The Winning Touchdown: A Story of College Football Read online

  CHAPTER II

  MORE BAD NEWS

  "And so Ed is going to leave," mused Tom, after a momentous pause. "Itsure will make a hole in the team."

  "Oh, it's got me all broke up," gloomily declared Kindlings, who wascaptain of the recently organized eleven. "I don't know what I'm goingto do to fill his place, and Mr. Lighton, while he says we'll make outsomehow, feels pretty bad over it. But it can't be helped, of course,for Ed has to go."

  For the time being, the news of the loss of one of Randall's bestfootball players overshadowed the matter of the missing chair. Tom hadchanged his mind about going out to see if he could get on the trailof who had taken it, and sat with Kindlings and his two other chums,discussing what could be done to replace Kerr as right half-back.

  "Bricktop Molloy might work in there," suggested Phil, "only he's toogood a tackle to take out of the line."

  "Why can't you go there yourself, Phil?" asked Tom. "You've done someplaying back of the line."

  "No, I need Phil at quarter," objected Dan. "We'll have to think ofsomething else. If I didn't need you at end, Tom, I'd try you in Ed'splace."

  "Oh, I'm no good bucking the line," objected the tall lad who pitchedfor the 'varsity nine.

  "What's the matter with one of the Jersey Twins?" asked Sid.

  "Both Jerry and Joe Jackson are too light," and Dan shook his head.There were many suggestions, and various expedients offered, and, whilethe discussion is under way perhaps a moment can be spared to make ournew readers a little better acquainted with the main characters of thisstory.

  In the initial volume of this "College Sports Series," entitled, "TheRival Pitchers," there was told the story of how Tom Parsons, a ratherraw country lad, came to Randall College, made the 'varsity nine, andtwirled the horsehide in some big games, thereby doing much to help winthe pennant for Randall. He had an uphill fight, for Fred Langridge, arich bully, contested with him for the place in the box, and nearly wonout. There was fierce rivalry between them, not only in baseball, butconcerning a certain Miss Madge Tyler.

  In the second volume, called "A Quarter-Back's Pluck," there was relatedhow Phil Clinton went into the championship game under heavy odds, andhow he won out, though his mind dwelt more on a fake telegram in hispocket, telling him that his mother was dying, than on the game, and onthe players whom he at last piloted to victory.

  A winter of study followed the games on the gridiron, and with theadvent of spring, longing eyes were cast toward the baseball diamondwhereon, as soon as it was dry enough, the Randall lads gathered toprepare for the season.

  In the third book of the series, called "Batting to Win," there was toldthe story of how Randall triumphed over her rivals, though at first itlooked as if she would lose. A loving cup had been offered, to be playedfor by members of the Tonoka Lake League, of which Randall College was amember, and how it was won forms the subject of the story.

  Incidentally, there was quite a mystery concerning Sidney Henderson, or"Sid," as he was universally called. From the opening of the season hisconduct was peculiar, and there were many unjust suspicions regardinghim. It was not until near the end, when he had been barred from thegames, that the cause of his actions became known.

  Then, at the last moment, when Randall was losing the final game of theseries, which was a tie between her team and that of Boxer Hall, the banwas removed, Sid rushed upon the diamond, and batted to win.

  The baseball season had closed, summer had come, and with it the longvacation. Now that was passed, and from mountains, lakes and seaside thestudents had come trooping back to Randall. All our old friends were onhand, and some new ones, whom we shall meet from time to time. As theweather became cool enough, the football squad had been put to workunder the watchful eye of Captain Dan Woodhouse, and the coach, Mr.Lighton.

  Before I go on with the story I want to add, for the benefit of newreaders, a little bit of history about the college.

  Randall was located in a town of the middle west, and not far from theinstitution ran Sunny River, a stream that afforded boating opportunitiesfor the students. It emptied into Tonoka Lake, which body of water gavethe name to the athletic league, made up of Randall, Boxer Hall, FairviewInstitute,--the latter a co-educational place of learning,--and severalother smaller academies. Haddonfield was the nearest town to RandallCollege, and thither the lads went whenever chance afforded.

  Venerable Dr. Albertus Churchill was the head of the college, and eventhough he was privately dubbed "Moses" by the lads, it was not in anyspirit of disrespect, for they all loved and admired him. It was quitethe contrary with Professor Emerson Tines, the "Latin dreadful," andwhen I state that he was called "Pitchfork," his character is indicatedin a word. Hardly less disliked was Mr. Andrew Zane, the proctor, whoseemed to have a sworn enmity against the lads. But they managed to havefun in spite of him. There were other members of the faculty, some likedand some disliked, and occasionally there were changes in the teachingstaff.

  As for Randall itself, it was a fairly large institution. There was themain building, at the head of a large campus. Off to the left was theathletic field, and somewhat to the rear was Booker Memorial chapel, thestained glass windows of which were worth going miles to see.

  To the right of the college proper was Biology Hall, the endowment giftof an old graduate, and not far from that was the residence for thefaculty. Directly in the rear of the main building were the dormitories,the east one for the freshmen and sophomores, and that on the west forthe juniors and seniors.

  As for the lads who attended Randall, you will meet more or less ofthem as this story progresses. Sufficient to say that Tom Parsons,Phil Clinton and Sid Henderson roomed together, being called the"inseparables." Among their friends they numbered many, Dan Woodhouse,Billy or "Dutch" Housenlager, "Bricktop" Molloy, Jerry and Joe Jackson,dubbed the "Jersey Twins," because they came from some town in theGarden State. Then there was "Snail" Looper, so called because ofhis propensity to prowl about in the dark; Pete Backus, nicknamed"Grasshopper," because he aspired to be a jumper; "Bean" Perkins, whocould always be depended on to make a noise at a game, and many more.

