A Quarter-Back's Pluck: A Story of College Football

by Lester Chadwick

  CHAPTER IV

  FOOTBALL PRACTICE

  There was a moment of silence in the room. No one cared to speak, for,though Tom and Sid felt their hearts filled with sympathy for Phil, theydid not know what to say. It was curiously quiet--oppressively so. Thefussy little alarm clock, on the table piled high with books, wasticking away, as if eager to call attention to itself. Indeed, it didsucceed in a measure, for Tom remarked gently.

  "Seems to me that sounds louder than it did in the other room."

  "There are more echoes here," spoke Sid, also quietly. "It will bedifferent when we get the things up."

  The spell had been broken. Each one breathed a sigh of relief. Phil,whose face had become strangely white, stared down at the telegram inhis hand. The paper rustled loudly--almost as loudly as the clockticked. Tom spoke again.

  "Is it--is it something sudden?" he asked. "Was she all right when youleft home to come back to college?"

  "Not exactly all right," answered Phil, and he seemed to be carefullypicking his words, so slowly did he speak. "She had been in poor healthfor some time, and we thought a change of air would do her good. Sofather took her to Florida--a place near Palm Beach. I came on here, andI hoped to hear good news. Now--now----" He could not proceed, andturned away.

  Tom coughed unnecessarily loud, and Sid seemed to have suddenlydeveloped a most tremendous cold. He had to go to the window to lookout, probably to see if it was getting colder. In doing so he knockedfrom a chair a football, which bounded erratically about the room, asthe spherical pigskin always does bounce. The movements of it attractedthe attention of all, and mercifully came as a relief to theiroverwrought nerves.

  "Well," said Sid, as he blew his nose with seemingly needless violence,"I suppose you'll have to give up football now; for you'll go toFlorida."

  "Yes," said Phil simply, "of course I shall go. I think I'll wire dadfirst, though, and tell him I'm going to start."

  "I'll take the message to the telegraph office for you," offered Tomeagerly.

  "No, let me go," begged Sid. "I can run faster than you, Tom."

  "That's a nice thing to say, especially when I'm going to try for end onthe 'varsity eleven," said Tom a bit reproachfully. "Don't let HollyCross or Coach Lighton hear you say that, or I'll be down and out. I'mnone too good in my running, I know, but I'm going to practice."

  "Oh, I guess you'll make out all right," commented Phil. "I'm muchobliged to you fellows. I guess I can take the message myself, though,"and he sat down at the littered table, pushing the things aside, towrite the dispatch.

  Tom and Sid said little when Phil went out to take the telegram to theoffice. The two chums, one on the old patched sofa and the other in thecreaking chair, which at every movement sent up a cloud of dust from theancient cushion, maintained a solemn silence. Tom did remark once:

  "Tough luck, isn't it?"

  To which Sid made reply:

  "That's what it is."

  But, then, to be understood, you don't need to talk much under suchcircumstances. In a little while footsteps were heard along thecorridor.

  "Here he comes!" exclaimed Tom, and he arose from the sofa with suchhaste that the new boards, which Phil had put on to strengthen it,seemed likely to snap off.

  "Go easy on that, will you?" begged Sid. "Do you want to break it?"

  "No," answered Tom meekly, and he fell to arranging his books, a taskwhich Sid supplemented by piling the sporting goods indiscriminately ina corner. They wanted to be busy when Phil came in.

  "Whew! You fellows are raising a terrible dust!" exclaimed Phil. Heseemed more at his ease now. In grief there is nothing so diverting asaction, and now that he had sent his telegram, and hoped to be able tosee his mother shortly, it made the bad news a little easier to bear.

  "Yes," spoke Tom; "it's Sid. He raises a dust every time he getsinto or out of that chair. I really think we ought to send it to theupholsterer's and have it renovated."

  "There'd be nothing left of it," declared Phil. "Better let well enoughalone. It'll last for some years yet--as long as we are in Randall."

  "Did you send the message?" blurted out Tom.

  "Yes, and now I'll wait for an answer."

  "Is it--will they have to--I mean--of course there's some danger in anoperation," stammered Sid, blushing like a girl.

