Football -- Juvenile fiction; Schools -- Juvenile fiction
“Yes, but let me tell you right now that two Second Teams can’t make
Hop’s outfit win from Adams; and _you_ know _that_!”
[Illustration: “‘NOW THEN, YOU FELLOWS――I’M HERE TO SHOW YOU WHAT I
KNOW ABOUT FOOT-BALL, AND YOU’RE HERE TO LEARN’”]
“Well, it’s my duty to stay where I am.”
“All right. As long as you think that, Gus, you stay. When you change
your mind, though, you mosey over to the other gridiron and we’ll look
after you.”
The School Team came home that evening with its third victory, having
managed to win from Bannard with a score of 6 to 0. But the victory
had cost something, for Tom Reid, left tackle and one of the strongest
units of the line, had broken his collar-bone and would be out of the
game for two weeks at least.
On Monday, which fell very close to the middle of October, Walter
Duffield made his appearance at Riverport. Those who had expected a
large, stern-visaged individual were disappointed, for the former
Brown tackle was not over five feet nine inches in height and weighed
under a hundred and sixty. He was twenty-three years old, but didn’t
look it. He had a smiling, alert face, curly brown hair, a pair of
quiet brown eyes and a somewhat thin voice. He began proceedings by
giving the candidates a talk on the grandstand, away from any possible
eavesdropping on the part of the Regulars, as the Independents had
grown to call the members of the First and Second Teams.
“Now then, you fellows,” said Duffield, “I’m here to show you what I
know about foot-ball and you’re here to learn. That means that I say and
you do. Any one who doesn’t like that wants to run along right now. I’m
going to be It around here for the next month or so. You all understand
that? All right. Now then, find your squads and let me see you handle
the ball. Here, you fat boy, whatever your name is――What is it, by the
way?”
“Jell.”
“Well, Jell, you want to move faster than that or you’ll go to sleep.
Let’s see you run. That’s it! We’ll make a sprinter of you yet. Where’s
your manager, Langton? How are you, Warne? Glad to know you. You stick
with me this afternoon, please. I’ll want to ask a lot of questions
probably. Is that your Varsity Team over there?”
“Yes, School Team we call it, sir.”
“What’s the matter with them? Are they walking in their sleep? My, but
I’d like to be that quarter for a minute! All right. Now let’s have a
look at our own collection of wonders.”
CHAPTER XIX
DEVENS AGREES
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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