’clock he had made the disconcerting -discovery that Mart’s clothing and books and -small possessions, which had seemed to bulk so -large before, wouldn’t fill the big box more than -three-quarters full, and had thrown himself into -a chair to consider the fact and cool off when -footsteps sounded below the window and then -came nearer up the stairs. Then a voice sounded.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_51" id="Page_51">[51]</a></span></p> - -<p>“You up there, Clem?”</p> - -<p>“Yes! Come on up!”</p> - -<p>“Saw your window open,” panted Lowell -Woodruff as he came in, looking very warm, “and -thought you must be up here. How are you?” -The two shook hands, and Lowell subsided on the -window-seat. “What’s brought you back so -early?”</p> - -<p>Clem pointed to the packing-case. “Mart’s -not coming back this fall, and I’ve got the job -of getting his stuff packed up and shipped home -to him.”</p> - -<p>“Oh! Yes, I heard he was off to the Continong, -lucky brute! What price a winter on -the Riviera, eh? Some guys get it soft! Who’s -coming in here with you?”</p> - -<p>“A chap named Todd. You know him, I guess. -He’s in our class.”</p> - -<p>“Jim Todd? Sure I know him! And I’d like -to meet up with the silly ass, too. He got notice -to report for early practice, and he hasn’t -shown hide nor hair.”</p> - -<p>“Football?” Clem laughed. “I don’t believe -you’ll catch him, Woodie. Didn’t you know he -tried it last year and resigned?”</p> - -<p>“Crazy nut!” said Lowell disgustedly. “Sure, -I knew it, but that’s got nothing to do with this -year. Listen, that guy ought to be able to play -football, Clem. He was all right for a fellow<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_52" id="Page_52">[52]</a></span> -who didn’t know anything about it, but he didn’t -get handled right, see? He’s queer. Stubborn, -too, sort of. And Dolf Chapin wouldn’t see it. -You know Dolf. Thinks every one’s got to dance -when he fiddles. Todd got discouraged and told -Dolf so and Dolf laughed at him and told him -to quit his kidding. Bet you I could have kept -Todd going and made him like it.”</p> - -<p>“Why didn’t you?” asked Clem.</p> - -<p>“What chance? You know Dolf. Nice guy -and all that, but no one else must say a word -when he’s around. An assistant coach here -hasn’t any say about anything. All he does is -run errands and pick up things that the players -throw down. I could see that Todd was getting -tired and—”</p> - -<p>“You really think he could play?” asked Clem -incredulously.</p> - -<p>“Jim Todd? Sure he could! Why not? Put -twenty pounds on him—”</p> - -<p>“How would you do it?”</p> - -<p>“Feed him up, of course. Pshaw, fellows like -him don’t know what to eat. Three weeks at -training table would put the tallow on him so you -wouldn’t know him!”</p> - -<p>“Wasn’t he at table last Fall?”</p> - -<p>“No. He would have been if he’d stuck a few -days longer, I guess, but there were six or eight -fellows who didn’t come to the table until after<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_53" id="Page_53">[53]</a></span> -the Hillsport game. That was another of Dolf’s -fool notions.”</p> - -<p>“How many fellows have you got here now?”</p> - -<p>“Fourteen. Billy Frost didn’t show up; missed -a steamer or something; and a couple more failed -us. Your friend Todd was one. He didn’t even -write and tell us to chase ourselves, drat him! -And we need another tackle like thunder.”</p> - -<p>“Tackle!” Clem whistled. Then he chuckled. -“Gosh, Woodie, I can’t see Jim Todd playing -tackle! How’d you happen to send him a call, -anyway? Thought you only had the old players -back for this early season stunt.”</p> - -<p>“We needed tackles, like I’m telling you, and -both Johnny and I liked Todd’s looks last season, -and there weren’t many fellows for the position. -Doggone it, Clem, you don’t realize that -<a href="#image02">we lost most of the team last June</a>!”</p> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 396px;"> -<a id="image02"> - <img src="images/image02.jpg" width="396" height="600" alt="" title="" /> -</a><br /> -<div class="caption"><a href="#Page_53">We lost most of the team last June.</a></div> -</div> - -<p>“How come? Billy Frost, Charley Levering, -Fingal, Whittier—”</p> - -<p>“Oh, sure! And ‘Pep’ Kinsey and ‘Rolls’ -Roice; but outside of Billy and Gus Fingal and -Pep Kinsey they’re all new men, aren’t they? -Sure, they played against Kenly, but that don’t -make ’em veterans! We’ve got to build a whole -new team—pretty near, Clem. That’s why I -want all the fellows I can get who happen to -know a football from a chocolate sundae, and -that’s why I’d like to see this here Jim Long-legged<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_54" id="Page_54">[54]</a></span> -Todd and tell him what I think of him!”</p> - -<p>“Stick around until to-morrow and you’ll get -a chance. But I don’t believe you’ll dent him -any. I guess he’s through with football, if he -ever began.”</p> - -<p>“Can’t help that, old son. We’ve got to have -him; him and two or three others who quit last -year for one reason or another; usually on account -of trouble with the office. I’m gunning for -’em. Say, Clem, you might help a bit, you know.”</p> - -<p>“How?”</p> - -<p>“Well, you and Todd are sort of thick, I suppose. -He’d listen to you, wouldn’t he?”</p> - -<p>“Maybe. Meaning you want me to talk him -around to going back? Any inducements?”</p> - -<p>“How do you mean inducements?” asked -Lowell suspiciously.</p> - -<p>“Well, a banana royal at The Mirror, for instikance.”</p> - -<p>“Sure! Just the same, it’s Johnny who ought -to pay for it. It isn’t my funeral whether any -one plays or doesn’t play, is it?”</p> - -<p>“Well, you’re manager, aren’t you?” laughed -Clem. “What’s the manager for if not to do the -dirty work and foot the bills? Besides, you’ll -work that banana royal into the expense account -somehow!”</p> - -<p>“A fat chance!” scoffed Lowell. “Why, you -can’t buy a pair of shoe-laces without showing<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_55" id="Page_55">[55]</a></span> -a voucher for it! Oh, well, I’ll stand for your -drink.”</p> - -<p>“No, I’ll let you off, Woodie. But don’t bank -too much on seeing Todd out there. I’ll do what -I can, but when you said he was a nut you spoke -a mouthful. By the way, who’s your trusty lieutenant -this year?”</p> - -<p>“A fellow named Barr, Johnny Barr. Know -him? Not a bad sort, Johnny. There’s likely to -be some confusion, though. Some day I’ll yell -‘Johnny’ and Johnny Cade will think I’m getting -fresh and crown me!”</p> - -<p>“I hope I’m there,” laughed Clem. “Where -are you eating to-night?”</p> - -<p>“Anywhere you say, if you’re host.”</p> - -<p>“Nothing doing. I’m talking Dutch. How -about the Beanery?”</p> - -<p>“All right. What time? I’m going to get -under a shower before I’m ten minutes older. -It was as hot as Tophet on that field to-day!”</p> - -<p>“Say half-past six. I’ll meet you in front of -Upton.”</p> - -<p>“You will not. I’m in Lykes this year. Got -the room Spence Halliday had; Number 9; hot -stuff!”</p> - -<p>“No! Who’s with you? Billy Frost?”</p> - -<p>“No, ‘Hick’ Powers. Come and see our magnificence. -Should think you’d have changed, -Clem.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_56" id="Page_56">[56]</a></span></p> - -<p>“What for? You’ve got nothing in your dive -the Lykes of this!”</p> - -<p>“Oh, good <em>night</em>! I’m off! Six-thirty, eh? -If I’m not there, step inside and yell. So -long!”</p> - -<p>“Wait a minute! Listen, Woodie. What would -you do with this junk? There’s only enough -stuff to fill that case about three-quarters full, -and if I ship it like that it’ll be an awful mess -when it arrives, I guess. What’s the answer?”</p> - -<p>“Stick in some of your own things.”</p> - -<p>“No, but really! No joking, Woodie. What -would—”</p> - -<p>“Have a heart! Have a heart!” Lowell -waved his hands protestingly at the doorway. -“Boy, I’ve got <em>problems</em>! Don’t pester me with -trifles like that!”</p> - -<p>The football manager was off, taking the stairs -four at a time. Clem went to the window and -leaned over the sill. When Lowell emerged from -the doorway below he hailed him.</p> - -<p>“Oh, Woodie!”</p> - -<p>“Yeah, what you want?” Lowell peered up -blinkingly through the sunlight.</p> - -<p>“Listen, Woodie,” went on Clem earnestly. -“Haven’t you got half a dozen old footballs over -at the gym that you can’t use?”</p> - -<p>“Old foot— Say, what’s your trouble? What -do you want ’em for?”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_57" id="Page_57">[57]</a></span></p> - -<p>“To fill up this box,” jeered Clem. “Run -along, sonny!”</p> - -<p>Clem didn’t pass a very restful night. For one -thing, Number 15 Haylow was hot and stuffy. -Then, too, Clem and Lowell Woodruff and two -other fellows had sought to mitigate the heat of -the evening by partaking of many and various -concoctions of ice cream and syrups, and his -stomach had faintly protested for some time. He -awoke in the morning, scandalously late, from -what seemed to have been a night-long succession -of unpleasant dreams. But a bath and -breakfast set him right, and afterwards he completed -the packing of Mart’s belongings. By -rummaging about in the store-room he collected -enough pieces of corrugated straw-board and excelsior -and old newspapers to fill the top of the -packing-case after a fashion, and he hammered -the lid down with vast relief, addressed it with -a paper spill dipped in the ink bottle and pushed -it into the corridor. A visit to the express office -completed his responsibilities, and, since it was -then only a little after ten, he returned to school -and took the path that led, between Academy and -Upton Hall, and past the gymnasium, to the athletic -field.</p> - -<p>Morning practice was already in full swing -when he reached the gridiron, and the small squad -of perspiring youths were throwing and catching,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_58" id="Page_58">[58]</a></span> -punting and chasing half a dozen pigskins about -the field. Clem greeted the trainer, whose real -name was Jakin but who was never called anything -but Jake, was introduced by Lowell to -Johnny Barr, the assistant manager, and exchanged -long-distance greetings with several of -the players. Then he found a seat on the edge -of the green wheelbarrow in which Peter, Jake’s -underling, trundled the football paraphernalia -back and forth from the gymnasium and looked -on. It wasn’t a vastly interesting scene. Clem, -who, while he thoroughly enjoyed watching a football -contest, had never felt any urge to play the -game, wasn’t able to get any thrill from watching -practice. He amused himself identifying -some of the candidates, not such an easy task -when old gray jerseys, ancient khaki pants and -disreputable stockings comprised the attire of -each and every one and effectually disguised individuality. -There, however, was Gus Fingal, -the captain, tall, with hair the color of new rope; -and Charley Levering, taller and lighter and as -black of head as a burnt match; and Pep Kinsey, -a solid chunk of a youth slated for quarter-back -position. And the big, square fellow was, of -course, Hick Powers, and the long-legged chap -farther down the field who was trying drop-kicks -none too successfully was Steve Whittier. The -others Clem couldn’t place until Lowell came to<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_59" id="Page_59">[59]</a></span> -his assistance. Lowell pointed out Roland Roice—it -was fated that he should be known as ‘Rolls’!—Sawyer, -Crumb, Cheswick, two or three others, -but Clem wasn’t greatly interested. Later, -Coach Cade came off the field and shook hands. -Johnny, as he was called by the fellows, though -not to his face, was perspiring freely, and his face -was the color of a ripe tomato. The coach was -a short man, perhaps twenty-eight years of age, -with a broad, solid body, a head of thick, bristle-like -black hair and two sharp eyes set wide apart. -Clem reflected, not for the first time, that Johnny -Cade must have been a bad man to say “Whoa” -to on a football field in his playing days! He -had a regular fighting chin under that smiling -mouth of his. Just now, having exchanged greetings -with Clem, he was mopping his face with -the sleeve of a tattered jersey.</p> - -<p>“Hot, isn’t it?” he asked. “We’ve had nearly -a week of it here. Mean weather for football -work. We usually get it about like this every -Fall, though. Sometimes I doubt that this pays -very well; this before-season practice. I don’t -know but that we’d get along just as well without -it. But as long as the other fellow does it -I suppose we’ve got to. You look well, Harland.” -Then his smile deepened. “Lucky for you, -though, you’re not in my gang. You’d lose about -ten pounds on a day like this!”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_60" id="Page_60">[60]</a></span></p> - -<p>“I guess so,” agreed Clem. “Fact is, Mr. -Cade, I’ve been pretty lazy this summer. Played -some tennis and a few games of golf, and that’s -about all.”</p> - -<p>“Tennis? Seems to me tennis ought to have -kept you harder than you look.”</p> - -<p>“Well, it wasn’t very strenuous, you see. -Mixed doubles usually.”</p> - -<p>“He can’t keep away from the girls, Coach,” -interpolated Lowell, shaking his head sadly. “By -the way, Clem here is rooming with that Todd -guy that didn’t R. S. V. P. to our invitation, and -I told him he’d be held accountable for Todd’s -appearance on this here field not later than one -day hence.”</p> - -<p>“That so? Good idea. We want all the promising -material we can get, Harland.”</p> - -<p>“You think Todd is promising, then, sir?”</p> - -<p>“Why, yes, I’d say so. He gave us a mean -deal last year, and I ought to refuse to have anything -more to do with him, but I can’t afford to -indulge my personal tastes. Todd looked to me -like good material last fall, and I told him that -if he would buckle down and learn the game I -could pretty nearly promise him a job this year. -But he got tired of it and quit in the middle of -the season. An odd chap. Stubborn, too. He -got my goat for fair, and I said some harsh things -to him, but he didn’t seem to mind much. About<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_61" id="Page_61">[61]</a></span> -all I could get him to say was ‘I guess I’d rather -quit.’”</p> - -<p>“Well, as I told Woodie, Coach, I’ll speak to -him, but I wouldn’t be surprised if he didn’t -see it.”</p> - -<p>“Huh!” said Lowell. “He’s got to see it! -I’ll make his life a burden to him until he does! -You know me, Clem.”</p> - -<p>“Yes, indeed, Woodie, I know what a nuisance -you can make of yourself. Go to it, old son.”</p> - -<p>Mr. Cade chuckled at Lowell’s look of outrage -and said: “Well, I wouldn’t bother with him too -much. If he doesn’t want to come out after Harland’s -talked with him I guess we’ll be better off -without him. After all, a man’s got to have -some liking for football before he can play it -well.”</p> - -<p>Clem, Lowell and Hick Powers went to luncheon -together after practice was over and then repaired -to Lowell’s room in Lykes and lolled about -for an hour or so, by which time the summer-long -peacefulness of the school was at an end. -Taxi-cabs sped, honking, up Meadow street and -swirled into the drive that led along in front of -the dormitories, voices awoke echoes in the corridors, -feet clattered on the stairs, trunks banged -and dust floated in at the window before which -the three boys, divested of coats and collars, -lounged. “The clans gather,” murmured Lowell.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_62" id="Page_62">[62]</a></span> -“Another year of beastly grinding begins. Ah, -woe is me!”</p> - -<p>Hick Powers, big, homely and good-natured, -chuckled deeply. “Hear him, Clem. The old -four-flusher! Of all the snaps, he’s got it. Four -courses, mind you!”</p> - -<p>“How do you get that way?” demanded Lowell -indignantly. “I’m taking six the first half-year!”</p> - -<p>“Yeah, four required and two snaps! Bible -History or—or Eskimo Literature, or something! -Gee, it doesn’t take much to get you guys through -your senior year!”</p> - -<p>“But think how we worked to get there!” -laughed Clem. “You’re junior, aren’t you, -Hick?”</p> - -<p>“Sure! Finest class in school! First in war, -first in peace, first—”</p> - -<p>“First at table,” ended Lowell. “What time -is it?”</p> - -<p>“Twelve after two,” answered Clem. “Guess -I’d better mosey along and see if Jim Todd’s -arrived.”</p> - -<p>“Oh, don’t go,” protested Lowell. “We’re -just beginning to like you. What time’s he due?”</p> - -<p>“I don’t know. Maybe he won’t get in until -late. I suppose it takes quite a while to get here -from Maine.”</p> - -<p>“Sure. Two or three days. You do the first<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_63" id="Page_63">[63]</a></span> -thousand miles on snowshoes. Then you take a -dog-sled at the trading post—”</p> - -<p>“You’re a nut,” laughed Clem. “I’m sorry -for you, Hick. How do you think you’re going -to get through nearly nine months with him?”</p> - -<p>“Oh, he won’t get funny with me,” answered -Hick comfortably. “I’ll give him a paddling -every now and then. I’ll make a new man of -him by Spring.”</p> - -<p>“You, you big flat tire!” responded Lowell. -“It would take three like you to paddle me! If -it wasn’t so hot I’d box your ears for making a -crack like that right in front of visitors!”</p> - -<p>Clem’s progress from Lykes to Haylow was retarded -by encounters with several acquaintances, -and once, having passed the corner of his own -building, he spent ten minutes with his arms on -the window-sill of a lower-floor room talking to -the inmates of it. But he reached his corridor -eventually and found the door of Number 15 ajar. -As he had closed it behind him in the morning he -reached the conclusion that Jim had arrived, and -when he had thrust it farther inward and crossed -the threshold he decided that the conclusion was -correct. Then, as the occupant of the room -straightened up from the business of unpacking -a suit-case opened on the window-seat, he was in -doubt for an instant. If this was Jim, what had -happened to him?</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_64" id="Page_64">[64]</a></span></p> - - - - -<div class="chapter"> -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_VI" id="CHAPTER_VI">CHAPTER VI</a><br /> -<small>JIM REPORTS</small></h2> -</div> - - -<p>After they had shaken hands, Clem took a good -look at his new room-mate. The change in Jim’s -appearance was due to two things, he decided. -In the first place, Jim was dressed differently. -He wore trousers of a grayish brown, a white -negligee shirt with a small blue stripe, a semi-soft -collar and a neatly tied dark-blue four-in-hand. -The shoes were brown Oxfords and evidently -new. The coat that matched the trousers -was laid over the back of a chair. That suit, -Clem reflected, had probably cost very little, but -it fitted extremely well and looked well, too. -Then Jim had filled out remarkably. He was still -a long way from stout, but there was flesh enough -now on his tall frame to take away the lanky look -that had been his most striking feature last year. -He seemed to hold himself straighter, too, as -though he had become accustomed to his height, -and to move with far less of awkwardness.</p> - -<p>“What have you been doing to yourself?” -asked Clem.</p> - -<p>Jim stared questioningly. Apparently he was<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_65" id="Page_65">[65]</a></span> -not aware of any change, and Clem explained. -“Well, you look twenty pounds heavier, Jim; -maybe more; and—” But he stopped there. To -approve his present attire would be tantamount -to a criticism of his former.</p> - -<p>“Yes, I guess I am heavier,” replied Jim. “I -got mighty good food up at Blaisdell’s, and a -heap of it; and then I was outdoors most of the -time. Right healthy sort of life, I guess. Didn’t -work hard, either; not really <em>work</em>.”</p> - -<p>“I suppose it was pretty good fun,” mused -Clem. “I’d liked to have got up there for a few -days, but it didn’t seem possible.”</p> - -<p>“Wish you had. I’d have shown you some real -fishing. Like to fish, Harland?”</p> - -<p>“N-no, I don’t believe I do. Maybe because -I’ve never done much. But it sounded pretty -good, what you wrote, and if father hadn’t arranged -a motor trip for the last part of the summer -I think I’d have gone up there for three or -four days.”</p> - -<p>“Guess you thought that was pretty cheeky, -that letter of mine,” said Jim consciously.</p> - -<p>“Not a bit,” Clem assured him heartily. If -he had, he had forgotten it now. “Awfully glad -to have you, Jim.”</p> - -<p>“I hope you mean that.” Jim laughed sheepishly. -“I tried hard to get that letter back after -I’d posted it, but it happened that the fellow who<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_66" id="Page_66">[66]</a></span> -carried the mail out got started half an hour -earlier that morning, and I was too late.”</p> - -<p>“Glad you were,” said Clem, and meant it. -“Hope you don’t mind having Mart’s things left -around. He thinks now he will come back next -year and finish out.”</p> - -<p>Jim looked about the room and shook his head. -“Mighty nice,” he said. “I’ve got a few things -upstairs that I’ll have to move out, but they ain’t -scarcely suitable for here: there’s a cushion and -a couple of pictures and a sort of a thing for -books and two, three little things besides.”</p> - -<p>“Bring them down and we’ll look them over,” -said Clem. “What you don’t want to use can go -in your trunk when you send it down to the store-room. -Don’t believe we need any more cushions, -though.” He thought he knew which of the cushions -in Number 29 was Jim’s! “Too much in a -place is worse than too little, eh?”</p> - -<p>“I suppose ’tis,” Jim agreed. “This room’s -right pretty now, Harland, and I guess those -things of mine wouldn’t better it none.”</p> - -<p>“You’ll have to stop calling me ‘Harland’ -sooner or later,” said Clem, “so you might as -well start now, Jim.”</p> - -<p>Jim nodded. “I was trying to work ’round to -it,” he answered. “Guess I’ll go up and get -those things of mine out of 29.”</p> - -<p>“I’ll give you a hand,” said Clem.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_67" id="Page_67">[67]</a></span></p> - -<p>It was not until late that evening that Clem -found an opportunity to broach the subject of -football. “By the way,” he said, “Lowell Woodruff -was in yesterday. He’s football manager, -you know. Said he’d sent you a call for early -practice and that you hadn’t made a yip.”</p> - -<p>“Why, that’s right,” replied Jim. “I found -a letter from him when I got home three days -ago. You see, after I left Blaisdell’s I went over -Moose River way with another fellow for a little -fishing. Got some whopping good trout, too. So -I didn’t get back to Four Lakes until Monday. -Then I didn’t know if I’d ought to answer the -letter or not. He didn’t say to.”</p> - -<p>“No, I fancy he expected you’d show up. -Well, there’s no harm done, I guess. Be all right -if you show up to-morrow afternoon.” Clem -spoke with studied carelessness and stooped to -unlace a shoe.</p> - -<p>“Show up?” asked Jim. “Where do you -mean?”</p> - -<p>“On the field. For practice. You’re going to -play, of course.” This was more an assertion -than a question.</p> - -<p>“No,” said Jim, “I tried it last fall and quit. -It takes a lot of a fellow’s time, and then I ain’t—I’m -not much good at it.”</p> - -<p>“Well, Jim, you’ll have a lot more time this -year than you had last, you know. And as for<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_68" id="Page_68">[68]</a></span> -being good at it, why, Johnny Cade said only this -morning that you looked like promising stuff. -Better think it over.”</p> - -<p>“You mean Mr. Cade is looking for me to -play?”</p> - -<p>“Of course he is. You see, the team lost a -good many of their best players last June and -Johnny’s pretty anxious to get hold of all the material -he can. I gathered from what Woodie said -that they are looking to you to fit in as a tackle.”</p> - -<p>“Tackle? He’s the fellow plays next to the -end, ain’t he? Well, I don’t see what he’d want -me back again for, after the way he laid me out -last year.” Jim chuckled. “Gosh, he ’most tore -the hide off me, Clem!”</p> - -<p>“Well, if you ask me, it was sort of cheeky, -throwing him down in the middle of the season, -Jim, and I can’t say I blame him for getting a -bit waxy about it. However, he’s all over that. -He isn’t holding anything against you; I’ll swear -to that; and if you go out you’ll get treated right. -Johnny and Woodie both believe in you as a football -player, Jim.”</p> - -<p>“If they do,” laughed Jim in a puzzled way, -“they’ve got more faith than I have. Why, -honest, Clem, I don’t know much about the game, -even after what they showed me last fall, and I -can’t say that I’m keen about it, either. I always<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_69" id="Page_69">[69]</a></span> -thought playing games was supposed to be -fun, but I call football mighty hard work!”</p> - -<p>“What of it? Aren’t afraid of hard work, are -you? You know, Jim, a fellow has a certain -amount of—of responsibility toward his school. -I mean it’s his duty to do what he can for it, don’t -you see? Now, if you can play football—”</p> - -<p>“But I can’t, Clem.”</p> - -<p>“You don’t know. Johnny Cade says you -can. Johnny’s a football authority and ought to -know.”</p> - -<p>Jim was silent a moment. Then he asked, almost -plaintively: “You want I should play, don’t -you?”</p> - -<p>“Why, no, Jim. That is—well, I want you to -do what you want to do. Of course, if you -think—”</p> - -<p>“Yes, but you think I ought to,” Jim persisted. -“That’s so, ain’t it?”</p> - -<p>“I think,” responded Clem judicially, “that as -long as Johnny Cade wants you, and as long as -you have no good reason for not playing, you -ought to try. I don’t want to influence you—”</p> - -<p>Clem became aware of Jim’s broad grin and -ran down. Then: “What you laughing at, confound -you?” he asked.</p> - -<p>“Wasn’t laughing,” chuckled Jim. “Just smiling -at the way you don’t want to influence me.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_70" id="Page_70">[70]</a></span></p> - -<p>“Well, suppose I do?” asked Clem, smiling too. -“It’s for the good of the football team, Jim. -And, if you must have the whole truth, I promised -Woodie I’d talk to you. And I have. And -now it’s up to you. You do just as you please. -Guess you know best, anyway.”</p> - -<p>“Well, maybe I haven’t got any good reason -for not playing this year, or trying to,” mused -Jim, enveloping himself in an enormous nightshirt. -“I don’t think I’ll ever make a good football -player, but if those folks want I should try, -and you want I should—”</p> - -<p>“Hang it, Jim, don’t drag me into it! I’d feel -to blame every time you got a bloody nose!”</p> - -<p>“—I don’t mind doing it,” concluded Jim. -“Last year it didn’t seem like I was really needed -out there. Maybe this year it will be different. -Maybe Mr. Cade can make me into a tackle. If -he can he’s welcome. Maybe after I’ve been at -it a while I’ll get to like it. Maybe—”</p> - -<p>“Maybe you’ll put out that light and go to -bed,” said Clem. “Of course you’ll like it. -You’ll be crazy about it after a week or two, or -a month or two, or—”</p> - -<p>“Well, if I got so I could really play,” said -Jim musingly, as the light went out, “maybe I -would. You can’t tell.”</p> - -<p>The next afternoon, having resurrected the -football togs he had worn the season before, Jim<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_71" id="Page_71">[71]</a></span> -went dutifully over to the field and stood around -amongst a steadily growing gathering of old and -new candidates. He found several fellows that -he knew well enough to talk to, but, having arrived -early, much of his time was spent in looking -on. He observed the coming of Peter, preceded -by a wheelbarrow laden high with necessities -of the game, the subsequent appearance of -Manager Woodruff and Assistant Manager Barr, -the latter apparently weighted down with the -cares of all the world, and then the arrival of -Coach Cade, in company with Captain Gus Fingal. -By that time fully sixty candidates were on -hand and balls were beginning to hurtle around. -Formalities were dispensed with to-day. Mr. -Cade clapped his hands briskly and announced: -“Give your names to Mr. Woodruff or Mr. Barr, -fellows, and hustle it up. Men reporting for the -first time will start to work on the other gridiron. -Last-year fellows report to Captain Fingal here. -Let’s get going, Mr. Manager!”</p> - -<p>Jim gave his name and other data to Johnny -Barr and went across to the second team field. -No one seemed interested in his presence there, -and he stood around a while longer. Eventually -the new candidates stopped coming, and Latham, -a substitute quarter-back of last season, took -them in charge. Jim went through just such a -program as had engaged him a year ago. The<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_72" id="Page_72">[72]</a></span> -afternoon, while not so hot as yesterday, was far -too warm for comfort, and the work was a whole -lot like drudgery. He caught balls and passed -them, chased them and fell on them, awkwardly -rolling around the turf, made frantic and generally -unsuccessful grabs at them as Latham sent -them bouncing away, and then, after a few minutes -of rest, started all over again. At four-thirty -he trotted two laps of the field, keeping, -by injunction, close to the edge of the cinder -track.</p> - -<p>Save that he “weighed in” on the gymnasium -scales the next afternoon, while the worried looking -Johnny Barr set the figures down against his -name, Saturday’s program was just like Friday’s. -He wasn’t quite so stiff Saturday night, though, -as he had been after the first session. Clem, -feeling responsibility in the matter, asked how -he had got along. Jim said: “All right, I guess.” -That’s about all he did say regarding his football -experiences for the next week. He had bought -a book of rules, and Clem observed that every -evening he spent a matter of ten or fifteen minutes -on it. Once or twice he invited Clem’s aid, -but Clem wasn’t much use to him.</p> - -<p>“You know,” said Clem one evening, “you -don’t really have to know the rules by heart, Jim. -You’re not going to referee; you’re just going to -play the game.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_73" id="Page_73">[73]</a></span></p> - -<p>“I sort of like to know what it’s all about, -though,” said Jim. “And maybe,” he added, -with a twinkle, “if the referee made a mistake -I’d want to be able to tell him.”</p> - -<p>“Yes, I’d try it,” scoffed Clem, who hadn’t -seen the twinkle. “You’d make a big hit all -around!”</p> - -<p>He was “duck walking” and pushing the charging -machine these days, for he was listed as a -lineman. And he was having his six goes regularly -at the tackling dummy, besides. His education -was branching out. Perhaps because he had -been through the work last year he made steady -progress, although he was lacking in the experience -of those of his companions who had played -football since they were twelve years old. At -tackling he was good, and he got praise more -than once; and he was learning to handle a ball -in a safe, clean fashion, no longer treating it as -if it were an egg that might break if he was rude -to it. At the end of the first fortnight he was -as good a football man as some twenty others on -the field and better than perhaps ten more. As -that particular ten ceased their connection with -football shortly after the Banning High game, -Jim was left for a space superior to none.</p> - -<p>So far, save for a word in passing, he had held -no communication with Coach Cade, and if that -gentleman felt any satisfaction over Jim’s presence<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_74" id="Page_74">[74]</a></span> -among the players he disguised it perfectly. -Not that Jim had expected any expression of -gratitude, of course, but it was difficult to reconcile -Clem’s statement on that first night of the -term with the coach’s apparent complete indifference. -Clem had declared that Mr. Cade was -anxious to have Jim report. And since he had -reported, Mr. Cade had never even noticed him. -Jim reached the not unnatural conclusion that -Clem had slightly exaggerated the coach’s concern.</p> - -<p>Lowell Woodruff, though, fully atoned for any -inattention on the coach’s part. Lowell assured -Jim more than once that he fully appreciated the -latter’s presence among the candidates, and he -was almost embarrassingly solicitous as to his -welfare. In fact, his efforts to keep Jim contented -with his lot were so painstaking that Jim -got it into his head that the manager was making -fun of him, and he took a mild dislike to the well-meaning -Lowell. As he made no mention of the -matter to Clem, the misunderstanding existed well -into the season.</p> - -<p>Alton played the local high school team, winning -by 21 to 7 in a long and uninteresting contest, -and defeated Banning High School a week -later by 17 to 0. Jim watched both contests from -the bench and added considerably to his knowledge -of the science in which he was a beginner.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_75" id="Page_75">[75]</a></span> -But neither game produced any thrilling moments, -and Jim continued unmoved in his opinion -that football was rather an uninteresting pursuit -and certainly not deserving of all the time and attention -given it. Then, after a week of practice -that made the preceding fortnight seem in retrospect -a period of languid idleness, Lorimer Academy -visited Alton, and Jim’s conviction was -slightly shaken.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_76" id="Page_76">[76]</a></span></p> - - - - -<div class="chapter"> -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_VII" id="CHAPTER_VII">CHAPTER VII</a><br /> -<small>OFF-SIDE</small></h2> -</div> - - -<p>Lorimer always gave a scrappy argument. In -fact, she had on one occasion argued so well that -a tie score had resulted. This year she looked -better than usual when she went onto the field -for practice, and there were those on the stands -who, perhaps naturally pessimistic, shook their -heads and predicted a defeat for the Gray-and-Gold. -They had reason on their side, too, for -Lorimer was known to have a practically veteran -team while Alton’s team was still in the throes -of constructing itself around no more than four -proven warriors. And the visitors had superior -weight in both line and backfield, although the -superiority was not vast. So the pessimists had -plenty of arguments with which to support their -dismal prophecies.</p> - -<p>Coach Cade put his best foot forward when the -game started, using the best material he had in -the hope of getting a safe lead in the first half. -After that he could use his substitutes with discrimination -and, he believed, hold the enemy at -bay. But the safe lead didn’t materialize according<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_77" id="Page_77">[77]</a></span> -to his program. Gains through the Lorimer -line were few and difficult to make, and before -the game was ten minutes old it was apparent -that, with the few plays Alton had at present, she -was going to be hard put to score unless the -breaks came her way. In the first period the -only break came when Lorimer blocked Steve -Whittier’s try at a field goal on her thirty-three -yards and a Lorimer tackle scooped up the -trickling ball and sped to Alton’s twenty-seven -yards before he was brought down from behind -by Billy Frost. It looked very much like a Lorimer -score just then, and when the enemy had -tossed a forward pass across the center of the -line for six yards more it looked vastly more like -it. It took Lorimer the next three downs to get -the rest of her distance and fetch up just inside -the seventeen. Doubtless the pessimists were -gloomily happy then. But Lorimer didn’t have -the punch to score, for, after one smash at left -tackle had been stopped, an end run had lost half -a yard and a forward pass had grounded near -the side-line, her try for a goal from near the -twenty-five-yard line failed.</p> - -<p>Alton had some success with a full-back run -from kick-formation, Crumb carrying the ball, -and got off one forward-pass of twenty yards, -Crumb to Kinsey, and worked the pigskin back -to mid-field and then into Lorimer territory. But<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_78" id="Page_78">[78]</a></span> -the invasion petered out in a punt that the Lorimer -quarter-back took on his five-yard-line and -laid down finally on his thirty-one. The Lorimer -rooters thought well of that incident and let the -fact be known. Alton displayed scarcely any -signs of delight. That ended the first ten-minute -quarter.</p> - -<p>As if to play even, Fortune favored the home -team soon after the second period began by giving -her a chance to score when Billy Frost poked -his way outside tackle and got free for a thirty-eight-yard -scamper that put the ball down on the -adversary’s twenty-six. Crumb hit the right of -center for two and got three more outside tackle. -Billy Frost tried the left end, was thrown for -no gain, and Steve Whittier dropped back to the -thirty while Quarter-back Kinsey knelt on the -turf in front of him and held his hands out for -the ball. Alton was all ready to burst into triumphant -cheers, for Steve was a good place-kicker, -and the ball was directly in front of the goal. -But Alton was reckoning without Mr. Loring -Cheswick, center. Loring set himself firmly and -carefully, measured distance and noted direction -and then sped the ball a foot above Pep’s reach!</p> - -<p>So that ended that incident, except that Steve -did all that was humanly possible by chasing the -bounding pigskin back to the forty-yard line, -gathering it up expeditiously and doubling back<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_79" id="Page_79">[79]</a></span> -toward the Lorimer goal. But the best he could -do was to reach the thirty-four, close to the side-line, -where he was pulled to earth by no fewer -than three of the enemy. Alton seemed discouraged -and Pep’s choice of plays was not of the -best. A plunge on the short side of the field -netted but a scant yard and didn’t take the runner -over the side-line. Pep’s own run to the left -almost centered the ball but lost the first gain and -two yards more. A fake kick from placement, -which fooled nobody, gave Crumb four yards -through center, and after a conference that was -rudely interrupted by the referee, Whittier -punted to Lorimer’s three yards.</p> - -<p>Lorimer kicked promptly and got distance, and -Pep was downed where he caught. On the first -play Levering, at left end, was caught off-side, -and Alton was set back to the forty-seven yards. -Two downs failed to gain, and Alton punted again. -This time Pep got height but not much more and -the ball was Lorimer’s on her thirty-one when -the catcher was stopped. It was there and then -that the visitor began a march up the field that -would not be denied. Three first downs brought -her to Alton’s thirty-seven. Coach Cade sent in -fresh linemen to the number of three and for a -moment the advance faltered. Then a forward-pass -gathered in eight yards and a plunge at -center brought another first down. Progress was<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_80" id="Page_80">[80]</a></span> -slower but still apparently sure, and Lorimer -reached the sixteen in four plays. There, however, -with the time-keeper hovering fatefully -near, Alton dug her cleats and spoiled two attempts -at her line. From the fourteen yards -Lorimer brought off a tricky forward-pass that -was shot across the goal-line from behind a wall -of moving interference. That pass failed badly, -though, for the receiver was not in position, and -after the ball had been juggled by two Alton backs -it grounded. Had Lorimer fulfilled the expectations -of the audience she might have ended the -first half with a three-point lead, for it was only -reasonable to suppose that a try-at-goal from the -twenty-four yards would succeed. But Lorimer, -perhaps reasoning that her opponent was certain -to score before the game was over, in which case -three points would not be sufficient for a victory, -decided on all or nothing. With eight yards -needed for a first down she set the stage for a -drop-kick and then shot her quarter-back on a -wide run behind good interference. For a moment -it looked as if she was going to get what -she was after, for when the quarter turned in he -went romping straight for the goal-line, threw off -two tacklers and seemed safe for a touch-down. -But Hick Powers saved the day for the Gray-and-Gold, -plunging into the runner and lifting him -back into a fighting mêlée. The referee whistled<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_81" id="Page_81">[81]</a></span> -and dug his heel into the five-yard line, and then, -after a look at the rods, waved his hand up the -field. Alton shouted relief and triumph. After -Whittier had punted from behind his line the half -ended.</p> - -<p>Jim went back to the gymnasium with the rest -of the squad, feeling for almost the first time -that perhaps football did, after all, hold compensations -for all the drudgery and hard knocks entailed; -that is, if you were on the field instead -of the bench! He began to wonder what his -chances were of ever taking a hand in a real contest, -and what he could do to better them.</p> - -<p>Mr. Cade’s talk before the players took the -field again was brief and energetic. Jim, listening -attentively from the outer edge of the circle, -had lost his unsympathetic attitude. There was -sense in what Johnny was telling them, and reason. -After all, it <em>did</em> seem necessary to lick Lorimer, -and, if you granted that, then there was -excuse enough for all this intensity of purpose. -Jim added his own voice to the cheer that followed -the coach’s final grim, “Let’s go get -’em!”</p> - -<p>There were changes in the line-up of each team -when the ball was kicked off again, but Alton -presented more new faces than did her opponent. -There were new men in the line and two new men -behind it. One of these was Latham at quarter-back.