Football -- Juvenile fiction; Schools -- Juvenile fiction
lunch-cart held but a solitary patron, a car conductor indulging in the
delicacy referred to on the wall as “Tonight’s Special: Pork Chop and
Fried Onions, 30c.” The viands had diffused a perceptible fragrance
through the establishment, but no one voiced criticism save Martin.
Martin halted at the doorway and registered suspicion followed by
disgust.
“What’s the matter?” asked Bob, behind him. “Go on in!”
“Onions!” said Martin in pained tones.
“What of it?”
“I can’t stand ’em. Gee, the place is full of ’em!”
“Well, you don’t have to eat them,” replied Bob comfortingly, while
those behind him earnestly requested “gangway!” Martin allowed himself
to be shoved inside, but during the subsequent proceedings he wore his
nose in an elevated position and looked most unhappy, a circumstance
that interested Bob greatly for a reason not then apparent. Sandwiches
and coffee constituted the menu served. Bob generously offered to buy
Martin a chopped onion sandwich if he would eat it, which offer was
thanklessly, almost rudely, declined. That banquet cost Paul Nichols
most of his cash in hand, but he settled the bill in an almost regal
manner; quite, as Martin commented, as though he lived amongst the
palms of Westchester!
Going back, Willard walked with Joe and Jack Macon, and the talk was
mostly of the day’s game. Joe was rather cynical and predicted disaster
in the Kenly contest unless things got better soon. “We need beef on
the team,” said Joe bitterly. “We’ve got plenty of fellows who know
football, but they’re too lady-like, Jack. It doesn’t do to stop and
apologize before you hit the line or keel a chap over! Kenly will bring
a lot of hard-hitting ‘rough-necks’ that’ll make us look like a parcel
of ‘co-eds’!”
“Oh, we aren’t that bad,” said Jack soothingly. “It’s early yet--”
“Early nothing! The season’s half over! Gee, we’ve got to learn to
fight, Jack, or we’ll get literally walked on!”
“Seems to me the backfield’s a bit light, Joe.”
“Of course it is, and it’s lighter than ever since Lake’s gone to left
end. We’ve got to find a full-back, and find him mighty quick, and
that’s no dream!”
“Too bad you couldn’t land that fellow Harmon you were talking about,”
said Jack. Then he turned in a puzzled way to Willard. “Say, your
name’s Harmon, too, isn’t it?” he exclaimed. “That’s odd!”
“Not very,” said Joe hurriedly. “The Harmon I was after was Brand’s
brother. If we’d got him we’d been fixed.”
“What happened?” asked Jack. “I understood it was all fixed up.”
“Oh, he changed his mind,” replied Joe carelessly. “Went into the Navy,
didn’t he, Brand?”
“Yes,” corroborated Willard gravely.
“Too bad,” murmured Jack. “Too bad you aren’t your brother, Harmon!”
“Well, Brand’s doing pretty well where we had him today,” said Joe.
“Rather!” agreed the other. “He surely had one fine moment this
afternoon. If it hadn’t been for that Lorimer end or half--which was
he? Half?--well, if it hadn’t been for him Harmon would have scored in
a romp!”
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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