The Bolivar bulletin. [volume] (Bolivar, Hardeman County, Tenn.) 1865-1888, 1872-08-02
A REMINIsCENCE OF ETON LIFE.

loved to drag others into scrapei
with him. l was warned of this fa-
tai propensity on his part both by
Greegleby and Blazepole; Stumpi
minor also conveyed a friendly adj
monition to me on the subject, an(
Asheton one morning sent for mt
on purpose TO say that l must b'
careful what / did when Jickline
was by to advise me. But these
counsels, though they kept me from
falling into any of Jickling's more
dangerous snares, did not remove
him from my company. lie ac-
knowIedged with a candor that did
him honor, that he liked "lellows
whom you could humbug till al
was blue"
"Well," said Asheton to him, af-
ter an exploit at Windsor fair, "you
and Rivers there have become he
roes as it were; and it's been said
that fellow who has the stuff in
him that you showed on the Wind
sor fair day is worth better things
than TO be continually in hot water,
and at skies and scyens with every
body"
Jickling changed color slightly,
went to the fire, polsed it violently
without its having any need of such
operation, and said, "You're always
badgering me, Asheton.''
Il want to see you a good fellow,
and on the highway to become a
man." answered Asheton, with al
most a woman's patience.
"What is, is" said Jickling, dog
gedly: "You can't make yourself
and you can't do what's impossible. D
"And what's impossible" asked
Asheton.
"Why," cried Jickling, breaking
out. and throwing down the poker
with a clattcr, it's impossible to be
this and that simply because you
are told to be it; and it's impossible
to do this or that, when you've not
strength enough. What should you
say il told you to win the football
match against the collegers this
year? 1t seems you're in the eleven
and they're stronger than you.
You know it. So let me alone"
There was a moments silence;
then Ashctoa walked straight up to
Jickling. He had become very
pale, but looked at his unhappy fag
with a steady and earnest expression
III his eyes.
81 know the colIegers are strong
er than we" he said, "but will you
promise me "-he paused" will
you promise me, Jiokling, that if l
win the match for our side you'll
change?"
Jickling looked growlingly sur
prised, and glanced at him with sui
len suspicion. dts not much to
PROMISE y hc said at last, "lor you
won't"
"But will you promise?" asked
Asheton.
"WeIl, then, yes" said Jickling,
with dry laugh and a shrug.
Every WE'LL" answered Ashton,
aud he left the room.
The match, Collegers VS.. Oppi-
dams, played every year on st. An
drew's feast, Both November, was
the great event of the football sea-
son. At the time of which l am
writing it was not usual for the
OPpidans to win every year, as has
later been the case. The match
was played cat the wall, pa pecul-
lar sort of football, in which the
Fountain boys, and as a result the
College team, (although the Col
legers had only seventy boys to
choose from, as against nearly six
hundred on the other side), was ex-
tremely powerful aud difficult to
beat. On the day of the match Jick-
ling and |, who had not yet been
out of doors since our accident, OBJ
tanned leave to 60 out for two hours,
just to sec the match and return.
Play began at haIl-post II, and
there was always an enormous crowd
every boy in the school, every
master and masters family, and
some hundred or more of old Eton-
ians, being generally present. Jick-
ling and / took up our position at
that part of the ropes where the
lower boys congregated, making a
trightful hullaballoo in response to
the grown boys, who, at every adj
vance of their side. shouted like ia
natics, as if the safety of the three
Kingdoms were heing staked. For
those who have never seen "wall'i
football played, a description of the
game would scarcely be intelligible,
aud for those who have seen it il
would be useless. Let me only say,
therefore, that the points to be
scored are "goals" and "shieS," " d
single goal outnumbering any guam
iiy of ShicS. By the end at three
quarters of an hours play, three
Sssss;s-s sss,.ss,ss ss550H s,>stt,i 10y tue Col
legers eleven. The gaUe was 90
ing dead against the OppidanS. who,
opposed 20 formidable trio It Col
legers, named Bullockscn, Halkev
and Aarayman, were OVcTwciChtet},
borne down, and f0rcc,l hack into
thcir own ground or catr every mo
mcnt, Notwithstanding all their gal
lansry. Ashcts'n hs,i t--css perform
ing pT,siigics oF valor in the OpIli-
dan cause, bat 90 Ro purpose. Five