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_82" id="Page_82">[82]</a></span> -Latham proved good medicine while he -stayed in, for Alton worked faster and with more -vim than in the first half. Yet for seven minutes -of the ten neither team threatened. Then a -fumbled punt was recovered by Levering on -Lorimer’s thirty-three yards and suddenly the -Gray-and-Gold visioned success and went after -it hard. Crumb, who had borne a great deal of -the work in the first two periods and had been -taken out to rest, was hurried back and celebrated -his return with a fine off-tackle charge that took -the ball to the twenty-six. Latham gained a yard -straight through center and Crumb made it first -down on the enemy’s twenty-two.</p> - -<p>An end run put away a scant two, and Frost -was stopped trying to get inside right tackle. -Steve Whittier went back to the thirty-three -yards as though to try a goal, but the ball went -to Crumb and the full-back got another two -through right guard. With six to go on fourth -down a field-goal seemed the only hope, for -Alton’s passing game was still undeveloped, and -when Steve again went back the eyes of the Lorimer -sympathizers sought the cross-bar. But -Steve didn’t kick the ball when he got it. He -lifted it in his right hand and stepped back and -out to the left. Then he shot it diagonally across -toward the right-hand corner of the field, where -Levering was speeding toward the goal-line. The<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_83" id="Page_83">[83]</a></span> -right end looked over his shoulder, stopped -abruptly, letting a Lorimer back go past, and -pulled the pass out of the air on the seven yards. -He made the four before he was forced over the -side-line. When the ball had been brought in -and a winded Lorimer man had been administered -to, Crumb tried the right of center and made a -scant yard. Pandemonium reigned in the stands. -Latham tried to knife himself through center and -added part of a second yard. Crumb again went -straight at center. It seemed that Alton was determined -to make that score there or not at all. -The linesman’s little iron stick moved forward -another two feet. Fourth down and still about -two to go. This time Crumb went back a little -farther from his line, and when, once more, he -took the pass from center he was going hard -when he reached the swaying lines. Playing desperately -but playing low, Lorimer might have -withstood this final attack by the heavy full-back -had he stayed on his feet, but he didn’t. He went -up and over, and although he was soon borne back -again, he had reached the last white line first, -and that long-deferred score had been won at -last!</p> - -<p>When the last quarter started, a minute and a -half after Captain Fingal had missed the try-for-point -by inches only, Coach Cade put back -most of his first-string players, and for the succeeding<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_84" id="Page_84">[84]</a></span> -ten minutes of playing time the Gray-and-Gold -punted on first down as often as the -ball became hers inside her forty-yard line. She -was frankly on the defensive now and sought delay -by all fair means. Twice, early in the period, -Lorimer started an advance by forward-passes -that got no farther than the thirty-five. -The second one ended when Levering intercepted -a long heave and ran it back into enemy territory. -On the whole, that final quarter was all -Alton’s, for the ball reached her territory only -three times and never stayed long. Lorimer’s -passing game failing her, she had little left to -offer, for while her backs could still gain through -the opposing line the gains were too short to -score with.</p> - -<p>When the quarter was almost over, Coach Cade -ripped his team apart and put it together again -with many new components. It was risky, but -the results upheld him. Jim Todd, never for an -instant expecting the call to duty, failed to hear -it until a neighbor ejected him from the bench -with a rude hand at the back of his neck. Jim, -blinking, found Coach Cade beckoning. “Go in -at left tackle,” he commanded. “Roice is out. -Report to the referee and don’t speak to another -person until the first play is over. Let’s see -what you can do, Todd. If any one gets through -you you’ll hear from me!”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_85" id="Page_85">[85]</a></span></p> - -<p>Jim tried to remember all those instructions -as he hurried on and concluded that he had probably -missed some of them. Probably he hadn’t, -though, for he fulfilled them all. No one threatened -his position seriously during the remaining -three minutes of actual play. Or, if any one did, -Jim didn’t realize it. Once he got quite a thrill -when a scowling, dirt-smeared face crashed into -his shoulder, and he seized a writhing body and -deposited it back where it had come from, and -once he got a terrific jar when, seeking to tackle -a speeding Lorimer half, he missed badly and -landed, to the best of his knowledge, on the back -of his neck and did a wild and doubtless inelegant -somersault. He felt both hurt and foolish -and wondered for an instant if any one had observed -his humiliation. There was, he concluded, -quite a difference between tackling the dummy -and tackling an enemy runner. He made up his -mind that the next time he would do better. But, -although he ran around a good deal during the -rest of the game, and got slightly winded when -some unknown person butted him in the stomach -with a knee, he had no opportunity to redeem himself -as a tackler. To his surprise, he discovered -that he was considerably excited, so excited, in -fact, that after one play a horn squawked and a -voice that Jim didn’t like at all called: “Alton -left tackle off-side!”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_86" id="Page_86">[86]</a></span></p> - -<p>“<em>Me?</em>” demanded Jim in tones of outrage. -“Who says so?”</p> - -<p>He looked about for some one to discuss it -with, but Pep Kinsey, back at quarter, told him -to shut up and watch what he was doing, and -then Lorimer’s signals came again and he had -to accept the verdict. Fortunately that five-yard -set-back, occurring as it did well inside Lorimer -territory, made no real difference, and after a -Lorimer back had made a desperate effort to skirt -the Alton left end and had been piled on his head -for a scant one-yard gain the game ended.</p> - -<p>Going back to the gymnasium, with the lessening -cheers of the Alton supporters in his ears, -Jim tried to convince Charley Levering that some -one had done him a great injustice. But Charley -only grinned and said rudely: “You’re cuckoo, -Todd. You were off-side a yard when the ball -moved.”</p> - -<p>“I was?” asked Jim, crestfallen, still incredulous.</p> - -<p>“Of course you were. I saw you myself, -didn’t I? You’ve got to be mighty clever to beat -the ball and get away with it nowadays, Todd. -If I were you I’d cut it out.”</p> - -<p>“But I didn’t mean to! I didn’t know—”</p> - -<p>“That’s what we all say,” jeered Levering. -“But all it gets us is five yards—backward!”</p> - -<p>Jim was forced to the conclusion that the individual<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_87" id="Page_87">[87]</a></span> -with the unpleasant voice was probably -right, after all. Jim recalled the fact that at the -moment he had been slightly excited. Maybe he -had started too soon. He wondered if Coach -Cade would hold it against him. He must take -care not to do it again, anyhow!</p> - -<p>There was a meeting of the Maine-and-Vermont -Club that evening and Jim didn’t see Clem to -talk to until bedtime. Then, to Clem’s utter surprise, -Jim began a narrative, a most detailed and -exhaustive story of the last three minutes of the -afternoon’s contest. Jim recounted what he had -done, what he had failed to do, what he had -thought and how he had felt during every one -of the, approximately, six hundred seconds that -he had been on the field. Clem let him run down. -Then he said: “Well, Jim, I’ll say you did mighty -well.”</p> - -<p>Jim looked thoughtful while a slow smile encompassed -his features. “Well, I don’t know,” -he answered modestly. “Do you really?”</p> - -<p>“I certainly do,” affirmed Clem emphatically. -“Of course, Lorimer was probably pretty well -tuckered out by that time, but, just the same, for -you to keep them from scoring was quite a stunt.”</p> - -<p>“Well,” began Jim doubtfully.</p> - -<p>“If you’d had any help it would be different, -Jim, but for you, alone and unaided, to do a thing -like you tell about was great!”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_88" id="Page_88">[88]</a></span></p> - -<p>“Alone?” faltered Jim, puzzled. “I didn’t -say I was alone. Of course I wasn’t alone, -Clem!”</p> - -<p>“You weren’t?” Clem registered surprise. -“Oh, my mistake, old son. You see, you didn’t -mention any one else and so I naturally concluded -that—”</p> - -<p>“Oh, gosh,” muttered Jim feebly.</p> - -<p>“So you had help, eh?”</p> - -<p>“For a rotten apple I’d punch your face,” replied -Jim, grinning. “Honest, I didn’t know I -was bragging, Clem!”</p> - -<p>“I don’t think you were, Jim. I was just having -my little joke. Anyway, for a chap who -couldn’t see football at all a couple of weeks ago -you seem to be at least faintly interested in it!”</p> - -<p>“I guess,” said Jim thoughtfully, “I’m going -to like it!”</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_89" id="Page_89">[89]</a></span></p> - - - - -<div class="chapter"> -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_VIII" id="CHAPTER_VIII">CHAPTER VIII</a><br /> -<small>JIM BUYS A FOOTBALL</small></h2> -</div> - - -<p>As a room-mate Jim was, Clem soon decided, a -very satisfactory chap. They got on together excellently. -Jim was not monotonous as a companion, -for while he might fairly be termed even -tempered you couldn’t call him good-natured in -the popular meaning of the term. If you expected -to put anything over on Jim, relying on -his good nature to get away with it, you were in -for a surprise. Clem realized that without a -demonstration. Jim would take a joke perfectly, -but he had a sense of dignity that prohibited liberties. -That he was capable of temper Clem -didn’t doubt, although he held it well under -control.</p> - -<p>When Jim had declared in his letter to Clem -that he was “neat about the place” he had, Clem -soon decided, stated less than the facts. Clem -himself was certainly not untidy, but his idea of -neatness and Jim’s were wide apart. Jim looked -after his part of Number 15 so carefully and -minutely that Clem’s half of the room suffered -badly by comparison. Clem said once: “You<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_90" id="Page_90">[90]</a></span> -aren’t neat, Jim, you’re finnicky!” For a fortnight -Clem really suffered from such excess of -tidiness, for quite unconsciously Jim’s attentions -were extended to his room-mate’s territory and -the book tossed on the table in the morning had -mysteriously disappeared by afternoon, to be discovered, -after patient search, neatly hidden under -a pile of others. If he left his cap on his bed, -half an hour later it was gone. At first he used -to look on the floor for it and under the bed. -Later he learned to go directly to his closet and -take it down from a hook. The second time this -experience fell to him he said: “Hang it all, Jim, -what’s the idea? Here it is in the closet. You -must have put it there. I know I didn’t!”</p> - -<p>“Really?” asked Jim, surprised. “I don’t remember -touching it. I’m awfully sorry.”</p> - -<p>“Oh, it’s all right,” answered Clem, “but do -you know what I think? I think you must have -been born in a filing cabinet!”</p> - -<p>Jim looked slightly blank, and Clem went out -without elucidating.</p> - -<p>After some two weeks of life in Number 15 -with Jim, Clem caught the habit. He never attained -to such perfection of orderliness as the -other’s, and doubtless to the end of their days -together Jim secretly considered Clem just a -trifle careless about the room, but, just as evidence -of how thoroughly he had fallen under<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_91" id="Page_91">[91]</a></span> -Jim’s spell, he once, having reached the door on -his way to chapel, returned the length of the room -to place his slippers more perfectly in alignment -under the head of the bed. It is doubtful, however, -if Jim would have given him any credit for -that. Jim would have kept his slippers, had he -owned a pair, in his closet!</p> - -<p>At the beginning of the term the two were not -together a great deal outside of sleeping and -study hours. Jim foregathered frequently with -certain members of the Maine-and-Vermont Club -and Clem’s acquaintances were not yet Jim’s. -They might have been, for Clem suggested more -than once that his room-mate accompany him on -his social excursions. But Jim invariably had an -excuse. The latter did meet two or three of -Clem’s circle of intimates, but the meetings were -only casual. The school year was a fortnight old -when Jim first blossomed out in society.</p> - -<p>The occasion was a birthday party given by -Arthur Landorf to Arthur Landorf and some -of Arthur Landorf’s friends. Much assistance, -however, was provided by Art’s parents, for they -had sent a box holding practically all the requirements -of a birthday celebration, including a -frosted cake with seventeen pink candles. The -affair was held in Number 20 Lykes, which room -Art shared with Larry Adams. Art was a hockey -and baseball man and Larry a member of the second<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_92" id="Page_92">[92]</a></span> -eleven. When Art invited Clem he added: -“And bring your room-mate, whatever his name -is, if he cares to come.” So Clem delivered the -invitation to Jim and Jim started to find an excuse, -as usual. But Clem was fed up by now.</p> - -<p>“Stop it!” he said sternly. “I don’t give a -continental if you’ve got a dinner engagement -with Doctor Maitland himself and are down to -address the faculty afterwards! You’re going -with me to Art’s blow-out and you might just as -well make up your mind to it. Say, what’s the -colossal idea, anyhow? Aren’t my associates -good enough for you?”</p> - -<p>“Oh, I don’t like to butt in on that crowd,” -said Jim. “I ain’t their sort, Clem. I—I -haven’t got any parlor tricks.”</p> - -<p>“Parlor tricks! Who’s asking you to do tricks? -You can sit on a chair or a bed or something -without falling off, can’t you? And you can say -‘Thank you’ when some one shoves a hunk of -cake at you, I suppose. Well, that’s all you have -to do, you big lummox.”</p> - -<p>“We-ell, if you think I won’t be in the way,” -said Jim dubiously, “and this fellow really said -to ask me—”</p> - -<p>“Oh, shut up,” grumbled Clem. “Would I be -asking you if he didn’t? Thursday night, old -son, and don’t forget.”</p> - -<p>“Well, maybe—”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_93" id="Page_93">[93]</a></span></p> - -<p>“That’ll be all,” declared Clem. “It’s settled.”</p> - -<p>So Jim went along, somewhat subdued at first -and hanging back when they reached Number 20 -Lykes, from beyond the closed door of which -sounds of merriment issued. But Clem herded -him inside and shut off escape, and then Jim was -shaking hands with Art and assuring him that he -was “glad to make his acquaintance.” Whereupon, -Art, not to be outdone, replied gravely: -“The pleasure is all mine, Mr. Todd,” and Jim -made his way through a sea of protruding legs -to a seat in a far corner, fortunately not observing -the smiles that followed his progress. To his -relief, he presently discovered that he knew three -of the party, at least to speak to: Lowell Woodruff -and Hick Powers and Larry Adams. The -gathering was presently completed by the arrival -of Gus Fingal and George Imbrie, the latter -editor-in-chief of the school weekly, <cite>The Doubleay</cite>. -The two were amusingly unalike, for Imbrie’s -short, slim form reached only to the football captain’s -shoulder, and whereas Gus’s big, square -head was radiant with tow-colored hair that -looked almost silvery in the light, Imbrie’s was -clad in very dark locks slicked smoothly away -from a pale, intellectual forehead. Imbrie wore -tortoise-shell “cheaters,” although it was rumored -that they were only for effect and aided<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_94" id="Page_94">[94]</a></span> -his sight no more than Harold Lloyd’s aided his! -With the arrival of the last guests the proceedings -opened officially. That is, Art turned off the -electric light, switched aside a newspaper that -had covered the birthday cake and applied a -match to the seventeen little pink candles. Loud -applause followed and then, at a signal from -Larry Adams, Art tried to blow out the candles -in one mighty breath and failed because Gus -slammed him between the shoulders just then. -After that the cake was cut—with a clasp-knife -for want of anything better—and the feast began.</p> - -<p>Some hosts might have kept the cake until -toward the end of the repast, but Art said it didn’t -seem to him to matter whether you ate your cake -first or last, just so you got it, and so it was devoured -right along with the sandwiches and -pickles and olives and ginger cookies and sweet -chocolate and all the other delicacies. Of the -gathering, however, four were out of luck, for although -the football candidates at Alton were allowed -more leeway in the matter of diet than before -the days of Coach Cade, sweets were not in -great favor, and so Jim, who, while not at the -training table, was still bound in honor to observe -training table rules, and Captain Gus and -Powers and Adams had to be content with homeopathic -portions of cake and to confine the balance -of their menu to the sandwiches and olives. But<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_95" id="Page_95">[95]</a></span> -there was plenty of tepid gingerale and they fared -well enough.</p> - -<p>Lowell Woodruff found a place next to Jim -when the party reseated itself and did his best -to be agreeable. Jim, however, still viewed him -with suspicion and the conversation didn’t become -animated, and after a while Lowell gave up and -turned to his neighbor on the other side. On the -whole, Jim didn’t have a very happy time at that -party. Clem was separated from him by the -width of the room and hidden for the most of -the time by the table, and Jim felt rather out of -it. He was glad when Gus Fingal’s departure -broke up the gathering. He tried to tell his host -politely that he had enjoyed his party, but was -saved from the untruth when one of the others -pushed him outside. In the jostling and confusion -he got away without a word to Art. Returning -to the next dormitory, Clem did all the talking. -Perhaps it didn’t occur to him to ask if -Jim had had a good time. At all events, he -didn’t ask, and Jim was glad of it. Jim was a -poor liar, and knew it.</p> - -<p>That ended Jim’s social activities for some -time. There were no more birthday parties -among Clem’s friends, but Clem tried on several -occasions to get Jim to accompany him on visits -to other rooms, and Jim thanked him and declined -firmly. Clem called him a hermit.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_96" id="Page_96">[96]</a></span></p> - -<p>Following the Lorimer game Jim’s services -were called on daily. Sometimes he got into the -scrimmage for only a handful of minutes, infrequently -he worked through a whole period. He -had survived the second and last cut and had -taken his place on the squad as a second-string -tackle. There was even the possibility, indeed -the probability, of getting into the Kenly Hall -game, for the roster of tackles included only three -others: Roice, Sawyer and Mulford. Jim was -the least experienced of the lot, and at this stage -he knew perfectly well that so far as playing ability -went he was a bad fourth. But he had hopes -of becoming as good as Mulford, at least. In -more optimistic moments he even saw himself -rivaling Willard Sawyer, who was the present incumbent -of the right tackle position. What -he couldn’t imagine was ever equaling Roice. -“Rolls” was almost the best lineman on the team. -Only Captain Fingal was graded above him by -popular opinion.</p> - -<p>Jim had not only held the weight he had -brought back with him but had added three -pounds to it, and while, later on, he frequently -dropped those three during a hard afternoon, he -always found them again. Had Jim been more -experienced he might well have wondered sometimes -at being retained on the squad. He had -played football but three weeks or so before the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_97" id="Page_97">[97]</a></span> -present season and had not during those three -weeks shown much ability. He was at least six -pounds lighter than the position called for, since -Alton always presented a heavy line. In general -appearance, he did not suggest the ideal tackle. -But Jim had seen little football and so it didn’t -occur to him that there was anything unusual in -his choice as a tackle. Not a few amateur critics, -however, declared that Todd might be end material -but would never be of any value as a tackle. -He didn’t have enough weight, they said, and -what he had wasn’t distributed properly. Besides, -who was he, anyway, and what had he ever -done to get where he was?</p> - -<p>But Coach Cade wasn’t making a very great -mistake. If Jim was somewhat lacking in weight—he -was nine pounds lighter than Rolls Roice, -for instance—he possessed two other of the necessary -qualifications of a good tackle, and might -later show that he had a third. Weight he lacked, -mental ability he had not shown, but physical -speed and stamina he did have. He was fast developing -into the speediest candidate for his position, -and Coach Cade, who held speed in the -deepest reverence, was ready to forgive him many -shortcomings. Also, Jim had hard muscles, -muscles developed in the open air and at a greater -variety of strenuous tasks than most boys know, -and he had endurance. You might tire Jim, but<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_98" id="Page_98">[98]</a></span> -you couldn’t tire him out. At least, no one ever -had. Jim’s father could tell you of walking sixty -miles between daybreak and sundown in the old -days of logging in Maine; and Jim looked a whole -lot like his father! Coach Cade couldn’t know of -the boy’s stamina yet, but he did suspect it, and -as time went on he was able to indulge in not a -little self-gratulation, which is pleasant even to -a football coach.</p> - -<p>Once having become thoroughly interested in -the game, Jim learned about twice as fast as he -had before. At first he accepted instruction without -giving it much thought. Now he sought the -reason for everything he was taught, found it -and understood what he was doing and why. Jim -liked to know the logic of what he undertook. If -he couldn’t discover a reason for doing a thing -he didn’t do it unless some one forced him to. -Then he did it only half-heartedly. His rules -book helped him a lot. There were books that -would have explained many things to him and -saved him much thought, but he didn’t know of -them; and studying things out for himself doubtless -made him remember them better. He amused -Clem about this time—I am speaking of the week -between the Lorimer and Southport games—by -buying a football of his own and keeping it on -the closet shelf. Several times daily he would -take it down and handle it; drop it on the floor<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_99" id="Page_99">[99]</a></span> -and catch it as it rebounded, place it on the floor -and pick it up with one hand, his long fingers -wrapping themselves about the end like—as Clem -phrased it—a starfish on a quahog. Sometimes -Clem would look up to find Jim with the ball -poised in his right hand as if he meant to hurl -it straight through the window, and always when -he studied his rules book the brown leather -spheroid was in his lap. Clem told him one evening, -in mild protest, that he was sickening.</p> - -<p>“You fondle that silly thing like it was a baby! -What’s the idea, Jim?”</p> - -<p>“Just want to—to get used to it,” replied Jim. -“Want to know what I can do with it. You see, -shaped like it is, you can’t handle it just like you -can a round ball, Clem.”</p> - -<p>“My word! Think of that! And you discovered -that all by yourself, too, didn’t you?”</p> - -<p>“Shut up,” said Jim, grinning. “Say, just -stand over there and toss me a few, will you?”</p> - -<p>“Toss you— No, I’ll be switched if I’m going -to turn this room into a gridiron. First thing I -know you’ll be moving the furniture out and kicking -the thing around!”</p> - -<p>But he did toss the ball to Jim in the end, and -Jim caught it various ways, studying each way, -while Clem looked on and waited for the return -of the ball with the expression of one humoring -a lunatic. So far as Clem ever discovered that<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_100" id="Page_100">[100]</a></span> -ball was never taken out of Number 15, until it -went out for good, but it certainly saw a lot of -handling there!</p> - -<p>The Thursday before the Southport game Jim -played a full fifteen minutes against the second -team, and busy, strenuous minutes they were. -He had been tried at left tackle and right tackle, -and had discovered no preference, but to-day he -went in between Smith, substituting Captain Fingal, -and Borden, the regular right end. There -had already been a fifteen-minute scrimmage with -the scrubs, in which the big team had scored a -solitary touchdown, and now the scrubs were aching -for vengeance. Jim had his hands very full -with the opposing guard when the first team had -the ball, for the guard played wide and Jim had -a big stretch of line to cover. But he was fast, -and it soon developed that plays sent through the -right of its own line were netting the first team -more than those on the other side. Jim usually -beat his opponent on starting, and he came up -hard, with his back straight and a lot of power in -his charge. He made mistakes still and was -“called down” half a dozen times for one thing -or another. But even the most experienced fared -not much better that day. Twice Jim spilled a -runner behind the line—once, alas, receiving as -his reward harsh words because he should have -gone for the interference instead—and he tackled<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_101" id="Page_101">[101]</a></span> -well, using his body and not relying on his arms -alone. On the whole, while he made no spectacular -plays that afternoon, Jim came out of the fifteen-minute -session with his stock higher than it -had been, and when the Alton paper published -the day’s line-up on Saturday morning, the sixth -line read: “Sawyer or Todd.” But then, a hard -game was not looked for and Coach Cade had -planned to use several substitutes at the start. -As it turned out, Jim didn’t get in until the third -period was half over and the game was laid safely -away, the score 26 to 9. But he showed up rather -well while he played, which was until he got a -wrenched knee a scant three minutes before the -end, and emerged with a nickname. When he -came off, limping, some sympathetic freshman -shouted, “Atta boy, Slim!” And “Slim” Todd -it was thereafter.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_102" id="Page_102">[102]</a></span></p> - - - - -<div class="chapter"> -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_IX" id="CHAPTER_IX">CHAPTER IX</a><br /> -<small>EXPERTS IN CONFERENCE</small></h2> -</div> - - -<p>There was no work on Monday for those who -had taken part in the Southport game. Even -Jim, although he had contributed but some fifteen -minutes of his time to the contest, was excused. -The victory had been an easy one, but it -had nevertheless cost Alton heavily, since four -of the first and second-string men had met with -injuries. Only Crumb had fared seriously, however, -and not for several days was the full extent -of his injury known to the school at large. Then -it was learned that he had fractured some bone -with an unpronounceable name, located in his left -leg, and would be out of the game for some time. -In fact, whether he could get around again in time -for the Kenly game was problematic. This news -was received with consternation, for Crumb had -shown himself the best ground-gainer in the Gray-and-Gold -backfield, the only one, indeed, who -could be relied on for heavy line-smashes to produce -short but certain gains. Weight, speed and -fight made him an ideal full-back, and his loss, -even if it proved only temporary, was going to -be keenly felt. Tennyson, who must fill his shoes,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_103" id="Page_103">[103]</a></span> -was twelve pounds lighter and was an almost unknown -quantity as yet. He had shown ability in -practice and in the first two games, but had not -played against Lorimer, nor against Southport -until the last quarter was well along. However -well he might develop, it seemed certain that he -would never show either the power or the ding-dong -fighting spirit that had made Tom Crumb’s -work notable.</p> - -<p>Jim’s knee responded readily to treatment, and -he could have stood the gaff on Monday had he -been allowed to, which he wasn’t. All he could -do was go to the field and watch the first team -substitutes practice and, later, get mauled about -by the second. The only incident of interest to -Jim occurred when Manager Woodruff found him -on the stand and announced: “Todd, you’re to -join the training table to-night.”</p> - -<p>Jim blinked and considered. Then, “Well, I -don’t know, Woodruff,” he said slowly. “I guess -I’d just as lief not.”</p> - -<p>“You—what?” gasped Lowell.</p> - -<p>“Well, you see I’m getting on right well where -I am, and I’m sort of used to the fellows.”</p> - -<p>“You’re a queer guy,” said Lowell, feelingly. -“Don’t you know that any other fellow would be -tickled to death to be taken on?”</p> - -<p>Jim pondered that. “No, I didn’t know,” he -acknowledged finally. “Anyhow, I don’t really<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_104" id="Page_104">[104]</a></span> -care two cents about it, and if there’s some one -else that would like it—”</p> - -<p>“Can’t be done, Todd,” Lowell grinned. “Mr. -Cade’s set his heart on you.”</p> - -<p>“He says I’m to go?” asked Jim with more -animation.</p> - -<p>“He sure does. Them’s his orders, Todd. -Show up this evening, eh?”</p> - -<p>“Of course. I didn’t quite understand. Much -obliged.”</p> - -<p>“Quite welcome. Say, you’re getting along -pretty well, aren’t you. How’s the ankle, by the -way?”</p> - -<p>“Ankle? Oh, it was my knee. It’s all right. -Say, I guess maybe I acted sort of sour the other -night.”</p> - -<p>“What night was that?” asked Lowell.</p> - -<p>“Up in that fellow’s room. What’s his name? -The fellow who had the birthday cake. Yes, Landorf. -Well, I guess I seemed like I didn’t want -to talk.”</p> - -<p>“Why, yes, I did get some such impression, -Todd, but it was your say. If I didn’t want to -talk, I wouldn’t. But I always do!”</p> - -<p>“Well, it was like this.” Jim frowned slightly -in the effort to explain. “I sort of thought you -were kidding me.”</p> - -<p>“Kidding you?”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_105" id="Page_105">[105]</a></span></p> - -<p>“Yes, before that. Right along. You were always -sort of telling me that I was getting on -great, and things like that.”</p> - -<p>“Well, Great Scott, so you were!”</p> - -<p>“Maybe I was. I didn’t know. It didn’t seem -so to me, anyhow. Seemed to me I was pretty -stupid. And I thought you were sort of having -a joke with me. I didn’t mind, exactly, only— -Well, maybe I did mind a little.”</p> - -<p>“But I wasn’t joking, Todd. I—look here, I’ll -be honest. Remember how you up and flew the -coop last Fall? That was Dolf Chapin’s fault. -You needed a bit of patting on the back and encouragement -to make you stick. He didn’t see -it. So you got it into your head that nobody -loved you and your pie was all crust. Well, I -didn’t want it to happen again like that this year. -Why, bless your dear heart, sonny, I’ve watched -you the way a fond mother watches her favorite -kid. Every time I’ve seen you sitting down there -on the bench looking kind of lonesome I’ve had -heart failure. I wanted to go over and tell you -funny stories and sing songs and do tricks to -bring the light of happiness back to your sad eyes! -I dare say I sounded like a silly ass sometimes -when I tried to cheer you up, but that was because -you aren’t what I’d call responsive, Todd, -and I always had the feeling that you thought I<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_106" id="Page_106">[106]</a></span> -was a blamed pest. You know, anything like that -does kind of take the zest from a chap’s conversation!”</p> - -<p>Jim was smiling, and as Lowell paused he -chuckled and said: “Gosh, I thought all the time -that you thought I was rotten and didn’t know -it, and were just having fun seeing how much -I’d swallow! Say, I hope you’ll excuse me, -Woodruff.”</p> - -<p>“Sure will! Anyway, I fancy it was my—well—method -of approach that was at fault. I was -so gol-derned anxious to make you one of our -happy little family so you wouldn’t jump the -traces again that—well, I guess I was <em>too</em> anxious! -Believe me, though, I wasn’t making fun of you, -Todd. Wouldn’t have had a chance, anyway. -Why, hang it, you’ve made more progress than -any geezer in the bunch! You didn’t know much -football, when you come right down to it, and -you <em>learned</em>. Now you know more than a lot of -the fellows who have been playing for four or -five years.”</p> - -<p>“<em>Me?</em>” ejaculated Jim. He looked at Lowell -with something of the old suspicion. But the -manager met his eyes squarely and nodded emphatically.</p> - -<p>“You, Todd! Why, you’re coming ahead so -fast that you’ve got Johnny Cade blinking. I -could tell you something that would make you<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_107" id="Page_107">[107]</a></span> -open your eyes, but I mustn’t. Well, I’ve got to -be getting back down there and earning my -princely wage. Don’t forget to show up at training -table to-night. I’m responsible for you.”</p> - -<p>“I won’t. And—say, I’m glad you really think -I’m getting on. It was right hard at first to get -the hang of things. Maybe I ain’t got the hang -of ’em yet, but I guess I’m some better.”</p> - -<p>“Rather! That’s speaking very mildly, too. -See you later!”</p> - -<p>Being only human, Jim sat there and basked -in the sunshine of Lowell’s praise for some time. -He had worked hard and faithfully and until now -he had never been assured that he had really won -success. Of course, Clem had spoken encouragingly -many times, but Clem was a friend and no -football man and maybe didn’t know. Lowell -Woodruff was different. Lowell knew football -and football players and he was on the inside. -Jim hugged his knees and felt that life was a -very satisfactory affair. And then, when practice -was over, he followed the players back to -the gymnasium, realized that he had no reason -for going inside and so wandered across the -campus and through State street and at the next -corner met with an encounter that caused him to -reconsider his opinion of life.</p> - -<p>There was a conference in Coach Cade’s quarters -that Monday evening. The coach occupied<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_108" id="Page_108">[108]</a></span> -rooms in the old-fashioned white house at the -corner of Academy and State streets, opposite -the main gate to the campus. His living-room -was a comfortable place of faded carpet and old -walnut furniture brightened by such modern -things as a handsome electric lamp on the big -round table, a steel filing cabinet and many books -and magazines littering the apartment. To-night -were present the host himself, Captain Gus Fingal, -Lowell Woodruff, Johnny Barr, Pep Kinsey, -Steve Whittier, Rolls Roice, Billy Frost and -Charley Levering. Coach Cade, seated by the -table, held several sheets of paper in one hand -and a briar pipe in the other. The visitors sat -around the table or adjacent to it and were respectfully -attentive to the coach’s words.</p> - -<p>“I thought,” Mr. Cade was saying in his quiet, -pleasant voice, “it was about time for some of -us to get together and look over the ground. I -asked two or three more to be present to-night, -but I don’t see them. Perhaps they’ll show up -later.”</p> - -<p>“My fault, Coach,” said Lowell. “I couldn’t -get in touch with them in time.”</p> - -<p>“Then it wasn’t your fault, Lowell. But there -are enough of us here to discuss things, and a -discussion is about all I had in mind. You see, -fellows, Saturday’s game finished the half-season. -From now on we’ll be pointing to the Kenly game.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_109" id="Page_109">[109]</a></span> -What comes before that must be met as best it -can. Our job now, and it’s a big job, too, is to -build up for Kenly Hall.”</p> - -<p>“Don’t forget Mount Millard, Mr. Cade,” said -Billy Frost. “We’ve got to lick them, sir, after -what they did to us last year!”</p> - -<p>“We’ll do our best, Frost, but we mustn’t go -out of our way much. So far, we’ve come along -pretty easily, fellows. We’re fairly well grounded -in the rudiments, although there’s still chance for -improvement, of course, and we’ve developed -some team play. Now, however, we’ve got to -consider a plan of campaign. In doing that we -must take into account our own material and -Kenly’s, decide what sort of a game we are best -fitted to play and what style of game we may expect -from the enemy. The one outstanding feature -of our team so far is speed. We’ve shown -more speed than we showed at any time last year, -and I’m convinced that we can show still more. -I like speed, fellows, speed in starting and speed -afterwards. I’ve seen a fast team win from a -team that knew more football and played far -smoother more than once, only because the better -team—better theoretically, that is—lacked -speed. The simplest plays will go well if they -go fast, and the cleverest, most deceptive ones -will fail if they’re run off slow.</p> - -<p>“This year we’ve got a fast line and a fast<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_110" id="Page_110">[110]</a></span> -backfield. We aren’t quite as heavy in the line -as we were either last year or the year before -that, and we don’t begin to have the weight in -the backfield. But lack of weight can be more -than offset by speed, and so it’s speed and more -speed that we must go after. It’s rather early -to say what we’re to expect from Kenly. She’s -made a good start, but no better than our own, -and hasn’t had to show anything but ordinary -formations and old-stock plays. But we know -that she’s got most of her last year’s line back -again and three or four of the backs that gave -us so much trouble. Her line is heavy and her -backfield’s heavy, and it’s reasonable to suppose -that she’ll build her game on those facts. Kenly -has always favored the line-smashing game and -I’d be surprised if she changed much this year. -However, we’ll know more about that later.”</p> - -<p>Mr. Cade studied a paper a moment. “It -comes to this, then,” he resumed. “Granted that -Kenly will rely on line bucks and runs outside -tackles for most of her gains, it’s up to us to -build a defense that will meet that style of play. -Weight won’t do it, for she’ll beat us there. -She’ll go through us if we give her the start. -The only way to stop her is to not let her get -started. We must get the jump on her, fellows, -and that means speed. If we can hold her in the -line we can meet her on equal terms in other departments,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_111" id="Page_111">[111]</a></span> -I think. We may even have a slight -edge on her when it comes to the kicking game. -What Kenly will bring in the way of forward -passes I can’t say. That, too, is something we’ll -have to get a line on later. But she has never -been dangerous with her overhead stuff. Her -coach has never taken to that style of game much. -But if she does develop a good passing game -we’ve got to meet it with the same stuff, speed. -Speed, then, is going to be the big cry here this -Fall. I want to impress that fact on you here -and now. I want you to go away from here thinking -speed, and I want you to keep right on thinking -it until the last play of the Kenly game is -over.</p> - -<p>“Now let’s talk about offense a little. For the -sake of argument, we’ll say that we’ve got the -edge on Kenly for fast playing. We’ll assume -that our line charges quicker than hers, that our -backs get started faster and run faster, that we -pull off our plays and our kicks faster. Now, -then, what sort of an attack are we going to use? -What style of offense are we going to build on? -What do you think, Captain Fingal?”</p> - -<p>“If we’re faster than Kenly, and speed makes -up for the difference in weight, we’re starting -even, aren’t we?”</p> - -<p>“Possibly, yes. We’ll say so.”</p> - -<p>“Then we can play any style there is, can’t<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_112" id="Page_112">[112]</a></span> -we? I mean, Coach, we stand just as good a -chance of making our line plays good as she does; -and the same with kicks and passes and end -runs.”</p> - -<p>“True, assuming that the teams are evenly balanced, -which we are assuming. But what we -want for an attack isn’t something just as good, -Gus, but something better. Now, suppose—”</p> - -<p>“I’d say we ought to dope out a passing and -running game, Coach,” broke in Pep Kinsey. -“Something based on speed that might take them -off their feet. Say we had a formation that was -good for a punt or a pass or a run outside tackle. -Then suppose we put a lot of fizz into it and -had them guessing what was coming. If Tom -Crumb’s out of the game we can’t look for a whole -lot against their line between tackles, I guess. I -don’t know how Sam Tennyson will develop, but -he’s light, sir, and the rest of us aren’t whales. -I guess you’ve got the right dope, all right, when -you talk speed!”</p> - -<p>“A corking good passing game is our best bet, -Mr. Cade,” offered Levering. “Don’t you think -so, sir?”</p> - -<p>“I’ll tell you what I think, Levering. I think -whatever we build on that thing’s got to have -speed underneath it. All right. Here’s speed.” -He held a hand out, palm upward. “Now what?