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

It was q great cross to Mr.. and Mrs.
Bartlett that Roger was apparently
quite devoid of any worthy ambition.
Their two older boys were SO utterly
different. Fred had been graduated
from Yale with highest honors, and
Horace was making remarkable progress
at the 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 the 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 kindle the
slightest enthusiasm in his sluggish
breast, and his father and mother ar
gued and expostulated with him in vain.
"You are frittering away your valua-
BILE time, !" they argued again and again,
"and are letting slip golden opportu-
mites, which, once gone, never will
come back to you, and what have you to
show for it all but a broken nose and a
fractured collar bone"
SIS there any prospective benefit to be
derived from these hours spent in scrab-
bling after a football?" his father ques-
toned severely. to which Roger merely
responded in his usual offhand style,
"Who knows but I may be elected cap
tain of the varsity team next year?'
lis that the height of your ambi-
tion?" his parent returned bitterly. Il
am terribly disappointed III you, sir.
Are you to go on playing football for
ever and ever, or what do you propose
to make Of your life? Perhaps you think
that your reputation as a football player
will prove an open sesame to all de-
sirable positions. Do you suppose that
any one wants a fellow who has will
fully wasted his best opportunities? l
had hoped to make a professional man
Of you-not a professional athlete-and
had even aspired to seeingyou some day
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.
at does no good to talk to Roger
he confided to his wife afterward, ''for
hardly ten minutes had elapsed after I
had been demonstrating with him about
the evils of football before he inquired
if / wouldn't bring you down to see the
game on 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
them" she queried.
Il told him certainly not" Mr..
Bartlett exclaimed warmly, land l ex-
pressed my surprise at his daring to
suggest such a 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 them"
And so Mr.. and Mrs. Bartlett failed
to witness that memorable game in
which their youngest son gained for
himself such enviable laurels. Once i'll
the field, Roger was like one trans
formed. Keen, alert, cool, rising splen-
didly to every emergency, no n 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 no,
been for that arch enemy, football.
The great game over the victorious
team fastened back to their gymnasium
with all possible speed. They had som,
little distance to 60, as the gymnasium
was not very near the ball grounds, 81
that in order to reach it they wer.
obliged to traverse the center OF tn
town and cross the railroad tracks.
Roger, who had been detained q mo
ment or s longer than the others
reached the station a short time ate
they had crossed and found the plat
forms crowded with people who wer
returning from the game, mingled wit
those who were alighting from incom
ing trains. As he stepped upon the pla,
form he became conscious that som
thing unusual was going On, and he i'm
m~ediately perceived that the eyes Of tn
multitude were riveted upon q figu,
half way across the tracks, q figure pau
ing there in bewilderment.
There's a train coming each way,
somebody gasped. why doesn't he g
OF Of the track?"
The station agent and one or tv
other officials were shouting loudly, b.
the man, who was old and very dea
appeared thoroughly dazed. As he pr
pared to step upon the track neare
him he had caught sight of one ira
coming down upon him, and he NO
staggered back and was about to plum