The times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1882-1897, 1895-02-01
THE FOOTBALL BOY

+, 1t was great cross to MIR. and Mrs.
Bartlett chat Roger was apparc,,ly
quite devoid of any worthy a&lnitioi,
Their two older boys were so IT.. /.
different. Fred had been grat.u1. ID
from Yale with highest honor', and
Horace was making remarkable progress
at tho Scientific school. In fact, they
were both exceptionally fine students,
which made the contrast all the more
striking
For Roger was sadly unlike his broth
ers. He seemed to labor under tho i'm
preston that he had been sent to college
simply and solely for the purpose of
learning to play football. Apparently
nothing else had power to kindlc the
slightest enthusiasm in his sluggish
breast, and his father and mother ar
gued and eXpostulated with him in vain.
You arc frittering away your valua-
BILE time, " they argued again and again,
'and are letting slip golden opportu-
mites, which, once gone, never viii
como back to you, and what have you to
show for it all but broken nose and q
fractured collar bone?"
Is there any prospective benefit to be
derived from these hours spent il scrab-
bling after q football?" his father tuoS-
toned severely, TO which Roger merely
responded in his usual offhand style.
"Who knows but may be elected cap
tain of tho varsity team next year,,
els that the height of your ami :
tiou?" his parent returned bitterly. 4
am terribly disappointed in you, sir
Are you to go on playing football for.
ever and over, or what do you propose
to mako of your life? Perhaps you thirl;
that your reputation as football player
will prove an open sesame to all de-
sirable positions. Do you suppose that
any ono wants fellow who has will
fully wasted his best opportunities? ]
had hoped to make professional man
Of you--not professional athlete-Cud
had even aspirol to seeingyou some dag
in our leading law Office with my old
friend Wilkinson Smalley, but it's no
use Smalley wants only young men Of
the highest promise" and Mr.. Bartlett
sighed YEARLY.
"It does no good to talk TO Roger, ="
he confidcd TO his wife afterward, FOR
hardly ten minutes had elapsed after
had been demonstrating with him about
tho evils of football before he inquired
if | wouldn't bring you down to see the
game on Saturday and informed NE that
he had saved two tickets for Us.
Mrs. Bartlett regarded her husband
helplessly. What did you say 20 INN
them" she quericd
Il told him certainly not, Mr..
Bartlett exclaimed warmly, land OK
pressed my surprise at his daring to
suggest such thing Show me some
lasting 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 in such folly, but not
till then -
And so Mr.. and Mrs. Bartlett failed
to witness that memorable game in
which their youngest son gained for
himself such enviable laurels. Once in
the field, Roger was like one trans.
formed Keen, alert, cool, rising splen.
didly to every emergency, no one would
have known him for the same slow. in
different, easy going specimen of hu
mainly who grieved the ambitious souls
of his parents by his small aptitude for
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 for that arch enemy, football
The great game over, the victorious
team FASTENED back to their gymnasium
with all possible speed. They had some
little distance to go, as the gymnasium
was not very near the ball grounds, so
that in order to reach it they were
obliged to traverse the center OF the
town and cross the railroad tracks.
Roger, who had'boen detained mo-
ment or SO longer than the others,
reached tho station a short time after
they had crossed and found the plat
forms crowded with people who were
returning from the game, mingled with
those who were aighting from incom
ing trains AS he stepped upon the plat.
form he became conscious that some
thing unusual was going on. and he i'm
perceived that the eyes of the
were rivctcd upon figure
half way across the tracks, figure paGs-
ing there in bewilderment.
There's train coming each way"
somebody gasped "Why doesn't he get
off of the track"
The station agent and ono or two
other officials Were shouting loudly, but
the man, who was old and very deaf,
thoroughly dazed AS he pro
pared to step upon the track nearest
him he had caught sight Of one train
coming down upon him, and he now
back and was about'to plunge