On Your Mark! A Story of College Life and AthleticsBarbour, Ralph Henry
General
On Your Mark! A Story of College Life and Athletics
Barbour, Ralph Henry
College sports -- Juvenile fiction; College students -- Juvenile fiction
It was on one such day, a Saturday, that the Robinson freshman football
team came to town and, headed by a brass band, marched out to the
field to do battle with the Erskine youngsters. The varsity team had
journeyed from home to play Artmouth, and consequently the freshman
contest drew the entire college and town, and enthusiasm reigned
supreme in spite of the fact that a Robinson victory was acknowledged
to be a foregone conclusion.
Allan and Tommy Sweet watched the game from the side lines; Tommy, with
note-book in hand, darting hither and thither from one point of vantage
to another, and Allan vainly striving to keep up with him. The latter
had gained admission beyond the ropes by posing as Tommy’s assistant;
the assistance rendered consisted principally of listening to Tommy’s
breathless comment on the game.
“Oh, rotten!” Tommy would snarl. “Two yards more!... Oh; perfectly
rotten!... See that pass? See it? What? Eh, what?... Now, watch this!
Watch-- What’d I say? Good work, Seven!... Now, that’s playing!...
Third down and one to-- What’s that? Lost it? Lost nothing! Why,
look where the ball is! How can they have lost-- Hey! how’s that for
off-side? Just watch that Robinson left end; look! See that?... Three
yards right through the center! What was Burley doing?... Well, here
goes for a touch-down. There’s no help now!... Another yard!... Two
more!... Did they make it? Did they?... _Hi-i-i! Our ball!_”
It was a very pretty game, after all, and when the first half ended
with the score only 5 to 0, in the visitors’ favor, Erskine’s hope
revived, and during the intermission there was much talk of tying
the score, while some few extremely optimistic watchers hinted at
an Erskine victory. Considering the fact that the purple-clad team
was twelve pounds lighter than its opponent, this was a good deal to
expect, and Tommy, a fair example of conservative opinion, declared
that the best he looked for was to have the second half end with
the score as it then stood. But a good many guesses went wrong that
afternoon.
Erskine had played on the defensive during the first half, and when,
after receiving Robinson’s kick-off, she punted the ball without trying
to run it back, it seemed that she was continuing her former tactics.
The punt was a good one and was caught on Robinson’s thirty-yard line.
The Brown accepted the challenge and returned the kick. It went to
Erskine’s forty-five yards. Again Poor punted, and the ball sailed down
to the Brown’s fifteen yards, where it was gathered into a half-back’s
arms. Erskine had gained largely in the two exchanges of punts, and her
supporters cheered loudly, while Robinson, realizing discretion to be
the better part of valor, refrained from further kicking and ran the
ball back ten yards before she was downed.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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