Left Half Harmon

by Ralph Henry Barbour

  CHAPTER V

  THE WRONG BOY

  Another silence ensued, broken at last by a groan from Bob.

  "Then you're not--you don't--"

  "There's evidently been a mistake," said Willard regretfully. "Still,of course it doesn't much matter whether my name's Willard or Gordon,does it? As Shakespeare says, 'What's in a name?'"

  "I never could stand that fellow Shakespeare," muttered Bob. Joe wasstill staring across the table at Willard in a strange fascination.Martin's countenance was gradually assuming a broad grin. Willard wenton brightly and cheerfully.

  "What I couldn't understand was why you chaps were so anxious to haveme here. Just at first, naturally, I was a bit peevish at being lockedup, but when I came to think it over, like you told me to, I realizedthat your wanting me to stay was a compliment. It wasn't as if I wasof some consequence, as if I was a football player or an athlete orsomething like that. You fellows just took a liking to me and couldn'tbear to see me go anywhere else. When I realized that I didn't feel asif I could disappoint you!"

  "Oh, shut up," pleaded Joe miserably.

  Willard evidently didn't hear him. "And then promising me a position onthe football team and getting me a nice room and arranging to pay mytuition--"

  "No, by gosh!" exploded Joe. "You don't come that, Harmon! That's off!You hear me?"

  "You don't come that, Harmon! That's off! You hear me?"]

  "What do you mean?" asked Willard aggrievedly. "Didn't you say you'dfix it so I wouldn't have to pay any tuition for the first half of theyear?"

  "No matter what I said," retorted Joe wildly. "It's off!"

  "But--but you promised me a place on the team, Myers! You can't go backon that!"

  "Can't I?" asked Joe grimly. "You told me you were Gordon Harmon--"

  "I beg your pardon," denied Willard firmly. "I didn't tell you that.You--you must have seen that label on my bag!"

  "Never mind! I thought you were Gordon Harmon. We all did. That's whywe wanted you here. That's why we thought Kenly had made promises andwhy we offered to see you through the half-year. Now, by gosh, youaren't Harmon at all!"

  "But it wasn't my fault you made the mistake! And awhile back when Isaid that maybe I wasn't as much of a football player as you thought Iwas you said you'd risk it. Why, my main reason for agreeing to stayhere was your promising me I could play football!"

  "That's right, Joe," said Martin. "You did promise him that."

  Joe turned scowlingly and found Martin's face red with repressedlaughter. "What's the matter with you?" he growled. "Hang it, it's nolaughing matter! If this chump thinks I'm going to stick him on theteam--"

  "Oh, take a tumble, Joe!" gurgled Martin. "Can't you see Harmon'sstringing you? Oh, gee!" And Martin gave way to uncontrolled laughter.

  Joe looked at Willard searchingly, a somewhat forced smile on his face."That's right?" he asked doubtfully.

  Willard nodded, his gray-blue eyes twinkling merrily.

  "I hope you choke!" said Joe. But the wish was followed by a deep sighof relief.

  "Doesn't it seem fair enough," laughed Willard, "for me to have myjoke after you've had yours?"

  "Sure!" agreed Martin. "He who laughs last laughs best!"

  "What I want to know," declared Bob earnestly, "is where that brotherof yours is! Has Kenly got him?"

  "No, he's entered the Navy. I told you, didn't I? He has always wantedto, but dad wouldn't stand for it. And a couple of months ago Gordonjust lit out. He meant to go to Kenly, if he went anywhere, and that'swhy I decided on Kenly. I thought one of us might as well go there!"

  "Well," said Joe, "I guess the laugh's on us, all right! I--I supposeyou mean to stay here?"

  "Surely! I'm entered now, you know. Besides, I like the place verywell, probably quite as well as I'd have liked Kenly. And then beingsure of a place on the football team here--"

  "Have a heart!" groaned Joe. "Look here, have you ever played footballat all?"

