The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1896-01-22
THE FOOTBALL BOY.

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,
land 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 broken nose and
fractured collar bonep"
"Is there any prospective benefit to be
derived from these hours spent In scrab-
bling after football?' his father ques-
toned severely, to which Roger merely
responded in his usual offhand style,
"Who knows but may be elected cap
tain of the varsity team next year?"
as that the height of your ambi-
tion2" his parent returned bitterly. II
am terribly disappointed in you, sir.
Are you to go ON playing football for
ever and ever. or what do you propose
to make of your lifer Perhaps you think
that your reputation as football player
will prove an open sesame to all de-
sirable positions. Do you suppose that
any one wants fellow who has will
fully wasted his best opportunities I
had hoped to make professional man
Of you-not professional athlete-and
had even aspired to seeingy you 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
had been demonstrating with him about
the evils of football before he inquired
if 1 wouldn't bring you down to see the
game ON Saturday and informed me that
he had saved two tickets for us.
Mrs. Bartlett regarded her husband
helplessly. what did you say to him
them" she queried.
II told him certainly not, Mr..
Bartlett exclaimed warmly, land ex.
pressed my surprise at his daring tc
suggest such thing. Show me some
lasting benefit, or any abiding good,
that is to be derived from this ridicu.
lous game, 1 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 fol
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 souli
of his parents by his small aptitude fol
| Greek.
| Not that Roger was by any means 9
Ounce, for his class standing was fairly
good, but what panied his father ant
mother was the recognition Of what HI
might have accomplished had it MOI
been for that arch enemy, football.
The great game over, the victorious
team hastened back to their gymnasium
with all possible speed. They had som,
little distance to go, as the gymnasium
was not very near tho ball grounds, 81
that in order to reach 1t they wer
obliged to traverse the center of tn
town and cross the railroad tracks.
Roger, who had been detained mo
ment or so longer than the others
reached the station short time afte
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 plat
form he became conscious that some
thing unusual was going on, and he i'm
mediately perceived that the eyes Of tn
multitude were riveted upon o fgur
half way across the tracks, figure paus
lug there in bewilderment
There's train coming each way,
somebody gasped. "Why doesn't he ge
off Of the trackP"
The station agent and one or tw
other officials were shouting loudly, blu
the man, who was old and very deaf
appeared thoroughly dazed. As he pre-
pared to step upon the track neares
him he had caught sight Of one trail
coming down upon him, and he no,
staggered back and was about TO plung
In front of the other down coming ex
press when suddenly something yer.
unexpected happened.
As the crowd Of bystanders shranl
back with horror stricken faces, con
WINGED that they were about to witnes
the terrible fate which must instantl
overtake the old man, figure in
much begrimed canvas jacket spran
out from among them, and clearing tn
tracks at a bound alighted beside tn
swaying form Of the other.
A shudder, and wave of pitiful rt
greet swept over the motionless crowd
"He can never drag him back in time,
they breathed. "They will both b
killed! Oh, the pity of itP'
But our football man had no though
of dragging the unsteady figure in froI
of either approaching engine. In an il
slant he had tackled the man an
thrown him fiat upon the ground b.
: tween the two tracks. for all the worl
quite as if he had been an opponent G
the football field. Then he droppe
lightly ON top of him and lay there m,
tionless, while the two trains thundere
past on each side of them. and I'll
crowd stood waiting spellbound.
In much less time than it takes to d.
scribe the episode it was over, and viii
might have been tragedy had prove
only bit of melodrama after all, yet /
Roger jumped up and pulled the ol
man ON to his feet applause and chez
louder than any that had greeted hi
on the football field rang in his ears.
Abashed and quite overwhelmed /
such an ovation, Roger made haste
elbow his way through the crowd, an
in SO doing nearly overthrow his ow
brother Fred, who happened to be stan'
ing directly in his path.
"For heavens sake, was that yo'
Roger?' he cried, confronting him
establishment.
do let me get out of this. " his brotl
er responded impatiently. They nee
not make such fuss because knockt
the old duffer over" and he bolted
the direction of the gymnasium.
Saturday nights generally brought Il
scattered members of the Bartlett fan
lily together. ~ the oollegians alwal