<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_113" id="Page_113">[113]</a></span> -What shall we put on next for a second story?”</p> - -<p>There was a moment’s silence. Then the quarter-back -spoke eagerly. “Deception!”</p> - -<p>“Right! Speed and deception, fellows. That’s -a tough combination to beat. And it’s tougher -than ever if the other fellow is slow in getting -off. Kinsey’s idea of a triple-threat formation -is what I’ve had in mind. That’s what we ought -to have, I’m sure. Last Fall showed me one -thing conclusively, and that is that having more -than two formations, one for kicking and one for -everything else, is a big mistake. You remember -that we changed our backfield all about when we -made a forward-pass. Of course, we did run -from that formation now and then, but the thing -was a give-away, just the same. When Kenly -saw that ‘C Formation’ she knew pretty well what -to expect, and after the first half she looked for -a pass every time and, if I remember correctly, -we made just five out of fourteen attempts. This -year I propose that we find a formation for the -backs that will answer every purpose of attack, -even punting. When we decide on that we’ll -build our plays on the formation instead of suiting -the formation to the plays.”</p> - -<p>“That sounds good,” said Gus. “Only I don’t -just see how it’s to be done. If we place our -backs too far behind the line we can’t get them<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_114" id="Page_114">[114]</a></span> -through on quick openings. If we put Steve too -close he won’t be able to get punts off before -Kenly gets on top of him.”</p> - -<p>“As for the latter,” said Coach Cade, “I don’t -agree. Remember, Gus, we’re building on speed. -If Steve gets his kicks off a bit quicker than he -does now he can kick from nearer the line.”</p> - -<p>“Besides,” said Pep, “how is Kenly going to -know that it is a kick if Steve doesn’t go back? -Seems to me that’s the beauty of it. Keep ’em -guessing every minute! Hot stuff!”</p> - -<p>“We’ll take up the matter of that formation -later,” said the coach. “Just now there’s another -thing I want to talk about. What kind of -a passing game can we work out? I have my -own idea, but I’d like to hear from you.”</p> - -<p>“Whatever it is, it’s got to be a heap better -than last year’s,” said Rolls Roice. “As you -said, Coach, they were looking for our tosses -every time toward the last and they didn’t go -for a hang. If Kenly had had the sense to grab -the ball sometimes instead of knocking it down -she’d have licked us worse than she did.”</p> - -<p>“There’s one thing about the passing game,” -said the coach. “If you can’t have a good one -you’re better off with none. And having a good -one isn’t so easy. You can plan it out on paper -so that it looks like a world-beater, but if your -ends and backs can’t reach the ball and handle<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_115" id="Page_115">[115]</a></span> -it perfectly, your plan’s a fizzle. You didn’t have -much luck last year, Pep, and neither did Knowles -or Suydman. Catches were mighty few, even -when there was a fair chance. I’m not saying -this in criticism of you, but just to emphasize -the fact that it’s the individual player who counts -in the passing game, and that if we’re to show -anything in that line, anything worth while, we’ve -got to go into the business in real earnest. Half -the value of the forward pass is in keeping the -opponent scared. If you have a passing game -and he knows it, he’s looking for it more than half -the time. But you’ve got to really have something. -If you haven’t, he soon discovers it and -pulls his backfield in. Just as long as you’ve got -the goods, even if you don’t deliver them, he will -play a fifth man back and weaken his line by just -so much. That fifth man is almost invariably the -center, and a quick plunge at the center position -will usually gain. Personally, I think that no -one has yet discovered nearly all the possibilities -of the forward-pass as an offensive play. I believe -that, unless a change in the playing rules -comes that will place restrictions on the pass, another -five years will see the old line-plunging -game subordinated to it. But I’m getting away -from the business of this gathering.</p> - -<p>“Suppose you fellows put your minds to work -along the lines suggested this evening. Start<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_116" id="Page_116">[116]</a></span> -with the fact that, no matter what else we have -when we meet Kenly, we’re going to have speed, -and lots of it. Then try to think of the best way -to use that speed on attack. I’ll take care of -using it for defense. Figure out a—let us call -it an all-purpose formation, a formation from -which we can hit the line, run the ends, punt and -pass. It’s possible. I’m not certain that the -Princeton formation doesn’t come pretty close to -it except as to punting. Anyhow, put your minds -to work, fellows, and see what comes of it. We’ll -get together again Wednesday evening here, and -we’ll try to get more of the team on hand. Remind -me about that, Mister Manager, and I’ll tell -you who I want here that evening.”</p> - -<p>“Shucks,” said Charley Levering, “I never -could dope out plays. On paper, I mean.”</p> - -<p>“As long as you dope them out on the field -we’ll be satisfied,” replied Mr. Cade. “I’m not -looking for plays from you, Levering. We can -find plenty of those when we’re ready for them. -What I want is ideas. You know the team and -you know pretty well what its merits are and -what its faults are. Credit it with speed. You -can do that fairly enough, for I’ll say frankly -that you fellows look mighty good to me at that -angle. Then try to think up the sort of game -we can best play to make full use of that speed. -Never mind trick plays and all that sort of thing.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_117" id="Page_117">[117]</a></span> -Those will come later. Consider the Kenly game -as a campaign and decide how, if you were the -General in command of our Army, you’d conduct -it. Not as to detail. A General can’t foresee -the skirmishes, sometimes not even the battles. -The best he can do is plan. I’m hoping that some -of you will bring ideas that will help in determining -our campaign. Two heads are better than -one, you know, and so eight ought to be still better. -Now, if any one likes Swiss cheese, made -in Wisconsin, and pilot bread and ginger ale, -we’ll blow the whistle!”</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_118" id="Page_118">[118]</a></span></p> - - - - -<div class="chapter"> -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_X" id="CHAPTER_X">CHAPTER X</a><br /> -<small>JIM ASKS A LOAN</small></h2> -</div> - - -<p>On Tuesday all but one of the Alton football -squad reported for practice, the exception being -Greenough, a substitute end, who had sustained a -badly wrenched ankle in the Southport game. To -be exact, there were twenty-nine khaki-trousered -youths on hand when three o’clock struck. Of -this number, nineteen were linemen, one of them -a second team fellow named Cooper who had that -day been snatched to the first as a substitute -guard, that Fillmore might go to the backfield to -understudy Tennyson. To-day new emphasis was -laid on throwing and catching, end, tackle and -backfield candidates to the number of seventeen -being put through a long drill. Subsequently, -during signal work, forward passes were more -frequent than usual. Jim’s knee bothered him at -first, but he speedily forgot about it, and when -the afternoon’s session was at an end it seemed -just as good as ever. The second was cocky that -day and twice held the first inside her five-yard -line, and, since Coach Cade had ruled out field-goals, -there was no scoring until, just before the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_119" id="Page_119">[119]</a></span> -end of the second period—two halves of fifteen -minutes constituted the practice game—Plant, at -right half for Billy Frost, got away on his own -twenty-four and raced some seventy-six yards for -a touch-down.</p> - -<p>Jim played through all of the last half and -pleased himself thoroughly. Those second-team -fellows weren’t so hard to handle to-day. He had -three men opposed to him while he was in and -none outplayed him in his opinion. To be sure, -no one stopped proceedings to tell him he was -doing well, but Jim had learned that praise, even -commendation, was dealt out sparingly, and that -so long as a player got along without being -scolded it could be assumed that he was performing -very creditably. Although he had been at -training table but two days he found things not -a little different on the field. He was no more -a part of the squad than before, but it seemed -that being taken to the table had served as an -initiation that had admitted him to an inner sanctuary. -Fellows who had never recognized him -three days ago now hailed him as “Slim”—possibly -without always knowing his last name—quite -in the off-hand manner of age-old acquaintances. -At first it embarrassed him greatly, but -he liked it even then. He felt of importance for -the first time since he had begun to play. He -was, at last, somebody in the football world of<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_120" id="Page_120">[120]</a></span> -Alton! Before, he had thought of himself as -being there on sufferance; now he belonged. The -sense of camaraderie helped a lot, too. Somehow, -now when Pep Kinsey or Latham or Barnhart, -playing quarter, yelped at him for playing -too far in or too far out or, as once happened, -starting before the signal, he didn’t take it to -heart. The quarter was just one of his own -crowd!</p> - -<p>It was still light when Jim got back to Haylow -that afternoon, and Clem was sprawled on the -window-seat, reading, his book held close to the -pane. “There’s been a gentleman here to see -you, Jim,” he announced. There was faint emphasis -on the word “gentleman,” and Jim’s -brows contracted as he turned to the closet to -hang up his cap. “Said he’d be back again.”</p> - -<p>“What did he look like?” asked Jim soberly.</p> - -<p>“Well, to tell you the truth, old son, he looked -rather seedy. Slight chap, about twenty-four, -perhaps. In case he’s a particular friend of -yours, I won’t be too detailed.” Clem grinned. -“Anyhow, he’s coming back, and if I were you, -Jim, I’d pay the bill.”</p> - -<p>“What bill?”</p> - -<p>“How do I know?” chuckled Clem. “Perhaps -the bill you owe his poor old widowed mother for -the washing. He struck me as the sort of guy -who’d be likely to land you one on the nose if<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_121" id="Page_121">[121]</a></span> -you didn’t settle prompt. How did football go?”</p> - -<p>“All right.” Jim seemed rather thoughtful. -Instead of sitting down he walked twice between -the window and the door, his hands in his pockets. -Then, “All right,” he said again.</p> - -<p>“Still all right, eh?” asked Clem. “That’s -fine. When a thing’s all right I do love to have -it stay that way.” Jim looked at him in puzzlement. -“If it happened to change, you’d let me -know, wouldn’t you?” pursued Clem anxiously.</p> - -<p>“What are you talking about?” asked Jim, -frowning perplexedly. But he didn’t hear Clem’s -reply, for just then the sound of footsteps in the -corridor caused him to swing expectantly toward -the door. But the steps went by. Clem was still -talking.</p> - -<p>“If it’s anything serious, I’ll be glad to help -any way I can. You know that, Jim. I haven’t -much influence with the police, but what I have -will be gladly exerted in your behalf. Perhaps -a confession would ease your mind, old son. -Where and when did the crime take place, and -what motive induced you to kill the beautiful -girl?”</p> - -<p>“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” protested -Jim worriedly. “You asked about practice -and I told you—”</p> - -<p>“‘All right.’ Quite so. But if ever a fellow -had guilt written all over his phiz, you’re the fellow,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_122" id="Page_122">[122]</a></span> -Jim. You’ll have to do better than that when -you face the jury!”</p> - -<p>Jim managed a laugh. “Oh, I thought you -were talking serious about something.” He sat -down then, but he didn’t relax as he might have -been expected to after as strenuous an afternoon’s -work as he had put in. It became apparent -to Clem that he was really uneasy, and probably -about the visitor.</p> - -<p>“If you’d rather not see that chap when he -returns,” said Clem carelessly after a moment’s -silence, “if he does return, I’ll send him away. I -wouldn’t be surprised if he was just some one -trying to sell books or something, you know.”</p> - -<p>“Yes,” replied Jim vaguely. “Thanks.” After -a pause he added: “Guess I’d better see him, -though.”</p> - -<p>“Have your own way, but you won’t be seeing -much. He struck me as—”</p> - -<p>But at that instant there was a knock on the -door, a knock that had been preceded by no warning -footfalls outside. “That’s probably he now,” -said Clem. “Want me to—”</p> - -<p>But Jim had sprung up and was already at -the door. He opened it no more than a foot, and -from where Clem sat the visitor was invisible. -“Hello,” said Jim. There was no pleasure in his -voice, and Clem smiled even as his curiosity increased. -There was a subdued response from beyond<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_123" id="Page_123">[123]</a></span> -the portal which Clem couldn’t catch, and -then: “But I asked you not to,” said Jim accusingly. -“You ought to do like—” Then Jim -slipped through into the corridor and the door -closed tightly behind him.</p> - -<p>Clem pursed his lips and shook his head. -“Now what the dickens?” he asked himself. -“Mystery, by gum! Conspiracy even! And old -Jim acting like the villain in ‘A Guilty Secret’! -What do you know? Gosh, you never can tell -about these innocent-looking chaps. Wonder -what that cheap skate wants with Jim.” No -sound came from the corridor. Probably the -two had moved away from the door. Some five -minutes passed, and Clem, staring into the darkening -world, was watching the campus lights -come on one by one and had forgotten Jim and -his mysterious caller when the door opened once -more.</p> - -<p>Jim came in alone, thrusting the door back behind -him. Clem said: “You might switch on the -light if you don’t mind, Jim.” Jim did so, and -the yellow radiance that still showed through the -crack of the door and proclaimed the corridor -lights going, paled. “Well,” continued Clem -gayly, “did you have to pay him hush-money?” -Then he saw Jim’s troubled and embarrassed -countenance and the raillery died out of his voice, -“What’s up?” he asked.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_124" id="Page_124">[124]</a></span></p> - -<p>“Clem, I hate to ask you, but I—” Jim stopped, -gulped and went on. “Can you lend me five dollars, -Clem?”</p> - -<p>“Great Scott! Is that all it is?” Clem -laughed with relief as he jumped up. “I thought -murder had been done and you wanted me to help -conceal the body! Five dollars? Ten if you -want it, old son. I happen to be in funds just -now.”</p> - -<p>“Five will be plenty,” said Jim in a subdued -tone. “I’ll give it back to you just as soon as I -can, but maybe it won’t be this week, because—”</p> - -<p>“There’s no hurry at all, Jim, so don’t be so -down-hearted.” He opened a drawer in his chiffonier, -found a bunch of keys and then went to -his closet. “We will now open the strong-box,” -he continued as he pulled a black leather suit-case -from the shelf. “Say, I hope you aren’t being -blackmailed, old son,” he added, chuckling.</p> - -<p>From the suit-case, which apparently held only -a discarded shirt and two ancient tennis balls, -he magically produced a folded envelope. This -he took to the table and opened. From it came -several bills and four gold coins. “You may have -gold if you’d rather,” he laughed. “That’s -Christmas money from last year and the year -before. I’ve got an uncle who always comes -across with two of those, and somehow they never -get spent. I meant to put them in the bank before<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_125" id="Page_125">[125]</a></span> -I came back, but forgot it and I found them -in my trunk when I landed. Here you are, old -son. Sure five’s enough? Here’s two more if -you say the word; or you can have one of these -lovely gold coins.”</p> - -<p>“This is plenty,” said Jim earnestly, his voice -low. “Thanks, Clem. It’s mighty good of you.” -He disappeared once more and again the door -closed tightly behind him. Clem stared in a -puzzled way, then shrugged his shoulders, returned -the four gold pieces and two crumpled dollar -bills to the old envelope and tossed the latter -back into the bag. Then he turned the key, placed -the suit-case back on the shelf and dropped the -key-ring into the drawer in the chiffonier. When -he had rescued his book from the window-seat -and pulled the curtains across the casements, Jim -had returned to the room. He had paused inside -the door, his back against it, and was staring -thoughtfully at the floor. Then, before Clem -thought of anything to say, he roused himself and -came to the table.</p> - -<p>“I guess you’re wondering about—about that -fellow,” he said slowly, “and me lending him -money.”</p> - -<p>“Well, curiosity won’t hurt me,” answered -Clem cheerfully. “It’s no affair of mine, Jim, -and you don’t owe any explanations.”</p> - -<p>“He’s a fellow I used to know pretty well,”<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_126" id="Page_126">[126]</a></span> -Jim went on. “He—we used to live close together -and he was always mighty good to me -when I was a little codger. He’s been having -trouble lately; out of work and the like of that, -Clem; and he’s sort of lost hold, I guess. I ran -across him yesterday afternoon on State street. -He was looking for me to get a little money to -carry him along. I gave him three dollars and -a half. That’s all I had. That’s why I had to -ask you for that five dollars just now.”</p> - -<p>“I see. But that chap doesn’t expect you to -lend him money right along, I hope. Eight dollars -in two days is fairly steep, isn’t it?”</p> - -<p>Jim nodded. “He said yesterday he was going -to Norwalk. Said he had a job promised him -there. But it seems he didn’t have enough money -left this morning for his ticket. So he wanted -me to lend him some more.”</p> - -<p>“Well, that’s all right,” said Clem. “Let’s -hope he gets his job. To speak right out in meeting, -Jim, I didn’t like his looks much, and his -hands didn’t seem to me to show many signs of -hard and honest labor. Also, if you’ll pardon me -for seeming disrespect to a friend of yours—or, -let us say, acquaintance—I thought I detected an -aroma about him that—well, it wasn’t exactly the -odor of sanctity, Jim.”</p> - -<p>“Yes, I noticed it, too,” replied Jim sadly. “I -guess he’s been sort of up against things and—and<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_127" id="Page_127">[127]</a></span> -discouraged, Clem. He’s had no job for more -than a month, he says. But I made him promise -me he’d behave if I let him have that five. And -I guess he will. He used to be such a nice fellow, -Clem!”</p> - -<p>“Too bad,” said Clem sympathetically. “Lost -his grip, I suppose. Well, maybe he’ll land on -his feet again. I dare say it’s not any too easy -to keep straight, Jim, when you’re on your uppers. -Don’t you think of paying back that five, -old son, until you get it back from that fellow, -no matter if it’s ten years from now. I don’t -need it.”</p> - -<p>“Thanks, but I’d rather pay it as soon as I -get my allowance,” Jim protested. “That’ll be -about ten days from now.”</p> - -<p>“You’re a stubborn old Maineiac,” said Clem -sadly, “but have your own way about it. Meanwhile, -has it occurred to you that the time is -twelve minutes past six and that if we want food -we’d better get a move on us? Of course, you, -being on the training table, don’t need to worry -so much, but where I battle for sustenance it’s -a case of first come, first get it! And,” added -Clem, waving a towel as he made for the door, -“there are those at my table who have no conscience -at all where another man’s butter is concerned!”</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_128" id="Page_128">[128]</a></span></p> - - - - -<div class="chapter"> -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XI" id="CHAPTER_XI">CHAPTER XI</a><br /> -<small>THE ART OF LINE PLAYING</small></h2> -</div> - - -<p>On Wednesday a stranger appeared at practice. -He was a large, broad-shouldered man of perhaps -twenty-five or twenty-six years, with a jovial -voice and a pleasant smile. He wore a nondescript -assortment of football togs among which -was a blue sweater bearing a white Y. He did not, -however, retain the sweater long, for five minutes -after practice had started he was down by the -farther goal in charge of a bunch of guards and -tackles. With the sweater he seemed to have discarded -the jovial voice and the pleasant smile. -Presently the rumor spread that the stranger was -one Myers, an Alton guard of some years before -and, more recently, <em>the</em> Myers who had helped -put Yale back on the football map. Also, rumor -had it, he was to remain at Alton until the Kenly -game and take charge of the linemen.</p> - -<p>That afternoon Jim added not a little to his -knowledge of playing in the line. Myers spent -much time showing his charges how to stand, both -on attack and defense. After Hick Powers, invited -by the coach to take his position on attack, -had set himself, Myers charged into him and sent<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_129" id="Page_129">[129]</a></span> -him sprawling on his back. “There you are,” -said Myers. “You were all right for a straight-on -attack, but your feet were too much on a line -for a side-swipe. You can’t always tell how the -other fellow is going to come at you. Try it -again. Spread wider. All right. Hold it! Not -too much weight on your hand, though. Just -steady yourself with your finger-tips. Now you -fellows study that position. You see that this -man is set so that no matter how I may come -at him he’s got stability. This right foot is far -enough behind the left so that I can’t throw him -off his balance by going straight into him, and -far enough to the right so that I can’t throw him -to his left by charging him sidewise. All of you -take that stance. You fourth chap there, bring -that rear foot out more. That’s better. Now -look at your feet and see how you’re standing. -Got it? Good! One thing more before we drop -the attack position. Don’t anchor yourself by -putting your weight on your hands. What you -are doing is taking the position of a sprinter, and -the sprinter doesn’t put the weight of his upper -body on his hands. If he did he’d do one of two -things when the pistol barked; he’d either plunge -forward on his face or he’d have to shift his -weight back to his legs before he left the mark. -You’re using that position because it’s the position -that will get you into play quickest. But<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_130" id="Page_130">[130]</a></span> -your weight must always be on your feet. Never -use your fingers to more than steady yourself. -Myself, I like to put only one hand to the ground. -I let my left hand point back. It seems to me -that it helps me start. But that’s not important. -Use both hands if it seems better for you. Only, -and I’m repeating this purposely, don’t get anchored. -And when I say put the weight on the -feet, I don’t mean, of course, that you’re to distribute -the weight evenly. The front foot carries -most of the weight. It sets flat on the -ground. The rear foot holds the ground only -with the ball and the toes. But you know that, -even if you don’t know that you know it!”</p> - -<p>“Now let’s take the position on defense. The -other side has the ball. Show me now. Not bad, -the most of you. Several of you are too high. -Remember this, fellows. Up and forward is the -direction, not just forward. You must come from -below and push upward first. Then forward. -Up and forward! Remember that. Ever see a -clay pigeon released from a trap? Well, that’s -the way you fellows ought to charge. Just as -though some one had released a spring and sent -you straight and hard into the air. Straddle -well, keep your head up, hold your arms wide -and your hands open and then <em>snap</em>! Don’t go -at it like a crane lifting a block of stone, slow and -steady. Don’t try any tank warfare. Speed,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_131" id="Page_131">[131]</a></span> -fellows! Get the jump every time! Drive into -him from below and push him up and back, and -do it before he can throw his weight to meet you. -And when you charge know what you’re going -to do, where you’re going to apply your power. -Be ready with your hands. They’ll get there before -your body. And then don’t stride forward. -Use the short, quick crawling steps you’ve been -taught. Then you’ll get the power from low -down. <em>But</em> if you don’t keep your back straight -that power, originating in your legs, won’t reach -your arms. There’ll be a break in the line of -transmission. Now, then, let’s try it. Set wide -and get steady. Elbows out, hands ready. Go! -Not bad. You fellow with the long legs, you -make your steps too long. Duck-walk it. This -way. Waddle—waddle—waddle! See? Try it -again. Better. All right for that. One more -thing, though. Don’t neglect to hog every inch -the officials will let you get away with. Your -hand, the left if you use it to balance with, the -right if you use but one, will be in advance of -every portion of your body except your head. -Find out how far forward you can set your hand -without bringing your head beyond your scrimmage -line and always put it there. The difference -of even six inches counts. Now we’ll see -how much you remember. Let’s have two lines -here. I’ll snap the ball. This side’s attacking.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_132" id="Page_132">[132]</a></span> -Now remember that position first. All right. -Get down to it. Here we go!”</p> - -<p>Afterwards, during the thirty minutes’ scrimmage -with the scrubs, Myers dogged the first team -every moment. “Keep your back straight, right -guard! Lock it! Watch your feet, right tackle! -That’s not the way I showed you, not by a long -sight! You played too high, left guard! You let -your man under you! Charge from below! Great -jumpin’ Judas! Use your hands, center! That -man ought never to have got through!” And so -it went, with Coach Cade making life merry for -the backs, Captain Gus doing a little criticizing -on his own hook and the quarter imploring the -gray empyrean for just one man who could keep -his signals straight! Jim played a long session -that Wednesday afternoon, and he finished with -the suspicion that football practice, as the season -neared its climax, was going to be something -quite different from anything he had imagined. -But he was going to like it. He knew that!</p> - -<p>That evening coaches and players met again in -Mr. Cade’s quarters and a long session developed. -Jim was not among the eight or nine players invited, -and he spent most of the evening going over -the affairs of the Maine-and-Vermont Society, -which, with a present membership of nearly forty, -was in flourishing condition. Last of all, he -wrote politely imperative reminders to delinquent<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_133" id="Page_133">[133]</a></span> -members on Clem’s small typewriter. Jim was -not an accomplished typist and he spent a good -deal more time than he would have consumed had -he written the notes by hand. But there is no -denying that the typed results possessed a certain -air of authority that Jim’s sprawling writing -would have failed to attain, and this in spite -of many erasures and several misspelled words. -Clem came back while Jim was still struggling -with the envelopes and offered advice of no value -and laughed immoderately at the way Jim’s -tongue stuck out when he was hunting for what -he called the “pedals.” Jim finally ended his -task and assembled the half-dozen missives atop -his chiffonier for delivery on the morrow, looking -not a little triumphant.</p> - -<p>“Aren’t you going to put stamps on them?” -asked Clem from the depths of his arm-chair.</p> - -<p>“Stamps cost money,” replied Jim, shaking -his head. “I’m my own postman.”</p> - -<p>“That’s a swell society! Doesn’t allow the -secretary money for postage!”</p> - -<p>“Yes, it does, but the secretary has good legs,” -countered Jim. “It’s no trouble to dump these -things in the letter boxes in the halls as I go by. -You see, Clem, I was brought up economical!”</p> - -<p>“That so?” Clem yawned and began to unlace -a shoe. “Maybe they don’t have stamps in -Maine. I suppose when you write a letter at<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_134" id="Page_134">[134]</a></span> -home, Jim, you put your snowshoes on and hike -across country with it, eh? Say, talking of societies, -how would you like to join Janus?”</p> - -<p>“Me?” said Jim. “That the one you belong -to? What’s it cost?”</p> - -<p>“Not much. Anyway, a fellow doesn’t generally -ask the cost of joining, old son; he looks -grateful and kisses his benefactor’s hand. Janus, -Jim, is—well, it’s Janus. ’Nough said. If you -belong to Janus you’re made for life.”</p> - -<p>“Huh,” said Jim, “that’s what you hear about -all of ’em. Guess it’s too high for my pocket-book, -Clem. Much obliged, though.”</p> - -<p>“Don’t be a goof! This, old son, is one of -life’s fine moments. Why, dog my cats, you’re -only the third senior that’s ever been proposed. -Either you make it in your junior year or you -don’t make it at all.”</p> - -<p>“Mean that I’ve been proposed? Who did it? -You?”</p> - -<p>“Exactly. And I don’t think there’s any doubt -about you getting through. Hang it, show a -little enthusiasm, you cold-blooded fish! Don’t -you understand you’re being honored? Say -‘Hooray!’”</p> - -<p>“Yeah, but, honest, Clem, I don’t believe I -could afford it. I’m sort of hard-up right now, -and I guess likely I’ll be that way for some time.”</p> - -<p>“Well, but I thought— It’s none of my business,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_135" id="Page_135">[135]</a></span> -Jim, but isn’t your father pretty comfortable?”</p> - -<p>Jim shook his head. “No, he isn’t, Clem. Not -lately. I guess you don’t know what a hard time -country folks have nowadays, farmers especially. -They can’t get money for what they raise like -they could a few years ago. Up our way most -farmers raise potatoes for their main crop, but -they’re a good ways from the market and lots -of times it don’t pay ’em to ship ’em. Right on -our place I’ve seen more than two hundred -bushels raised on a little piece of ground and -piled in the cellar, and they’d be there, most of -’em, in the Spring. After you’d paid for bags -and carting and freight to Boston and commission -to the produce man you’d be out of pocket. -Same way with hogs and most everything else -now. There’s money in lumber, but it’s the fellows -in the cities gets it. When folks haven’t got -money to spend, they don’t spend it, and dad’s -business ain’t very good any more. The only -way I could come back here this year was by -earning some money last summer. That’s why -I went to that sporting camp. You see, I could -have gone to college this Fall if I’d been willing -to. I’d have had a couple of conditions, though, -and I thought it would be better to come here -another year. Besides, I—I got to liking Alton -pretty well, and when you wrote you were willing<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_136" id="Page_136">[136]</a></span> -to let me come in with you I just made up -my mind I’d put in another year here. But I -couldn’t very well ask dad to pay for all of it. I -made enough at the camp to pay my tuition, and -dad he allows me ten dollars a month for extras -and spending money. Now I’m in debt to you -five dollars, Clem, and I’ve got to go sort of careful -or I won’t have enough money to get home -Christmas time.”</p> - -<p>“That’s kind of tough,” mused Clem. “Funny, -but I had an idea that your folks were pretty -well fixed. Anyhow, don’t you worry about getting -home, old son. There’s still money in the -strong-box!”</p> - -<p>“I’d borrow if I found I had to, I guess,” said -Jim, “but I guess I won’t have to. Giving that -money to Webb—the fellow who was up here the -other day, you know,—sort of put me short, but -now he’s gone I guess I won’t—”</p> - -<p>“Gosh! That reminds me, Jim! I’d nearly -forgotten it. Say, I don’t believe he has gone, -that guy. This afternoon I’ll swear I saw him -on West street. Or if it wasn’t him it was his -double. I didn’t have a very good look at him, -for he was going into that cigar store next to -the express office, but it sure looked like him, -clothes and all!”</p> - -<p>Jim looked worried. “Maybe it was just some -fellow who looked like Webb,” he said. But his<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_137" id="Page_137">[137]</a></span> -tone lacked conviction. “He promised me he’d -go to Norwalk the next morning, and I’d be right -sorry to find he hadn’t. Besides—” Jim didn’t -finish the sentence.</p> - -<p>“Well, you should worry,” said Clem cheerfully. -“If he comes around here again just you -hand him over to me, old son. I’ve got a system -with pan-handlers and book agents and their ilk. -How’s that for a word? ‘Ilk’! I’ll say that’s -cute!”</p> - -<p>But Clem couldn’t get Jim to smile. “It -wouldn’t do him any good to come to me again,” -he said soberly. “I haven’t got any more money. -I do wish, though, he’d gone like he said he -would. That is, if he ain’t.”</p> - -<p>“Probably he has,” replied Clem encouragingly. -“I dare say I was just fooled by a resemblance, -Jim. After all, there’s quite a bunch -of fellows of his style around town since they -started the new factory up.” Secretly, though, -Clem was convinced that he had not been mistaken, -and two days later that conviction was -strengthened.</p> - -<p>Presently, returning to the original subject of -discourse, he said: “About coming into Janus, -Jim. Suppose you just let it rest for a while. -There’s no great rush in the matter, anyway. -I’ll let your name go over the next meeting. That -will give you time to think it over. The expense<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_138" id="Page_138">[138]</a></span> -isn’t much anyway. I’d tell you exactly, only it’s -against the rules to give out information of any -sort. You take a couple of weeks and think it -over. I want you to come in if you can possibly -do it, old son, so don’t say no now.”</p> - -<p>So Jim didn’t say no. He merely shook his -head and, so to speak, laid the question on the -table. After that, while Clem, propped against -his pillow, read in bed, Jim took his football from -the closet shelf, snuggled it lovingly in his lap -and started all over again on the rules book. -When Clem’s book dropped from his hand and -he turned over and closed his eyes, his room-mate -was still fondling the ball and frowning -over the apparent intricacies of the following: -“Players of the side which did not put the ball -in play may use (1) their hands and arms to push -opponents out of the way in order to get at the -ball and (2) their bodies or their arms close to -the body to obstruct opponents who are going -down the field from getting at a player of their -own side who is endeavoring to get at the ball.”</p> - -<p>Jim rubbed a hand across his eyes and read it -again. There were, he thought, too many “get -ats.” Maybe, though, he was too sleepy to—yes, -to “get at” the sense. He’d try it again to-morrow.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_139" id="Page_139">[139]</a></span></p> - - - - -<div class="chapter"> -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XII" id="CHAPTER_XII">CHAPTER XII</a><br /> -<small>AT THE POLICE STATION</small></h2> -</div> - - -<p>If Wednesday’s practice had been stiff Thursday’s -was adamantine. With the intention of providing -better defense for the drop-kickers the first -team was lined up near the goal and the substitutes -were set against them. With Steve Whittier -and Pep Kinsey alternating at kicking, all the rest -of the first team had to do was keep the substitutes -from breaking through or otherwise interfering -with the kick. Myers was behind the subs -and the manner in which he egged them on to -atrocities of attack proved him, in the minds of -the first team players, a man of singularly cruel -disposition. Friendship ceased and no quarter -was asked. Loring Cheswick at first, and then -Benning, sped the ball to the kicker and simultaneously -goaded by Myers’ commands to “Bust -it up! Get through! Use your hands!” and -“Fight ’em, Subs! Rip ’em up! Block that -kick!” the substitutes hurled themselves ferociously -forward and committed nearly everything -except murder.</p> - -<p>Jim received hard knocks that afternoon. One -of the knocks set his nose to bleeding and another<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_140" id="Page_140">[140]</a></span> -crippled his left leg for the rest of the proceedings. -But he managed to disguise the damage -to his leg, and, of course, a bleeding nose was -a mere incident, and so he managed to stay in -and to give a very good account of himself. And -it seemed once that the Demon Coach, as Myers -was dubbed that afternoon, had determined to -concentrate on Jim until he got results. He sent -a two-man tandem at the right tackle position -until he was finally satisfied that he was wasting -his time. Perhaps he concluded that he was wasting -players, too, for the members of the tandem, -especially the second man, got rather roughly -treated in the course of events! Jim found the -head of the tandem could be thrown off in time -to give full attention to the next comer, and, -while Jim got some hard knocks, he certainly wore -that second man out!</p> - -<p>Sometimes the subs did get through and the ball -went anywhere save over the goal, and then you -should have heard Coach Cade become eloquent! -As Jake Borden, right end, remarked, Johnny’s -words were more refined-like but they cut deeper. -Later, when the scrimmage started, Jim discovered -to his dismay that he was playing with the -subs. He jumped to the conclusion that he had -been demoted and felt rather badly, which fact -told somewhat on his playing, and, when the second -team came over and took the place of the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_141" id="Page_141">[141]</a></span> -substitutes Jim was one of those who were sent -to the showers. As a matter of fact he had been -placed with the substitute team to strengthen the -right of its line, and retired after the first half -of the scrimmage because in the opinion of Jake, -the trainer, he had seen service enough. But -Jim didn’t know that, and he returned to Haylow -rather down in the mouth.</p> - -<p>Friday’s practice was less severe, with the emphasis -on signal drill and the handling of punts -and passes, and the first-string players went -through only a ten-minute scrimmage and were -then sent off. Jim’s misgivings were slightly assuaged -when he read the list of the players who -were to go to New Falmouth the next afternoon -and found his name on it. If he was very bad, he -argued, they wouldn’t pay his railway fare! -Then, feeling more chirpy, he went back to Number -15 Haylow and ran into trouble.</p> - -<p>Clem, who had reached the room but a minute -before, was gazing perplexedly at the third -drawer in his chiffonier. He turned to Jim without -greeting to ask: “You haven’t had this -drawer open, have you, Jim?”</p> - -<p>Jim blinked and shook his head. “No, Clem. -Why?”</p> - -<p>“Well, just look at it, will you?” The drawer -held underwear, stockings, a blue flannel shirt, -a candy box with a piece of red Christmas ribbon<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_142" id="Page_142">[142]</a></span> -trailing from it, a pair of discarded garters; possibly -other things as well, but Jim’s attention was -held by the number of undergarments in sight -and the general disorder of the drawer’s contents. -He looked inquiringly at Clem.</p> - -<p>“Nice mess, eh?” asked Clem indignantly. -“Some one’s been poking around in here. Look -at that box. It was tied with that ribbon. Someone -opened it and didn’t do it up again.”</p> - -<p>“Well, I guess I’m the only one who could have -done it if you didn’t,” said Jim slowly, “and I’ve -never been near anything of yours, Clem. So it -looks—”</p> - -<p>“Of course you didn’t do it,” answered Clem. -“I needn’t have asked you, only I was so—so -blamed mad—”</p> - -<p>“You’re sure you didn’t leave the box untied?”</p> - -<p>“Me? Why, there’s nothing in the box but a -lot of old gimcracks”—he removed the lid impatiently -for Jim’s benefit—“and I haven’t had it -open since I put it in there. Besides, hang it all, -Jim, you know I wouldn’t leave this drawer looking -like that!”</p> - -<p>Jim wasn’t convinced of it, but he nodded -agreement. “Who do you suppose—” he began. -Then he asked quickly; “Anything missing?”</p> - -<p>“Missing? Why, no, I guess not. Gosh, there’s -nothing here any one would want!” He had begun<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_143" id="Page_143">[143]</a></span> -putting the things in order again, folding -the garments and piling them neatly back in -place. He really seemed more disturbed by the -disorder of things than by the fact that some person -had intruded. “We’ll just have to lock the -door when we go out, Jim. I’ve been here three -years and this is the first time I’ve had anything -of mine troubled.”</p> - -<p>“Suppose some one did it for a joke?” asked -Jim.</p> - -<p>“Mighty poor joke,” Clem grumbled. “Any -one could come in here that wanted to when we’re -both out, but I don’t see why they’d want to muss -my drawer all up.”</p> - -<p>“When did you look in here last, Clem?”</p> - -<p>“This morning. I got a pair of socks out. It -was all right then.” Something rattled under his -hand as he spoke, and he picked up a steel key-ring -with five keys attached. “If folks are going -to get fresh this way,” he muttered, “I’d better -put these somewhere—” He stopped, stared -for an instant at the keys and then swung around -and strode to the closet. From the shelf he lowered -the black suit-case. In a moment he had unlocked -it and thrown the lid back. Jim, watching -over his shoulder, spoke relievedly.