The weekly Thibodaux sentinel and journal of the 8th Senatorial District. [volume] (Thibodaux, Lna. [i.e. La.]) 1875-1898, 1895-01-26
THE FOOTBALL BOY.

1t WAS . great cross to iIr. and Mrs.
Bartlett that Roger was apparently
quite devo;l Of any worthy ambition.
Their two older boys were so utterly
different. fred had been graduated
from Yala with highest honors, ana
Horace was making remarkable progress
at the Scientific school. IN fact, they
werc bot. c4t"pticnallv fine students,
whic,- made lie contrast al tho more
stril~c.
Te. Eacerwas sadly unlike his broth
ers. TIC sgeraed to Labor under the I'M
preston t..at he had been sent to college
simply ana solely fer the purpose Of
learning to play football. Apparently
nothing else had power to klndle the
slightest enthusiasm in his sluggish
breast, and his father and mother ar
gued and cxpostalated with him in vain.
"You aro fsittering away your valua-
bio time, they argued again and dsain,
land are letting slip golden opportu-
mites, which, once gone, never Will
come back to you, and what have you to
show for it I'll bat a broken nose and q
fractured collar bone":
SIS there any prospective benefit to be
derived from these hours spent in scrab-
bling after a football?' his father qccc-
toned severely, towhicl Roger merely
responded il his usual oifhand style,
"Who knows but I may be elected cap
tain Of the varsity team next year?"
"Is hat the height of your anlti-
tion?" his parent returned bitterly. <
am terribly disappointed III you, sir.
Are You to &c on playing football for
ever and ever Or what do you propose
to make of your life? Pcrhapsyou think
that your reputation as a football player
will prove an open sesame to all de-
sirable positions. Do you suppose that
any n wants a fellow who has Will
fully wasted his best opportunities: I
had hoped to make 4 Professional man
Of you-not q professional athlete-and
had even aspired to seoingyou some day
in our leading law Office with my old
friend Wilkinson Smalley. but it's 10
use. snialley wants only young men Of
the highest promise" and Mr.. Bartlett
sighed YEARLY.
"It does nc good to talk to Roger"
he confided to his wife afterward, "for
hardly ton minutes had elapsed after I
had been demonstrating with him about
the evils of football before he inquired
if I wouldn't bring you down to see the
game Oh Saturday and informed me that
he had saved two tickets for u.s."
Mrs. Bartlett regarded her husband
helplessly. What did you say to him
then?' she queried.
II told him certainly not" Mr..
Bartlett exclaimed warmly, land I ex-
pressed my surprise at his daring to
suggest such a thing. Show me some
LISTING benefit, or any abiding good,
that is to be derived from this ridicu-
lous game, l told him, and then come
to me to abet you i'll such folly, but not
till them"
And SO Mr.. and Mrs. Bartlett failed
to witness that memorable ganlo IL
which their youngest son gained for
himself such enviable l%aurels. Once III
the field, Roger was like one trans
formed. Keen, alert, cool, rising SPLEEN
didly to every emergency, N one would
have known him for the same slow, in
different, easy going specimen of hui
mainly who grieved the ambitious souls
of his parents by his small aptitude fer
Greek.
Not that Roger was by any means a
Ounce, for his class standing was fairly
good, but what panied his father and
mother was the recognition OF what he
might have accomplished had it not
been fer that arch enemy, football.
The great game over, TIE victorious
team fastened back to their gymnasium
with all possible speed. They had some
little distance 10 60, as the gymnasium
was not very near the ball grounds, -
that III order to reach il they were
obliged to traverse the center ct the
town and cross the railroad tracks.
Roger, who had been detained a mo
ment Or so longer than the Others,
reached the station q short time after
they had crossed and found the pl&J-
forms crowded with people who wcro
returning from the game, mingled with
those who We're alighting from incon-
ing trains. As he stepped upon the Mat