The Madison daily leader. [volume] (Madison, S.D.) 1890-current, 1895-05-08

SAAo~HSSN~a ASRH~'SN
AS the crowd of bystanders shrank
back with horror stricken faces, con-.
WINGED that they were about to witness
the terrible fate which, must instantly
overtake the old man. a figure in q
much begrimed canvas jacket sprang
out from among them, and clearing the
tracks at q bound alighted beside the
swaying form of the other.
A shudder, and a wave of pitiful re-
greet swept over the motionless crowd.
HE can never drag him back in time"
they breathed. They will both be
killed! Oh, the pity Of it'll"
But our football man had no thought
of dragging the unsteady figure in front
of either approaching engine. In an in
slant he had tackled the man and
thrown him fiat upon the ground be-
tween the two tracks, for all the world
quite as if he had been an opponent on
the football field. Then he dropped
lightly on top of him and lay there mo-
tionless, while the two trains Numbered
past on each side of them, and the
crowd stood waiting sp%ellbound.
In much less time than it takes to de-
scribe the episode it was over, and what
might have been a tragedy had proved
only a bit of melodrama after all, yet as
Roger jumped up and pulled the old
man on to his feet applause and cheers
louder than any that had greeted him
on the football field rang in his ears.
Abashed and quite overwhelmed by
such an ovation, Roger made haste to
elbow his way through the crowd, and
in so doing nearly overthrow his own
brother Fred, who happened to be stand
ing directly in his path.
For heavens sake, vas that you,
Roger" he cried, confronting him in
! establishment.
"Do let me get out of this, his broth.
er responded impatiently. '"They need
not make such a fuss because I knocked
the old duffer over" and he bolted in
the direction Of the gymnasium.
Saturday nights generally brought the
scattered members of the Bartlett fam
lily together, as the collegians always
made q point of coming home to spend
Sunday under the parental roof tree.
On this particular Saturday evening
0x4 "CIo oSStLlulCu DSIOIC xkOSSI Sdluo
in. Fred was all agog to describe the
scene that he had witnessed, but he I'M
selfishly held his tongue. "I'll not spoil
his story for him, but will give him a
chance to % justice to it" he mentally
calculated as he watched his brother
swallowing his soup with unrufled COM
posure.
But Roger said nothing upon the vi
tai subject, and Fred looked at him with
increasing surprise as he ~judicially set
forth the respective merits of the oppos-
ing football team and called attention
to their most vulnerable points.
"I'll turn in early tonight, ! think. "
he yawned as he withdrew from the
dining room. Il put pretty solid work
into the last half of that game, and he
leisurely wended his way up stairs.
II wish that Roger would put a little
solid work into something else, his ia
Their volunteered as he disappeared from
the ROOM.
At this, Fred, who had in times past
repeatedly scoffed at his brothers. ath-
letic p%roclivities, instantly fired up.
Father" he burst forth, you're
making a big mistake about Roger.
He's got more genuine stuff in him than
all the rest Of as put together, and if
it's football that's done it the sooner
that we all go in for the game the bet
ter, - and her he proceeded to give a
graphic account Of the afternoons expe-
trience, which caused his father to blow
his nose loudly and repeatedly, while
his eyes glistened with happy pride,
and which sent his mother weeping in
search Of the sleepy athlete, who could
not understand what he had done that
was worth making such a fuss about.
Afew days later MI. Bartlett received
q note from his old friend, Wilkinson
Smalley, which ran somewhat as fol-
lows:
DEAR BARTLETT hear that your Roger is
going in for the law, and If so l want him.
When he gets through with the law school. you
can hand him over to me, for he's just the
material that I am on the lookout for, and
you may well be proud of him. He scared me
out Of a years growth the other afternoon at
the station, the young rascal, but in spite OF
that I wish you would tell him to come
round and take dinner with me some night,
for ] want to talk to him. With kind regards
to Mrs. Bartlett, believe me ever your friend,
WILKINSON SMAILEY.
When Roger came home the follow.
ing Saturday, his father handed him the
note, remarking, I'm afraid I haven,
appreciated your football, old man, but
I'm going to do better in future, and,
by the way. Roger, I hear that you're
to play in the game at Springfield next
week. Is that so?"
Roger nodded.
Every we'll, then" MI. Bartlett con
tinued, your mother and I would like
to have you get us the best seats tina,
can be bought, for we've set our hearts
upon going up to see you make the frs
touchdown. 49, Caroline Ticknor il
Boston Transcript.