</p> - -<p>“It’s there,” he said.</p> - -<p>But Clem had the folded envelope in his hand, -and it was empty! He looked blankly over his<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_144" id="Page_144">[144]</a></span> -shoulder. “Well, what do you know!” he ejaculated. -Jim shook his head.</p> - -<p>“Sure it was there, Clem?”</p> - -<p>“Great Scott, you saw me put it there, didn’t -you? Night before last, or night— Gosh, that -makes me sore!”</p> - -<p>“How much was in the envelope?” asked Jim.</p> - -<p>“Twenty-seven—no, twenty-two dollars. I lent -you five. That left a two-dollar bill and four -five-dollar gold-pieces. Oh, I don’t care such an -awful lot about the money, but <a href="#image03">it’s rotten to know -that there’s a thief in the dormitory</a>! Why, it -may be—”</p> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 396px;"> -<a id="image03"> - <img src="images/image03.jpg" width="396" height="600" alt="" title="" /> -</a><br /> -<div class="caption"><a href="#Page_144">It’s rotten to know that there’s a thief in the dormitory.</a></div> -</div> - -<p>“It might have been some one from one of -the other halls,” said Jim. “Or maybe a sneak-thief -from outside.”</p> - -<p>“Oh, it might be any one!” Clem slammed -the bag shut and tossed it back to the shelf. “He -was after those keys, whoever he was, and that’s -the reason he messed everything up so. But -how did he know where they were, eh? The other -drawers are just as I left them. How about -yours? Better have a look.”</p> - -<p>“I don’t think they’ve been touched,” Jim reported. -“Guess whoever was in here came while -we were both out this afternoon. How long were -you gone?”</p> - -<p>“I haven’t been here since about half-past two, -until just now. I was over at Upton for an hour<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_145" id="Page_145">[145]</a></span> -or more. Then Carl Stevens and I went downtown. -What time’s it now? Twenty past five? -Well, that’s nearly three hours. When were you -up last?”</p> - -<p>“Just before practice. About five to three, I -guess.”</p> - -<p>Clem, hands in pockets, stared at the floor and -then flung himself into a chair. “Well, I’m going -to report it. Something will have to be done -if a fellow can’t leave his room door unlocked. -I don’t care a hang about the money, Jim, but I’d -certainly like to catch the sneak that got it!”</p> - -<p>Jim, still standing, nodded. “Come to think -of it, Clem, it wouldn’t be hard for a fellow to -walk in the Meadow street gate and go through -a dozen rooms if he found ’em empty. All he’d -have to do would be pretend that he was looking -for some fellow and didn’t know where he lived, -sort of.”</p> - -<p>“The way you looked for Dolf Chapin last -year,” said Clem, managing a brief smile. “Still, -he’d have to get past Mr. Tarbot, and his door is -nearly always open and looks right into the corridor -down there.”</p> - -<p>“Yes, but I guess he isn’t always in,” said -Jim. “And even if he saw some one he mightn’t -know he wasn’t one of the fellows from another -hall. Gosh, I guess he can’t know more than -four hundred fellows by sight!”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_146" id="Page_146">[146]</a></span></p> - -<p>“No, but there’s never been any stealing like -that since I’ve been here,” objected Clem. “Folks -don’t come on the campus unless they’ve got business; -fellows from the presser’s or the laundry -or—and even they aren’t supposed to come upstairs.”</p> - -<p>“They do it, though.”</p> - -<p>“Yes, I know, but— Now think a minute, Jim. -It must have taken a good five minutes to find the -keys in that drawer—and you can see by the way -things were left that he must have had to hunt -for them—and get the suit-case down and unlock -it and lock it and put the keys back and everything. -An outsider wouldn’t dare take the risk, -Jim. How’d he know that one of us wouldn’t -walk in on him?”</p> - -<p>“Yes, it would be risky,” Jim owned somewhat -unwillingly.</p> - -<p>“It sure would! No, sir, the guy that pulled -this trick knew that we were both out. I dare -say he watched us go. Then he had all the time -in the world.”</p> - -<p>“Yes, but if he had so much time why did he -pull things around so in the drawer? Or why -didn’t he fix them back the way he found them? -He might have known that you’d notice and get -suspicious and miss the money.”</p> - -<p>“Probably didn’t think about that. Oh, well, -I’ve got to go down and see Old Tarbox. Come<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_147" id="Page_147">[147]</a></span> -along and give your evidence, old son. He will -ask a lot of questions, I suppose.”</p> - -<p>“Maybe you could make it clearer if you went -alone.”</p> - -<p>“Well, he’d want to question you anyway, -sooner or later. Come on.”</p> - -<p>So Jim went. Mr. Tarbot, whose suite of study, -bedroom and bath was the first on the right from -the dormitory entrance, bade them enter when -Clem had knocked on the half-open door and the -two filed in. The instructor was reading in a -deep chair set close to a window, but at sight of -Jim he suddenly sat up straight. “I’ve been -watching for you, Todd,” he announced briskly. -“Some one telephoned about ten minutes ago -from the Police Station. I didn’t understand -who he was. One of the officers, I fancy. He said -I was to ask you to come over there directly -you got in. He didn’t say what was wanted. I -hope your conscience is clear, my boy.” Mr. -Tarbot smiled to show that he was joking, but behind -the smile one might have detected anxiety. -Jim stared incredulously for an instant. Then -his face clouded suddenly.</p> - -<p>“I’ll go right away, sir,” he replied.</p> - -<p>Mr. Tarbot nodded and picked up his book -again. Clem, his mission forgotten for the -moment, followed Jim to the corridor. “What -the dickens do you suppose they want?” he asked<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_148" id="Page_148">[148]</a></span> -with lively curiosity. Jim shook his head. “Well, -I’ll go along and see you through,” chuckled -Clem. “Nothing like having a friend at court, -old son!”</p> - -<p>Jim stopped at the bottom of the steps and -shook his head again. “You needn’t come, Clem,” -he said. “You’d better see Tarbot about—”</p> - -<p>“Oh, that can wait. This is a lot more exciting. -Go? You bet I’ll go. Why, I may have to -bail you out!”</p> - -<p>After an instant of indecision Jim went on and -Clem fell in beside him, chattering animatedly -to apparently deaf ears. Jim looked troubled, -and by the time they were half-way toward the -main gate Clem noted the fact and, after a second -puzzled glance at his companion, said: “Look -here, old son, if you’d really rather I didn’t go -along I won’t.”</p> - -<p>Jim shook his head once more. “No, you -might as well come, I guess. If it’s what I think -it is—”</p> - -<p>“What do you think it is?” asked Clem when -the other paused.</p> - -<p>“Webb,” said Jim after a moment. “The -fellow I lent the money to. Maybe he didn’t go -away, like he said he would, and maybe he’s got -in trouble with the police.”</p> - -<p>Clem whistled expressively. “Bet you that’s<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_149" id="Page_149">[149]</a></span> -just it!” he murmured. “I didn’t want to say -so, Jim, but I was absolutely certain that was he -I saw that day on West street.”</p> - -<p>Jim nodded and they crossed Academy street -in silence and went into State. “Know where it -is?” asked Jim presently. “The police place, I -mean.”</p> - -<p>“Yes, turn to the left on West. It’s about -four blocks over and one through. Opposite the -Odd Fellow’s building. Say, if they want money -to let him out, Jim, we’re in a mess, eh?”</p> - -<p>Once more Jim nodded affirmatively. After -that conversation was virtually prohibited by the -fact that the home-seeking throngs on the busy -streets made it nearly impossible for the two -boys to stay together. After a five-minute hurried -walk they reached the Police Station, an old -red-brick building with an entrance of granite -steps and rusty iron-railings much too large for -the small, square edifice. Past the doorway, Jim -paused in doubt, but Clem, with a familiarity that -might have seemed suspicious to one of uncharitable -mind, straightway guided him to the right -and into a scantily furnished apartment occupied -principally by a broad oak railing, a large, flat-topped -desk and a large red-faced man in a blue -uniform. There were some minor furnishings -too, such as a few chairs, a telephone, three<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_150" id="Page_150">[150]</a></span> -framed pictures and a wobbly costumer which -sagged sidewise under the weight of a policeman’s -overcoat.</p> - -<p>The big man behind the desk was proclaimed -a sergeant by the insignia on his sleeve and the -letters on the hat that perched rakishly on the -back of his bristly head. There was a cigar in -one corner of his mouth, a much-chewed, down-at-the-side -cigar that gave off rank fumes of -gray smoke and caused the sergeant to close one -eye as he viewed the arrivals.</p> - -<p>“My name,” announced Jim in a voice so -fraught with guilt that the sergeant would have -been entirely justified in locking him up instantly, -“is Todd. They said over at school that -some one wanted to see me here—about something.”</p> - -<p>“Oh, yes! Sure, young feller. Say, just step -in the next room, will you? That’s the door. The -Captain’s in there and he’ll ’tend to you. Sure, -you can go in, too, if you want.” The latter part -of the invitation was to Clem, who had hesitated -to follow his companion. So Clem trod closely -on the heels of Jim, and they passed through a -heavy door and found themselves in a second -room that was much like the first. Here, though, -there was a brilliantly red carpet on the floor, -the desk was a roll-top, there was an inhospitable -looking leather couch along one wall and the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_151" id="Page_151">[151]</a></span> -single occupant, instead of being large and red -of countenance, was tall and lean, with a military -carriage and a healthily tanned face.</p> - -<p>“Todd, eh?” he asked tersely. “Sit down, -please. This gentleman a friend of yours? I -see. Very well. I have a question or two to ask, -Mr. Todd. Know a man who calls himself James -Webster?”</p> - -<p>“No, sir.” Relief struggled with doubt in -Jim’s face.</p> - -<p>“Didn’t think you did, because I guess that -isn’t the fellow’s right name. Know any one with -a name like that?”</p> - -<p>“I know a man whose name is Webb,” faltered -Jim. “His first name, I mean.”</p> - -<p>“Webb, eh? What’s his last name?”</p> - -<p>Jim’s hesitation was pronounced, but he finally -answered, “Todd, sir.”</p> - -<p>Clem shot a quick, startled look at Jim. Jim -didn’t meet it. He was staring anxiously at the -police captain.</p> - -<p>“Webb Todd? I see. Relative of yours?”</p> - -<p>“Cousin; sort of. His mother and my mother -were half-sisters.”</p> - -<p>“Not exactly a cousin, then, my boy. Known -him long?”</p> - -<p>“Yes, sir, ever since I can remember. Up in -Maine. He lived right near us for a good while.”</p> - -<p>“Seen him lately?”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_152" id="Page_152">[152]</a></span></p> - -<p>“Yes, sir, twice. Once I met him on the street -and the next time he came to our room in Haylow -Hall. Is—has he been arrested?”</p> - -<p>The Captain nodded. “Yes, we took him in -charge about four o’clock. He’s been loafing -around town for several days. He will be up in -court in the morning charged with vagrancy. I -dare say he’ll get off with a suspended sentence if -he agrees to quit town.”</p> - -<p>Jim breathed loudly with relief.</p> - -<p>“Only thing puzzles us,” continued the Captain, -“is where he got what we took off him.” -He opened a drawer at his side and took out a -small parcel. “Ever lend him money, Mr. -Todd?”</p> - -<p>“Yes, sir.”</p> - -<p>“How much money?”</p> - -<p>Jim hesitated again. “Eight dollars and a -half,” he answered.</p> - -<p>“That all?” Jim nodded. “Haven’t forgotten -any?” Jim shook his head. “Funny,” said -the Captain. He opened the parcel, displaying -a soiled envelope with a letter showing beyond -its torn edge, a cheap-pocket knife and an assortment -of coins. Three of the coins glittered -brightly in the light from the near-by window. -“This fellow had sixteen dollars and forty-one -cents when we searched him. Fifteen dollars was -in five-dollar gold coins. We asked him where he<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_153" id="Page_153">[153]</a></span> -got them. He said”—the Captain eyed Jim intently—“you -gave them to him.”</p> - -<p>There was a moment’s silence. Jim was still -staring wide-eyed at the officer. Clem was staring -fascinatedly at the three gold coins. Then -the Captain’s voice came again. “Of course, if -you didn’t give them to him he probably stole -them and it’ll be up to us to find out where. It -probably won’t be hard, for gold-pieces are scarce -and folks who have them miss them if they disappear. -I didn’t believe the fellow’s statement, -because it didn’t seem likely to me that any of -you fellows at the school would have so much -money on hand. Judging from the condition he -was in when we took charge of him, he must have -had considerably more to start with. Anyhow, -that’s his story. Says he was looking for work -and was strapped and asked you for a loan and -you came across with twenty dollars in five dollar -coins. He was lying, eh?”</p> - -<p>Silence again. Clem’s gaze was on Jim. Jim’s -was on the bright red carpet. Jim moistened his -lips with his tongue and looked again at the questioner. -He shook his head.</p> - -<p>“No, sir, he wasn’t lying,” he said evenly. “I -had—forgotten.”</p> - -<p>“Oh, you’d forgotten.” The Captain’s gaze -narrowed. “It’s a bad idea to forget things, -Todd, when it’s the police who want to know,”<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_154" id="Page_154">[154]</a></span> -he went on dryly. “You did give him the money, -did you? How much?”</p> - -<p>“Twenty-two dollars—the last time, sir.”</p> - -<p>“To-day?” Jim nodded. “Part gold, was it?”</p> - -<p>“Four five-dollar gold-pieces and a two dollar -bill,” replied Jim.</p> - -<p>“Quite a lot of money for you to have, wasn’t -it?”</p> - -<p>“Yes, sir.”</p> - -<p>The Captain stared at Jim a moment longer. -Then his gaze shifted to the collection of coins at -his elbow. He wrapped the paper about them -again and tossed the packet back in the drawer. -“Well, all right,” he said finally. “He says you -did and you say you did, and so I guess that -settles it. That’s all, Mr. Todd. Much obliged -to you.”</p> - -<p>“He won’t be sent to jail, will he?” asked Jim.</p> - -<p>“Don’t believe so. He ought to be, for he looks -to me like a bad egg. If you like to come over -to-morrow about nine-thirty and speak to the -Judge, I’ll fix it for you. You might say a good -word for the man if you’ve known him so long.”</p> - -<p>“I’d like to,” answered Jim gratefully. Then, -hesitantly, “Could I see him, please, sir?”</p> - -<p>“I guess so.” He pressed a button on the edge -of the desk and, when an elderly man in a police -uniform appeared, waved toward Jim. “This -gentleman wants to see the nut that was brought<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_155" id="Page_155">[155]</a></span> -in this afternoon; Webster’s the name he’s entered -under. Just show him down, Grogan.”</p> - -<p>Jim followed the turnkey without a glance toward -Clem.</p> - -<p>Ten minutes later Jim emerged from the station. -Clem had not waited. Jim made his way -back to school alone, hurrying at times, since the -six o’clock whistle had long since blown, and at -other times slowing to a pace that indicated that -his thoughts were concerned with a subject more -weighty than supper.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_156" id="Page_156">[156]</a></span></p> - - - - -<div class="chapter"> -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XIII" id="CHAPTER_XIII">CHAPTER XIII</a><br /> -<small>MR. WEBB TODD</small></h2> -</div> - - -<p>Although Jim went directly back to Number 15 -after his delayed supper he did not find Clem -there. Perhaps, he thought, Clem had been there -and, not finding him, had gone to look for him. In -a way Jim was not sorry, for the explanation that -was Clem’s due wasn’t going to be easy to make. -He prepared to write a letter to his father, but, -with pen hovering above paper, his thoughts went -back to his talk with Webb and the letter was forgotten.</p> - -<p>Webb had been so glad to see him that Jim’s -anger had softened instantly, even though the -former had shown no signs of contrition. He had -been perfectly frank. Leaning against the sill -of a barred window at one end of the corridor -that extended along the front of the cells, Webb -had explained everything in matter-of-fact -fashion. After he had got that five dollars from -Jim he had changed his mind about going to Norwalk -just then. He didn’t see any sense in working -so long as he had money. But yesterday the -money had given out and in the afternoon he had<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_157" id="Page_157">[157]</a></span> -gone to Haylow to ask for another loan. If he -had got it he would have jumped the train at four -and gone to Norwalk. Anyway, he had really -meant to then. But no one had answered his -knock, and he had gone in. He had looked around -a bit and then sat down, intending to wait for -Jim’s return. It wasn’t until then that the idea -of taking Clem’s money had occurred to him.</p> - -<p>When he had called there before and Jim had -gone back into the room to ask Clem for the loan -Webb had watched and listened through a crack -in the door, for Jim had not quite closed it. He -had seen Clem take the bunch of keys from the -drawer and go to the closet. After that the action -had been outside his range of vision, but his ears -had supplied him with what his eyes had missed. -So yesterday it had been easy enough. He had -had trouble finding the keys, for they had become -tucked into a fold of a garment, but after he had -them what followed was fair sailing. A few -minutes later, opening the door cautiously on an -empty corridor, he had walked away again and -down the stairs. Near the front door he had -seen, both on entering and leaving, a “funny-looking -sketch with a trick mustache readin’ a book, -but he didn’t pay no attention to me, kid.” He -went out the gate to Meadow street and returned -to the village. There he visited a lunch-room and -had a good feed, and it was while he was standing<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_158" id="Page_158">[158]</a></span> -harmlessly in front of it that “a cop come along -and pinched me.”</p> - -<p>Webb had seemed neither proud nor ashamed -nor greatly concerned with his present plight. -He had heard that the Judge here was a “good -guy,” and they didn’t have anything on him, anyway, -because they couldn’t send a guy up for vagrancy -when he had more than fifteen dollars in -his pocket and was tryin’ hard to find a job. -Webb had winked there.</p> - -<p>“But suppose they found out you’d stolen that -money, Webb?”</p> - -<p>“How could they? I told ’em you gave it to -me. All you got to do is tell ’em the same story, -kid.”</p> - -<p>“That would make me a thief, Webb.”</p> - -<p>“How would it? I’ll be out o’ here to-morrow, -and all you got to do is tell that guy the facts. -Say, ain’t they asked you about it yet?” Jim nodded. -“Well, what did you tell ’em?”</p> - -<p>“That I gave it to you—lent it to you—this -afternoon.”</p> - -<p>“Sure! Well, that’s all right, ain’t it? They -can’t do nothin’ to me if you stick to that, -kid!”</p> - -<p>“If I do stick to it, Webb, you’ve got to make -me a promise and keep it.”</p> - -<p>“Sure I will! You know me, kid. You and me -was always the best ’o pals, and I ain’t the kind<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_159" id="Page_159">[159]</a></span> -of a guy to go back on my friends. What’s it you -want me to do?”</p> - -<p>“I want you to leave here on the first train -after they let you go, Webb, and find a job and -stick to it. You know mighty well this way of living -ain’t going to get you anywhere, Webb. Gosh, -when I was a kid I thought you were just about -the finest fellow in the world! You were always -mighty good to me, Webb, and I just can’t forget -it. I want you should quit this business and -be like you used to be. You can if you’ll try, -Webb, I know you can!”</p> - -<p>“Sure!” Webb Todd’s voice had been a little -husky. “You’re dead right, too, kid. This is -a rotten life, and I know it. But—” He had -sort of run down there. After a moment he said -almost wistfully: “Say, kid, I wasn’t a bad sort -back in the old days, was I? You and me had -some swell times, didn’t we? Remember the time -the old red sow got out and we was chasin’ it and -it ran in the kitchen and your ma was making -bread and the old sow came out with the pan o’ -dough on her head?”</p> - -<p>“Yes, and I remember the time I fell between -the logs in Beecher’s Cove and you dived in and -got me out, Webb.”</p> - -<p>“Sure.” Webb had nodded reminiscently. -“You come near kicking in that time, kid.” -After a moment’s silence Jim had asked:</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_160" id="Page_160">[160]</a></span></p> - -<p>“Well, will you do it, Webb?”</p> - -<p>“I’ll try, kid.”</p> - -<p>“You mean it? You promise me you’ll really -try, Webb? Try as hard as you know how?”</p> - -<p>“Yeah, I’ll try hard. I don’t know as I’ll make -it, kid. A guy gets sort o’ used to doin’ without -a job after a while. It ain’t so hard, kid. If -you’ve got a good spiel you won’t never starve. -There’s a lot of mushy folks in the world. You’d -be surprised how easy they fall for a hard-luck -steer, kid.”</p> - -<p>“Just as I did,” Jim had said.</p> - -<p>“Yeah. But, say, kid, honest I wasn’t meanin’ -to bleed you. I really meant to go to Norwalk -the day after I first saw you, just like I told you. -But somethin’ sort o’ prevented.”</p> - -<p>“There’s another thing, Webb. I’m going to -see the Judge in the morning before he goes into -court. The Police Captain said he’d fix it so I -could. And I’m going to tell him you ain’t really -a—a loafer, and about how good you used to be -to me, Webb, and I guess he won’t be hard on -you. But if I do that you must give me back that -money, what’s left of it.”</p> - -<p>“All of it? Well, but listen, kid, how am I -goin’ to get to Norwalk?”</p> - -<p>“I’ll bring you enough for that. How much -does it cost on the train?”</p> - -<p>“Four dollars.” Jim blinked at that, and then<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_161" id="Page_161">[161]</a></span> -Webb had said: “That’s a lie, kid. Two-eighty’s -the price.”</p> - -<p>“I’ll get it. That other money, what you stole -from Clem Harland, must go back to him. Remember, -Webb, I’ll have to pay back what you -used of it, and the five dollars I borrowed for -you besides, and it ain’t going to be easy. -Father’s pretty hard up this year, and I don’t get -but ten dollars a month.”</p> - -<p>“Yeah, I know about your father. I wrote and -tried to make a touch awhile back, but nothin’ -stirrin’. Well, what you say goes, kid. You’re -sure white, and I won’t forget it.”</p> - -<p>When he had reached the door Webb had called: -“Say, kid, if you’ve got a quarter you ain’t -needin’ you might hand it to the old guy there an’ -tell him to fetch me in some supper. I’ll bet the -<em>cuisine</em> at this hotel’s rotten.”</p> - -<p>Jim had thrust a hand into an empty pocket and -replied regretfully: “I haven’t got it, Webb.”</p> - -<p>“All right, kid. Don’t you worry. I ate good -a while back. See you to-morrow.”</p> - -<p>Now, staring at the unsullied sheet of note -paper before him and tapping his teeth with the -end of his fountain pen, Jim was wondering -where and how he was to get two dollars and -eighty cents to give to Webb in the morning. He -was determined that all that was left of Clem’s -twenty-two dollars should go back to him untouched.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_162" id="Page_162">[162]</a></span> -Webb ought to have more than the -mere price of his fare, too. He seemed certain -that he had only to reach Norwalk to find work, -but he would have to have money for food to eat -to-morrow and the part of the next at least. Four -dollars wouldn’t be a cent too much. Jim went -to his closet and looked over his none too ample -wardrobe. Jim knew nothing of institutions that -loaned money on personal property and allowed -you the privilege of redeeming it; he was trying -to decide whether his heavy winter overcoat -which, if truth were told, was far heavier than it -was warm, or the light-weight suit he had worn -back to school in the fall could be best given up. -Either one ought to sell for a good deal more than -four dollars; but how much more he didn’t know. -His movements dislodged the football from the -shelf above and it dropped with a startling thud -on his head. He picked it up and was looking it -over appraisingly when the door opened and Clem -entered.</p> - -<p>Clem said “Hello,” glancing briefly from Jim’s -face to the ball in his hands, and turned to his -own closet to hang up his cap. If there was anything -unaccustomed in his tone Jim didn’t notice -it. He was thinking of what he had to say and -wondering how Clem was going to take it. He -walked back to the table, stared down at the waiting -letter paper and, when Clem turned away<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_163" id="Page_163">[163]</a></span> -from the closet, said: “I’m terribly sorry about -what happened to-day, Clem.”</p> - -<p>After a slight hesitation Clem replied: “Yes. -Well, so am I, Jim.” It sounded as though he -had tried to speak lightly, but he had only succeeded -in sounding oddly stiff. Jim looked across -inquiringly, but Clem had seated himself on his -side of the table and was pulling over his books.</p> - -<p>“I’m going to get what’s left of that money -in the morning,” Jim continued, “and give it -back to you. There’s only a little over sixteen -dollars of it, though, and so I’m owing you eleven -now. I’m going to write to dad and ask him to -send me ten and take it out of my December and -January allowances. Then—then I thought of -another way, but I don’t know—I ain’t sure about -that yet.”</p> - -<p>“Don’t bother about it,” said Clem. “I don’t -care a hang if you never pay it back.” He opened -a book, propped his elbows and indicated that the -subject was closed. Something in his voice and -attitude puzzled Jim, and he jumped to a conclusion.</p> - -<p>“I guess I know how you feel,” he said. “It—it -isn’t very pleasant to find that the fellow -you’re rooming with has a cousin—well, a sort -of a cousin—who’s a—a thief. I sort of wish you -hadn’t gone over there with me, Clem.”</p> - -<p>Clem lifted his head and stared a moment.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_164" id="Page_164">[164]</a></span> -Then he laughed shortly. “Well, I can certainly -believe that!” he said.</p> - -<p>“What I mean is if you hadn’t known about -Webb, about his being related to me, it wouldn’t -have troubled you. But I’d sort of like you to -believe that he ain’t—isn’t really bad, Clem. If -you had known him five or six years ago—”</p> - -<p>“Look here, Jim, let me understand you. This -cousin of yours, or whatever he is, is a ne’er-do-well, -all right; I guess you could call him a bum -without being sued for libel, but just what do -you mean by calling him a thief?”</p> - -<p>“Why, I—well, I don’t want to call him that, -Clem, because I—I’m awfully fond of him, but I -guess I’ve got to, haven’t I, after what happened?”</p> - -<p>“What did happen?” asked Clem brusquely.</p> - -<p>Jim stared in puzzlement. “Why, he stole -your money, Clem!”</p> - -<p>“Oh, I see. Your cousin stole it.”</p> - -<p>“Well—well, didn’t he?” asked Jim. “Didn’t -you see it? Didn’t you hear what that man said, -the Police Captain? I thought—”</p> - -<p>“Yes, I saw and heard both, Jim, and— Look -here, suppose we leave the word ‘stole’ out of it. -Let’s say ‘borrowed.’ It sounds better. Anyway, -what’s the good of talking about it any -more? You’re sorry and I’m sorry. Let it go -that way.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_165" id="Page_165">[165]</a></span></p> - -<p>“We-ell, all right,” answered Jim dubiously. -“Only I wanted you to know that you were going -to get your money back, Clem.”</p> - -<p>“I’ve told you I didn’t care about that. Besides, -hang it all, Jim, if this fellow Webb stole -it why don’t you let him pay it back? If he stole -it where does your liability come in?”</p> - -<p>“Why, he couldn’t pay it back, Clem. Or he -wouldn’t, I guess. He’s promised to go straight, -but I don’t know if he will. I’m responsible, of -course. If it wasn’t for me he wouldn’t have -come here and taken it.”</p> - -<p>“When was it he took it?” asked Clem coldly.</p> - -<p>“About three, he said. The other night he saw -you get your keys out and open the suit-case, and -he heard us talking, and to-day—”</p> - -<p>“Saw us through the door, eh?”</p> - -<p>“No, he says the door wasn’t quite closed. -But he didn’t think of stealing the money until -to-day. He came up here to ask me for another -loan, and we were both out, and he remembered -about the money in the suit-case and—and took -it.”</p> - -<p>“And no one saw him?” asked Clem incredulously.</p> - -<p>“He says Mr. Tarbot saw him go by his study -but didn’t pay any attention.”</p> - -<p>“That’s hard to believe. And look here, Jim, -I don’t remember that door being ajar. My recollection<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_166" id="Page_166">[166]</a></span> -is that you closed it tight when you came -in from the hall.”</p> - -<p>“I guess I meant to, but maybe I didn’t, because -Webb saw you go to your drawer and get -the keys.”</p> - -<p>Clem jumped up impatiently, went to the door -and set it open an inch or two. “Like that?” he -asked, with a trace of sarcasm. “Tell me how he -could have seen me go to the closet and open the -bag on the floor there.”</p> - -<p>“He couldn’t.” Jim was finding his chum’s -manner more puzzling every minute. “He didn’t -say he did. He only said he saw you open the -drawer and get the bunch of keys. The rest -he just heard.”</p> - -<p>Clem shrugged as he closed the door again and -went back to his chair. Jim was watching him -anxiously, disturbed by something he couldn’t define. -“Over there at the police station,” said -Clem, after a moment’s silence, “the Captain told -us that your—friend said he got the money from -you.”</p> - -<p>“Yes,” agreed Jim, frowning.</p> - -<p>“And you said so, too, didn’t you?”</p> - -<p>“Of course! What else could I say? I <em>had</em> to -lie, Clem. If I hadn’t they’d have accused him -of theft. I thought you understood why I was doing -it!”</p> - -<p>“Oh! Yes, I see.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_167" id="Page_167">[167]</a></span></p> - -<p>Suddenly Jim realized. Indignation sent the -blood flooding up into his cheeks and for an instant -his hands clutched the back of the chair -on which they rested until the knuckles showed -white. He stifled the exclamation of angry dismay -that rushed to his lips, and in the moment -he realized that, on evidence alone, Clem was -fairly entitled to his belief. Yes, circumstances -undoubtedly pointed to him rather than to Webb -as the culprit! But the thought that Clem could -believe him a thief, on any sort of evidence save -that of his own eyesight, hurt him horribly. He -felt almost sick for a minute.</p> - -<p>Clem’s eyes were on the book opened before -him, but I doubt that he saw the words there. -He was secretly at odds with himself. He had -returned to the room determined to make no reference -to the affair of the stolen money. It had -not occurred to him that Jim had sought to protect -Webb. It did not occur to him now, seriously. -Webb had demanded more money, Jim had known -about the twenty-two dollars and had yielded to -a sudden temptation. That was how Clem figured -it. The mere act of thievery didn’t seem -so bad to him, nor did the loss of the money—if -it proved a loss—trouble him at all. But he felt -terribly injured, spiritually bruised, by the revelation -that Jim could do so small and mean an act. -He had, almost without realizing it, grown very<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_168" id="Page_168">[168]</a></span> -fond of Jim, and now the discovery that the latter -was not worthy of the affection wounded him -sorely. But he had meant to keep all this to himself; -Jim, he had thought, would be glad to say -no more of the affair; and he would have done so -if Jim had not made matters worse by attempting -to shift the blame to Webb. That had turned -Clem’s sorrow to disgust and, finally, to something -close to anger. To him, accusing Webb was -far worse than taking the money. The latter was -capable of palliation if one granted sudden temptation, -but to seek to clear himself at the expense -of another, one who could not testify on his own -behalf, was indefensible; it was the worst of all -offenses to Clem’s eyes, it was poor sportsmanship!</p> - -<p>Jim’s voice broke the silence finally. It was -harsh and strained, for he was trying desperately -to hide his hurt, and it was so low that it scarcely -carried across the table.</p> - -<p>“Clem,” he said, “are you thinking that I -stole that money?”</p> - -<p>Clem looked up, his face oddly expressionless. -“I thought we had agreed to leave that word out -of it.”</p> - -<p>“What does it matter what you call it?” asked -Jim, his voice trembling a trifle in spite of his -efforts to keep it steady. “You are thinking it! -You don’t dare look me in the face and deny it!”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_169" id="Page_169">[169]</a></span></p> - -<p>Clem frowned. “Let’s not be tiresome, Jim. -It’s done. Let’s not say anything more about it.”</p> - -<p>There was another silence. Then: “All right,” -said Jim. “I will never speak of it again—until -you do.” The strained expression went out of -his face, but it remained white and grim as he -seated himself in his chair and took up his pen -once more. Now there was no hesitation. The -sprawling letters followed each other rapidly -across the white sheet. “Friday,” he wrote; -“Dear Father: I am sorry to have to ask you for -money again but I must have twelve dollars within -a few days. This is right important. I want -you should take it out of my allowances for December, -January and February, so I’m not asking -anything extra. Please try hard to send me -this twelve dollars just as soon as you get this -letter. I’m not in trouble, so you don’t need to -be worried any, and when I see you I’ll tell you -what I have to have it for. I am well and getting -along nicely—”</p> - -<p>Jim paused there and stared sadly at the base -of the lamp for a long moment before he went on.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_170" id="Page_170">[170]</a></span></p> - - - - -<div class="chapter"> -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XIV" id="CHAPTER_XIV">CHAPTER XIV</a><br /> -<small>IN THE JUDGE’S CHAMBER</small></h2> -</div> - - -<p>Jim was the first one at the training table the -next morning and the first one away, and it -wasn’t much after half-past eight when he -emerged from Haylow and made his way across -the campus. Under one arm he carried his football. -At West street he turned to the left and, -about a third of the way along the block, turned in -under a swinging sign on which a football was -portrayed. It was a prosperous looking store -whose well-filled shelves and cases and counters -offered everything in the athletic and sporting -goods lines. At this time of morning there were -no customers, and the only occupant was a youth -of nineteen or twenty, a graduate of the Academy -and a resident of the town. To him Jim explained -his errand.</p> - -<p>“I bought this football here awhile back,” he -stated, “and it’s never been used any to speak of. -Hasn’t even been out of my room until to-day. -You can see it’s almost like new.”</p> - -<p>“Yes, I see, but what’s the matter with it?” -The clerk was examining the stitching frowningly.</p> - -<p>“Nothing,” said Jim, “but I ain’t got any more<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_171" id="Page_171">[171]</a></span> -use for it and I thought maybe you could sell it -again.”</p> - -<p>“Well, I don’t know. It’s just about as good -as a new one, Mr. Todd; I’ve got you right, -haven’t I? You are Todd of the Eleven, aren’t -you? I thought so. Well, as I was saying, I’d -like to oblige you, but we don’t very often have -calls for second-hand footballs. I don’t suppose -we ever had, still I’ll be glad to do what I can for -you. I’ll take it on sale, Mr. Todd. It’s kind of -late now, though, and the demand for footballs is -about over.”</p> - -<p>“I wanted you to buy it from me,” said Jim. -“I need the money right away.”</p> - -<p>“Oh! Well, I don’t see how we could do that. -If Mr. Emerson was here he might be willing to -do it, but he isn’t. I don’t see much of him at this -time of the year. Guess he’s pretty busy playing -football. He telephones a couple of times a week, -but he may not call up to-day.”</p> - -<p>Jim’s disappointment showed plainly. “Well, -I’ve got to have the money this morning,” he -muttered. “I—I’d sell it back to you right -cheap.”</p> - -<p>“How cheap?” asked the clerk. “You paid -seven for this, didn’t you?”</p> - -<p>“Six-thirty. I got the academy discount.”</p> - -<p>“That’s right. Well, how much do you want -for it?”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_172" id="Page_172">[172]</a></span></p> - -<p>“Four,” answered Jim.</p> - -<p>“Well, I don’t say it isn’t worth it,” said the -other dubiously, “but I guess three and a half -would be the best I could get for it, if it sold at -all.”</p> - -<p>“Three and a half?” Jim considered. “All -right, I’ll take three and a half.”</p> - -<p>“I may get stuck on it,” said the clerk hesitantly, -“but I’ll take a chance. Mind, I’m doing -this, not the store, Mr. Todd. I wouldn’t have -any right to risk the store’s money like this.”</p> - -<p>Jim nodded. The point wasn’t important to -him, and he was trying to think of some way in -which to get the other fifty cents of the four dollars. -The clerk took three dollars and a half from -his pocket, handed the sum across the counter and -the transaction was completed. Jim hurried out.</p> - -<p>Had he passed that way half an hour later and -looked in the left-hand window he would have -seen his ball prominently displayed above a card -on which was printed: “Shopworn—A Bargain -at $4.50.”</p> - -<p>Further along on the opposite side of the street -was a tiny jewelry store. On the single narrow -window was printed “The Diamond Palace—I. -Kohn & Son.” Crossing the street, Jim removed -his cuff-links. Whether they were solid gold or -merely plated had never interested him before, -but he hoped now that they were solid. They<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_173" id="Page_173">[173]</a></span> -were, and after Mr. Kohn, Junior, a personable -youth with extremely red cheeks, a diminutive -black mustache and brilliantly shining hair -smoothed back from his forehead, had carefully -satisfied himself on that point he asked severely: -“You want to sell them?”</p> - -<p>Jim said that he did. Young Mr. Kohn -shrugged, laid them back on a rusty square of -purple velvet and pushed the square toward the -customer. “We don’t buy second-hand jewelry,” -he said. Jim picked up the links. “If you want -to sell those for old gold, we’ll pay you what -they’re worth.”</p> - -<p>Jim hesitated. “How much?” he asked.</p> - -<p>Mr. Kohn, Junior, weighed the links on a small -scales, out of sight of Jim, by the way, and replied; -“A dollar and a half. They don’t weigh -quite so much, but I’ll call it a dollar and a half -even.”</p> - -<p>“They’re worth more than that,” answered -Jim, remembering that there were at least six -more jewelry stores in town.</p> - -<p>“Not for old gold they ain’t.”</p> - -<p>“Well, I guess I don’t want to sell them,” said -Jim.</p> - -<p>“How much you think they’re worth?” asked -the other, still keeping the cuff-links.</p> - -<p>“Two dollars.”</p> - -<p>“You’re making fun of me,” answered the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_174" id="Page_174">[174]</a></span> -other, smiling patiently. “I ain’t saying they -ain’t worth two dollars to you for cuff-links, because -maybe they’d be worth three, but -for old gold—”</p> - -<p>“All right,” replied Jim, holding out his hand.</p> - -<p>“Say, ain’t you one of the fellows that plays -with the football team over to the Academy?” -asked young Mr. Kohn.</p> - -<p>“Yes.”</p> - -<p>“Sure! I recognized you when I see you coming -in the door. You was playing in that game last -week, wasn’t you? Sure! Well, now, listen, to -you I’ll say a dollar and seventy-five cents. If -papa was here he’d skin me, but I’m a great feller -for football, and—”</p> - -<p>Jim was pointing through the top of the case -to a pair of cheap imitation gold cuff-links fixed -in a small card. “I’ll let you have them for a -dollar, seventy-five and those links there.”</p> - -<p>“I couldn’t, positively!” Mr. Kohn, Junior, extracted -the links in question from the tray and -read the cryptic figures on a corner of the soiled -card. “Say, you know what these sell for. Sixty-five -cents! Look for yourself!”</p> - -<p>“‘g n l’” read Jim. “That don’t spell sixty-five -to me; it spells twenty-five.”</p> - -<p>Perhaps Mr. Kohn, Junior, was not without a -sense of humor, for he chuckled quite humanly, -hesitated a moment and finally turned to a huge<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_175" id="Page_175">[175]</a></span> -safe at the back of the narrow shop. “Say, you -got a cheek, ain’t you?” he asked almost approvingly. -“I got to give you that. I guess you football -fellers is great bluffers maybe.” He counted -out a dollar and seventy-five cents. “There you -are, Mister. Call again. Good morning.” Jim -took the money and the awful cuff-links and departed. -After he had gone young Mr. Kohn -rubbed his purchase diligently with a soiled -chamois, fixed them to a card, wrote “l d b” in a -corner and placed them on a glass shelf. In the -obscure code of the Diamond Palace “l d b” signified -that the article was to be disposed of for five -dollars. As, however, the proprietors permitted -themselves the privilege of reducing their goods -twenty per centum below the marked prices to -secure a sale it was possible that Jim’s cuff-links -might some day go for as little as four dollars.