Football -- Juvenile fiction; Schools -- Juvenile fiction
“Yeah, what you want?” Lowell peered up blinkingly through the sunlight.
“Listen, Woodie,” went on Clem earnestly. “Haven’t you got half a dozen
old footballs over at the gym that you can’t use?”
“Old foot-- Say, what’s your trouble? What do you want ’em for?”
“To fill up this box,” jeered Clem. “Run along, sonny!”
Clem didn’t pass a very restful night. For one thing, Number 15
Haylow was hot and stuffy. Then, too, Clem and Lowell Woodruff and
two other fellows had sought to mitigate the heat of the evening by
partaking of many and various concoctions of ice cream and syrups,
and his stomach had faintly protested for some time. He awoke in the
morning, scandalously late, from what seemed to have been a night-long
succession of unpleasant dreams. But a bath and breakfast set him
right, and afterwards he completed the packing of Mart’s belongings.
By rummaging about in the store-room he collected enough pieces of
corrugated straw-board and excelsior and old newspapers to fill the
top of the packing-case after a fashion, and he hammered the lid down
with vast relief, addressed it with a paper spill dipped in the ink
bottle and pushed it into the corridor. A visit to the express office
completed his responsibilities, and, since it was then only a little
after ten, he returned to school and took the path that led, between
Academy and Upton Hall, and past the gymnasium, to the athletic field.
Morning practice was already in full swing when he reached the
gridiron, and the small squad of perspiring youths were throwing and
catching, punting and chasing half a dozen pigskins about the field.
Clem greeted the trainer, whose real name was Jakin but who was never
called anything but Jake, was introduced by Lowell to Johnny Barr,
the assistant manager, and exchanged long-distance greetings with
several of the players. Then he found a seat on the edge of the green
wheelbarrow in which Peter, Jake’s underling, trundled the football
paraphernalia back and forth from the gymnasium and looked on. It
wasn’t a vastly interesting scene. Clem, who, while he thoroughly
enjoyed watching a football contest, had never felt any urge to play
the game, wasn’t able to get any thrill from watching practice. He
amused himself identifying some of the candidates, not such an easy
task when old gray jerseys, ancient khaki pants and disreputable
stockings comprised the attire of each and every one and effectually
disguised individuality. There, however, was Gus Fingal, the captain,
tall, with hair the color of new rope; and Charley Levering, taller
and lighter and as black of head as a burnt match; and Pep Kinsey, a
solid chunk of a youth slated for quarter-back position. And the big,
square fellow was, of course, Hick Powers, and the long-legged chap
farther down the field who was trying drop-kicks none too successfully
was Steve Whittier. The others Clem couldn’t place until Lowell came
to his assistance. Lowell pointed out Roland Roice--it was fated that
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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