Football -- Juvenile fiction; Schools -- Juvenile fiction
The scrubs crossed the field to sit in a closely huddled group like a
lot of blanketed Indians and Leonard watched Mr. Cade hopefully. But
when the second period started the coach made but two changes in his
line-up. Raleigh went in at right guard and Wilde at right tackle.
Leonard, disappointed, looked searchingly up and down the bench. So far
as he knew he was the only tackle remaining. In fact, only less than a
dozen fellows were left now, and he didn’t think there was a lineman
among them. He didn’t wish Lawrence any bad luck, but it did seem that
he had played about long enough!
First had a streak of luck right at the start of that period, for
a second team back fumbled on his forty-four and, although second
recovered the ball, the next line-up was close to the twenty-five-yard
line. Two punches and then a punt into the gale that carried a scant
twenty yards, and the ball was first’s in scrub territory. The first
attack sent Goodwin at the enemy’s center for a two-yard gain and when
the warriors had disentangled themselves one form remained on the
ground. Jake seized water bottle and sponge and trotted out. “That’s
Raleigh,” said the fellow at Leonard’s right.
“Sure?” asked Leonard anxiously. “I thought maybe it was Lawrence. No,
there’s Lawrence. You a guard?”
The neighbor shook his head sadly. “Half,” he answered.
They had Raleigh standing up now and Jake was leading him toward the
bench. Coach Cade’s voice came imperatively.
“First team guard!” he called.
The trainer echoed the summons impatiently as he neared the bench.
“Come on, one of you guards!”
Leonard threw off his blanket and bent mutely to the neighbor and the
substitute halfback seized his sweater while Leonard pulled himself out
of it. Then he dashed onto the gridiron. Jake was a dozen feet away,
still supporting the scowling Raleigh.
“What’s the matter?” he asked. “Deaf? Didn’t you hear the coach
yelling?” Then he stared harder, at Leonard’s back now, and called
suddenly: “Here! You ain’t a guard!”
But Leonard paid no heed. Perhaps the wind bore the words away from
him. He went on, aware, as he gained the waiting squad, of the coach’s
puzzled gaze.
“I called for a guard, Grant,” said Mr. Cade.
“Yes, sir,” answered Leonard. “I’ve played guard two seasons.”
“Maybe, but you’re not a guard now. Send some one else on. Isn’t there
any one there?”
“No, sir.”
Mr. Cade shrugged. “All right. You take it then. You deserve it, I’m
blessed if you don’t! Come on now, First Team! Let’s get going! All
right, Quarter!”
Leonard stepped in between Garrick and Cash, Carpenter chanted his
signal and the lines ground together. Why, this was easy, reflected
Leonard. It was just like old times. He knew what to do here. When you
were a guard you were a guard and nothing else. You didn’t have to
understudy your next door neighbor and go prancing around like a silly
end! Of course, when a shift took you around to the other side of the
line, as it was doing now--
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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