</p> - -<p>On his way to the Police Station Jim put his -new purchases in place and felt vastly more comfortable. -The Captain was not in, but the stout -Sergeant served as well and conducted Jim up -a broad flight of much-worn steps to the second -floor of the building. Facing the top of the staircase, -a wide portal, its double doors swung open, -showed the court room in possession of a few -loungers and a clerk busily at work under the -judge’s desk. Jim, however, was conducted past -the doorway and to a smaller door at the end of<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_176" id="Page_176">[176]</a></span> -the hall. The Sergeant knocked, received no -answer and looked in.</p> - -<p>“He ain’t come yet. You set down, kid, and -make yourself comfortable. He’ll be along in a -minute or two.”</p> - -<p>The Sergeant left him and Jim took one of the -several severe-looking chairs and waited. He -didn’t have to wait long, for presently brisk steps -sounded on stairs and corridor and a middle-aged -man in a closely-fitting suit of small gray -checks and a bright red necktie swung through -the doorway. Jim arose. The Judge grunted, -dropped a bag on the desk, placed a morning -paper atop, hung his derby hat in a wardrobe, -sank into a swivel chair and lighted a cigar. All -these things were done very briskly, so that Jim -was on his feet less than a minute before the -Judge waved him back to it.</p> - -<p>“Want to see me?” asked the Judge in an accusing -voice.</p> - -<p>“Yes, sir, if you please.” Jim wondered if he -should have said “Your Honor.” But if he had -failed in respect the Judge let it pass. He shifted -his cigar so that the smoke allowed him a view of -the visitor and, after a longing glance at the -newspaper, crossed one plump knee over the -other.</p> - -<p>“What about?”</p> - -<p>“About one of the—the prisoners, sir.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_177" id="Page_177">[177]</a></span></p> - -<p>“Coming before me this morning?”</p> - -<p>“Yes, sir, so the Police Captain said, and he -said I could see you before court began and tell -you about him. You see, Judge, Webb is all right, -only—”</p> - -<p>“What’s his name?”</p> - -<p>“Webb Todd, but he called himself Webster -when they arrested him.”</p> - -<p>“Gave an assumed name, eh? What’s he -charged with?”</p> - -<p>“Vagrancy, sir.”</p> - -<p>“That all?”</p> - -<p>“Yes, sir.”</p> - -<p>“Well, there have been too many vagrants -around here lately, and I guess it’s about time -some of them were made examples of. What do -you know about this Webster?”</p> - -<p>So Jim, beginning rather timorously but soon -forgetting his awe of the listener, said his say. -He made Webb out rather a fine character, and -once or twice the Judge’s cigar trembled in his -mouth and the Judge’s keen gray eyes, which -weren’t really half so steel-like as he tried to -make them, softened. Jim told how Webb had -taught him to swim and pull an oar and use a -paddle and had, in short, looked after him like an -elder brother for so many years. And he told -how Webb had dived into icy water that time when -Jim had gone beneath the logs and had saved his<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_178" id="Page_178">[178]</a></span> -life. Now and then the Judge asked a question, -and one of them was “What’s your name?” and -another was “You’re the boy they call ‘Slim’ -Todd, aren’t you?” And finally, to Jim’s utter -surprise, he and the Judge were talking football!</p> - -<p>The Judge knew football, too. There wasn’t -any doubt as to that. He had played it in school -and college, and, although that had been a good -twenty years before, he still followed the game -and was an ardent “fan”; and traveled many -miles each November to see his college meet its -ancient rival. He hadn’t missed an Alton game -so far this season, he told Jim, but he didn’t believe -he’d be able to make the trip to New Falmouth -this afternoon. Then he asked if Jim was -going to play, and Jim said he expected to, and -the Judge sighed and pushed his newspaper -aside and made finger spots on the polished mahogany -surface of the desk and moved his hands -hither and yon and explained to Jim in detail the -way in which he had got away around the enemy’s -right on a certain blustery afternoon many years -ago and sped twenty-six yards for the touchdown -that had won the game. And Jim, watching -and listening, saw the picture clearly and said -“<em>Gee!</em>” once or twice with bated breath and -sighed with vast relief when the Judge—only, of -course, he wasn’t the Judge then—tore loose<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_179" id="Page_179">[179]</a></span> -from the last tackler and fell across the blurred -white line!</p> - -<p>Then there was a knock on the door that led -to the court room and the Judge straightened himself -back in his chair and looked very judge-like -on the instant. When the Clerk entered the Judge -shook hands with Jim and walked to the corridor -door with him. “I’m glad to have met you, Mr. -Todd,” he said in his best judicial tones. “Good -morning.” But the Judge’s hand pressed Jim’s -very hard, and so Jim found courage to ask before -the door closed behind them: “And about—about -Webb, sir? You’ll be easy with him, sir?”</p> - -<p>“My boy,” answered the Judge, looking just -a bit pompous and severe, “his case will be -judged absolutely on its merits. I can say no -more than that.”</p> - -<p>After which, while the Clerk of the Court -coughed deprecatively in token that the Judge -was due on the bench, the Judge’s right eye-lid, -without in the least altering the expression of his -face, closed slowly down over the steel-gray eye.</p> - -<p>Comforted, indeed rather happier than he had -been since yesterday afternoon, Jim passed into -the court room and took a seat at the rear. The -rest of the audience counted no more than two -dozen. Jim had never been in any sort of a court -before, and he was a little disappointed at the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_180" id="Page_180">[180]</a></span> -almost casual way in which the cases were disposed -of. But the offenses were all minor ones -and so probably deserved little ceremony. The -Judge—strangely enough, Jim didn’t yet know -his name—sat very straight behind his desk and -looked unemotionally stern and gave his verdicts -in crisp, terse words. Jim began to be a little -uneasy. It seemed to him that the Judge was -absolutely unable to say “Discharged”! Instead, -it was “Ten days in jail” or “You are -fined fifty dollars” or “Sentenced to thirty days: -sentence suspended.” The prisoners were a dejected -looking lot until Webb Todd stood up in -his turn. Webb was perhaps more rumpled and -seedy-looking than his predecessors, but there -were no signs of dejection about him. Indeed he -had a rather jaunty air as he faced the Judge, in -spite of his unshaven face and cheap, skimpy, -frayed clothes. The Judge viewed him keenly -and at greater length than usual. The charge -was read.</p> - -<p>“What have you got to say for yourself, Webster?” -asked the Judge.</p> - -<p>“Not much, your Honor,” Webb answered -easily. “Just that I ain’t guilty. I’ve been here -three or four days looking for work, but I ain’t -a vagrant.”</p> - -<p>“Where did you work last?”</p> - -<p>“Manchester, New Hampshire, sir.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_181" id="Page_181">[181]</a></span></p> - -<p>“How long ago?”</p> - -<p>“About a month. Nearly five weeks.”</p> - -<p>“How did you happen to come here?”</p> - -<p>“I was going to Norwalk. I got a job promised -me in Norwalk. I got out of money and I had -a friend here and I stopped to make a touch.”</p> - -<p>“Succeed?”</p> - -<p>“Yes, sir.”</p> - -<p>“When?”</p> - -<p>“Yesterday afternoon.”</p> - -<p>“Before that?” The Judge’s eyes bored hard. -Webb stroked his chin.</p> - -<p>“A couple of days ago, sir.”</p> - -<p>“Why didn’t you go to Norwalk when you got -the first money from this friend?”</p> - -<p>“I—I guess I felt lazy,” said Webb. He smiled -engagingly, and the Judge frowned.</p> - -<p>“Where’s your home?”</p> - -<p>“New York City.”</p> - -<p>“Ever been in Maine?”</p> - -<p>“Yes, sir.”</p> - -<p>“Four Lakes?”</p> - -<p>Jim could see the sudden stiffening of Webb’s -thin form at the far end of the room. “Yes, -sir,” answered Webb after a moment.</p> - -<p>“As a matter of fact, Webster, that’s your -home, isn’t it?”</p> - -<p>“It used to be, Judge. I—I guess I ain’t got -any now.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_182" id="Page_182">[182]</a></span></p> - -<p>The Judge stared intently at Webb for a long -while across the desk, and, to his credit be it said, -Webb returned the look unflinchingly. “If I let -you off, Webster, will you promise me to leave -this town before night and secure work inside -of twenty-four hours?”</p> - -<p>“I’ll say so, Judge.”</p> - -<p>“Think you can secure work?”</p> - -<p>“I know it.”</p> - -<p>The Judge leaned back. “Discharged,” he -said. “Next case.”</p> - -<p>Jim followed Webb into the corridor and went -down stairs with him. “Gee, I’m awfully glad, -Webb!” he said.</p> - -<p>“Pshaw, he didn’t have nothin’ on me, kid. -What did I tell you? But, say, I forgot about -you seeing him, and when he asked me about Four -Lakes I got a swell jar! Did you bring the money, -kid?”</p> - -<p>“Yes. You get what they took away from -you, Webb, and we’ll trade.”</p> - -<p>Webb didn’t seem enthusiastic about that, but -he disappeared and after a few minutes returned -with his possessions. “Fifteen dollars,” he said, -offering Jim three five-dollar coins.</p> - -<p>“Sixteen, forty-one,” said Jim implacably. -Webb sighed, grinned and found the balance.</p> - -<p>“Gee, kid, you’re a regular Shylock, ain’t -you?”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_183" id="Page_183">[183]</a></span></p> - -<p>“This isn’t my money, Webb. Remember that -I’ve got to pay back the difference, too.”</p> - -<p>“That’s right. Say, I’m sorry, kid, honest I -am. I ain’t used you right, and I know it. Comin’ -along to the railway station with me?”</p> - -<p>“No,” answered Jim. “I haven’t time, Webb. -Here’s five dollars. You’ll be able to eat for a -few days if you don’t get that job right off.”</p> - -<p>“Kid, you’re a prince! But I’ll get the job, all -right. And say, this ain’t any promise, ’cause I -ain’t good at keeping promises, but maybe I’ll -be sending you that money back before long.”</p> - -<p>“I hope you will,” replied Jim soberly. “Anyway, -I’ll be expecting you to, Webb, for you really -owe it to me, you know.”</p> - -<p>“Help!” said Webb. “Well, that’s right, too. -So long, kid. See you again some day likely.”</p> - -<p>They shook hands; they were at the corner now; -and Jim said: “You’ll keep your promise, won’t -you, Webb? I mean you’ll really go to Norwalk -and get work.”</p> - -<p>“Take it from me, kid,” answered Webb, grinning, -“it ain’t going to be healthy for me in this -town after to-day. That Judge back there’s a -hard-boiled egg, or I miss my guess! So long, -kid!”</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_184" id="Page_184">[184]</a></span></p> - - - - -<div class="chapter"> -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XV" id="CHAPTER_XV">CHAPTER XV</a><br /> -<small>LOWELL IS WORRIED</small></h2> -</div> - - -<p>Too late for a ten o’clock recitation, Jim went -back to Haylow and deposited Clem’s money in a -drawer. At twenty minutes to eleven he went to -his last class of the day, and when he returned to -Number 15 Clem was there ahead of him. Jim -took the money from his drawer and laid it on -Clem’s chiffonier.</p> - -<p>“That’s yours,” he stated.</p> - -<p>Clem nodded carelessly. “Yes. Much -obliged.” Presently he arose and took the money -and placed it back in the suit-case, dropping the -bunch of keys back into the chiffonier drawer -as before. It is possible that the act was well intended. -Perhaps he meant to convey to Jim that, -despite what had happened, he still trusted him. -But Jim read it differently. To Jim the proceeding -announced: “You’ve been caught once, so I -guess you won’t try it again!” Since last night -the two had not had much to say to each other, -and what conversation there had been had -sounded lame. Probably in another day or two -the feeling of constraint on each side would wear -off, but just now it was far easier to remain silent<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_185" id="Page_185">[185]</a></span> -than to make their remarks sound natural. After -a few minutes, though, Clem looked at his watch -and asked:</p> - -<p>“Aren’t you going with the team, Jim?”</p> - -<p>Jim started and hurriedly consulted his own -timepiece. “Gosh, yes!” he ejaculated. “I’d -forgotten!” He hustled about and finally made -for the door.</p> - -<p>“Good luck,” said Clem. “Hope you trim -them.”</p> - -<p>“Thanks,” Jim called back.</p> - -<p>There was an early dinner, at which Jim was -late, and then the squad piled into two buses and -were trundled to the station. New Falmouth was -not far, but the train was a slow one and, to-day, -was twenty minutes behind schedule besides. It -was well after two when they reached their destination. -Mr. Cade had taken twenty-six players, -and these with coaches, managers, trainer and -rubber made quite an addition to New Falmouth’s -population and caused considerable stir in the -little town.</p> - -<p>The game started at three o’clock and went the -visitors’ way from the kick-off. New Falmouth -High School was a team that varied from very -good to extremely poor with the seasons. This -year it was an aggregation of big, husky youths -who seemed to have a lot of football inside them -but couldn’t get it out. That, at least, was the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_186" id="Page_186">[186]</a></span> -way Lowell Woodruff put it to Jim on the way -home. Alton confined herself to straight plays -and had so little difficulty making ground through -the opponent’s line that she was not called on -to play an open game. Rolls Roice made the -first score when he picked up a fumbled ball -and dashed nearly thirty yards with it. Billy -Frost added a second touchdown six minutes later. -Pep Kinsey, who started the game at quarter, -kicked both goals and the first period ended with -Alton 14 and New Falmouth 0.</p> - -<p>Mr. Cade began substitutions with the beginning -of the next quarter. Latham took Pep’s -place, Plant went in for Billy Frost and Benning -displaced Cheswick at center. A long march put -Alton on the home team’s eight yards where a -mistake in signals set her back to the fourteen. -Two drives by Tennyson, at full-back, netted five -and, with ten to go on fourth down, Latham tossed -to Levering, left end. But the ball grounded and -went to the enemy. It was not until the half was -nearly over that the Gray-and-Gold’s next invasion -yielded a profit. Then Plant broke -through from New Falmouth’s twenty-seven -yards and wormed through a crowded field to -the twelve. From there it took the visitors just -five plays to put the pigskin across, Tennyson -making the final plunge straight through center. -Whittier missed the goal. By that time Alton’s<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_187" id="Page_187">[187]</a></span> -line was largely composed of second and third -string players, and during the few minutes that remained -New Falmouth made her second first-down -and kept the ball in her possession.</p> - -<p>Jim didn’t see service until the third period -started. His opponent was a big heavy youth, -but he was correspondingly slow, and Jim didn’t -have much trouble with him. Yet, somehow, -Jim played listlessly to-day. Usually he was surprisingly -quick after the ball, and had not infrequently -beaten his own ends down the field under -punts, but this afternoon he and the pigskin were -more like strangers and he was forever running -into the interference instead of around it. He -was not the only one who failed to show his best -form, however, for there was a noticeable let-down -in aggressiveness as the score grew. Mr. -Cade used every man he had brought along before -the end, but re-instated several first-string -fellows in the final period. Jim was one of those -who retired then. He didn’t much care, for some -reason. Perhaps, because when your side is 30 -and the other side is 0, some of the zest of playing -is lacking.</p> - -<p>New Falmouth made her single score while Jim -was still in as a result of abandoning her off-tackle -and around-the-end plays, which had netted -her little, and taking to a passing game. Twice -she tried long passes and failed, largely because<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_188" id="Page_188">[188]</a></span> -the thrower waited so long that Alton easily covered -the receivers. Finally, though, having -caught a short punt on Alton’s forty-seven yards, -she changed her tactics and used a short pass -across the line from a moving formation by which -the pass was well screened. Possibly she would -have found less success had the Gray-and-Gold -team not been at the time composed largely of substitutes. -As it was she managed to fool the opponents -very neatly by varying the passes with end -runs. Several times Alton’s back-field followed -across to the apparently threatened territory only -to find that a run had suddenly developed into a -forward pass that sent them doubling back, usually -too late. Once Smith, who had taken Gus -Fingal’s place, saved the day by pulling down the -receiver from behind. On three other occasions -New Falmouth got the pass to the runner almost -unchallenged, and only the fact that the receivers -seemed incapable of getting off quickly kept the -home team from crossing Alton’s goal-line. As -it was, New Falmouth swept from the forty-seven -to the fifteen, losing a yard now and then on end -plays and gaining from eight to twelve on passes -across the line.</p> - -<p>On the fifteen-yard line, however, Alton, reinforced -by two first-string backs, stopped progress. -New Falmouth shot a forward to the left -only to have it knocked down by Billy Frost. A<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_189" id="Page_189">[189]</a></span> -plunge off tackle gained less than a yard. Faking -a try-at-goal, the invaders tossed over the -middle of the line and in the wild scramble that -ensued the pigskin again went to earth. With one -chance left New Falmouth put it up to the toe of -her full-back and, although Alton tried desperately -to break through, and although both Jim and -Hick Powers actually did succeed in almost reaching -the kicker, he made good and sent the pigskin -neatly between the uprights for New Falmouth’s -single score of the day. In revenge the visiting -team took the ball a few minutes later and, -strengthened by the return of many of her players -who had started the contest, walked down the -field for the last tally, sending Steve Whittier -over for the fifth touchdown just before time was -up. Steve added the 1 to the 6 a moment later, -and, since she had previously scored a field-goal, -Alton Academy returned home in the November -twilight with a 37 to 3 victory.</p> - -<p>On the train Lowell Woodruff sat with Jim -and was very talkative on the subject of the contest -and the lessons to be learned from it. Jim, -feeling rather glum, would much rather have -watched the gray landscape and thought his -thoughts, even if they weren’t very cheering. -But he managed to make Lowell think he was attentive, -and, since Lowell never demanded too -much of his listeners, he had little opportunity<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_190" id="Page_190">[190]</a></span> -to commune either with Nature or with Jim Todd -during that forty-minute train ride. “We don’t -want to get proud and haughty about this game,” -was part of the wisdom imparted by the manager. -“Of course, it wasn’t so bad, and if we’d played -our best men all through we might easily have -scored a couple more times and kept our own -slate clean. But the point is that those raw meat -eaters back there are slow as cold molasses. And -their brains are sort of torpid, too. If they had -a chance to make a gain they went into conference, -you might say, and by the time they’d reached a -decision some one of our crowd spilled the beans. -I wouldn’t wonder if they had a pretty fair team -by the end of the season, but any fast bunch -could tie knots in ’em. That’s one thing we -showed ourselves to be to-day, Slim, fast. Yes, -sir, we’re plumb sudden the way we get started -and move around. And Johnny Cade was mighty -pleased, too. I guess there was a whole lot he -didn’t like, but the speed we showed had him -tickled to death. All we’ve got to do is keep up -the speed, work out a nice running and passing -game, and walk right away from Kenly Hall.”</p> - -<p>“You think we can do it?” asked Jim, who, having -heard no more than half of Lowell’s remarks, -was driven by compunction to a show of interest. -Lowell grunted and looked past Jim into the -gathering darkness.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_191" id="Page_191">[191]</a></span></p> - -<p>“I think we can beat Kenly, but I don’t think -it the way I talked then,” he replied slowly. -“That’s the trouble with these easy games. They -make you see things that ain’t. Kenly licked the -boots off us two years ago and tied us last, and -I don’t see why she shouldn’t do it again. That -is, if we aren’t a hundred per cent better than we -were when she did it before. We’re some better -already, but we’re a long way from twice as good. -Kenly’s got most of her last year crowd on hand -again, and you know we’ve had to build almost a -new team. Anyway, I’d rather see Kenly win -than tie us. There’s something beastly unsatisfactory -about a game that neither side wins. -Seems as if all the season’s work and planning -had been wasted. It’s like a crazy dream I had -once. I dreamed I was climbing up a lot of ladders -hitched together at the ends. There were -dozens of ’em, and I kept on climbing, rung over -rung, scared blue all the time. And then when -I finally reached the top of the last ladder I was -just where I’d started!”</p> - -<p>Jim laughed. Then: “Tie games never come -together, though,” he said knowingly. “I noticed -that when I was reading the football records the -other day.”</p> - -<p>“I dare say that’s so,” said Lowell. “I think -we’ve only played three of them with Kenly since -the fun started. Anyway, I don’t want to see another<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_192" id="Page_192">[192]</a></span> -one this year. How did you get on to-day?”</p> - -<p>“All right, I guess,” answered Jim without -much conviction in his tones. “Not so well as -sometimes, maybe. Guess I didn’t feel very -zippy to start with.”</p> - -<p>“I dare say. Every fellow has an off-day now -and then. Probably ate something. Take it easy -to-morrow and be good to yourself. You know, -Todd, I’m kind of banking on you to finish the -season strong. ‘Slim and Victory’s’ my motto!”</p> - -<p>“Shucks,” muttered Jim. “I ain’t much good, -I guess.”</p> - -<p>“That,” responded Lowell, “is just your modesty. -The fact is,” he added benignantly, “you -play your position just as I should if I were a -football man, Todd. I can think of no greater -praise!”</p> - -<p>Jim was glad that he had a meeting of the -Maine-and-Vermont Society to interest him that -evening. Anything was preferable to sitting -alone in Number 15, and the companionship of -Clem offered even less attraction.</p> - -<p>Clem had spent a dull afternoon. When it was -too late he wished that he had followed his first -impulse and journeyed to New Falmouth for the -game. After sitting listlessly in the room a while, -trying to write a letter and failing, trying to read -and again failing, he started downstairs with the -intention of finding some one who, like himself,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_193" id="Page_193">[193]</a></span> -had the afternoon on his hands. But the sight -of Mr. Tarbot’s open door produced a sudden impulse -and he stopped and knocked.</p> - -<p>The instructor was at his desk, but he greeted -Clem cordially and asked him to sit down. Clem -seated himself in the attitude of one who has but -a moment to spare. “Mr. Tarbot,” he asked, -“did you notice a fellow pass your door yesterday -afternoon?”</p> - -<p>“A fellow?” inquired the instructor, smiling.</p> - -<p>“Well, a stranger, sir, sort of a smallish, thin -chap in gray, with a cloth cap; awfully seedy-looking.”</p> - -<p>“No, I don’t recall him,” replied Mr. Tarbot, -“but then so many go in and out, Harland, that I -pay very little attention.”</p> - -<p>“If you’d seen this fellow I think you’d have -remembered him,” said Clem. “I mean you’d -have seen he wasn’t one of us, sir.”</p> - -<p>“Probably. At least, I trust so. As a matter -of fact, Harland, I find myself as I grow older contracting -the odd habit of seeing things with my -eyes but not with my brain. For instance, had I -been facing the door when you went past I should -probably have raised my eyes and seen you quite -clearly, but if you asked me five minutes later if -I had seen you I’d have had to say no. So it isn’t -beyond possibility that your friend with the cloth -cap did go past here. I assume that my habit of<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_194" id="Page_194">[194]</a></span> -seeing without realizing is a natural and usual -symptom of approaching senility.”</p> - -<p>Mr. Tarbot, although he looked somewhat -older, was still well under forty, and Clem -laughed. “Well, I guess you’d have noticed this -fellow,” he said. “He probably didn’t come -here.”</p> - -<p>“There’s nothing wrong, I hope?” said the instructor.</p> - -<p>Clem shook his head. Of course there was a -good deal wrong, but he couldn’t tell Mr. Tarbot -so. Outside, he felt at once disappointed and -satisfied; disappointed because, as thoroughly as -he disbelieved Jim’s version, he would have been -glad to find it true; satisfied because it is human -nature to relish confirmation of one’s convictions. -He spent the subsequent twenty minutes or so -trying to find an acquaintance with whom to cast -in his lot for the afternoon, but each room he -visited was deserted, and finally he went back to -Haylow and tried to make the best of the four -empty hours ahead.</p> - -<p>Already Jim’s crime looked less heinous to -Clem. Of course, he assured himself, he could -never feel toward Jim quite as he had before, but -his first severity had waned. He even sought -excuses for the other. Probably Webb had -worked on Jim’s sympathies until the latter had -become desperate and on impulse, without sober<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_195" id="Page_195">[195]</a></span> -thought, had taken the only way to satisfy -Webb’s demand that was possible. Perhaps, he -told himself, even he, placed as Jim had been -placed, would have done the same. But he -couldn’t convince himself of that. And he was -certain that had he stolen that money he could -never have sought to escape suspicion by throwing -the blame on another. That, in Clem’s eyes, -was the deadliest sin.</p> - -<p>He determined that so far as was possible he -would put the affair out of his mind and behave -as though nothing had ever happened. At least -for the rest of the term. Perhaps after Christmas -recess there would be a chance to move into -Lykes. Lykes was the senior dormitory and if -there was a vacancy he would be eligible for it. -Of course the matter of getting Jim into Janus -Society was at an end. Doubtless Jim would -understand that. Clem felt a little bit happier—and -perhaps a trifle heroic—after his decision, -and he was all prepared to carry his plan into -effect when Jim returned from the game. But -Jim went right from the station to supper and, -although Clem waited in Number 15 until nearly -eight o’clock, didn’t get back to the room until -ten. By that time Clem was feeling somewhat -disgruntled, as well as sleepy, and in the few -words that were exchanged constraint was as -much in evidence as ever.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_196" id="Page_196">[196]</a></span></p> - -<p>But the next morning Clem arose in a kindly -and even expansive mood. It was Sunday, there -was no work to be done and the sun was shining -brightly on the best of worlds. So he began -promptly to show Jim that everything was to be -just as it had been—almost—and sustained a distinct -surprise when Jim failed—or refused—to -read the signs. Jim was calm and polite, but he -was also brief and reserved. In fact, somewhat -to Clem’s indignation, Jim appeared to be trying -to swipe Clem’s rôle of Wounded Virtue! Hang -it all, Jim sounded as if it were his feelings that -had been outraged and hurt! Clem couldn’t make -it out, and after a few futile efforts to reëstablish -the former <i lang="fr" xml:lang="fr">entente</i> he relapsed into silence. -Oh, well, if the idiot didn’t appreciate his intentions -he could—could chase his blind aunt! He, -Clem, was through!</p> - -<p>So, on the whole Sunday wasn’t a very merry -day in Number 15 Haylow, and the days that followed -weren’t much better save in so far as that -both Jim and Clem became gradually accustomed -to the estrangement as time passed. Clem sought -other companionship and seldom remained in the -room after supper and Jim redoubled his interest -in football and the affairs of the Maine-and-Vermont -Society. Perhaps it would be more -truthful to say that he sought to redouble his interest, -for he didn’t really succeed. In fact, he<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_197" id="Page_197">[197]</a></span> -wasn’t getting along so well on the gridiron these -days. The process of making a star tackle out of -Jim Todd appeared to have reached an end. By -the last of the week he seemed to have retired -permanently to the substitute status and even -Mulford filled in as often as he did. Lowell -Woodruff was puzzled and distressed. Lowell -liked to believe that he had in a manner discovered -Slim Todd; or that, if the actual discovery -wasn’t his, he had at least preserved it to the -world and established its value. He broached -the subject of Jim’s slump to Clem one evening.</p> - -<p>“I don’t know what’s happened to the -blighter,” he said plaintively. “Up to a week or -so ago he was going great and Johnny was building -plays around him. But now look at the -blamed thing! He’s forgetting everything he -ever learned and a babe in arms could make him -look like a joke.” This was an exaggeration, but -Lowell dealt in exaggerations.</p> - -<p>“I fancy,” answered Clem, plainly evasive, -“that he’s not feeling very fit, Woodie.”</p> - -<p>“Fit my eye! He’s fit but he won’t fight! -Something’s taken all the pep out of him. Know -what it is?”</p> - -<p>Clem shook his head. Lowell eyed him sharply -and said in pained tones: “You’re a liar, Clem.”</p> - -<p>Clem blustered a little but Lowell refused to -retract. “Yes, you are,” he insisted. “But I<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_198" id="Page_198">[198]</a></span> -suppose it’s something you can’t talk about, so -I’ll forgive you.”</p> - -<p>“Better let it go at that,” said Clem, grinning. -“Anyway, I guess the team will survive without -Jim.”</p> - -<p>“Oh, sure. It would survive without any fellow -on the squad; even Gus; but that doesn’t mean we -want to lose a good, promising player, you old -coot, and if you know of any way of waking Jim -up out of his trance I wish to goodness you’d try -it. I’ve exhausted all my methods. When I talk -to him he just grins and nods and says, ‘Maybe -you’re right, Woodruff’ or ‘There’s nothing the -matter with me. You’ll see to-morrow.’ Well, I -look and I don’t see. Perhaps the chap has a secret -sorrow or—or something. Any of his folks -ill that you know of?”</p> - -<p>Clem shook his head.</p> - -<p>“How does he stand with the Office? Hear of -any trouble?”</p> - -<p>“No, he’s all right there. He always is. He’s -a shark.”</p> - -<p>“Oh, well, I give it up. Just one more good -man gone wrong, I suppose. But if you have any -influence—”</p> - -<p>“I haven’t,” interrupted Clem shortly. “Let’s -drop it.”</p> - -<p>So Lowell dropped it, but he wasn’t satisfied. -He retired from the conversation firmly convinced<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_199" id="Page_199">[199]</a></span> -that Clem knew a heap more than he would acknowledge -and that if Clem was in any way responsible -for Jim’s deficiency boiling oil was far -too good for him.</p> - -<p>On Wednesday Jim received a check for twelve -dollars from his father, cashed it at the Office -and laid the sum of ten dollars and fifty-nine -cents on Clem’s chiffonier. For some inexplicable -reason the finding of the money seemed to -annoy Clem, for he swept it into one hand and -fairly hurled it into the top drawer. Jim, -observing the strange action, made no comment. -You just couldn’t account for Clem’s behavior -and moods any more!</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_200" id="Page_200">[200]</a></span></p> - - - - -<div class="chapter"> -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XVI" id="CHAPTER_XVI">CHAPTER XVI</a><br /> -<small>JIM DABBLES IN STRATEGY</small></h2> -</div> - - -<p>November was nearly a fortnight old and football -was fairly on the home-stretch. With the -New Falmouth game out of the way, Alton had -still to face Mount Millard, Oak Grove and Kenly -Hall, the first two at home, the latter at Lakeville. -Frosty nights and frequent chill and lowery -days had taken the place of October mildness, -and football enthusiasm, which, like the witch -hazel, only comes into full blossom after the tang -of frost is in the air, was rampant. Football -tunes were heard in the dormitories and wherever -two or more fellows were gathered together the -talk was of the team and of Kenly Hall’s warriors -and of the prospects of a Gray-and-Gold -victory. In short, it was the season of the year -when most normal American youths talk, think -and dream football.</p> - -<p>Kenly Hall had won her five games with seeming -ease, rolling up large scores on three occasions, -and Alton scouts had returned to speak -with much respect of the Cherry-and-Black. -Those seeking light on the comparative merits -of Alton and Kenly had little to work on. Lorimer<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_201" id="Page_201">[201]</a></span> -Academy was the only adversary appearing -on the schedules of both. Alton had won from -Lorimer 6 to 0. Kenly had defeated Lorimer 27 -to 6. From these scores a variety of conclusions -could be and were drawn. Pessimists pointed -gloomily to the fact that whereas Alton had been -able to put over but one touchdown against Lorimer, -Kenly had made four. Optimists dwelt on -the fact that although unable to cross Alton’s -goal-line Lorimer had found Kenly’s pregnable. -So there you were. Unlimited argument was possible.</p> - -<p>Coach Cade and his assistants, though, had -more information to work on. To them it was -known that Kenly had a heavy, powerful team -which had developed early in the season and -which had yet to meet opposition strong enough -to thoroughly test it. Kenly’s line was strong, -if sluggish, and her backfield had weight and experience. -So far her backs had shown better -ability at plunging than at running plays, and -Kenly had won her battles largely on assaults inside -and outside tackles. If she had any running -game it had not been shown, and the same was -only slightly less true of her kicking. In short, -Kenly appeared to be standing pat on the style -of football played by her last year and the year -before; and for several years before that. She -was using a fairly well diversified attack inasmuch<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_202" id="Page_202">[202]</a></span> -as she used short over-the-line passes inside -the opponent’s forty-yard line and pulled -off an end run, not often successfully, frequently -enough to keep the adversary in doubt. If the -Cherry-and-Black had one weakness it was in -the position of quarter-back. She had tried out -three men there and none had exhibited much -genius for generalship, although all had plenty of -skill as players. Coach Cade drew most satisfaction -from the fact that so far Kenly had persisted -along old lines and still showed no disposition to -upset his plans by introducing innovation.</p> - -<p>On the Tuesday following the New Falmouth -game the second team, when it faced the first for -the first scrimmage of the week, discovered that -the opponent was using a new arrangement of the -backs. Quarter and one half-back stood five yards -behind the line of scrimmage, the former opposite -left tackle, the latter opposite the guard-tackle -hole on the right. The other half-back and the -full-back stood three yards behind the first two, -the first directly back of center and the second -directly back of the outside half. With this arrangement -every pass from center was necessarily -made straight to the runner and every member -of the back-field was eligible to take a forward -pass. There was no variation of the formation -save for drop—or place-kicking. The punting -was done by Whittier from approximately six<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_203" id="Page_203">[203]</a></span> -yards behind the center. This necessitated getting -kicks off quickly, but Steve was equal to it. -The first team’s first punt from the new formation -so surprised the second team that the ball went -over the defensive back’s head!</p> - -<p>Combined with line shifts of various sorts, the -new backfield formation showed more and more -merit as the season progressed. Plays in which -the back received the ball while moving seemed -especially adapted to it since speed was one thing -that the Gray-and-Gold backfield possessed. -Such plays demand extreme nicety in their execution -and following the New Falmouth game the -blackboard became a prominent feature in the instruction -and dummy drills a favorite occupation. -Evening sessions were held five times a -week and plays were set forth in diagram on the -blackboard and then walked through on the gymnasium -floor. A second volunteer coach had appeared -in the person of an old Alton player named -Lake, and to him fell the task of putting the final -polish on the backs. Football at Alton was now -running under forced draft.</p> - -<p>Thursday, which would ordinarily have seen a -hard practice in preparation for Mount Millard, -was very nearly a wasted day, for a hard rain set -in about mid-morning and continued until long -after dark. The gridiron became a squashy, -soggy territory interspersed with miniature lakes<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_204" id="Page_204">[204]</a></span> -by three o’clock, and so, although the afternoon -was to have been devoted to the perfecting of -several plays to be used on Saturday, the best -coaches and players could do was to hold a blackboard -party in the gymnasium. Five first-string -men were to go to Lakeville Saturday to watch -Kenly play Comerford and the players who were -to take their places were none too well drilled in -their rôles. Jim was one of the latter, for Rolls -Roice was included in the scouting expedition, -and he and George Mulford would both be called -on to fill in. Jim suspected that Mulford would -be Mr. Cade’s first choice, and the suspicion -didn’t worry him at all. Of course he would -rather play against Mount Millard than sit on the -bench, but whether he was put in at left tackle at -the start or only sent in as a substitute for Mulford -or Sawyer didn’t matter much to him. He -paid strict attention to the blackboard talk and -went through formations and signal drill afterwards -conscientiously enough, but his heart -wasn’t in it. The squad was dismissed early, -with instructions to report there again at seven-fifteen -for a night session, and Jim trailed back -to Haylow through the downpour to find, whether -to his relief or disappointment he couldn’t have -said, Number 15 empty.</p> - -<p>He was up on his studies for Friday, and so he -tried to read a story in a magazine, stretching his<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_205" id="Page_205">[205]</a></span> -long form on the window-seat and holding the -pages close to the pane in the dim white light. -But the story failed to win his interest, and after -a while he arose, found his rules book, a pad of -paper and a pencil and began to make lines and -circles and crosses. Lots of times, lying wakeful -in bed, Jim had concocted quite marvelous plays -in his mind. At least, they had seemed marvelous -at the time. Now he proposed to set them down -on paper and see what they really looked like. -It proved to be a most entertaining, even absorbing, -occupation. The plays he had figured out in -bed, or, at least, the few he could remember now, -weren’t at all startling when put to the test. Indeed, -few of them were original even to Jim, and -those that were transgressed some rule of play. -A perfectly gorgeous end-run looked like a world-beater -until it dawned on its inventor that it depended -for its effectiveness on the presence of a -back between tackle and end and that if the back -put himself there one of the other line-men would -have to drop out. But difficulties were made to -be overcome, problems to be solved, and as soon -as one diagram had been proved valueless Jim -tore off a sheet from the pad and began all over -again. When it was almost too dark to see he -heard Clem’s steps in the corridor and gathered -the discarded sheets up very quickly and stuffed -them in a pocket. He suspected that trying to<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_206" id="Page_206">[206]</a></span> -discover football plays not already discovered -was a puerile pursuit, and he didn’t want Clem to -catch him at it. What he did not have time to do, -however, before the door opened was to tear off -the top sheet of the pad on which he had just finished -the plan for a forward-pass. So he dropped -the pad face-down beside him, and when Clem entered -he was innocently gazing through the rain-washed -pane at the dripping trees and sodden turf -below.