  There were some students not so friendly to our heroes, notably FredLangridge, who, because of a serious scrape, had withdrawn from Randalland was now at Boxer Hall. Garvey Gerhart, his crony, who appeared inprevious books, had also left, and Ford Fenton, whose uncle alwaysformed a subject of boasting with him, because of the latter's formerability as a coach at Randall, was among the missing. For Ford played amean trick on his classmates, and there was such a row raised over itthat his relatives advised him to quit.

  And now, I believe, you have met all, or nearly all the lads of whom Ipropose to tell you more. Of course there were the girls, Miss Tyler,and Ruth Clinton--Phil's sister,--and Miss Mabel Harrison, who attendedFairview. I will introduce them more particularly in due season.

  "Say, how can you fellows stand that?" asked Dan, after a pause, duringwhich they had all done much thinking.

  "Stand what?" asked Tom, starting out of a day dream, in which thoughtsover the loss of the chair and the loss of Kerr on the football teamwere mingled.

  "That clock. It gives me the fidgets," and Kindlings grabbing a book,made as if to throw it at the timepiece.

  With a quick motion, Phil stopped him, and the volume fell harmlessly tothe floor.

  "It doesn't give you a chance to catch your breath," went on thefootball captain. "Always seems to want you to hurry-up."

  "I wish it would make Sid hurry-up some mornings, when the chapel bellrings," remarked Tom. "The frowsy old misogynist--the troglodyte--liesabed until the last minute. It would take more than that clock to get_him_ up."

  "Slanderer!" crooned Sid, unconcernedly, from the depths of the sofa.

  "No, but seriously," went on Dan. "I can't see how youstand it. It gives me the fidgets. It seems to say'hurry-up--hurry-up--hurry-up--no-time--no-time--no-time'! Jove! I'dget one of those old Grandfather clocks, if I were you. The kind thatreminds one o
f an open fire, in a gloomy old library, with a nice book,and ticking away like this: 'tick----tock--tick----tock.' That's thekind of a clock to have. But that monstrosity----"

  He simulated a shudder, and turned up his coat collar as if a wind wasblowing down his back.

  "Oh, you're just nervous worrying about what's going to happen to thefootball team," spoke Phil. "Cheer up, old man, the worst is yet tocome. Suppose you'd been robbed of the finest armchair that ever you satin----"

  "Finest fiddlesticks!" burst out Dan. "That chair had spinal meningitis,I guess, or the dink-bots. Every time you sat in it you could tell howmany springs there were in the seat and back without counting. Ugh!" andDan rubbed his spine reflectively.

  "But it's gone," went on Tom, "and I'd give a five-spot to know who tookit. Come on, fellows, let's go scouting around and see if we can get onthe trail of it. I'm glad they didn't take the clock or the sofa," andhe gazed at the two remaining articles which formed the most cherishedpossessions of the inseparables. They had acquired the clock, chair andsofa some time before, purchasing them from a former student on theoccasion of their becoming roommates, and though they had since securedmany new objects of virtu, their affections clung to these threeoriginals.

  Their room was a typical college lads' apartment, hung with sportingprints, boxing gloves, foils, masks, baseball bats, fishing rods, and incertain places, like honored shrines, were the pictures of pretty girls.

  "Well, are you fellows coming?" asked Tom, as he started for the door.

  "Where?" inquired Phil, who still had on his football suit.

  "To hunt for the chair. It _must_ be somewhere around the college. Ithink it was taken for a joke, and if it was by any freshmen I'll make'em wish they'd never come to Randall."

  "I'm with you!" cried Sid.

  "Oh, let's stay and talk about what we're going to do for the eleven!"begged Dan. "But, for the love of cats, first stop that blamed clock, ifyou don't want me to go crazy!"

  His objection was so evidently genuine, that Phil halted the ticking bythe simple process of jabbing a toothpick in the slot of the timepieceregulator.

  "That's better," observed Kindlings. "Now, about Ed Kerr, I think thebest we can do is to----"

  He got no further, for the door of the room was fairly burst open, andin came the Jersey Twins.

  "Have you heard the news?" demanded Joe Jackson.

  "The news?" echoed Jerry.

  "Sure! We knew it first," said Phil. "You mean about our chair beingstolen."

  "Oh, hang your chair!" cried Dan.

  "It's nothing about chairs," said Jerry, with a curious look.

  "Not a word," came the echo.

  "It's worse," went on Jerry.

  "Much worse;" the echo.

  "Oh, you mean about Ed Kerr having to leave," spoke Dan. "How'd you hearit so soon? It will be all over college to-night, I guess."

  "Ed Kerr going to leave?" gasped Jerry.

  "Ed Kerr?" also gasped the echoing brother.

  "Yes. Is that what you came to tell us?" demanded Sid, as he got up fromthe sofa, not without some rather strenuous gymnastics, for once yousank into the soft depths, it was difficult to arise unaided.

  "No, we don't know anything about Ed leaving," went on Jerry, as helooked from one to the other, "but Bricktop Molloy just told us that hewas going to quit next week, and go to----"

  "Bricktop going to leave!" gasped Dan. "More bad news! Will it neverstop raining!" and he clung heavily with his arms around Tom's neck.

  "Say, is this straight?" demanded Phil, excitedly.

  "Sure! Bricktop told us himself," answered Joe.

  "Where's he going?" inquired Sid.

  "To New York. Going to take a special post-graduate course at Columbia,he said. He's got a chance to get in with some big mining firm, and he'sgot to work up on a few special studies. Oh, Bricktop is going to leaveall right."

  "Then what's to become of the Randall football eleven?" demanded Dan, ina tragic voice. "Two of her best players going to leave, and hardly timeenough to break other fellows into their places before the big games!Oh, fellows, this is sure beastly luck!"