The sun., 1897-11-07
A Football Idyl.
From the Minneapolis Journal

Dark and cold the day and dreary.
swathed in dark gray clouds the heaye1A
Ana the wind blew emily. cutting,
From the lakes that lie to northward,
Tumbling. tossing In the tempest;
From the zenith city geld,
WS.re .aeh ane is sn montSs @ns
Where the home OF Charlie Towne II,
He the great free. silver tslker.
He the friend OF Billy Bryan.
Every little while snowflake
Fell from out the skies so sombre.
Telling the approach OF wfnter.
On this day so dark and dreary.
While the wind blew chilly. cutting.
And the snow fakes came down telling
or the near approach OF winter.
Many people braved the weather,
Left their homes so warm and cosey.
Left their hearths with coal nres glowfl0,
Left their furnaces and steam pipes,
And assembled in the grand stand.
Where they sat and snivered. shivered,
Like the last leaf on this oak tree
When It rustles in the, ,breezes.
Sat there in that grand stand open
while the wind their noses Redeemed
And their eyes grew blenr and misty;
Sat there looking on the gridron
Where the football teams should struggle.
Thither to that grand stand frigid
Came the bon ton of the city;
Came the laughing debutante
Ard the veteran campaigner.
Came the pastors of the churches,
And the doctors and the lawyers,
Came the solid men OF business
Came "Old Prexy." sleek and rotund,
with the grave, sedate professors
Aud the younger men called "tutors;"
Came the d. D. and Ill. DIS,
The A. MS, Phi. DIS, A. BIS.
Came the "freBhies," green as grass L.
And the " sophs." knowing fellows,
Bending underneath their knowledge
OF things no one ever dreamed OF;
Came the Junior and his whiskers,
With his scrawny, scragSly whiskera.
Growing DER his face IN punches
Like the saRebrush in the desert;
Whskers that he spends an hour
Combing. coaxing. every morning.
Came the seuiorS, wise and thoughtful.
Wondering II the earth without them
Can pull through the coming six months
Ere they get their wished for sheepskins-
Came they all with colored ribbons
Tied around the canes they welded.
And with tin horns in their pockets.
wEereon they would make a racket
II their team should come out winner.
CRme to root like loyal students,
And to shout and yell like Indians,
II their team should come out winner.
These were they who sat and shivered
In that grand stand very chilly,
Waiting till the teams should enter
And devour each the other.
There we leave them: shivering. freeEin0.
Let them sit there till tomorrow.
Then we'll sing about the struggle
To see which they sat and shivered
On that day SO cold and dreary.
When the cold north wind was blowing,
When the flakes OF snow were falling.
As the crowd sat in the grand stand,
Bhivering In tn inclement weather,
Sat there with their nos q reddsninR.
Sat with eyes grown blear and misty,
Suddenly the gates were opened,
And with tread like conquering heroes
Home returning from some conflict,
Waged on battlefield RfaI on.
Marched the athletes on the gridiron.
Big and husky fellows were they,
Tall, erect. broad -shoulderrd fellowaI
Men with muscles like LAGOON.
He who wrestled with the serpenu
CAS- 80 many men have since them.
Turned they to the crowded grand stand,
Dofred their caps and bowed, reBpondiA1
To the greetings long and noisy
From the throats OF fellow students,
From the fair young denutantes,
From the veteran campalRners,
Even from the grave professors,
The d, DIS. LII. DIS. A. NJ. .,
From the doctors and the lawyers,
From the solid men OF business.
Then they threw aside their wrappinss
Tossed into the air their sweaters,
Took their places on the grtdiron
And prepared TO punch the pigskin.
or the struggle sanRuinary.
or tho battle fierce that followed,
All too weak and tanie my pent 10
To tell half the things that happened.
Ere the first half was half ended.
Two big fellows were disabled,
Stretched at length upon the green1was4
Ears were torn from on their moorings.
As Rome stately ocean courser
From her anchor by the tempest.
Eyes were gouged out from their sockets.
Ribs were broken without number.
DislocRted the patollas
or n half dozen athletes,
And the ground about the gridiron
Reeksd with gore like an abattoir,
And as each ono got his congo.
Loud the crowd that tlled tho grand stand
shouted "habet as tho Romuns
Did at conbuts Rladiatoral.
Yelled like lpdians at corn Canoe
Yelled like Indians full OF corn juice.
BTandishcd canes bedecked with ribbonA
footed on their horns and pounded
On the seats like men demented.
Cheered whene'er rio was broken.
Yelled whene' 'er some husky fellow
HOrs de combat from the melee
Was dragged out upon the BreonSwaro.
And tho girlish d6butante,
And the veteran cAmpRigner,
And ,he preacher and the lawyer.
And the solid man OF business.
Cheerel and clapped their hands together
When the hight got hot as hades
On the gr!dlron oy the grand stand.
Bat At last tho fray was ended.
And from on the muddy gr6iron
LinIpsd u lot ot crippled athletes,
Banged up, bunged up. frAzLled. played out
Then Uhe crowd that In the grand stand
FOR three hours had sat and shiVered
Took their hOmewRrd way contented.
FIGHTING DER again the battle
Wondering how IL 10 that people
In this age OF schools and churches
Can endure the brutal prize nghk