</p> - -<p>“Hello,” said Clem. “Why the gloom?”</p> - -<p>“Too lazy to get up,” replied Jim. Clem put -the lights on and viewed his room-mate curiously. -“Probably,” he had thought, “the poor duffer’s -sort of blue and lonesome.” And, being sorry, -he was prepared to “eat dirt,” if necessary, to -put things back on something like the old footing. -But Jim was thinking of the last play he had -fashioned. It had looked good to him, although -there had not been time to go over it thoroughly -after completion. He wished that Clem had delayed -his arrival by another five minutes; or -would take himself out again so that he could -study the new play at his leisure. Consequently, -when Clem looked for pathos in Jim’s face he -didn’t find it. Jim looked anything but lonesome -and unhappy. Sitting in the dark and staring out -onto a rain-drenched world, which would have -given Clem the dumps in no time, appeared to<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_207" id="Page_207">[207]</a></span> -have an animating, even cheering, effect on his -room-mate. Clem grunted as he turned to hang -up his cap.</p> - -<p>“No practice to-day, I suppose,” he remarked, -returning to the table.</p> - -<p>“Only indoors. What sort of a team does -Mount Millard have generally?”</p> - -<p>“Fair to middling, I believe. Seems to me -they’ve beaten us once or twice. I think they -licked us in my freshman year. I forget, though. -Maybe it was the year before, and I just heard -talk of it. You playing Saturday?”</p> - -<p>“Guess so. I’ll probably get in for a while. -Roice is going to Lakeville with three or four -other fellows to see Kenly Hall play.”</p> - -<p>“I see.” Clem settled himself in a chair under -the light and began to read over a theme that -had been returned to him that morning, frowning -over the red-penciled criticisms that adorned the -margins. Surreptitiously Jim tore the top sheet -off the pad, folded it and consigned it to a pocket -for future reference. When supper time came -Clem showed no disposition to leave, so Jim went -to the lavatory first. There, finding it empty -for the moment, he disposed of soap and towel -and drew out the diagram and studied it for a -moment under the light. He was still so occupied -when footfalls beyond the swinging doors caused -him to thrust the paper hurriedly from sight<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_208" id="Page_208">[208]</a></span> -again. The arrival proved to be Clem, but Jim -didn’t take the paper out again. He washed and -went back to the room for his cap and was soon -on his way to Lawrence Hall and supper. In -other times he and Clem had always gone together, -but now they carefully avoided doing that. -Sometimes the avoidance resulted in quite embarrassing -situations; as when, a night or so before, -Clem had started off first only to stop in the -lower corridor to talk to an acquaintance and Jim -had come down just as Clem and the other chap -were parting. Jim had had to retrace his steps -to the mail-boxes and search for a letter he knew -wasn’t there.</p> - -<p>At supper he asked a question of Jake Borden, -the right end, who sat beside him. “How do they -make up these plays they use, Jake?” Jim inquired.</p> - -<p>“What plays?” asked Jake.</p> - -<p>“Any of them. Like that end-around play the -second sprung yesterday.”</p> - -<p>“Oh, that one’s as old as the hills,” replied -Jake contemptuously, helping himself to a third -piece of toast. “So old we weren’t expecting it. -Going to use your butter, Slim?”</p> - -<p>Jim pushed it over. “Well, who do you suppose -thought of it? And—and how?”</p> - -<p>“Search me! Some one’s always springing -new ones. It isn’t hard to make ’em up, but only<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_209" id="Page_209">[209]</a></span> -one in a dozen amount to anything. A play may -look great on a blackboard and not amount to a -row of pins when you try it out against another -team.”</p> - -<p>“I suppose so. I guess there are lots of them, -too.”</p> - -<p>“A couple of hundred, probably. Whose apricots -are those, Pep?”</p> - -<p>“Mine. Want ’em?”</p> - -<p>When the dish of stewed fruit had reached Jake -and been sampled he resumed. “I don’t suppose -there’s any limit to the different plays that could -be invented. Of course, most of them would be -a whole lot like a whole lot of others, and not many -of them would be—er—practicable, but just consider -that you’ve got, say, four backs and two linemen -who can carry the ball and that there are -eight holes for them to go through. There you’ve -got forty-eight straight plays right off the reel. -Then you’ve got all sorts of forward-passes, -punts, drops and placements: maybe another -twenty-five or thirty. And you haven’t started -on fakes and tricks at all yet! Two hundred? -I’ll bet there are three hundred already! And all -over this benighted land Smart Alecks are sitting -up with paper and pencils trying to dope out -more. It’s a fearsome thought, if you ask me.”</p> - -<p>“I suppose all the good plays have been used, -anyway, by this time,” reflected Jim.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_210" id="Page_210">[210]</a></span></p> - -<p>“Well, I don’t know. No, I don’t believe so. -Besides, the Rules Committee sees to that. Just -as soon as there aren’t any more nut plays to -spring on us poor players the Committee changes -the rules and the parlor strategists start all over -again. And then there’s this forward-pass, Slim. -That’s got all sorts of possibilities that haven’t -been—what you might call developed yet. Last -year folks thought there wasn’t anything new -under the sun and two or three wild western -coaches had brain-storms and showed the eastern -guys how they’d been asleep at the switch. You -know, Slim, it takes those western chaps to spring -the new stuff. If it wasn’t for them we fellows -back here in the effete east would still be thinking -the criss-cross the absolute knees plush ultra -of trick football!”</p> - -<p>“What are you fellows gassing about so earnest-like?” -inquired “Tip” Benning from across -the table.</p> - -<p>“Football plays,” answered Jake. “I was saying -that if it wasn’t for the fellows out west we’d -still be doddering along with the delayed pass -and the good old criss-cross. They’re the guys -who give us the new stuff.”</p> - -<p>“How do you get that way?” demanded Billy -Frost derisively. “Who invented the unbalanced -line, for instance?”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_211" id="Page_211">[211]</a></span></p> - -<p>“Well, who invented the shift? And what -about the pass to moving back? And—”</p> - -<p>“All right! What about the concealed pass? -I suppose Harvard sent west for that? And what -about Cornell’s—”</p> - -<p>“I’ll tell you one play the west did invent,” -interrupted Latham, “and that’s the concealed -ball trick! It took an Indian to spring that, and -if Indians aren’t Westerners—”</p> - -<p>“Listen! Who was coaching the Indians that -year?” demanded Billy Frost.</p> - -<p>“How do I know? I wasn’t born, I guess!”</p> - -<p>“Well, it was a man named Warner. Maybe -you’ve heard of him?”</p> - -<p>“I’ve heard of two Warners,” laughed Latham. -“One of ’em makes speedometers.”</p> - -<p>“Well, I’ll bet that Indian would never have -thought of hiding the ball under his jersey. It -was the coach pulled that one. And, anyway, it -was against the rules.”</p> - -<p>“No, sir, it wasn’t! Not then. Anyhow, the -Indians won the game with it!”</p> - -<p>“Come to that,” some one else broke in, “Glenn -Warner’s a Westerner, anyway, isn’t he? Didn’t -he go to Cornell?”</p> - -<p>“What of it?” asked Jake. “Say, where do -you think Cornell is?” The first speaker had to -acknowledge that he had confused it with Kenyon,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_212" id="Page_212">[212]</a></span> -and while Coach Cade, at the farther end of -the long table, was being appealed to to locate -Kenyon College, Jim left the board.</p> - -<p>Back in his room he settled down to study that -forward-pass play again. He had told himself, -coming back from Lawrence, that there was probably -nothing in it, or, if there was, the play had -long since been evolved. Still, however, Jake -Borden had distinctly stated that the forward-pass -still held unthought of possibilities, and so -it was barely possible—</p> - -<p>Right there his reflections were rudely disturbed -by the fact that his precious diagram was -not where he had placed it. Nor was it in any -other pocket. All he could find were the several -crumpled sheets of paper he had thrust from -sight before Clem’s arrival. Probably he had -failed to put in safely back in his vest pocket -in the lavatory and it had fallen out. He tore -the discarded diagrams into minute pieces and -placed them well at the bottom of the waste-basket. -Then he proceeded to redraw his forward-pass -play.</p> - -<p>When it was again accomplished he tried to -find its weak points. He made certain by repeated -reference to the rules book, now pretty well worn -and parting from its covers, that he had not violated -any of the twenty-eight mandates, and after -that he viewed it from the enemy’s side. In the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_213" id="Page_213">[213]</a></span> -end he decided that the play was perfectly legal -and that it was capable of success, but those facts -made him doubly suspicious of its originality, and, -after admiring it for some time and speculating -about it and trying to improve it, he crumpled -the paper up and dropped it, too, into the basket. -He guessed he was no football strategist.</p> - -<p>On Friday, although the gridiron was still -soggy and slippery under a cloudy sky, the squad -held outdoor practice for two full hours. Two -very full hours indeed, Jim thought. With half -the first-string players on the bench, the big team -met the second for thirty strenuous minutes and -failed to score in spite of the fact that three -coaches bellowed and thundered, threatened and -implored. Twice the first reached the second -team’s ten-yard line and twice it was forced to -yield the ball. Field-goals were not in Mr. Cade’s -philosophy this afternoon, and so that means of -scoring was denied. However, even though the -second was time and again given an extra down, -it was equally unable to pass its opponent’s -goal-line, and the wearied and somewhat disgruntled -first team players derived some satisfaction. -After a five-minute rest a team of substitutes -was run out and the first eleven, somewhat -changed, was sent against it with instructions -to use only forward-passes. There was ten -minutes or so of that added insult, during which<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_214" id="Page_214">[214]</a></span> -Jim, without really trying and without knowing -it, somewhat distinguished himself as the receiving -end of several tosses, Kruger, playing right -end, being shifted to the other side of the line at -such times and leaving Jim eligible. It was almost -too dark to see the ball when Jim made his final -catch of a long heave toward the side-line that -netted a good eighteen yards to the first, and that -play ended the work. In the evening there was -an hour of drill in the gymnasium followed by a -brief quiz by the coach. And then, on Saturday, -Mount Millard came charging down on Alton, with -most of her students in the line of march that -wound through town from the station, and when -Josh Plant, down to play right half in place of -the absent Billy Frost, glimpsed the team as it -romped away from the gymnasium he turned -strickenly to Steve Whittier and grasped his -hand.</p> - -<p>“Tell them,” he said tremulously, “that I died -game, fighting against tremendous odds!”</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_215" id="Page_215">[215]</a></span></p> - - - - -<div class="chapter"> -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XVII" id="CHAPTER_XVII">CHAPTER XVII</a><br /> -<small>ALTON MEETS WITH DISASTER</small></h2> -</div> - - -<p>The Gray-and-Gold presented a line-up that -afternoon that lacked the names of four of its -best players. Smith was at right guard in place -of Captain Gus Fingal, Mulford played left tackle -in place of Roice, Plant substituted Frost at right -half and Barnhart ran the team. It was still a -moot question whether Kinsey or Latham was -first-choice quarter-back, but Barnhart was undeniably -third-choice, and to-day, in the absence of -both the others, he was faced by a stiff proposition. -As Josh Plant had intimated, the visitors -were a fine, sturdy looking lot, and they outsized -Alton both in the line and the backfield. That -they would score was a foregone conclusion. -Whether Alton would score, too, was problematic. -Watching the visitors perform during the brief -warming-up session, many Alton partisans were -flat-footed in the assertion that Coach Cade had -erred in weakening his team as he had.</p> - -<p>Before the first half was well along it had become -evident that nothing save a miracle could -save the home team from defeat. And miracles, -as we all know, as often as they are longed for,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_216" id="Page_216">[216]</a></span> -seldom happen on the football field. Mount Millard -found a soft place in the Alton line early in -the game and pounded Smith for repeated gains. -Varying attacks at right guard with off-tackle -plays, the visitors rushed from their own thirty-five-yard -line to Alton’s twenty-eight. There -Cooper was sent in for Smith and two tries at -the new incumbent gained but four yards and -Mount Millard shot a forward-pass to the twelve -yards. Levering was caught napping and Whittier -reached the receiver too late to spoil the catch. -Steve did the next best thing, however, and threw -the enemy hard on the ten-yard line. Mount Millard -wasted a down in an attempt to carry the ball -out-of-bounds, missing by inches. Faking a similar -attempt, she got three outside of tackle on -the other side and landed the ball on the seven -yards. Here an off-side penalty put her back to -the twelve and she faked a try-at-goal that turned -out to be a plunge inside tackle. Mulford was -put out neatly and a Mount Millard back crashed -through to the five-yard line. Scorning a fairly -certain three points, the enemy tried a complicated -cross-buck which, since the play had all the -ear-marks of a forward-pass, nearly won her a -touchdown. It failed, though, by a half-yard and -Whittier punted on first down from behind his -goal. Catching on Alton’s thirty-eight, the visitors -started a second advance but lost the ball<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_217" id="Page_217">[217]</a></span> -near the twenty-five just before the quarter ended.</p> - -<p>At the resumption of hostilities Alton tried -hard to get her attack going, but twice the enemy -broke through and stopped the runner for a loss, -and after an end-run had been spilled for a two-yard -gain Whittier booted the ball. A fumble -by the Mount Millard quarter was recovered for -a ten-yard loss and the enemy put the ball in play -on her thirty. She made it first down on her -forty-three and crossed the middle of the field -in two plays by her full-back. Her next attempt -was stopped, however, and, with one to go, she -tried a long forward-pass that was intercepted by -Tennyson. The Alton full-back fought his way -for eight yards before he was thrown. A moment -later it was Tennyson who found a hole to his -liking on the left of the Mount Millard line and -plunged through for seven yards more. A second -attempt by the same player failed to gain -and it was Plant who made it first down. Two -slams at the line netted but three yards and Whittier -tossed across the right of the line to Levering -who, although pulled to earth promptly, secured -all but a few feet of the needed distance. -Tennyson piled over the center for the rest. But -what looked like an Alton invasion stopped on the -enemy’s thirty-seven and Whittier punted. -Those kicks from close behind the line found -Mount Millard unprepared for a while, and on<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_218" id="Page_218">[218]</a></span> -this occasion the quarter again fumbled. A team-mate -saved the day, though, and reeled off twelve -yards through a crowded field before he was finally -run out. After that the play hovered about -the middle of the field until, just before the end of -the half, the Mount Millard left half got away inside -Sawyer, at right tackle, and zigzagged toward -the Alton goal in a breath-taking fashion for some -thirty yards. It was Whittier who finally pulled -him down near the twenty.</p> - -<p>This was Mount Millard’s second chance to -score, and now she had no intention of being denied. -Really exceptional football was played -by the visitors then, and the Alton line broke time -and again before desperate attacks. The Mount -Millard full-back was the star of that skirmish, -making gains of four and five and six yards at -a time. The right of the Alton line was weakened -by the absence of Captain Fingal, just as Mount -Millard had probably surmised it would be, and -it was at the right that most of the gains were -made. Alton stiffened on her four yards and gave -grudgingly, but the enemy finally piled across, -beating the whistle by a matter of seconds only. -An easy goal followed, and Alton retired from the -field with seven points scored against her.</p> - -<p>Jim had his chance when the third quarter -started, and, while he played a steadier game than -had Sawyer, Mount Millard still found the Alton<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_219" id="Page_219">[219]</a></span> -right side vulnerable when a short gain was -needed. Cooper, playing in Captain Gus’s position, -proved no better than Smith, and when, toward -the close of the period, he began to show the -effects of the attention given him by the enemy -backs he was taken out and Smith was reinstated. -The Alton rooters expected that their team would -show some of the new plays that had been drilled -into it during the past fortnight and momentarily -looked for Whittier or Plant to get clear and put -the game on an even basis. But the few plays -didn’t materialize. Save for the new formation, -which had its defamers on the Alton stand, the -Gray-and-Gold showed nothing it had not shown -before during the season. Even the nine forward-passes -attempted in the course of the contest -lacked novelty, and the running plays which Alton -was supposed to have been perfecting were -not exhibited. Alton was handicapped by the lack -of a really first-class quarter, for Barnhart, while -a hard-working, snappy youth, lacked experience -sadly. His choice of plays were frequently more -than questionable and he seemed unable to inspire -his team. Yet in the final period he came -near to atoning for all shortcomings when he shot -out of what seemed an inextricable tangle of Alton -backs and ends and skirted the enemy’s wing -for sixty-two yards. It was the Mount Millard -quarter who brought him down on the seventeen<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_220" id="Page_220">[220]</a></span> -yards just when the shouting Alton rooters were -visioning a touchdown. One unlucky stumble -spelled Barnhart’s doom and Alton’s defeat. -Had he not stumbled and momentarily lost his -stride just before the enemy quarter sprang for -him he would undoubtedly have gone on over the -line, for Whittier was protecting him in the rear -from the foremost of the Mount Millard pursuers. -On such small things may Victory hinge!</p> - -<p>Barnhart called for a smash at the left that -sent Tennyson over the side-line and when the -ball had been walked in he sent Whittier sliding -off tackle at the right for six yards, and the Alton -stand whooped it up deliriously. But when Steve -went back to kicking position as the ball was -snapped the enemy was not fooled and Tennyson’s -dash around the right was nipped for a two-yard -loss. Barnhart and Whittier, the latter captain -pro tem, held a consultation then. The fourth -period was young and there was still time to -score again if the present venture failed. Barnhart -wanted the three points a field-goal would -bring, but Steve was firm for everything or nothing -and Steve’s word carried. So Steve went -back to drop-kicking position, and Cheswick -passed the ball to him. It looked as though Jake -Borden, well over to the left and sidling across -the goal-line, was well uncovered, yet between -the time that Steve shot the ball away to him and<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_221" id="Page_221">[221]</a></span> -the instant it arrived a Mount Millard man -dropped from the sky, or so it seemed, and smote -the pigskin fairly out of Borden’s hands.</p> - -<p>That ended Alton’s threat. For the rest of the -game the enemy played it safe, punting and punting -again while the Gray-and-Gold sought desperately -to again reach scoring distance. Toward -the end play slowed up sadly for Alton, -Barnhart seemingly at a loss and confusing his -signals more than once. Cheswick gave way to -Tip Benning and Levering to Tate in the line. -Fillmore took Tennyson’s place and Adams and -Ness became the halfs. But even fresh men -couldn’t stave off defeat, and finally the game -came to an end with the home team fairly at a -stand-still on her forty-five.</p> - -<p>That evening Alton, saddened by the defeat, -took second thought. Reference to Mount Millard’s -record for the season somewhat eased the -pain, for the big team had six victories to its -credit, four of them against most worthy adversaries. -Consequently, it was fair to assume that -Alton, deprived as she had been of her captain -and best quarter-backs, to say nothing of the other -absentees, had done not so badly after all. Of -course a defeat was a defeat, but it need not -necessarily be a disgrace, and by Sunday Alton -as a whole had reached the cheering decision that -her team had performed very creditably. In support<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_222" id="Page_222">[222]</a></span> -of this contention it was rumored that -Johnny Cade had shown signs of satisfaction both -during and subsequent to the battle. This, however, -was only hearsay. In any event, Alton was, -it was universally acknowledged, to be congratulated -on one thing. She had gone through the -Mount Millard game without once showing the -hand she was holding for Kenly. Not a single -new play had been used. Even the line shifts -had been no different. To be sure, Coach Cade -had shown the half-dozen Kenly scouts who had -openly invaded the Mount Millard stands his -new backfield formation, but since he had used it -as the basis for only the most ordinary, time-honored -plays it was held to be doubtful that the -enemy observers would derive much profit from -seeing it. Rather oddly—not so oddly, either, if -you know human nature—those who now expressed -the most pleasure over the withholding -of new plays were those who had during the game -most vigorously denounced Coach Cade for not -using them.</p> - -<p>Jim derived little satisfaction from his playing -in the Mount Millard contest. He could, he decided, -boast of a cut cheek and two fingers of his -left hand bandaged together, but of little else. -In retrospect it seemed to Jim that he had played -like a loon. He had missed interference more -often than he cared to think of, he had twice allowed<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_223" id="Page_223">[223]</a></span> -the big Mount Millard guard, who faced -him on offense, to get under him and spill him on -his face and he had several times failed to open -the hole he was expected to. Jim felt extremely -depressed whenever he reviewed his activities -of that afternoon, failing to take into account, -unlike one or two of his team-mates, the fact that -Mount Millard had presented a far better opposition -than Alton had hitherto experienced.</p> - -<p>It rained on Sunday; one of those desultory, -half-hearted rains that seem always on the point -of letting up, and don’t; and Jim’s spirits became -as gloomy as the view from the windows of -Number 15. He told himself that it would have -been a lot better if he had stuck to the decision -he had made last fall and kept firmly away from -football. The first rift in the clouds didn’t appear -until Monday morning. Then the glint of -sunshine that peered through wasn’t very bright. -When Jim looked in the letter-box on his way to -breakfast he found a letter postmarked at Norwalk. -It was a brief and frequently misspelled -missive from Webb Todd from which fell a soiled -and flabby two-dollar bill. Webb reported that -he was working, though the wages weren’t much—Jim -thought four dollars and a half a day quite -fabulous!—and that he was well and hoped this -would find Jimmy the same, and he was sending -two dollars. There was more, but this was the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_224" id="Page_224">[224]</a></span> -gist of it. It was enough to cheer Jim up a little, -for he had a genuine affection for Webb, and life -didn’t look quite so dark afterwards.</p> - -<p>Practice was light that Monday afternoon and -there was no visit from the second. The only hostilities -that developed were between the first team -and the substitutes, and they lasted only ten minutes -and were used by the coaches to illustrate -the mistakes made on Saturday. On the bench -it was confidentially noised that Gus and the -others who had gone over to Lakeville Saturday -had returned primed with all sorts of invaluable -information, and strong in the belief that Kenly -had something big up her sleeve that wouldn’t -slip into sight before the big game. Kenly, it -seemed, had toyed with her opponent, using two -full teams in the process of running up a 41 to 0 -score, and had showed nothing she didn’t want to. -What information the Alton scouts had brought -back was mainly concerned with the individual -performances of the Kenly players, although certain -other features had not escaped their eyes. -The general verdict to-day was to the effect that -“Kenly has a strong team, all right, but we can -lick ’em!”</p> - -<p>The usual evening session in the gymnasium -came off as usual at seven-thirty, and Coach Cade, -chalk in hand, drew diagrams on the blackboard -and explained them, after which the plays were<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_225" id="Page_225">[225]</a></span> -walked off. Some of the plays were fairly complicated, -and to-night the class seemed duller than -usual. Perhaps for that reason Mr. Cade shortened -the session. Having, however, released -them, he called them back in the next breath.</p> - -<p>“Just a minute, fellows!”</p> - -<p>The exodus halted short of the doors. Mr. -Cade was holding a sheet of paper up.</p> - -<p>“Does this belong to any one here?” he asked.</p> - -<p>Some of the nearer fellows retraced their steps -for a closer view, while a voice from further away -asked: “What is it, Mr. Cade?”</p> - -<p>“Well, it’s a sheet of paper,” was the answer. -“It was found somewhere, in one of the dormitories, -I think, and handed to me. It has a football -play on one side, done in pencil, and—”</p> - -<p>Laughter met that announcement. Mr. Cade -smiled, too, but he went on to add: “I understand -your amusement, but it happens that this play -strikes me as rather ingenious and novel. Certainly, -I don’t remember ever having seen it in -use. That’s why I want to find the fellow who -drew it. I’d like to ask him where he found it.”</p> - -<p>By this time most of the squad had clustered -around, but no one laid claim to the paper. There -was a good deal of laughter and speculation, but -in the end the coach refolded the sheet and placed -it back in his pocket and the fellows crowded out, -bandying joking explanations, such as that the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_226" id="Page_226">[226]</a></span> -thing had been “planted” by the enemy. Mr. -Cade left the floor some moments after the players, -accompanied by Lowell Woodruff. They -walked together as far as the corner of Borden -Hall, and there Lowell turned off along the walk -and the coach started across the campus on a bee-line -for the main gate. Footfalls made scarcely -any sound on the turf and consequently the coach -gave a start of surprise when a voice called to -him from hardly more than a yard behind. He -wheeled quickly and found a tall figure at his -elbow.</p> - -<p>“Mr. Cade, that piece of paper was mine. I -lost it somewhere two or three days ago.”</p> - -<p>“Oh, it’s Todd! Yours, you say? Well, why -didn’t you claim it, Todd?”</p> - -<p>Jim hesitated an instant. “Well, sir, you see -I thought those fellows would rag me if they -knew.”</p> - -<p>Mr. Cade laughed. “I see,” he said. “Well, -where did you get hold of this idea, Todd?”</p> - -<p>“I don’t know, sir.”</p> - -<p>“Don’t know? What do you mean by that? -You got it somewhere, of course. Did you find -it in a book or in a paper? Ever seen it used?”</p> - -<p>“No, sir, what I mean is—well, I just <em>thought</em> -of it.”</p> - -<p>“Made it up yourself, you mean? Are you sure -of that?”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_227" id="Page_227">[227]</a></span></p> - -<p>“Yes, sir. I’ve never seen any of those plays -in books, Mr. Cade, and I haven’t seen many -games, either. Maybe it ain’t new, of course. I—I -was just sort of amusing myself.”</p> - -<p>“No, the chances are that it isn’t new. Mighty -few plays are. But it’s new to me, Todd, and it -might be new to—” He broke off. Then: “Are -you going to be busy this evening?” he asked.</p> - -<p>“Not all evening,” answered Jim. “I’ve got -about an hour’s studying to do, but after that—”</p> - -<p>“It’s a little after eight. Can you drop over -and see me about nine or a few minutes later? -You know where I live?”</p> - -<p>“Yes, sir, I know. I’ll come.”</p> - -<p>“Good enough. I’d like to talk to you about -this. And, if you don’t mind, I’ll keep it until I -see you.”</p> - -<p>“Yes, sir.”</p> - -<p>Jim watched the dark form of the coach vanish -into the gloom of the trees and then turned -and made his way back to Haylow. He felt rather -excited, rather elated. Suppose— No, he -wouldn’t suppose anything—yet! Probably it -was all just nothing at all. Maybe Mr. Cade -hadn’t really looked at the diagram yet. Maybe—</p> - -<p>That and a few more “maybes” brought Jim -to Number 15 and the sight of Clem studying at -the table. He wished he could tell Clem about -the momentous happening. But he couldn’t.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_228" id="Page_228">[228]</a></span> -And he mustn’t think about it any more now. -There was Latin to be dug into. Very determinedly -he seated himself opposite the absorbed -Clem and drew his books toward him.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_229" id="Page_229">[229]</a></span></p> - - - - -<div class="chapter"> -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XVIII" id="CHAPTER_XVIII">CHAPTER XVIII</a><br /> -<small>THE REVERSE PASS</small></h2> -</div> - - -<p>Mr. Cade answered Jim’s ring and led the way -into the big, comfortable sitting-room, where, observing -no appropriate accommodation for caps, -Jim disposed of his own by putting it in his -pocket. Then he took a chair close to the big -round table that held a huge lamp, magazines and -books and ash-trays and battered pipes and a -strange but interesting litter of other things, and -Mr. Cade dropped back into his leather arm-chair, -took up the diagram and studied it for a moment -in silence. During the moment Jim looked around -him, felt the somewhat out-at-elbows hominess of -the room and relaxed against the frayed cushions -behind him.</p> - -<p>“As I make out this reverse pass, Todd,” said -the coach, “it’s a good scoring play under certain -conditions—<em>if</em> it proves practical. Its weakness -lies in the fact that three passes are involved. -Every pass depends primarily for its success on -two players, the man who throws and the man who -receives. If either one fails the pass fails. This -play consequently offers a bigger chance for failure -than the play calling for two passes. On the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_230" id="Page_230">[230]</a></span> -other hand its principal feature, which is that -of deception, seems to me to justify the added -risk. Now, suppose you explain it to me, Todd.”</p> - -<p>“Explain it?” faltered Jim.</p> - -<p>“Yes, I’d like to get your version of it. It’s -your idea, and I want to learn just what that -idea is. What I make of this sketch may not be -what you had in mind.”</p> - -<p>“Well,” began Jim, leaning forward to refresh -his memory from the diagram in the other’s -hand, “it uses the regular back-field formation.”</p> - -<p>“Yes, so I see, but what about the line? You -can’t see this from there, can you? Suppose you -bring your chair nearer.”</p> - -<p>“I’ll just sort of draw it over,” said Jim. He -looked about for paper and, seeing none, thrust -a hand into the inner pocket of his jacket.</p> - -<p>“What do you want? Paper? Wait, there’s -some here somewhere.” Mr. Cade started to rise -but Jim had found what he was after. He always -carried three or four old letters or similar documents -and now he selected one and pulled out his -fountain pen.</p> - -<p>“This will do, sir,” he said. “Maybe if I can -see that plan a minute—” Mr. Cade handed it -to him and he made a hurried copy of it on the -back of a folded letter. Then he began again, -clearing his throat portentously. “You move -your right guard and tackle to the other side,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_231" id="Page_231">[231]</a></span> -sir, and bring your left end over. That gives -you two ends on the right of your line.” Mr. -Cade nodded thoughtfully. “Your left half-back—or -whoever stands behind the center—gets the -ball on a direct pass and— Hold on, though, I -forgot. First, this fellow here—”</p> - -<p>“Let’s call them by name, Todd. Here’s Kinsey -at the left, here’s Frost at the right, this is -Tennyson behind Frost, and this is Whittier directly -back of the center. All right. Now you -were going to say that Tennyson—what?”</p> - -<p>“He starts before the ball, sir, running to the -left. That—that’s all right, isn’t it?”</p> - -<p>“Absolutely, as long as he runs toward his -goal-line as well as to the left. That is, a back -may be moving when the ball is put in play so -long as he is taking a course which at some time -or other would cause him to intersect an extension -of his own goal-line. Not very lucid, but go on.”</p> - -<p>“Well, he runs to the left, passing behind Whittier -and going over here.”</p> - -<p>“Where is ‘over here,’ Todd?”</p> - -<p>“I don’t know exactly, sir. I suppose about -twelve yards back of the scrimmage line and -maybe about five yards outside the end.” He -looked questioningly across and the coach nodded -again.</p> - -<p>“Something that can be best determined by experiment, -I fancy. Then what?”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_232" id="Page_232">[232]</a></span></p> - -<p>“Center passes to Whittier and Whittier holds -the ball as if to throw it, but he goes back and to -the left until he gets here, about half-way between -where he was and where Tennyson is. Then he -makes a short pass, a sort of a toss—”</p> - -<p>“Which must be on-side,” interpolated the -coach.</p> - -<p>“Yes, sir, not a forward-pass. He tosses the -ball to Tennyson. I forgot to say, though, that -he ought to be always facing to the left after he -gets the ball from center, sort of making like he -means to pass to the left across the end of the -line.”</p> - -<p>“Why?” demanded Mr. Cade.</p> - -<p>“So as to make the other fellows, the other -team, move that way. You see, sir, the idea is to -draw the other players to their right.”</p> - -<p>“I see, but if Whittier emphasizes the intention -to throw to his left, won’t the opponents argue -that his real intention is a heave in the other -direction?”</p> - -<p>Jim studied a moment. “Well, maybe they -would, sir,” he said finally. “Maybe he’d better -not do that.”</p> - -<p>“I don’t think he should overdo it, anyway, -Todd. He might defeat his own ends and make -the opposing backs cover the left side of their territory. -Anyway, the real deception comes when<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_233" id="Page_233">[233]</a></span> -he passes to Tennyson. That makes it look like -an end-run for the moment. Now go on.”</p> - -<p>“Well, then, Tennyson passes to the right, just -about over the center of the line, to the right -end.”</p> - -<p>Mr. Cade frowned over the diagram in his hand. -“How does that end get into position, Todd?”</p> - -<p>“He blocks the opposing end until Whittier -has the ball and has started back with it. Then -he lets the end through and goes on down about -ten yards and pretty well over toward the side.”</p> - -<p>“Question is whether Frost couldn’t do that -part better, Todd. You’re counting on the opposing -backs swinging to their right and not coming -around our right end, but I don’t believe you can -do that. Wouldn’t the end be in better position -than Frost to put out a back coming around? But -never mind that for the moment. What’s Kinsey’s -duty?”</p> - -<p>“I thought he’d block off the outside back on -our left until Tennyson made the throw. Then -Whittier, after he has passed to Tennyson, guards -him on the inside in case one of the other side -gets through. And I’d figured it that the right -end would just block long enough to keep the opposing -end, or, maybe, a tackle, from spoiling the -play and then he’d go down for the catch. He’d -sort of take it easy, too, like the play wasn’t on<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_234" id="Page_234">[234]</a></span> -his side and he was out of it. Then Frost there -would take care of a back in case one tried to -slip around that side.”</p> - -<p>“Sounds fairly reasonable, too,” mused the -coach. “One thing, though, won’t do, Todd. -You’ve got all your heavy men on the left of center -and both ends on the right. Now ends mean -speed, and when the opponents see two ends on -one side they’re going to smell a mouse. They’re -going to suspect the play, whatever it is, is coming -on that side, and they’re going to stick around -a while. Of course you need the strong side of the -line in front of the play, but perhaps you don’t -need all the strength you’ve put there. You could -leave a tackle and end on the right, or even a -guard and end, I fancy, which wouldn’t cause so -much suspicion on the part of the enemy. Or—” -Mr. Cade stopped, thrust out a lower lip and -lifted a speculative glance to Jim. “Or, much -better yet, Todd, you could simply move your end -to the other side.”</p> - -<p>“Then who would take the pass, sir? You mean -let Frost get it?”</p> - -<p>“Not necessarily. The last man on that side -of the line would be eligible.”</p> - -<p>“Well, but—but you’ve got to have a fellow -who can catch forward-passes, Mr. Cade,” said -Jim earnestly. “That’s a long pass, nearly -forty-five yards, maybe, and it would need a<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_235" id="Page_235">[235]</a></span> -mighty good fellow to catch it. That’s why I -thought it ought to be Jake Borden.”</p> - -<p>“Yes, Borden’s pretty good,” agreed the coach. -“But that’s another part that can be decided -later. The first thing we’ve got to do is try this -out in actual play and see whether it goes the -way it looks on paper. It ought to, but you can’t -tell. If it ever did get pulled off just right in a -game, Todd, it would be a whaling ground-gainer. -The start of this play ought to draw the whole -opposing team to our left, and once there they’d -never get back again to the other side of the field -to prevent a catch. In fact, it wouldn’t be surprising -if the man who received that ball found -a clear path to the goal-line. In any case he’d -be certain of ten yards, even if he didn’t stir -after the catch. By Jingo, Todd, I like the thing, -I honestly do!”</p> - -<p>“I wish it would go like I—like it looks -like—” Jim got tangled there, and before he -could get straightened out and go on Mr. Cade -was speaking again.</p> - -<p>“Of course the play has its limitation, Todd. -As, for instance, it couldn’t be used if the ball -was very close to either side-line. Wait, though! -That’s wrong. It could be pulled off all right -pretty close to the right side of the field, couldn’t -it? Todd, I’m going to sit up with this thing -to-night and figure it out!” He was staring at<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_236" id="Page_236">[236]</a></span> -the diagram again. Then: “Thunder, here’s another -bad feature! Look here, Todd. About the -time when Tennyson gets set to make that forty -or forty-five yard heave he’s going to have in the -neighborhood of sixteen men dodging around between -him and the receiver. Well, that means -that it’s going to be mighty hard for him to sight -his man. Of course he can throw the ball to a -certain specified spot across the field, trusting -Borden or some one to be there— That reminds -me.” Mr. Cade added another memorandum to -those he had already jotted on the side of the paper -he held. “It might be possible to make this a -two-man pass. How about Frost? I wonder if -we could fix it so as to put him over there with -Borden in time to make the catch or to interfere.”</p> - -<p>Jim studied his plan and looked dubious. “I -don’t believe so, sir. Besides, wouldn’t it be sort -of a give-away if two fellows went over there? -One might look like an accident, but two—”</p> - -<p>“I fancy you’re right. Well, we’ll see.” Mr. -Cade laid the diagram aside and picked up his -pipe. “I wish you’d tell me something, Todd,” -he said. “You started out like a comer and I had -great hopes of you. You went finely until a week -or so ago, two weeks, perhaps; then you laid down -on us. What’s the matter?”</p> - -<p>“I—I don’t know, Mr. Cade,” answered Jim. -“I guess there isn’t anything the matter. I mean<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_237" id="Page_237">[237]</a></span> -I don’t know why I can’t seem to play like I used -to.”</p> - -<p>“Lost interest?”</p> - -<p>Jim hesitated. “N-no, sir, not exactly.”</p> - -<p>“That means you have. Why? Feeling all -right?”</p> - -<p>“Yes, sir, fine.”</p> - -<p>“Anything worrying you?”</p> - -<p>Jim started to shake his head, but stopped, -his eyes falling before the coach’s steady look. -For the first time he realized what his trouble -was. After a moment he answered: “Maybe, -sir, a little.”