The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1900-03-23


news relating to the prospects of the
varsity crew or football team or some
such thrilling message as, "Tell dad
that Hockip threw the hammer yester-
day three inches farther, but that's on
the @. T."
That kind of thing began to make me
tired, and wondered at the interest
Mrs. Tupp seemed to take in it.
Look here" said to her one day,
"it looks to me as though Fred was
taking more interest in sports than in
the humanities. We didn't send him
to college to educate the brute in him,
but to eradicate and refine it out of
him. Judging by his letters, it ap-
pears that he would rather be captain
of his class crew than
Il only wish they would elect him" |"
said Mrs. Tupp wistfully. do you
think lie stands chanceY
/ glared at Mrs. Tupp for almost a
minute and then said: MY dear, there
is something of the savage in you too.
No wonder Fred
.'I'll be- savage enough If he isn't
elected" said she absently.
He was elected, and when he came
home to us in the early summer tri-
umphant and rosy and taller by an
inch the contagion of his enthusiasm
got into me somehow or other, and
liked to take him down to the office
and say in an offhand way, Judge,
this is my son Fred"
And every one admired him. 1t was
always, "By Jove, Tupp, that's a fine
figure of a boyw or: SIN Yale, eh?
They'll have you at end or center next
year sure"
They did. He played left end on the
football team in his sophomore year
and when transferred to full back
made that great run Of 20 yards for a
touchdown at Berkeley oval After
that he captained the team during his
junior and senior years.
will always think it was the duty
of Mrs. Tupp to have informed me of
Fred's preposterous growth. How was
to know? The boy looked big, to be
sure, but parent can never entirely
dissociate the memories of childhood
from his grown up child. Fred when
graduated from Yale, with no scholas-
tic honors, but with what the alumni
and undergraduates seemed to think
was very much better a brilliant foot
ball record, stood about feet 8 inches
in his socks. So I've been told. That
is, he was, say, a foot taller than l.
thereabouts. I realize it now, but then
f1idu,f xvo @ co ooo,,ctop,od xyo,, ona
to petting and patting the boy that his
egregious altitude had quite escaped
me.
But not for long.
1 take it that the woefulest storm and
stress period in the life of boy who
has gone in for athletics in his college
is that following upon his graduation,
when the newspapers no longer chron-
icle from day to day his physical con-
dition or his acts of prowess and he is
at liberty to think with Beranger Of
"the brave days when he was 81"
Fred had come to that. Therein, you
see, lies the real and only harm done to
boys by competitive athletic sports in
colleges. Long before their characters
have knit they have tasted of the joy Of
reputation. And then, after year or
two, this quarter back or that center
rush leaves college, and, oh, how he
misses the portraits of and the talks
about himself in the newspapers! Be
fore he can vote perhaps he is already
a distinguished veteran in the athletic
world. He has been intoxicated with
the 10 triumphep, borne to him by
25,OO0 people. He has seen lovely girls
in their teens and white whiskered
gentry In considerably more teens
wave flags at him in frantic delight.
He has been carried from the field on
the
But never mind. It's enough to say
that after all such splendid distinction
it must gall one little bit to spend
day after day in the country riding
farm horses and holding skein for
your mother ] appreciate that and
must fairly say that l would rather be
kicked than hold skein. Fred certain
ly has patience to burn.
But what~I first took exception to in
the boy was way he had of patroniz-
ing me and extolling his mother. l
recollect his helping his mother from
the cart one day with quite la grande
air and as though she were a duchess
and then turning about and lifting me
violently into the air and depositing me
like keg of nails beside Mrs. Tupp.
what do you think Of that for a
tackle. dad?' said he,
Il didn't tell him before the coach
man, but told Mrs. Tupp afterward in
our room what l thought about it and
told her also of my intention, long con.
sidered. of disciplining Frederick and
reducing his self conceit peg or two.
II won't have it!'' said I.
The way Mrs. Tupp smiled up at me
made me madder than ever.
"Are you aware that Fred is old
enough to be married?" said she. 'The
fact is he's engaged to be-
stood and looked at Mrs, Tupp. I
was quivering all over. but managed
to say, sis it with yeur consentY'
EYES,
"Well, it's without mine. hope you
have made provision for the support
of his family. He doesn't get a cent
from me. I'm not interested in foot
ball."
was dead in earnest, and she gave
me a startled look, saying nothing, but
pulling slowly at the threads in rib
bon that was roundabout her waist.
Then with crash the two swinging
doors went wide open into my library,
and Fred stood before us. big and smil-
m nd a f,,& - -