Walker Lake bulletin. (Hawthorne, Nev.) 1883-1926, 1896-08-19

Mrs. Bartlett that Roger was ap-
worthy ambition. Their two older
boys were so utterly different Fred
had been graduated from Yale with
highest honors, and Horace WAS max
ing remarkable progress at the Sci
entific School; in fact, they were both
exceptionally fine students, which
made the contrast all the more strik-
ing
For Roger was sadly unlike his
brothers. He seemed to labor under
the impression that he had been sent
to college simply and solely for the
purpose of learning to play foot ball.
Apparently nothing else had power to
kindle the slightest enthusiasm in his
sluggish breast, and his father and
mother argued and expostulated with
him in vain.
"You are frittering away your yalu-
able time," they argued again and
again, "and are letting slip golden op-
portunities which, once gone, will ney er
come back to you; and what nave you
to show for it all but broken nose
and a fractured collar-bone"
'1s there any prospective benefit TO
be derived from these hours spent In
scrambling after foot ball?' his ia
ther questioned, severely; to which
Roger merely responded in his usual
off-hand style: "Why knows but l
may be elected captain of the varsity
team next yearT
"1s that the height of your ambi-
tion?" his parent returned bitterly. 81
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 life? Perhaps you
think that your reputation as a foot
ball player will prove an open sesame
to all desirable positions? Do you sup
pose that anyone wants a fellow who
has willfully wasted his best opportuni-
ties had hoped to make a profession
al man of you, not professional ath-
lete, and had even aspired to seeing
you some day In our leading law office
ley but it's no use. Smallay wants
only young men of the highest prom
ise," and Mr. Bartlett sighed wear
lily.
ut does no good to talk to Roger"
he confided to his wife afterward, "for
hardly ten minutes had elapsed after
l had been demonstrating with him
about the evils of foot ball before he
inquired If | wouldn't bring you down
to see the game on Saturday, and in
formed me that he had saved two tick
cts for us"
Mrs. Bartlett regarded her husband
helplessly. "What did you say to him
then" she queried.
81 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 9idicu-
lous game, | told him, and then come
to me to abet you In such folly, but not
till then"
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,
Indifferent, easy-going specimen of hui
manity 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 fair
ly good, but what panied his father
and mother was the recognition of
what he might have accomplished had
It not been for the arch enemy, foot
ball
The great game over, the victorious
team FASTENED back to their gymna-
stun with all possible speed; they had
some little distance to go, as the gym
nasium was not very near the ball
grounds, 80 that in order to reach II
they were obliged to traverse the cen
Ter Vi lllt lpNu anu IlOSS lllt Iali7
road tracks.
Roger, who had been detained mo-
ment or so longer than the others
reached the station a short time after
they had crossed, and found the plat
forms crowded with people who were
returning from the game, mingled will
those who were alighting from incom
ing trains. AS he stepped upon The
platform he became conscious thai
something unusual was going on, and
he Immediately perceived that the eyes
of the multitude were riyeted upon a
figure half way across the tracks, fig
ure pausing there in bewilderment-
'sThere's a train coming each way,
somebody gasped; "why doesn't he Gei
off the track?"
The station agent and one or two
other officials were shouting loudly