</p> - -<p>“That’s it then. Well, I won’t ask you what -it is that’s bothering you, Todd. It’s none of my -business. But I am going to ask you to put it -out of your mind, whatever it is, for the next fortnight. -I can use you, my boy, if you’ll let me. As -long ago as the fourth or fifth day of the season -I assigned you a distinct and important place -in the scheme of winning the Kenly game. I -didn’t take you into my confidence for a very -good reason. You had a lot to learn about the -game, about the very beginning of football, and -I didn’t want you to get it into your head that you -were a specialist and neglect the essentials. The -only kind of a specialist I want around me is the -man who knows every department of the game -and then can do one thing better than any one<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_238" id="Page_238">[238]</a></span> -else. That’s why I’ve let you go your own gait, -in a way, and that’s why I’m not telling you even -now what’s been in my mind. For that matter, -I haven’t told any one. Just now it doesn’t look -as though I’d have to, Todd. But if you can just -manage to snap out of the doldrums and get back -to where you were a week or ten days back, why, -that’ll be different. Just show me that you’re -on your toes again, keen and anxious and chock-full -of fight and I’ll show you how you can help -me and the team and the School to a victory a -week from next Saturday. Now do you think -you can do that, Todd?”</p> - -<p>“I’ll try awful hard, sir,” answered Jim earnestly. -“I guess if I knew that—that it really -mattered, Mr. Cade, I could do a heap better.”</p> - -<p>“Matters! Great Scott, of course it matters! -You ought to know that without being told, Todd. -The fact that you were kept on the squad when -twenty or thirty other chaps, some of whom were -showing more football than you were, were let -go should have proved to you that you were valuable; -or, anyway, that we thought you valuable. -Every man on the squad, Todd, is supposed to -do his level best, his very utmost, every minute -of every day while the season lasts. He mustn’t -expect the coach to pat him on the back or thank -him after every practice, my boy. You went bad -on us last year, you know, and I’d have had a very<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_239" id="Page_239">[239]</a></span> -good excuse for keeping you out of the squad this -fall if I’d wanted one. Now it looks as though -you were working yourself into the same attitude -of mind again, Todd. It’s all wrong, though. -When we pick a man out of sixty or seventy -others we do it not only because he shows football -ability—football ability alone never won a -game—but because we say to ourselves, ‘There’s -a man who has the right stuff in him: loyalty, -obedience, courage, determination, in short, the -qualities that win battles whether in war or in -football.’ Do you get the idea, Todd?”</p> - -<p>“Yes, sir.” Jim looked troubled. “I’m sorry, -but no one ever said it was like that. You see, -Mr. Cade, I never saw much football till last fall, -and I never knew much about—about schools and -how fellows feel about them. Maybe I ain’t making -myself clear—”</p> - -<p>“I understand, my boy. Well, don’t you feel -somewhat about this school, your school, as you’ve -discovered that other chaps feel? You understand, -don’t you, why a fellow will work and -drudge and take hard knocks for two long months -with no hope of glory, no expectation of getting -into the limelight, as those fellows on the second -team are doing?”</p> - -<p>“Yes, sir, I understand that. Only—”</p> - -<p>“Only what?”</p> - -<p>Jim smiled apologetically. “It never seemed<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_240" id="Page_240">[240]</a></span> -that anything I could do would—would make -much difference, sir. I just ain’t much of a hero, -I guess.”</p> - -<p>“Well, you’ve got the wrong slant, Todd. Heroes -don’t all win the Croix de Guerre. A lot of -them just eat mud and never get their names on -a citation. Modesty is all right, too, Todd, but -too much of it is worse than too little sometimes. -Perhaps what you need is a little praise.” He -leaned forward and laid a hand on Jim’s knee. -“So I’ll tell you this, and you can believe every -word of it. You’re a natural-born football player, -Todd. If you were going to be here one more year -I’d turn you into as pretty a tackle as this school -ever saw; and I’m not forgetting men like Martin -Proctor, either. Even now, as inexperienced -as you are, I’d back you against a lot of the fellows -who have played your position on Alton -Field this fall. Now does that help any?”</p> - -<p>Jim shook his head, supremely embarrassed. -“I don’t know, Mr. Cade. If you say so I guess -I’ve got to believe it, but, gee, I ain’t—I can’t—”</p> - -<p>Mr. Cade slapped the knee under his hand and -sat back with a laugh. “Todd, you’re hopeless,” -he said. “You’ve got a bad case of ingrowing -modesty; what the psychologists call an inferiority -complex, I suppose. But never mind. You -start in to-morrow and show me that you mean -business, and about the middle of the week I’ll<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_241" id="Page_241">[241]</a></span> -tell you what I want you to do to help win the -Kenly game. The best thing about it, too, is that -you can do it—if you will.”</p> - -<p>“I’ll try mighty hard— Gee, that’s ten -o’clock.” At sound of the strokes Jim jumped to -his feet in dismay. “I’ll get the dickens for being -out of hall!”</p> - -<p>“Perhaps I can fix that. Who’s in charge of -your hall?”</p> - -<p>“Mr. Tarbot.”</p> - -<p>The coach rummaged about the table and finally -uncovered a writing pad. When the four lines -were finished he tore off the sheet and handed -it to Jim. “I fancy that will pacify him,” he said.</p> - -<p>“Dear Mr. Tarbot: (Jim read) This is my -fault. Todd has been detained by me at my room -on a matter concerning the football team. <i lang="la" xml:lang="la">Inter -arma silent leges!</i> Cordially, John Cade.” Jim -grinned as he folded the paper once and thrust -it into a pocket.</p> - -<p>“Thank you, sir,” he said gratefully. “I guess -that will fix him.”</p> - -<p>“I hope so. Thanks for coming over, Todd, -and— Wait just a minute. Stand where you -are, please, and put your hand up. Away up. -That’s it. Fine!” Mr. Cade stared across the -room a moment while Jim, perplexed, stood by -the door with one hand—that, as it chanced, of -which two fingers were bound with an already<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_242" id="Page_242">[242]</a></span> -soiled white bandage—extended almost to the -ceiling. Then: “All right, Todd. Much obliged. -Good night!”</p> - -<p>“Now,” Jim asked himself as he let himself out -and took long strides across Academy street, “I -wonder what that was for!”</p> - -<p>Mr. Tarbot, looking as Jim thought a whole lot -like a spider awaiting the unsuspecting fly, sat -in view of the corridor as Jim entered the dormitory.</p> - -<p>“Ah, Todd,” he began blandly. But Jim presented -his note before the instructor got further. -Mr. Tarbot read it, smiled faintly and laid it -aside. “A football coach who quotes Latin so -aptly, Todd, is not to be refused. Good night.”</p> - -<p>“Good night, sir. Thanks.”</p> - -<p>“Ah, just a moment. Was the mystery of the -stranger in the cloth cap ever fathomed, Todd?”</p> - -<p>“Mystery, sir?”</p> - -<p>“Ah, I see you are not in your room-mate’s -confidence, so never mind. Possibly I have been -indiscreet. Pay no heed to my maudlin mutterings, -Todd. Good night to you.”</p> - -<p>“Gee,” reflected Jim as he went on upstairs, -“every one’s acting sort of crazy to-night!”</p> - -<p>Clem was in bed, although he had left the light -burning for Jim, and he raised an inquiring, even -slightly anxious, face above the clothes as the latter -entered. “Did he nab you?” he asked.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_243" id="Page_243">[243]</a></span></p> - -<p>Jim nodded. “Mr. Cade gave me a note for -him, though, and he didn’t say a word.”</p> - -<p>Clem’s face disappeared again. “Lucky for -you,” he muttered from under the sheet. “Good -night.”</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_244" id="Page_244">[244]</a></span></p> - - - - -<div class="chapter"> -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XIX" id="CHAPTER_XIX">CHAPTER XIX</a><br /> -<small>FULL-BACK TO RIGHT TACKLE</small></h2> -</div> - - -<p>Returning to Number 15 Tuesday to look over his -mathematics before an eleven o’clock recitation, -Jim found Clem reading a letter from Martin -Gray. Jim knew that the letter was from Mart -because the envelope of thin, ash-hued paper, -adorned with a foreign stamp, lay face-up on the -table. Mart had written to Clem several times -since school had commenced and each letter had -reported improvement. When Clem finished the -present missive he folded it and returned it to the -envelope rather thoughtfully. Then he raised his -eyes and regarded Jim, who had taken possession -of the window-seat, for a long moment before -he finally announced: “Had a letter from -Mart.”</p> - -<p>“How is he?” asked Jim.</p> - -<p>“Fine, and having a wonderful time. They’re -at some place outside Florence. They’ve taken -a place called the Palazzo Something-or-Other -which Mart says is a stone morgue entirely surrounded -by flowers. He’s playing tennis a lot, -so I think he must be a good deal better.”</p> - -<p>“I’m awfully glad,” said Jim.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_245" id="Page_245">[245]</a></span></p> - -<p>“Yes, so am I.” Clem paused in the manner -of one who has not finished, and after a moment’s -silence he added: “He writes that he thinks now -he will be able to come back to school after Christmas.”</p> - -<p>Jim raised his eyes from the book he held and -looked out of the window. “Well, that’s certainly -fine news,” he commented. “Maybe he -can make up enough to graduate next spring.”</p> - -<p>“He seems to think so,” agreed Clem.</p> - -<p>“Well, as soon as you know for certain, Clem, -let me know and I’ll fix to get out.”</p> - -<p>“No need of that. I don’t think he’d expect -you to. Don’t see how he could.”</p> - -<p>“It would be only fair, though. I’d rather, -Clem.”</p> - -<p>Clem flushed slightly and shrugged. “Oh, if -you feel that way,” he said stiffly. “But I dare -say he and I could get into Lykes, and so you -wouldn’t have to budge.”</p> - -<p>Jim considered that placidly. “Mean I’d stay -here and get a room-mate?”</p> - -<p>“Yes, or you could keep the room alone, unless -Faculty put some one in with you.”</p> - -<p>“Would I have to pay for the whole room if -I was alone?”</p> - -<p>“No, of course not. But I fancy they’d find -some one to dump in on you. Trust them for -that! Well, there’s nothing sure about it yet.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_246" id="Page_246">[246]</a></span> -Maybe you’ll have to put up with me for the rest -of the year.”</p> - -<p>“I wouldn’t mind,” replied the other mildly.</p> - -<p>Clem frowned slightly, placed Mart’s letter in -his pocket and went out, closing the door behind -him with a soft violence that to a close observer -might have suggested disapproval if not indignation.</p> - -<p>At about the same time Lowell Woodruff and -Coach Cade were in consultation in the latter’s -room regarding the accommodations for the football -squad at the hotel in Lakeville. The team -and substitutes were to have luncheon at the hotel -and were to dress there before and after the -game, and the price submitted by the hotel had -brought the alarmed manager to Mr. Cade post-haste. -“Of course,” Lowell was saying sarcastically, -“the poor fish misunderstood my letter. -He’s laboring under the delusion that I asked -a price on a week’s accommodations for the whole -thirty-five.”</p> - -<p>Mr. Cade chuckled. “It does sound so, doesn’t -it? But I suppose, as the letter says, prices have -risen since two years back. I’d tell him what a -small appetite you have and ask him to knock off -about fifteen dollars.”</p> - -<p>Lowell grinned, but became serious again in -the instant. “Oh, well, if we had plenty of money -in the old sock, it wouldn’t matter a whole lot,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_247" id="Page_247">[247]</a></span> -but the jolly old treasury is so low you can see -the bottom of it. And, what with fares and getting -out to the field, we’ll be closing the season -no better than even.”</p> - -<p>“The field,” said Mr. Cade, “is merely a pleasant -walk from the hotel, and I don’t think it would -hurt any of the crowd to do it afoot. You can -save ten dollars or so right there.”</p> - -<p>“That’s so. Some of the fellows will kick, -though. We’ve always ridden out before, you -know.”</p> - -<p>“There’ll be no chance of a kick,” returned -the coach. “I’ll tell them I want them to have -the exercise. As a matter of hard fact, I think it -will do them good.”</p> - -<p>“All right, sir. Then I’ll close with the old -robber. See you this afternoon.”</p> - -<p>“By the way, I had a caller last night. That -fellow Todd.”</p> - -<p>“Todd! Don’t tell me he’s resigned again!”</p> - -<p>“No, he followed me after I left you to say -that that paper you handed me was his.”</p> - -<p>“The one Squires found? Well, why didn’t -he say so when—”</p> - -<p>“I asked him that and he said he was afraid -the fellows would make fun of him.”</p> - -<p>“And I guess they would have. Is the play -really any good, Coach?”</p> - -<p>“Tell you more in a day or two, after we’ve<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_248" id="Page_248">[248]</a></span> -tried it out. It looks promising, though. I sat -up with it until after midnight and I think we’ve -got a pretty smooth-running play. By the way, -get this back to Todd, will you? There’s some -sort of a letter on the other side. Not valuable, -probably, but he may want it. He left it on the -table. I’m certain to forget it, myself.”</p> - -<p>“Yes, sir.” Lowell accepted the folded sheet -and dropped it in an inside pocket. “I’ll see him -in math class. That all? Then I’ll beat it.”</p> - -<p>Jim went out for practice that afternoon determined -to make good. He had thought a great -deal about what Mr. Cade had said the evening -before and as a result the task ahead of him -seemed now vastly more important and much -more worth-while. He had taken the coach’s -praise with a generous pinch of salt, but it had -encouraged him nevertheless. To-day he showed -up a great deal better than he had at any time -since his misunderstanding with Clem, and those -who played opposite him on the second team had -their hands more than full. Both he and Sam -Tennyson were relieved before the last period of -the scrimmage game was over and sent off behind -the north stand by Mr. Cade.</p> - -<p>“I want you fellows to take a ball,” said the -coach, “and practice some long passes. Start in -at about twenty yards and increase the distance -gradually. I want you, Tennyson, to get the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_249" id="Page_249">[249]</a></span> -overhand spiral throw down pat. You know how -it should be made. Go ahead and learn to make -it. Take plenty of time and try for accuracy and -precision first. Speed and distance can come later. -You, Todd, practice catching. I’ve seen you make -several very good catches of a passed ball. See if -you can’t do still better. Learn to take them high -and make them sure. Put in about twenty minutes -of it, but quit before that if your arms get -tired. Go ahead.”</p> - -<p>Sam Tennyson, who was a tall and fairly -heavy youth with light-brown hair and a pair of -sharp dark eyes, accompanied Jim in silence after -he had obtained a ball. The full-back was a quiet -chap at best, and just now he had less to say -than usual. About all he did say as they made -their way around the empty stand was: “Something -up, Slim. Johnny’s got a hunch.”</p> - -<p>Wednesday again the pair went through the -passing practice and spent nearly a half-hour -at it this time. Tennyson, who had not been called -on before for the trick, progressed more slowly -than did Jim. He got along well enough until -he tried to speed the throw. Then the ball’s flight -became erratic and Jim had to run three, four -or five yards out of position to get it. But Tennyson -had a long arm and plenty of strength -and, throwing slowly, could make the oval travel -a remarkable distance. The work went on each<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_250" id="Page_250">[250]</a></span> -day, sometimes before scrimmage, sometimes -after. On Friday, since there was only one scrimmage -period, and the first-string players were -dismissed a half-hour earlier than usual, Mr. -Cade himself took Jim and Sam Tennyson in -charge, leaving the argument between the substitutes -and the second to Mr. Lake and Mr. Myers. -When he had watched two throws he stopped -the performance and coached Sam in holding the -ball and in spinning it as it was shot away. -“Now,” he said, “go back another five yards, -Todd. What do you make that distance?”</p> - -<p>“About forty, sir.”</p> - -<p>“Or forty-five. All right. Now, Tennyson, -elbow close to your side, and don’t forget to whip -your fingers under. Just think that you’re pegging -a baseball from the plate to second. It’s -the same sort of a motion: a throw from the ear, -as the catchers call it. That’s not bad, but you -went three yards at least to the left. That’s another -thing, by the way. If you must shoot to -one side of the receiver, shoot to the right—your -right, not his. But try to land the ball in his -hand.”</p> - -<p>Presently he walked over and joined Jim. “I -think you’d better put your hand up and signal,” -he said. “Better get used to doing it. Don’t -signal, though, until you know that the thrower -has the ball and is looking for you. If you do you<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_251" id="Page_251">[251]</a></span> -advertise to the other team. That’s it, only -stretch your hand just as high as you can. You’ve -got a long arm, Todd, and you might as well make -use of it. Remember that the thrower has to find -his target quick. By the way, I see you’ve taken -the bandage off your fingers. Did it bother you -in catching?”</p> - -<p>“No, sir, but the fingers are all right now.”</p> - -<p>“Think you could catch if you had your four -fingers bandaged?”</p> - -<p>Jim observed the coach doubtfully. It sounded -like a joke, but Mr. Cade’s face was quite serious. -“I don’t know, sir,” answered Jim, “but I guess -I could.”</p> - -<p>“We’ll try it Monday. That’s the way. Take -them high and pull them down quick. And freeze -onto them hard, Todd. Never mind about being -too particular on the throw. I don’t believe -you’ll be on that end of it much. I want you to -specialize on catching. You see, I’ve had you in -view all the season as the man who might work -in nicely at the other end of a long pass. You -might drop around this evening after nine and -I’ll tell you how I mean to use you a week from -to-morrow.”</p> - -<p>Saturday’s game with Oak Grove went about as -predicted. The opponent was never dangerous, -and this year, while the visitors put up rather a -sterner defense than usual, Alton had no difficulty<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_252" id="Page_252">[252]</a></span> -in scoring two touchdowns in the first period -and one in the third and in keeping her own goal-line -uncrossed. In fact, Oak Grove never had the -ball inside the Gray-and-Gold’s thirty-yard line -save in the last quarter when the Alton team was -composed almost entirely of first and second -substitutes. Pep Kinsey, who acted as quarter-back -during three periods, was the individual -star for the home team, making some dazzling -run-backs of punted balls and twice scampering -around the Oak Grove end for long gains. Besides -that he ran the team smoothly and fast, -getting plays off with a celerity that more than -once found the opponents completely unprepared. -Frost made two touchdowns and Sam Tennyson -one, and Steve Whittier kicked two goals. Steve -had rather an off-day in the backfield and yielded -his place to Larry Adams when the last half began. -It was in Steve’s absence that Kinsey -missed the try-for-point after that third touchdown. -The final score was consequently 20 to 0.</p> - -<p>Nothing new was shown by Alton, although -Oak Grove opened her bag of tricks wide and -tried some weird plays in an effort to score in -the fourth period. There was a good deal of punting, -with honors fairly even, and each team tried -the passing game, Alton making good four out of -seven attempts and Oak Grove succeeding five -times out of fourteen. Two of Alton’s passes<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_253" id="Page_253">[253]</a></span> -were pulled down by Jim, and only a watchful -defense prevented him from getting away on long -runs. He showed an almost uncanny ability to -get into position unnoticed and on each occasion -that the ball was thrown to him he caught unchallenged. -Only alertness and speed on the part -of the Oak Grove backs spoiled his chances of -long gains. Jim put himself back on the football -map that afternoon and finally and conclusively -ousted Willard Sawyer from the position of right -tackle. This fact was not known to Jim then, -but he may have guessed it. Others did. Jim -was a terror on offense and as solid as a stone -wall on defense. He raced his end nip-and-tuck -down the field under punts and was into every -play it was possible for him to reach. In brief, -Jim had a big day, and if half a dozen other Alton -men hadn’t played far better than they had played -before that season he might easily have shared the -honors with Pep Kinsey. But the Gray-and-Gold -eleven had found its stride and Jim’s work was -no better than that of several others.</p> - -<p>In the last period there was a brief scare when -Oak Grove, fighting valiantly and desperately -against what was almost a third-string Alton -team, hurling forward-passes of all sorts to all -directions, faking passes to hide off-tackle plays, -using criss-crosses of every conceivable variety, -worked her way to Alton’s twenty-seven yards,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_254" id="Page_254">[254]</a></span> -where, meeting at last with denial, she was forced -to a well-nigh hopeless try-at-goal from the thirty-six -yards. The attempt failed widely and she -had shot her bolt.</p> - -<p>That game added more enthusiasm at Alton, -and the mass meeting in the auditorium that evening -attained unprecedented heights of emotion. -There were speeches and songs and cheers, and -noise and confusion enough to gladden the heart -of the most irrepressible freshman. And after -the adjournment the whole affair was reënacted -with only slightly less enthusiasm in front of -Academy Hall, the evening’s program ending -with a large and certainly hilarious parade -around the campus and, finally, to Coach Cade’s -residence. Learning at last, after repeated demands -for a speech, that the coach had gone home -over Sunday, the parade disintegrated, its component -parts returning to their various domiciles -in small, but far from silent, groups.</p> - -<p>On Monday the final week of preparation for -the great battle started with a hard practice for -all hands. No one was spared and no one, it -seemed, desired to be. The second earned a broad -niche in the local Hall of Fame that afternoon if -only for emerging from the two periods of fighting -without casualties. The first team had found -itself and was there to show the world!</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_255" id="Page_255">[255]</a></span></p> - - - - -<div class="chapter"> -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XX" id="CHAPTER_XX">CHAPTER XX</a><br /> -<small>CLEM DELIVERS A LETTER</small></h2> -</div> - - -<p>Tuesday and Wednesday rushed by. Thursday -lagged. Friday stood still, quite as though Time -had stopped doing business. Saturday—</p> - -<p>Practice had been secret since the Tuesday following -the New Falmouth game. That is to say, -patriotic lower class fellows had daily, between -the hours of three and five, patrolled the outskirts -of Alton Field, warning away inquisitive townsfolk -and intrusive small boys. Since it was quite -possible to stand on Meadow street and see from -a distance the players moving about on the gridiron, -the word secret in relation to practice was -an exaggeration. Also, any resident of senior -or freshman dormitory whose window looked -westward could, had he wished, have solved the -most puzzling of the plays in which the Gray-and-Gold -team was seeking to perfect itself. However, -protracted occupancy of dormitory windows -overlooking the field was frowned upon during -the latter part of the season, and, on the whole, -Coach Cade was well enough satisfied with the -concealment allowed him and his works. Since -the same conditions had prevailed so long as football<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_256" id="Page_256">[256]</a></span> -had been played at Alton and no precious -secret had ever reached the enemy the coach’s -confidence seemed well founded.</p> - -<p>Tuesday and Wednesday saw long sessions for -the squad, the emphasis being laid on precision -and smoothness. Tuesday evening it was rumored -that the first team had scored four times -on the scrub, and the school found new cause for -enthusiasm. Thursday witnessed a let-up in the -work. Individual instruction occupied much of -the time. Later there was a period of formation -drill, a long practice for the kickers and, finally, -a short tussle with the second team in which no -effort was made to run up the score. There was, -so report had it, much aerial football that day. -Practice was over early and some thirty youths, -unaccustomed to finding themselves foot-loose at -half-past four, wondered what to do with themselves. -Of course the usual evening sessions—“bean-tests” -the players called them—were continued -right up to and including Friday.</p> - -<p>Friday was, from the football man’s point of -view, a day without rime or reason. Save that -the players reported in togs at four o’clock and -trotted around a while in signal drill, what time -the rest of the school looked on and practiced -cheers and songs, there was nothing to do and -too much time to do it. The second team made -its final appearance and staged a ten-minute<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_257" id="Page_257">[257]</a></span> -scrimmage with an eleven composed of its own -substitutes and a few first team third-stringers. -Then it performed the sacred rites incident to -disbanding, cheered and was cheered, marched in -solemn file around a pile of discarded—and incidentally -worthless—apparel and at last, followed -by the audience, still noisy, cavorted back -to the gymnasium.</p> - -<p>With nothing to do save await the morrow -and what it might bring, Jim, like most of the -other players, felt suddenly let-down. Although -not of a nervous temperament, he found it extremely -difficult to sit still and even more difficult -to fix his thoughts on any one subject for more -than a half-minute at a time. Supper was hectic, -marked by sudden outbursts of laughter and -equally sudden lapses to silence. Every one made -a great pretense of hunger, but only a few of -the veterans ate normally. Coach Cade seemed -more quiet and thoughtful than usual. At Jim’s -end of the long table Lowell Woodruff, ably aided -by Billy Frost, managed to keep things enlivened, -but even so Jim was relieved when he could push -back his chair and return to Number 15. Pending -the “bean-test,” he tried to study and failed, -tried to write a letter to Webb Todd and again -failed. Perhaps had he been able to find the -letter that Webb had written to him, enclosing -the two-dollar bill, he might have obtained sufficient<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_258" id="Page_258">[258]</a></span> -inspiration, but that letter had mysteriously -disappeared. At seven-thirty he went around to -the gymnasium, but even Coach Cade failed him -to some extent, for the Coach had little to say -about plays and a good deal about playing and -sent them away at eight with instructions to keep -their minds off football and go to bed promptly -at ten o’clock; advice far easier to give than to -act on.</p> - -<p>Jim, realizing how futile was the effort to think -of anything save football, got his rules book and -began to turn the well-thumbed leaves. If there -was anything contained therein that he didn’t -know by heart and couldn’t have recited almost -word for word he failed to find it, and he was -very glad when Clem’s hurried steps sounded in -the corridor and the door flew open before him. -Any sort of companionship, even unharmonious, -was welcome to-night.</p> - -<p>Clem closed the door behind him and gave a -triumphant grunt that sounded like “<em>Huh!</em>” -Jim, looking up inquiringly, thought that his -room-mate looked awfully funny. By funny, Jim, -of course, meant strange. Still keeping what -amounted to an accusing glare on Jim, Clem advanced -in a peculiarly remorseless manner to his -side of the table, threw one leg over his chair, -lowered himself into place and folded his elbows -on the table edge. Then:</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_259" id="Page_259">[259]</a></span></p> - -<p>“You’re a fine piece of cheese, aren’t you?” -he demanded.</p> - -<p>There was no insult in the words as Clem said -them. On the contrary they seemed to have an -undertone of affection, and Jim was more puzzled -than ever, and found the other’s gaze increasingly -disconcerting. The fact must have shown -on his countenance, for Clem went on triumphantly: -“No wonder you look guilty, you—you -blamed old fraud!”</p> - -<p>“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” -grumbled Jim, uncomfortable from the fact that -he knew he was looking guilty in spite of a clear -conscience.</p> - -<p>“I’ll soon tell you,” announced Clem. “I went -over to Art’s after supper; Art Landorf, you -know. Woodie was there. When I was coming -away he asked me to give you a piece of paper. -Said Johnny Cade had given it to him a week -ago to hand to you. Something you’d left at -Johnny’s one night. I asked him what it was -and he said he didn’t know, but he pulled it out -of a mess of other truck in a pocket and handed -it to me.”</p> - -<p>Jim flushed a little. “What was it?” he asked -uneasily.</p> - -<p>“I guess you know what it was, you poor prune. -It was a letter from that yegg friend of yours, -Webb Todd.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_260" id="Page_260">[260]</a></span></p> - -<p>“Oh!” murmured Jim.</p> - -<p>“Yes, ‘oh’!” mimicked Clem unfeelingly. “It -had some sort of a crazy cubist drawing on one -side and I naturally opened it. Of course when -I saw it was a letter I tried not to read it, but -I had to read some of it because my eyes lighted -right on it.” Clem looked so defiant as to appear -almost threatening. Jim nodded.</p> - -<p>“That’s all right,” he muttered.</p> - -<p>“You bet it’s all right!” Clem was getting -truculent. “And now I’m going to read the whole -of it, and you’re going to sit still and listen to -it!” He drew the somewhat soiled rectangular -object from his pocket and shook it challengingly -at the other.</p> - -<p>“I’d rather you didn’t,” objected Jim weakly.</p> - -<p>Clem’s laugh was derisive. “You go to thunder! -Anyway, I read the part that matters, -so—” He hesitated and tossed the letter across -the table. Jim picked it up without more than -a glance and buried it under a blue book. “He -says there ‘I wasn’t meaning to swipe that money, -like I told you, kid, and I’m sorry I done it. I -ain’t a thief—’ and a lot more guff. Now, then, -what about it?”</p> - -<p>“Well, <em>what</em> about it?” asked Jim with returning -spirit. “I told you, but you wouldn’t believe -me.”</p> - -<p>“Yes, I know,” acknowledged Clem somewhat<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_261" id="Page_261">[261]</a></span> -shamefacedly. “Gosh, I wanted to, Jim, but it -looked awfully fishy. And I asked Old Tarbox -if a stranger had been up here that afternoon -and he didn’t remember one. He said he might -have got by without his noticing, but it didn’t -seem to me that any one could fail to notice that -queer-looking guy! But, hang it, why didn’t you -show me that letter when you got it? Think I’ve -had a jolly time with you treating me like dirt? -Why—”</p> - -<p>“Isn’t that the way you treated me?” asked -Jim, smiling faintly.</p> - -<p>“No, sir, I treated you decently! Anyway, I -tried to, but you wouldn’t let me, confound you. -Didn’t you intend to show me that letter at all, -Jim?”</p> - -<p>Jim shook his head.</p> - -<p>“Well,” exclaimed Clem in outraged tones, -“then all I can say is that you’re the doggonedest, -meanest, false-pridest—”</p> - -<p>“You’re another!” Jim was grinning now, -suddenly feeling very warm and happy, and somewhat -foolish. Clem grinned back. Then he -laughed uncertainly.</p> - -<p>“You blamed old idiot!” he said affectionately.</p> - -<p>Jim blinked. “Guess I was to blame, Clem,” -he said reflectively. “Maybe I’d ought to have -made you believe me; licked you until you did<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_262" id="Page_262">[262]</a></span> -or—or something. But it didn’t seem right you -should think I was a thief, even if it did look -like I was, and so I—I got sort of uppity and—and—”</p> - -<p>“Don’t blame you,” growled Clem. “Ought -to have punched my head. Wish you had. I -don’t know what made me so rotten mean. Anyhow, -I’m mighty sorry and—and I beg your pardon, -old son.”</p> - -<p>“Aw, shut up,” said Jim. “Guess we both -acted loony. Let’s forget it.”</p> - -<p>Clem nodded. “Hope you will. I wouldn’t -care to think that you were holding it in for -me, Jim. Funny thing is,” he went on in tones -that held embarrassment, “I don’t know whether -I got to thinking you didn’t—didn’t do it or -whether I got to not caring whether you did or -didn’t, but I’d have called quits long ago, two -or three days after, I guess, if you’d given me -a chance.”</p> - -<p>“Well, as long as you were thinking me a -thief—”</p> - -<p>“But I could see how most any fellow might -make a foozle like that,” interrupted Clem -eagerly. “I said that here was that fellow you’d -known and been fond of nagging you for money, -and you not having any, and there was that money -in the suit-case which you knew mighty well I’d -give you if you asked for it—”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_263" id="Page_263">[263]</a></span></p> - -<p>“I suppose you’d do it yourself?” inquired Jim -innocently.</p> - -<p>“Sure! That is—” Then Clem found Jim -grinning broadly. “Well, I might. How do I -know? How does any one know what he will do -when faced by—er—by sudden temptation and all -that sort of thing?”</p> - -<p>“No, you wouldn’t,” answered Jim. “Neither -would I. Webb could have starved. But, just -the same, and I think it’s sort of funny, too, I -didn’t think anything about lying! Seems like -stealing and lying aren’t much different, don’t -it?”</p> - -<p>“Well, yes, but, gosh, a fellow’s got to tell a -whopper sometimes to protect a friend, hasn’t -he? And that’s what you did.”</p> - -<p>“I guess a lie’s a lie, just the same,” responded -Jim regretfully, “and I didn’t feel right about -telling that one to the police captain that time. -Only, I didn’t want Webb to go to jail. Gee, I -don’t know!”</p> - -<p>“You needn’t have told him you gave the -money to Webb, as far as that goes. They -couldn’t have proved it on him if I hadn’t said -I’d lost it.”</p> - -<p>“Gee, I never thought of that, Clem! But it -was all so sort of sudden that I didn’t have much -time to think. Lying comes mighty easy, don’t -it?”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_264" id="Page_264">[264]</a></span></p> - -<p>Well, it was just like old times in Number 15 -that evening. There was a lot to be said, things -that ought to have been said days and days ago -and things that had been unthought of before, -and almost before Jim knew that it was as late -as nine the ten o’clock bell rang. Even after they -were in bed the talk kept on, as:</p> - -<p>“Say, Jim, it’s a shame to keep you awake, -but—”</p> - -<p>“Gee, I ain’t sleepy. I’d rather talk than not.”</p> - -<p>“Well, about Janus. You know we were speaking -of it a while back. You’ll join, eh?”</p> - -<p>“I don’t know, Clem. I ain’t—I’m not much -for society doings. Gee, I don’t even own a dress-suit!”</p> - -<p>“You don’t need a dress-suit, you gump! I’m -going to put you through next week, and there’s -an end to it.”</p> - -<p>“Well, if you want me to, all right. Father got -rid of some timberland the other day that he’s -been trying to sell for three or four years. He -didn’t get quite all he wanted, but he did pretty -well. So I guess I can afford this Janus thing.”</p> - -<p>Still later: “Jim, you asleep?”</p> - -<p>“Yes. What’ll you have?”</p> - -<p>“Listen. About Mart coming back—”</p> - -<p>“I know. That’s all right.”</p> - -<p>“How do you mean, all right?”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_265" id="Page_265">[265]</a></span></p> - -<p>“Why, you fellows can have this room or I’ll -find some one else to come in here. Just as long -as I don’t have to pay the whole rent—”</p> - -<p>“You make me sick! I never had any notion -of going in with Mart. He doesn’t expect me -to. I just said that because you made me mad, -you silly ass!”</p> - -<p>“Oh! Well, I didn’t—understand. Still, you -mustn’t feel like you’ve got to turn Mart down, -Clem.”</p> - -<p>“I don’t. I’m not turning him down because -he hasn’t even suggested it. If you can’t talk -sense you’d better go to sleep.”</p> - -<p>“All right,” chuckled Jim. “Good night.”</p> - -<p>Some time later Clem awoke in the darkness to -find groans and heart-breaking gasps coming from -Jim’s bed. After a moment of sleepy concern -Clem went across and shook his chum into consciousness. -“Hey, wake up! What’s the matter, -old son? Got the nightmare?”</p> - -<p>“Gee!” muttered Jim. “That you, Clem? -Was I making a row?”</p> - -<p>“Were you! Well, rather! What—”</p> - -<p>“Gee, it was awful! Sam threw the ball to -me and I was all set for it when the crazy thing -began running around my head in circles and -making a noise like—like an automobile and I -couldn’t catch it! Every time I’d make a grab<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_266" id="Page_266">[266]</a></span> -it would dodge out of the way! And about a -hundred fellows with big white mittens on stood -and laughed at me. Gee, it was fierce!”</p> - -<p>“White mittens?” chuckled Clem. “Well, you -did have the Willies for fair! Calm yourself, old -son, and nuzzle down again. It must be mighty -close to daylight.”</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_267" id="Page_267">[267]</a></span></p> - - - - -<div class="chapter"> -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XXI" id="CHAPTER_XXI">CHAPTER XXI</a><br /> -<small>ALTON VS. KENLY HALL</small></h2> -</div> - - -<p>The players trundled away from school that Saturday -morning at ten o’clock, cheered to the echo -by some three hundred and fifty football-mad adherents. -The rest of the student body left on -the twelve-eight train, to which an extra day-coach -had been added. Clem, sharing a seat with -Landorf and Imbrie—Imbrie sat on the arm—beguiled -the first part of the journey with the -morning papers. Both the Alton paper and that -published in the near-by city gave a flattering -amount of space to the Alton-Kenly Hall game. -Not unnaturally, the home journal predicted a -victory for the Gray-and-Gold. The other favored -Kenly. Some writer signing himself -“Sporticus” told his city readers that he had -seen both Alton and Kenly Hall in action and -that it would take a much better prophet than -he pretended to be to pick certainly the winner -of to-day’s contest.</p> - -<p>“Alton,” he continued, “has a fine-looking -team that is well grounded in the rudiments, plays -with unusual speed and has been developed steadily -since the first of the season with the single -purpose of reaching the apex of its power at two<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_268" id="Page_268">[268]</a></span> -o’clock this afternoon. Starting with a practically -green team, Coach ‘Johnny’ Cade has built around -a nucleus of four veterans an aggregation that -has shown a lot of football gumption and a good -deal of strength during the last three games. -The Gray-and-Gold looks to be better on attack -than on defense, but the last week may have -brought about an improvement in the latter department, -and her line may prove strong enough -to stop the efforts of the Kenly backs. If it can -Alton will stand a good chance to cop the contest, -for I like her attack. Rumor credits her -with having developed a nice bunch of running -and passing plays that have not, so far, been -shown. Whether she has anything that will prevail -against a defense as experienced and steady -as Kenly’s, only developments can prove. Alton’s -center-trio is quite as good as Kenly’s. Cheswick, -at center, combines weight with speed and -has shown himself a master at diagnosing the -opponent’s plays. Captain Gus Fingal, right -guard, is playing an even better game than last -season when he was a large, sharp thorn in the -side of the enemy. Powers, the other guard, lacks -Fingal’s weight but is remarkably steady. He -also has speed. Speed, in fact, is the outstanding -feature of the Gray-and-Gold line from end -to end. At tackles Alton will play Roice and -either Sawyer or Todd. Sawyer has seen more<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_269" id="Page_269">[269]</a></span> -service, but Todd has been coming fast for the -last fortnight and, in spite of lack of weight, looks -to have the call for the right side position. Levering -and Borden, ends, have not shown anything -spectacular so far except an ability to move fast, -and they sure do that. In the backfield Alton -will start ‘Pep’ Kinsey at quarter. Kinsey -doesn’t look like a quarter-back, but he has held -down the job satisfactorily most of the season -and seems to get more out of his team than his -alternate, Latham. Whittier and Frost are two -good half-backs who will have quite a lot to say -for themselves. Whittier is rather more of the -defensive back than ‘Billy’ Frost, but he, too, is -capable of gaining if given the ball. Frost is -the lad for Kenly to keep an eye on, for he can -hit the line like a five-ton truck and is a wonder -at running. He will also be on the receiving -end of some of the forward heaves that Alton -is expected to pull off. The remaining back, Tennyson, -is something of an unknown quantity, since -he took the place of Crumb late in the season -when the latter was injured.”