  "A little. I got into a couple of games last year."

  "Where did you play?" asked Joe.

  "Left half."

  Joe shook his head. "No good," he muttered. "We've got more half-backsthan we can use. What we need is a corking good full-back; and acouple of linemen." He viewed Willard despondently. "I thought youlooked pretty light for a full-back."

  "Me, too," sighed Bob. "I couldn't quite picture you smashing through aline like Gordon Harmon did!"

  "No, Gordon's four inches bigger all around than I am, and he weighsnearly thirty pounds more."

  "Too bad for a fellow like that to waste himself in the Navy," mournedJoe. "Look here, Harmon, I'll tell you what I'll do. I can't promiseyou a place, old man: you must see that yourself: but I'll see that youget every chance to make good."

  Willard laughed softly. "Well, I won't hold you to the agreement,Myers, under the circumstances. In fact, I'd rather you didn't showme any favor. I'll probably have a stab at the team, but I shan't beheartbroken if I don't make it. In any case, I'd rather stand on my ownfeet. Much obliged, just the same."

  "Well, that's decent of you," muttered Joe relievedly. "But of courseI want to do anything I can to help. Guess we got you here under falsepretenses, sort of, and it's up to us to--to--"

  "Oh, no, you didn't," Willard assured him. "I saw what was up beforeI consented. At first I thought you were all just crazy. Then Iremembered how you had asked my name and if I'd come from SchuylerHigh and understood. You chaps pulled a neat trick down there at thestation. I'll say that. I didn't even suspect that you meant me to losethat train."

  Joe nodded joylessly. "That was Bob's idea. The poor simp saw the nameon your bag and fell for it!"

  "So did you when I told you," retorted Bob resentfully. "Any fellowwould have been fooled!"

  "Seems to me," said Martin, "it's up to us to apologize to Harmon. Ifanyone has a right to be peeved it's he."

  "Guess that's right, too," replied Joe. "I'm sorry, Harmon. Hopeyou'll--er--overlook the way we treated you and--and everything."

  "Same here," said Bob. "Of course, we didn't know--"

  "I'll apologize, too, for my part in the affair," said Martin, "but I'mnot going to pretend that I'm sorry, for I'm not. It was a lot of funwhile it lasted, and even if we didn't capture a football star we didKenly out of a mighty decent sort of a chap!"

  "Hear! Hear!" laughed Joe. "Mart's right. Harmon, we welcome you toour midst, and we trust that you will never regret your decisionto--er--to--"

  "Join the gang," ended Martin, jumping up. "Fellows, the occasiondemands a celebration!" He went to his partly unpacked trunk and dugout a tin cracker box which he placed triumphantly on the table. "Andhere's the wherewithal!" A generous section of a chocolate layer-cakeand many doughnuts came to light and were hailed with acclaim.

  "Wait a sec!" said Bob. "We've got some ginger-ale. I'll fetch it. Keep'em off the cake till I get back, Mart!"

  "I'll do my best," Martin assured him, "but you'd better hurry. I knowthat gleam in Joe's eye of old!"

  Bob made what was probably a record trip to Lykes Hall and return,arriving anxious and breathless and laden with four bottles ofginger-ale. Then Martin cut the cake in four equal wedges, doledout the doughnuts and bade them "Go to it!" For a minute or twoconversation was taboo, and then Bob held his bottle aloft and,speaking somewhat thickly, offered a toast.

  "Gentlemen, I give you Mr. Willard Harmon, the brand plucked from theburning, the lamb saved from the slaughter, the--the--"

  "The innocent victim of a deep-dyed plot!" supplied Martin.

  "The full-back who was only a half!" cried Joe.

  "The gold brick!" laughed Willard.

  "Charge your glasses, gentlemen! To the--the Brand!" And Bob drankdeeply, with mellow gurgles.

  "The Brand!" chanted Joe and Martin, and followed the example.