  "Yes," admitted Phil gravely. "It is very dangerous. I don't exactlyknow what it is, but before she went away our family doctor said that ifit came to an operation it would be a serious one. Now--now it seemsthat it's time for it. Dear old mother--I--I hope----" He was strugglingwith himself. "Oh, hang it all!" he suddenly burst out. "Let's get thisroom to rights. If--if I go away I'll have the nightmare thinking whatshape it's in. Let's fix up a bit, and then go out and take a walk. Thenit will be grub time. After that we'll go out and see if any morefellows have arrived."

  It was good advice--just the thing needed to take their attention offPhil's grief, and they fell to work with a will. In a short time theroom began to look something like those they had left.

  "Here, what are you sticking up over there?" called Sid to Tom, as hedetected the latter in the act of tacking something on the wall.

  "I'm putting up a photograph," said Tom.

  "A girl's, I'll bet you a new hat."

  "Yes," said Tom simply. "Why, you old anchorite, haven't I a right to?It's a pity you wouldn't get a girl yourself!"

  "Humph! I'd like to see myself," murmured Sid, as he carefully tacked upa calendar and a couple of football pictures.

  "Oh, that's Miss Tyler's picture, isn't it?" spoke Phil.

  "Yes."

  Phil was sorting his books when from a volume of Pliny there dropped aphotograph. Tom spied it.

  "Ah, ha!" he exclaimed. "It seems that I'm not the only one to havegirls' pictures. Say, but she's a good-looker, all right!"

  "She's my sister Ruth," said Phil quietly.

  "Oh, I beg your pardon," came quickly from Tom. "I--I didn't know."

  "That's all right," spoke Phil genially. "I believe she is consideredquite pretty. I was going to put her picture up on the wall, but sinceSid objects to----"

  "What's that?" cried the amateur misogynist. "Say, you can put thatpicture up on my side of the room if you like, Phil. I--I don't objectto--to all girls' pictures; it's only--well--er--she's your sister--puther picture where you like," and he fairly glared at Tom.

  "Wonders will never cease," quoted the 'varsity pitcher. "Your sisterhas worked a miracle, Phil."

  "You dry up!" commanded Sid. "All I ask is, don't make the room aphotograph gallery. There's reason in all things. Go ahead, Phil."

  "The next thing he'll be wanting will be to have an introduction to yoursister," commented Tom.

  "I'd like to have both you fellows meet her," said Phil gravely. "Youprobably would have, only for this--this trouble of mother's. Now Isuppose sis will have to leave Fairview and go to Palm Beach with me. Imust take a run over this evening, and see her. She'll be all brokenup." It was not much of a journey to Fairview, a railroad was well as atrolley line connecting the town of that name with Haddonfield.

  The room was soon fitted up in fairly good shape, though the three chumspromised that they would make a number of changes in time. They went todinner together, meeting at the table many of their former classmates,and seeing an unusually large number of freshmen.

  "There'll be plenty of hazing this term," commented Tom.

  "Yes, I guess we'll have our hands full," added Sid.

  Old and new students continued to arrive all that day. After reportingto the proper officials of the college there was nothing for them todo, save to stroll about, as lectures would not begin until the nextmorning, and then only preliminary classes would be formed.

  "I think I'll go down to the office and see if any telegram has arrivedfor me," said Phil, as he and his chums were strolling across thecampus.

  "I hope you get good news," spoke Tom. "We'll wait for you in the room,and help you pack if you have to go
."

  "Thanks," was Phil's answer as he walked away.

  "Well, Tom, I suppose you're going to be with us this fall?" asked HollyCross, captain of the football eleven, as he spied Tom and Sid.

  "I am if I can make it. What do you think?"

  "Well, we've got plenty of good material for ends, and of course we wantthe best, and----"

  "Oh, I understand," said Tom with a laugh. "I'm not asking any favors. Ihad my honors this spring on the diamond. But I'm going to try, just thesame."

  "I hope you make it," said Holly fervently. "We'll have some try-outpractice the last of this week. Where's Phil? I've about decided on himfor quarter-back."

  "I don't believe he can play," remarked Sid.

  "Not play!" cried Holly.

  Then they told him, and the captain was quite broken up over the news.