</p> - -<p>“Sporticus” gave an equal amount of space -in his column to an appraisal of the individual -members of the Kenly team and then summed -up as follows: “On season’s performance, then, -Kenly ought to win to-day’s fracas by two scores, -but no football solon pins his faith utterly on -performance. So when I predict a verdict for<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_270" id="Page_270">[270]</a></span> -the Cherry-and-Black I have in mind one important -fact that has been fully established, which -is: The team with the power wins. Kenly has -the power. She lacks the speed of her opponent -and uses fewer plays. But she has a line that -has proved practically shot-proof, and her attack, -while not varied, has a relentless quality that -makes it a ground-gainer. Of course, surprises -may happen and upset the dope. Some of those -trick plays that Alton is believed to have in her -duffle-bag may catch Kenly napping. A forward-pass -thrown at the right moment may land over -the goal-line. But every student of the gentle -Art of Football knows that where one game is -won by forward-passes or trick runs nine are -won by the plain, old-fashioned, garden-variety -of football. That’s why I select Kenly; reserving -an alibi, though, as set forth above.”</p> - -<p>“Humph,” said Clem, when he had finished -the article, “these newspaper sport writers are -great guys to play it safe. This fellow just knows -that Kenly is going to win—<em>if</em>! You’d think -from the way he goes on that Kenly’s line hadn’t -been shot more than once already. ‘Invulnerable’ -he calls it. What about Lorimer? I suppose -she didn’t get a touchdown against Kenly! -And look at last Saturday’s game. Emmons -scored twice, once by a pass from the ten-yard -line and once from the field. If she found Kenly’s<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_271" id="Page_271">[271]</a></span> -line invulnerable how the heck did she get within -scoring distance? ‘Sporticus’ has his signals -crossed!”</p> - -<p>“Don’t be hard on the poor chaps,” said Imbrie. -“They have to fill their columns somehow, -old dear.”</p> - -<p>“‘Somehow’ is right,” grumbled Clem.</p> - -<p>At two o’clock, when Alton kicked off to Kenly, -the sun was shining brightly and a slight breeze -was quartering the field, lending some advantage -to the visiting team. The air held quite a nip, -and coat collars were generally worn turned up. -From the player’s standpoint it was ideal weather, -from the spectator’s it was a bit unpleasant on -hands and feet. The cheering, which had been -fairly incessant for the past ten minutes, ceased -as Captain Gus stepped forward and booted the -new brown oval high and far.</p> - -<p>The Kenly quarter fumbled, but a half-back -rescued the ball on his seventeen yards and ran -it back to the twenty. Kenly tested Cheswick -and got one yard. Then she punted to Alton’s -thirty-three, the ball going outside. Frost got -two through the center and Tennyson slid off -right tackle for three more. Whittier punted to -the opponent’s twenty-seven and Levering missed -a tackle, the catcher advancing seven yards before -he was spilled by Powers. Two tries at -the Alton line netted but five yards and a short<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_272" id="Page_272">[272]</a></span> -pass over the center grounded. Kenly kicked -beautifully against the breeze, the ball falling on -Alton’s seventeen, where Kinsey was thrown -hard. Time was called for Alton. Frost got two -through the right of the enemy’s line when play -was resumed and followed it with six more on -an off-tackle run. Whittier tried a run around -the left and was stopped for a loss of a yard. -Whittier punted, but Kenly was off-side and it -was Alton’s ball on her twenty-nine. Whittier -circled left end on first down and gained two -yards and Tennyson gathered in one more by a -plunge at center. Whittier punted to Kenly’s -twenty-six and the Cherry-and-Black quarter ran -the ball back to the forty before he was stopped -by Levering.</p> - -<p>Kenly got started then and punched the enemy -line for short gains, making it first down on Alton’s -forty-eight. Then the Kenly full-back managed -to get free on a wide run and landed the -pigskin on the visitor’s thirty-six, following this -with a fierce plunge at Powers that gave him three -more. On the next play Roice was off-side and -Kenly advanced to Alton’s twenty-eight. She -made it first down on Alton’s twenty-five-yard -line. A plunge at the left of the visitor’s line -was stopped and a short pass grounded. On a -fake-kick play Kenly’s big full-back gained three -off Todd, at right tackle. Kenly’s drop-kicker<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_273" id="Page_273">[273]</a></span> -retired to the thirty-yard line and, since the ball -was directly in front of goal, a score seemed imminent. -But the pass from center was short and -before the kicker could get the ball away the -Alton forwards were through on top of him and -the kick was blocked.</p> - -<p>Kenly’s left tackle recovered the rolling ball -on his thirty-eight, beating Whittier to it by inches -only, and, after she had failed to gain through -Powers, Kenly grounded a pass. A second pass -was intercepted by Frost.</p> - -<p>Alton tried to knife Kinsey through but lost -a yard, and Tennyson’s slide off tackle regained -the loss and no more. Then Frost slipped off -right tackle for a run of seventeen yards, being -finally forced out on his forty-four. A cross-buck, -with Borden carrying, gained four, Tennyson got -two through right guard and Whittier skirted the -left end for six more, making it first down on -the enemy’s forty-four. After three wasted efforts, -Whittier punted over Kenly’s goal-line, and -the ball came back to the twenty. Two attempts -at the line failed and Kenly punted on third down -to mid-field. An off-side play gave Alton five -yards and in two downs she added four more. -Whittier punted to Kenly’s eleven and the Cherry-and-Black -left half was downed in his tracks by -Todd. Kenly lost four yards on an end run, -made two off left tackle and two more through<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_274" id="Page_274">[274]</a></span> -center and then punted to her own forty-one. -Frost was thrown for a loss on an end run and -the quarter ended with the ball in Alton’s possession -on the enemy’s forty-three yards.</p> - -<p>So far it was still anybody’s game and even -the clever “Sporticus,” whose narrative of the -first period I have quoted almost verbatim, after -seeing Kenly’s line pierced more than once, would -have hesitated about making another prediction. -Neither team had shown the ability to gain -through the other’s line consistently. Although -outweighted, the Alton forwards had held their -own very well against the enemy, usually getting -the jump on their slower opponents with good -effect. The hard-hitting Kenly backs had found -the going more difficult than had been prophesied, -while the Alton backs, starting quickly from their -positions well behind their line, had already -proved the value of the new formation. Whittier’s -punts from close behind center had not -surprised Kenly greatly, since her scouts had prepared -her for them, but the fact that she was -always more or less uncertain when they were -coming did worry her far more than appeared.</p> - -<p>The second period started without changes in -either line-up: for Alton it was still Levering, -Roice, Powers, Cheswick, Fingal, Todd, Borden, -Kinsey, Whittier, Frost and Tennyson. Coach -Cade had put his best foot forward and meant<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_275" id="Page_275">[275]</a></span> -to keep it there as long as he could. With the -wind slightly in her favor, Kenly punted frequently -in the second quarter, trusting to get a -break that would put her within scoring distance. -Alton kicked only when all other means had failed. -She managed to keep her territory fairly free of -the enemy through most of the period, but in the -final five minutes Kenly worked an invasion. -Punting from her thirty-two yards, the Cherry-and-Black -landed the pigskin in Pep Kinsey’s -arms near his twenty-yard line. The kick was -long and fairly high, the wind floating the ball -along for an added ten yards, and Pep misjudged -and at the last moment had to run back. Frost, -playing back with him, saw the ball in jeopardy -and raced across for it with the result that the -pigskin was almost lost to both of them. Pep -managed to hold it after a moment’s juggling, -however, but by that time a frantic Kenly end -was on him and he was tackled fiercely, Frost -being out of position to offer protection. Pep -stayed flat and time was called. After working -over the Alton quarter for a while, Jake signaled -and Horace Latham, already warming up before -the bench, ran on. Pep was led off looking pretty -groggy.</p> - -<p>Two attacks on tackles failed to get the ball -much farther out of the dangerous neighborhood -and Latham punted. The kick was poor and the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_276" id="Page_276">[276]</a></span> -ball went out at Alton’s forty-yard line. Then -it was that Kenly showed her power, for she -marched back to the eighteen yards without a -pause, making her distance the first time by two -inches and gaining her final stand by a short toss -across the Alton left wing that gave her a needed -four yards. Then, however, Alton stood firm. -Walzer had been sent in for Hick Powers, who -had been pretty roughly used, and Kenly’s two -attempts on the left of the enemy’s center were -piled up for no gain. Another of the Kenly short -passes grounded and once more her drop-kicker -stepped into the limelight. This time the Cherry-and-Black -line was a stone wall, the ball was -passed neatly and the kicker had plenty of leisure -to perform his trick. The ball thudded away from -his foot and climbed into the air, far beyond the -upraised tips of eager fingers, passing squarely -between the uprights and high over the cross-bar. -Kenly had drawn first blood and the vacant space -beside her name on the scoreboard suddenly held -a large white 3!</p> - -<p>That was just about all there was to that second -quarter. Jim was taken out in favor of -Sawyer just before the end of it. Alton fought -into the enemy’s territory in the last minute of -play only to yield the pigskin on a punt, and before -the teams could line up again the whistle -blew.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_277" id="Page_277">[277]</a></span></p> - - - - -<div class="chapter"> -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XXII" id="CHAPTER_XXII">CHAPTER XXII</a><br /> -<small>THE BANDAGED HAND</small></h2> -</div> - - -<p>Back in the gymnasium, in a small room provided -for its use, the Alton team spent eleven tense -minutes. Coaches, trainer and rubbers toiled -without let-up. Faults were pointed out by stern-faced -assistants and offenders were taken severely -to task. Johnny Cade, one forefinger tapping -Latham’s chest, spoke quietly but earnestly. The -pungent odor of rubbing liniment filled the air. -Jake moved briskly and cheerfully about, unwinding -bandage and tape and clipping with his little -blunt-nosed scissors. And finally Manager Woodruff -took his eyes from the dial of his watch and -called: “Four minutes!”</p> - -<p>On the field Kenly sang and cheered, and Alton, -although outnumbered, was scarcely less vociferous. -The big cherry-red flag stood out above -the home stand, snapping briskly in the increasing -wind. Chilled feet were coaxed back to -warmth and coats more closely buttoned. The -sunlight had lost its heat now and the breeze was -taking on an icier tang. The minutes passed -slowly, but at last the Kenly stand sprang to its -feet with an “Aye-e-e!” as the red-stockinged<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_278" id="Page_278">[278]</a></span> -warriors came into view again. Then the cheer -leaders waved and the long Kenly cheer swept -across the field. Ere it had ended the Alton side -was vocal, too, for a tall, light-haired youth, gray-armed -and gray-legged, trotted into sight. Behind -him trailed twenty-nine others of his kind, -and then a little squad of non-combatants. A -white-sweatered man moved into the field, a gray-sweatered -man joined him. The cheers continued -deafeningly. Linesmen, blowing on chilled hands, -dragged their long rods down near the thirty-yard -line. Alton had to yield the advantage of -the wind this time, but had elected to receive the -kick-off.</p> - -<p>Three changes in the Kenly team were seen, -two in the line and one in the backfield. For -Alton, Latham remained at quarter, Sawyer at -right tackle and Walzer at left guard. With the -wind behind it, the ball sailed almost to the five-yard -line before it dropped, and Alton let it go -over. Back on her twenty, the Gray-and-Gold -flashed into life. It seemed that she was showing -her true strength for the first time. Straight -down the field she marched, overwhelming Kenly -with the speed of her attack, mingling straight -line-jabs, swift dashes around the tackles and -short side passes that led to wide runs. Every -shot found its mark and not once was Alton halted -until, almost on Kenly’s thirty, a wide run went<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_279" id="Page_279">[279]</a></span> -agley and Billy Frost was thrown behind his line -for a five-yard loss.</p> - -<p>A short pass across the left of the line was -caught by Latham, but the gain was less than the -previous loss. Once more, Tennyson heaved the -ball, this time far toward the side-line, but it -was knocked down. Kenly’s hoarse reiterated appeal -of “<em>Hold ’em, Kenly! Hold ’em, Kenly!</em>” -was being answered. It was fourth down now -and there was still five yards to gain, with the -ball on Kenly’s thirty-one yards. A goal from -the field seemed a hopeless thought, yet that is -what Latham called for. Captain Gus was summoned -back and Latham dropped to a knee in -front of him close to the forty-yard line. Shouts -of “<em>Block it! Block it!</em>” swept across from the -home stand. Cheswick sped the ball back, Latham -caught it and placed it and Gus stepped forward. -The lines heaved and bent. But foot met ball -and the pigskin shot forward. Latham had canted -it, as he hoped, so that it would fly low, but after -it had cleared the frantic arms of the oncoming -enemy it was caught by a sudden gust and changed -its flight. For an instant it seemed to pause. -Then it went up and up, hung for a breathless -moment high in air and began its descent. Already -Kenly was howling its relief, for the ball -was coming down well short of the bar.</p> - -<p>It descended close to the five-yard line and it<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_280" id="Page_280">[280]</a></span> -was a red-legged tackle who caught it to him and -sprang forward. But Sam Tennyson wrapped -his long arms about his neck and pulled him back -and down. It was Kenly’s ball on her three yards.</p> - -<p>The Kenly kicker stepped back well behind his -goal-line and a little to the left of center, mindful -of the nearer post looming dangerously close, -and the silence of suspense fell. Alton’s “<em>Block -that kick! Block that kick!</em>” dwindled to a faint, -hoarse mutter. Back went the ball, but low, and -the kicker had to step forward to get it. Recovering, -he saw the left of his line torn apart -as Alton burst through. There was no time now -for a punt. Tucking the ball under his arm, he -started away to the right, seeking to pass behind -the goal and find a safe path out of his dilemma. -And for a second success seemed to await him. -But just as he swung back toward the field, Jake -Borden swept down on him. Jake missed his -tackle, but he stopped the runner long enough for -Roice to reach him and the two went down together -a yard behind the goal-line.</p> - -<p>Alton roared in triumph and a figure 2 went -up for the visitors. It was not much of a score, -but it was something, and the faint-hearted among -the Alton adherents were jubilant. At least, the -Gray-and-Gold had not been shut-out! The ball -went out to the thirty yards and play began once -more. Kenly twice failed to advance a runner<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_281" id="Page_281">[281]</a></span> -and then kicked. Latham caught and was downed -instantly. Alton began another march, but it -ended at her own forty-yard line and there Latham -punted short to the enemy’s thirty-eight. Kenly -sprang a long forward-pass that almost but not -quite succeeded. A shorter attempt went for six -yards and two slams at the line gave her first -down on the fifty-yard line. Then followed -Kenly’s moment of power, for she plunged and -battered her way forward for two first downs and -placed the ball on Alton’s twenty-eight. Walzer -was hurt and Hick Powers went back to left guard -position. Kenly tried a full-back run that would -have netted her twelve yards had not an end been -off-side. As it was, she was set back to the thirty-three, -and two plunges were stopped and a third -down gained but three yards off left tackle. -Kenly set herself as for a try at a field goal but, -instead, hurled a long pass diagonally toward the -right corner of the field. The wind both aided -and hindered that throw. It added distance but -it also swept the ball away from the waiting end -and into the outstretched hands of Sam Tennyson. -Sam dodged and wriggled and fought back to the -seventeen before force of numbers laid him low.</p> - -<p>Presently Latham again punted and, although -the kick failed of distance, the Kenly back who -caught was dropped the instant the pigskin was -in his hands. From Alton’s forty-six yards,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_282" id="Page_282">[282]</a></span> -Kenly began another advance. This time she -reached only the thirty-two yards, where, with -three downs gone, she decided to take what was -offered her. Her kicker was squarely on the -forty-yard line when he booted, and this time the -Kenly line held fast. But the ball, while it had -both height and distance, passed outside the left-hand -upright; although it was not until a moment -had passed and the figure 3 on the scoreboard was -not changed that the spectators knew whether or -not the goal had been kicked. Then Alton voiced -her relief in hearty fashion. Two more plays laid -the pigskin on Alton’s twenty-four yards and the -whistle blew for the last intermission.</p> - -<p>Three to two and still anybody’s game!</p> - -<p>That either team would be able to put over a -touchdown looked improbable. One or the other -might win in the last quarter by a field-goal, but -it seemed a safe wager that neither Gray-and-Gold -nor Cherry-and-Black had enough strength -to cross her opponent’s goal-line. Both in attack -and defense the rivals had shown themselves well -matched. What Kenly possessed of superiority -in weight was offset by Alton’s speed, while Alton’s -speed was not a sufficient asset to win her -passage over the last five lines. But with the -favoring wind behind her now Alton might, -thought the more hopeful of the visitors, bring -some trick into play that would decide the contest<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_283" id="Page_283">[283]</a></span> -in her favor. Among the hopeful was Clem, -shivering between Imbrie and Landorf, high on -the Alton stand. Clem’s shivers were due more -to excitement than cold, however, and that excitement -was heightened when, as the teams gathered -again, two forms ran on from the visitors’ -side-line. One was Pep Kinsey. The other was -Jim Todd. Clem arose to his feet and shouted -madly.</p> - -<p>“<em>Atta boy, Jim! Atta boy! Atta boy! -Atta—</em>”</p> - -<p>Landorf pulled him down to his seat. Those -around laughed and cheered him. Then the leaders -called for short cheers for Latham and Sawyer, -and then for Kinsey and Todd. Clem was -babbling incoherently and not until the cheers -were over did Landorf sense what he was saying.</p> - -<p>“That’s why Johnny took him out in the third,” -Clem was exclaiming. “Must have hurt his hand -pretty badly.”</p> - -<p>“Who hurt his hand?” asked Art.</p> - -<p>“Jim. Look at it. Wait till he turns—there! -His left hand is all bandaged up!”</p> - -<p>It certainly was. Against the soiled khaki of -his pants his left hand shone like an Easter lily -against dark foliage. The four fingers were -bound separately with clean white gauze and -looked oddly conspicuous, Landorf thought.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_284" id="Page_284">[284]</a></span> -“Funny he managed to get ’em all hurt,” he said. -“That’s what I call hogging it!”</p> - -<p>A whistle blew and Pep Kinsey’s voice piped -out sharply. Whittier took the ball as it sped -back from center and dashed toward the left. -Kinsey caught it at a short pass and sped along -the line to the right. Jim had a hole there. Tennyson -went through, clearing it out and crashing -against a Kenly back, and Pep followed. Three -yards gain. Fourth down and three to go. Again -the ball went to Whittier and with two short -strides toward his line he punted high. Down -went the ends and down went Jim, racing them -to the enemy’s eighteen. Above them sailed the -ball, turning lazily over and over. A Kenly back -edged forward, paused, turned and raced backward. -He caught on his eighteen yards and it -was Jim who closed his arms about his thighs, -lifted him back and deposited him on his sixteen. -A hard-hearted referee put the ball on the eighteen, -waved a hand and slipped out of the way. -Kenly started toward the Alton goal once more.</p> - -<p>Failing, at last, near mid-field to gain at the -line, she passed across the center and made eight. -But a moment later she was again forced to kick. -Frost pulled the ball down on his twenty-two, side-stepped -a Kenly end, whirled from the grasp of -a Kenly tackle and went plunging in and out until -the enemy closed in about him on the thirty-six.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_285" id="Page_285">[285]</a></span> -An off-side penalty put Alton back to the thirty-one, -and two plays later Whittier again punted, -from his thirty-five. Once more the Kenly back -was thrown in his tracks and once more Kenly -set her face toward the distant goal. Then came -a punt from her thirty-nine that went almost -straight in air and dropped out-of-bounds at Alton’s -forty-three.</p> - -<p>Ever since the beginning of the quarter Jim -had been listening for a certain signal and now -it came. “Formation L!” called the quarter. -Jake Borden swung out and trotted to the left -of the line, taking position between Roice and Levering. -“Signals! Fifteen, thirty-seven, twelve! -Fifteen, thirty-seven—”</p> - -<p>The ball went back and Alton flew into action. -It was the signal Jim had been awaiting, yet it -was not the play, for although Sam had started -before the ball and raced off and backward to the -left, and although Whittier, with ball poised high, -was following him slowly, stepping back warily -and apparently searching for an uncovered receiver, -Jim knew that Play 37 was to go for a -run the first time it was called. So, instead of -wandering away to the right and trying to look -as if he was searching for four-leaf clovers or -had lost his pocket-knife and was trying to find -it, Jim threw himself into the opposing tackle, -twisted past and slammed around behind the opposing<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_286" id="Page_286">[286]</a></span> -line. Whittier turned and tossed to Tennyson -and Sam sprang forward. Kinsey laid low -the Kenly right half and Sam was going hard -when he gained the line, well outside, but the entire -Kenly backfield had been drawn to its right, -and so had every other member of the team, and -the best Tennyson could do was fight his way to -the forty-seven for a four-yard gain. But the -play had proved itself. Kenly had first suspected -a forward-pass and guarded against it, her backs -spreading and waiting. Then, when Whittier had -made the on-side toss to Tennyson, she had concluded -that it meant a run and had moved, almost -as one man, across to meet it. And now -Jim waited eagerly to hear the “37” again.</p> - -<p>But it didn’t come. Alton made her way to -the enemy’s thirty-seven only to lose the ball when -Frost fumbled when tackled. A few minutes later -she was back on her own thirty-five, the ball in -her possession after a Kenly punt. Kenly was -now satisfied, it seemed, to play for time and trust -to fortune to bring her another scoring opportunity. -If that failed her, she was still certain -of victory if she could keep Alton from adding -to that insufficient 2. Twice she punted out of -danger and back into Alton territory. Alton was -using every play she knew now, but Kenly was -resisting desperately. New men were running on -for her and old and wearied ones were stumbling<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_287" id="Page_287">[287]</a></span> -off. Alton, too, made changes, though fewer. -Tate and Kruger went in at the ends of the line -and Cheswick, thoroughly played out, gave place -to Benning. The end was drawing nigh. Seven -minutes became six and six minutes dwindled to -five.</p> - -<p>It was Alton’s ball again, following a punt, on -her thirty-four. Tennyson made four outside -tackles on a delayed buck, Whittier gained three -straight ahead between center and right guard -and Frost made it first down on a slide off left -tackle. Tennyson passed to Whittier and the latter -scampered around the short end for seven -more and put the ball over the center line. Frost -lost two, got three and made it first down again. -So it went, Kenly fighting but yielding. On the -enemy’s thirty-eight, on fourth down, Whittier -faked a kick and tossed to Frost and Frost ran -to the left and got his distance on a wide run -behind fine interference. The ball was close to -the left side-line now and on the next play Whittier -shot off to the right on a wide sweep that -gained only a yard. And then Jim, achingly impatient, -heard what he had been longing to hear -once more.</p> - -<p>“Formation L!”</p> - -<p>“Seventeen, thirty-seven, eleven! Seventeen—”</p> - -<p>Tennyson was off, running hard, to the left.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_288" id="Page_288">[288]</a></span></p> - -<p>“—Thirty-seven!”</p> - -<p>Jim engaged the opposing end, blocked him for -an instant and then let him through inside. Kenly -was crying “Watch a pass!” and “Fake!” and -“End run on right!” Jim ambled around his end, -the enemy moving before him. The Kenly defensive -back was edging to his right, well down -the field. Jim swung aside and sped toward the -side of the field. Then, turning, he faced the confusion -he had left behind. He was alone and -unnoted as yet. Up went his long left arm and -the four white-bandaged fingers made a startling -beacon against the dark hues of the stand behind -him. Whittier had tossed to Sam and Sam -was peering across the confusion of leaping, -struggling forms. They were closing in on him -fast. A Kenly lineman had trickled through and -Whittier met him square and sent him reeling -aside. But the whole Cherry-and-Black team was -bearing down now and Sam, scorning further subterfuge, -raised the ball in his right hand, faced -the distant white signal, drew his arm back and -threw!</p> - -<p>Then he was out of sight behind leaping figures, -and Jim, his gaze on the speeding ball, knew that -the tide had set back his way. Forms sensed -rather than seen grew larger and larger as they -raced toward him. Frantic cries of warning and -shouts of alarm came to him. He had himself<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_289" id="Page_289">[289]</a></span> -ready now, though, and the ball, sent low and -hard and straight, was shooting at him, a brown -missile that grew ever larger. Then he met it -with his hands, gave one step to ease the catch, -tucked the ball under his right hand and sped -away.</p> - -<p>He had been just over Kenly’s forty-yard line -when he had caught, and some twelve yards from -the side-line. When he had put one more white -streak underfoot he turned to the left, the nearer -upright of the goal his destination. But that -course was not to be held long. Already a fleet-footed -Kenly quarter-back was speeding to meet -him, while steps pounded hard behind and to the -right. Jim eased away toward the side-line and -pushed the thirty-yard mark behind him. Then -the quarter was on him, coming straight from -the side. Jim thought quick, dug one heel and -spun to the left. A hand slapped at his thigh -and a red-clad arm swept upward, but the quarter -fell past, clutching vainly, and Jim Todd went on, -friend and foe racing and falling behind him, on -past the twenty yards and the fifteen and to the -ten. There the enemy made its last appeal to -Fortune. A Kenly end hurled himself forward -and his fingers seized about Jim’s left leg. <a href="#image04">Jim</a> -faltered, then went on a stride, <a href="#image04">dropped to a knee, -struggled erect again and again advanced</a>. A -stride—another— Figures were all about him<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_290" id="Page_290">[290]</a></span> -now and suddenly he could go no farther. He -plunged forward, face-down, the ball, firmly -grasped, held at arms’ length. A ton of weight -fell on him.</p> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 393px;"> -<a id="image04"> - <img src="images/image04.jpg" width="393" height="600" alt="" title="" /> -</a><br /> -<div class="caption"><a href="#Page_289">Jim dropped to a knee, struggled erect again and -again advanced.</a></div> -</div> - -<p>Some one was tugging at the ball, but Jim held -it in a death grip. A voice was calling: “Get up! -Get up!” Then a white sweater sleeve came into -his vision and his fingers released their hold. -The weight was gone and arms were pulling him -to his feet. He stood erect, breathless, anxious, -and looked about. Gus Fingal was grinning as -well as a cut and swollen lip would allow. So -was Hick Powers. The rest of his team were -gathering along the five-yard line and Kenly, -suddenly strangely weary and discouraged-looking, -was assembling between them and the goal. -Then Jim understood. His own grin answered -the others.</p> - -<p>“Gee, I guess it was over, wasn’t it?” he panted.</p> - -<p>“Two feet over,” said Captain Gus. “Come -on and let’s finish it up, Slim. Only forty seconds -more!”</p> - -<p>Slim went back to his place, the lines heaved, -a thud followed and again wild, triumphant cheers -burst from the Alton stand. On the scoreboard -an 8 was changed to a 9.</p> - -<p>Half a minute later, having joined in a hoarse -cheer for the defeated rival, Slim fought his way -toward the bench. But there wasn’t much fight<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_291" id="Page_291">[291]</a></span> -left now and he was soon captured. From the -shoulders of two shouting, maniacal schoolmates -he looked down over a sea of bobbing heads. <a href="#image01">He -felt rather tired, very happy and—extremely foolish!</a></p> - - -<p class="p4 noic">THE END</p> - - - - -<hr class="chap" /> -<p class="noi adtitle">Football and Baseball Stories</p> - -<p class="noic">Durably Bound. Illustrated. Colored Wrappers.<br /> -Every Volume Complete in Itself.</p> - - -<p class="noic adauthor">The Ralph Henry Barbour Books For Boys</p> - -<p>In these up-to the minute, spirited genuine stories of boy life -there is something which will appeal to every boy with the love -of manliness, cleanness and sportsmanship in his heart.</p> - -<ul> -<li class="hang">LEFT END EDWARDS</li> -<li class="hang">LEFT TACKLE THAYER</li> -<li class="hang">LEFT GUARD GILBERT</li> -<li class="hang">CENTER RUSH ROWLAND</li> -<li class="hang">FULLBACK FOSTER</li> -<li class="hang">LEFT HALF HARMON</li> -<li class="hang">RIGHT END EMERSON</li> -<li class="hang">RIGHT GUARD GRANT</li> -<li class="hang">QUARTERBACK BATES</li> -<li class="hang">RIGHT TACKLE TODD</li> -<li class="hang">RIGHT HALF HOLLINS</li> -</ul> - - -<p class="noic adauthor">The Tod Hale Series</p> - -<ul> -<li class="hang">TOD HALE IN CAMP</li> -<li class="hang">TOD HALE WITH THE CREW</li> -<li class="hang">TOD HALE ON THE SCRUB</li> -</ul> - - -<p class="noic adauthor">The Christy Mathewson Books For Boys</p> - -<p>Every boy wants to know how to play ball in the fairest and -squarest way. These books about boys and baseball are full of -wholesome and manly interest and information.</p> - -<ul> -<li class="hang">PITCHER POLLOCK</li> -<li class="hang">CATCHER CRAIG</li> -<li class="hang">FIRST BASE FAULKNER</li> -<li class="hang">SECOND BASE SLOAN</li> -<li class="hang">PITCHING IN A PINCH</li> -<li class="hang"> </li> -<li class="hang">THIRD BASE THATCHER, By Everett Scott.</li> -</ul> - -<p class="p2 noic">GROSSET & DUNLAP, <span class="smcap">Publishers</span>, NEW YORK</p> - - - - -<hr class="chap" /> -<p class="noi adtitle">STORIES OF SPORT AND ADVENTURE</p> - -<p class="noic adauthor">By HAROLD M. SHERMAN</p> - -<p class="noi works">May be had wherever books are sold. Ask for Grosset and Dunlap’s List.</p> - - -<p class="noic adauthor">THE HOME RUN SERIES</p> - -<p>Here are thrilling baseball stories filled with fast playing -and keen rivalry. The author of these books writes from his -own experience as a player.</p> - -<ul> -<li class="hang">Bases Full</li> -<li class="hang">Hit by Pitcher</li> -<li class="hang">Safe!</li> -<li class="hang">Hit and Run</li> -<li class="hang">Double Play</li> -</ul> - - -<p class="noic adauthor">ROUSING FOOTBALL STORIES</p> - -<p>These stories of the gridiron are packed full of excitement -and real smashing, heart-breaking football.</p> - -<ul> -<li class="hang">Touchdown!</li> -<li class="hang">One Minute to Play</li> -<li class="hang">Block That Kick!</li> -<li class="hang">Fight ’Em, Big Three!</li> -</ul> - - -<p class="noic adauthor">THE FIGHTING FIVE BASKET BALL SERIES</p> - -<p>These stories record the uphill fight of a group of boys to -wake up the citizens of a dull town to enthusiasm for sport, -by winning a championship against great odds.</p> - -<ul> -<li class="hang">Mayfield’s Fighting Five</li> -<li class="hang">Get ’Em, Mayfield</li> -</ul> - - -<p class="noic adauthor">OTHER STORIES OF SPORT AND ADVENTURE</p> - -<ul> -<li class="hang">Flashing Steel</li> -<li class="hang">Don Razer, Trail Blazer</li> -<li class="hang">Flying Heels</li> -<li class="hang">Cameron MacBain, Backwoodsman</li> -</ul> - -<p class="p2 noic">GROSSET & DUNLAP, Publishers, NEW YORK</p> - - - - -<hr class="chap" /> -<p class="noi adtitle">BUDDY BOOKS FOR BOYS</p> - -<p class="noic">Illustrated. Individual Colored Wrappers.</p> - - -<p class="p2">Tales of old Western pioneer days and the California gold fields, -tales of mystery, humor, adventure, thrilling stories of sports and -aviation. There is a wide range of subjects in this list of titles—all -by well known authors of books for boys.</p> - - -<table border="0" cellpadding="5" cellspacing="0" summary="BookList"> -<col style="width: 70%;" /> -<col style="width: 30%;" /> -<tr> - <td class="tdl hang">BEAN BALL BILL</td> - <td class="tdrb">William Heyliger</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="ident" colspan="2">A book filled with adventure and sport by a favorite boys’ author.</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdl hang">MARK GILMORE, SCOUT OF THE AIR</td> - <td class="tdrb">Percy Keese Fitzhugh</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="ident" colspan="2">The story of how a boy scout falls in with an aviator and helps him -accomplish a mission.</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdl hang">CAMERON MACBAIN, BACKWOODSMAN</td> - <td class="tdrb">Harold M. Sherman</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="ident" colspan="2">A boy from the backwoods has some strange adventures in the city.</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdl hang">FLYING HEELS</td> - <td class="tdrb">Harold M. Sherman</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="ident" colspan="2">How a postponed hockey game brought about a thrilling series of -events.</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdl hang">FLASHING STEEL</td> - <td class="tdrb">Harold M. Sherman</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="ident" colspan="2">A great hockey story which tells of a game between an American -championship team and a Canadian championship team.</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdl hang">BUFFALO BOY</td> - <td class="tdrb">J. Allan Dunn</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="ident" colspan="2">A boy’s adventure in the old pioneer days.</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdl hang">THE CLOUD PATROL</td> - <td class="tdrb">Irving Crump</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="ident" colspan="2">The thrilling experiences of a young air pilot.</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdl hang">THE PILOT OF THE CLOUD PATROL</td> - <td class="tdrb">Irving Crump</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="ident" colspan="2">A sequel to “The Cloud Patrol.”</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdl hang">DON RAIDER, TRAIL BLAZER</td> - <td class="tdrb">Harold M. Sherman</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="ident" colspan="2">Don was not used to the city but he knew how to handle himself -against an alley gang that was set against him.</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdl hang">TUCK SIMMS, FORTY NINER</td> - <td class="tdrb">Edward Leonard</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="ident" colspan="2">Excitement and danger in the California gold fields.</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdl hang">WIGWAG WEIGAND</td> - <td class="tdrb">Percy Keese Fitzhugh</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="ident" colspan="2">A charming story of mystery and true fellowship.</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdl hang">HERVEY WILLETTS</td> - <td class="tdrb">Percy Keese Fitzhugh</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="ident" colspan="2">Readers of Tom Slade and Roy Blakeley will be glad to learn more -of Hervey Willetts.</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdl hang">SKINNY McCORD</td> - <td class="tdrb">Percy Keese Fitzhugh</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="ident" colspan="2">Skinny is a queer, amusing chap and he has a lot of thrilling adventures.</td> -</tr> -</table> - -<p class="p2 noic">GROSSET & DUNLAP, <i>Publishers</i>, NEW YORK</p> - - - - -<hr class="chap" /> -<p class="noi adtitle">FLYING STORIES FOR BOYS</p> - -<p class="noic adauthor">IN THE AIR WITH ANDY LANE<br /> -By EUSTACE L. ADAMS</p> - -<p class="noic">Individual Colored Wrappers. Illustrated.<br /> -Every Volume Complete in Itself.</p> - -<p class="noi works">May be had wherever books are sold. Ask for Grosset & Dunlap’s list</p> - -<p>Mr. Adams, the author of this flying series for boys is an experienced -aviator and has had many thrilling adventures in the -air—both as a member of the famous Lafayette Escadrille in -the World War and in the United States Naval Aviation -Service flying with the squadrons patrolling the Atlantic -Coast. His stories reveal not only his ability to tell daring -and exciting air episodes but also his first hand knowledge of -modern aeroplanes and the marvelous technical improvements -which have been made in the past few years. Andy Lane -flies the latest and most highly developed machines in the -field of aviation.</p> - - -<p class="noic adauthor">FIFTEEN DAYS IN THE AIR</p> - -<p>Andy refuels his ship in the air and sets a new endurance record.</p> - - -<p class="noic adauthor">OVER THE POLAR ICE</p> - -<p>In a giant flying boat Andy beats his enemy in a dash to the South Pole.</p> - - -<p class="noic adauthor">RACING ROUND THE WORLD</p> - -<p>In a series of thrilling flights Andy wins an air dash around the globe to -win a $100,000 prize.</p> - - -<p class="noic adauthor">THE RUNAWAY AIRSHIP</p> - -<p>Through foggy skies Andy Lane brings back the world’s greatest passenger -carrying dirigible, blown away on the wings of a storm.</p> - - -<p class="noic adauthor">PIRATES OF THE AIR</p> - -<p>Andy Lane pilots the giant passenger plane Apex No. 4 across the Atlantic -in the face of almost overwhelming odds.</p> - - -<p class="noic adauthor">ON THE WINGS OF FLAME</p> - -<p>Andy makes a forced landing in the South American jungle in the dead -of night and has thrilling experiences with the natives.</p> - -<p class="p2 noic">GROSSET & DUNLAP, Publishers, NEW YORK</p> - - - - -<hr class="chap" /> -<div class="tnote"> -<p class="noi tntitle">Transcriber’s Notes:</p> - -<p class="smfont">Except for the frontispiece, illustrations have been moved to - follow the text that they illustrate, so the page number of the - illustration may not match the page number in the Illustrations.</p> - -<p class="smfont">Printer's, punctuation and spelling inaccuracies were silently - corrected.</p> - -<p class="smfont">Archaic and variable spelling has been preserved.</p> - -<p class="smfont">Variations in hyphenation and compound words have been preserved.</p> - -<p class="smfont">The author’s em-dash style has been retained.</p> -</div> - - - - - - - - -<pre> - - - - - -End of Project Gutenberg's Right Tackle Todd, by Ralph Henry Barbour - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK RIGHT TACKLE TODD *** - -***** This file should be named 53518-h.htm or 53518-h.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/5/3/5/1/53518/ - -Produced by Donald Cummings and the Online Distributed -Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions will -be renamed. - -Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright -law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works, -so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United -States without permission and without paying copyright -royalties. 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