  Afterwards they reviewed the afternoon's events in the utmost goodhumor and with frequent laughter. Martin's account of sitting on thestep outside the door and reading choice bi
ts of the school catalogueto the prisoner was especially amusing, and Willard revived thelaughter when he supplemented gravely: "It was that bit about the openplumbing in the gymnasium that decided me! I couldn't resist that!"

  When, finally, Bob and Joe had taken themselves off and the roommateswere preparing for bed, Martin said: "Look here, what about yourtrunk?"

  Willard shook his head ruefully. "It's at Lakeville by now, I suppose,and I'm likely to run short of shirts before I get it. I've got onlyone in my bag."

  "You can wear mine, I guess," answered Martin. "Better telephone to thestation the first thing in the morning and get the agent to have themsend it back."

  "Maybe the quickest way would be to go over and get it myself,"suggested the other.

  "No you don't! You stay right here! We went to too much trouble to getyou to let you go over there and forget to come back!"

  "No fear," laughed Willard. "I've paid my money here and I'll have tostick now! Honest, Proctor, is Alton a better school than Kenly?"

  Martin paused in the act of disrobing and looked gravely judicial."Well, we like to say it is," he answered cautiously.

  "Is it bigger?"

  "Not much. They usually have a few less students."

  "But the faculty here is better?"

  "Hm: well, I wouldn't go so far as to claim that. Maybe it used to be,but Kenly enlarged hers a couple of years ago."

  "I see. How about athletics: football and baseball and so on? Do weusually beat Kenly?"

  "Oh, I reckon it's about a stand-off. One year we win at footballand she wins at baseball. Or we win at both and she gets the trackchampionship and the hockey series. Call it fifty-fifty."

  "Well, then, what about the--the buildings and location and all that?"

  "No comparison as to location."

  "Oh, Alton's got the best of it there, eh?"

  "Alton?" said Martin contemptuously. "I should say not! Why, thisplace is stuck right down in the village, you might say. Kenly's gotabout thirty acres of land on the side of a hill: trees and brooks andfields--why, say, she's got four gridirons and four diamonds and aquarter-mile running track and a regular flock of tennis courts!"

  "Sounds good," commented Willard. "What about the buildings over there?"

  "They're all right, too. Guess they're as good as ours, anyway. Thereare more of them. She's got a corking gymnasium. It would make two ofours!"

  Willard sighed discouragedly. "But you fellows kept telling me how muchbetter Alton was than Kenly!"

  Martin grinned slowly. "Sure! Why not? That's patriotism. Everyfellow's got to think his school better than the other school!"

  "Oh! Then Alton isn't _really_ any better than Kenly?"

  "Of course it is!"

  "In what way?" urged Willard hopefully.

  "Well," began the other reflectively, holding his pajama jackettogether with one hand and rubbing a touseled head with the other."Well--"

  "Better class of fellows?" suggested Willard.

  "N-no, they're about the same. Some pretty decent chaps go to Kenly.It isn't that. It--it--well, Alton's just _better_, if you see what Imean!"

  "I'm afraid I don't," laughed Willard.

  Martin grinned. "You will when you've been here awhile," he saidencouragingly. "The switch is at the left of the door when you'reready."

  "All right. I say, though, I've changed my mind about the beds. I'drather have the other."

  "Honest? Well--" Martin hesitated. "You'd better stick to the one youpicked out, old man. That one's got curvature of the spine. The springlets you down in the middle."

  "I don't mind," laughed Willard. "I only chose the other because I sawit was yours."

  "Oh, that was it! Well, say, if you make a kick at the Office they'llput a new spring on for you. Logan was always threatening to do it, buthe never did. He was in here with me last year."

  Willard turned the switch and felt his way to the bed. "I don't callthis very bad," he declared when he had experimented. "Anyway, it won'tkeep me awake tonight!"

  "That's good. I hope it won't. Good night--Brand!"

  "Good night, Mart!"