  "Well," he said finally, "all we can hope is that his mother gets betterin time for him to get into the game with us. We want to do the samething to Boxer Hall and Fairview at football as we did in baseball. I dohope Phil can play."

  "So do we," came from Tom, as he and Sid continued on to their room.

  It was half an hour before Phil came in, and the time seemed three timesas long to the two chums in their new apartment. When he entered theroom both gazed apprehensively at him. There was a different look onPhil's face than there had been.

  "Well?" asked Tom, and his voice seemed very loud.

  "Dad doesn't want me to come," was Phil's answer.

  "Not come--why? Is it too----"

  "Well, they've decided to postpone the operation," went on Phil. "Itseems that she's a little better, and there may be a chance. Anyhow, dadthinks if sis and I came down it would only worry mother, and make herthink she was getting worse, and that would be bad. So I'll not go toFlorida."

  "Then it's good news?" asked Sid.

  "Yes, much better than I dared to hope. Maybe she'll get well withoutan operation. I feel fine, now. I'm going over to Fairview and tellmy sister. Dad asked me to let her know. I feel ten years younger,fellows!"

  "So do we!" cried Tom, and he seized his chum's hand.

  "Let's go out and haze a couple of dozen freshmen," proposed Sideagerly.

  "You bloodthirsty old rascal!" commented Phil. "Let the poor freshiesalone. They'll get all that's coming to them, all right. Well, I'm off.Hold down the room, you two."

  Tom and Sid spent the evening in their apartment, after Phil hadreceived permission to go to Fairview, Tom having entrusted him with amessage to Madge Tyler. The two chums had a number of invitations toassist in hazing freshmen, but declined.

  "We don't want to do it without Phil," said Tom, and this loyal view wasshared by Sid.

  Phil came back late that night, or, rather, early the next morning, forit was past midnight when he got to Randall College.

  "Your friend Madge sends word that she hopes you'll take her to theopening game of the football season," said Phil to Tom, as he wasundressing.

  "Did you see her?" inquired Tom eagerly.

  "Of course. Ruth sent for her. She's all you said she was, Tom."

  "Oh!" spoke Tom in a curious voice, and then he was strangely silent.For Phil was a good-looking chap, and had plenty of money; and Tomremembered what friends Madge and Langridge had been. His sleep was notan untroubled one that night.

  Two or three days more of general excitement ensued before matters wererunning smoothly at Randall. In that time most of the students hadsettled in their new rooms, the freshmen found their places, some wereproperly hazed, and that ordeal for others was postponed until a futuredate, much to the misery of the fledglings.

  "Preliminary football practice to-morrow," announced Phil oneafternoon, as he came in from the gymnasium and found Tom and Sidstudying.

  "That's good!" cried Tom. "Are you going to try, Sid?"

  "Not this year. I've got to buckle down to studies, I guess. Baseball isabout all I can stand."

  "I hear Langridge is out of it, too," said Phil. "His uncle has put aban on it. He's got to make good in lessons this term."

  "Well, I think the team will be better off without him," commented Sid."Not that he's a poor player, but he won't train properly, and that hasa bad effect on the other fellows. It's not fair to them, either. Lookwhat he did in baseball. We'd have lost the championship if it hadn'tbeen for Tom."

  "Oh, I don't know about that," modestly spoke the hero of the pitchingbox.

  "Well, turn out in football togs to-morrow," went on Phil. "By the way,I hear that Langridge's new freshman friend--Gerhart--is going to tryfor quarter-back against me."

  "What! that fellow who was with him when we were moving our sofa in?"asked Tom.

  "That's the one."

  "Humph! Doesn't look as if he was heavy enough for football," commentedSid.

  "You can't tell by the looks of a toad how much hay it can eat," quotedPhil.

  The following afternoon a crowd of sturdy lads, in their football suits,thronged out on the gridiron, which was the baseball field properly putin shape. The goal posts had been erected, and Coach Lighton and CaptainCross were on hand to greet the candidates.

  "Now, fellows," said the coach, "we'll just have a little running,tackling, passing the ball, some simple formations and other exercisesto test your wind and legs. I'll pick out four teams, and you can playagainst each other."