The Jennings daily record., 1902-12-16
a the crowd Of bystanders shranE

40 the cr0W0 Oh DySt0UOetU UoTAuE
back with horror-stricken faces, con!
vinced that they were about to witness
the terrible fate which must instantly
Overtake the old man. a figure in .
much.begrimed canvas Jacket sprang
out among them, and clearing the
tracks at a bound, alighted beside the
swaying form of the man in danger.
A shuddcr and n wave Of pitiful re.
gret swept over the motionless crowd
"He can never drag him back in time
they breathed. ''They will both be
killed! Oh. the pity Of it,"
But the football man had not Thought
of dragging the unsteady figure III
front of either approaching engine. In
an instant he had tackled the man and
thrown him fiat upon the ground be.
tween the two tracks. for all the world
quite as if he had been an opponent,
on the football field. Then he dropped
lightly on top of him, and lay there
motionless, while the two trains thun-
dcred past on each side of them and
the crowd stood waiting. spellbound.
In much less time than it takes to
describe the episode was over, and
what might have been tragedy had
proved only a bit of melodrama after
all, yet as Clinton jumped up and
pulled the old man to his feet applause
and cheers louder than any that had
greeted him on the football field rang
in his ears.
Abashed and overwhelmed by such
an ovation, Clinton made haste to ell
bow his way through the crowd. and
in so doing nearly overthrow his own
brother Harold. who happened to be
standing directly in his path.
For heavens sake. was that you.
Clinton?' he cried in astonishment.
do let me get out Of this" his
brother responded, ,impatiently. 'They
need not make such n fuss because I
! knocked the old duffer over" and he
| bolted in the direction Of the gymna-
! sium.
Saturday nights generally brought
| the scattered members of the Crompton
family together. as the collegians all
spend Sunday under the parental roof
| tree.
On this particular Saturday evening
all We're assembled before Clinton came
| in. Harold was all aGos to describe
| the scene that he had Witnessed, but
he unseltishly held his tongue. "Tli
| not spoil his story for him. but will
give him a chance to do justice to it,"
| he mentally calculated, as he watched
| his brother swallowing his soup with
unruff1ed composure.
But Clinton said nothing upon the
vital subject. and Harold looked at him
with increasing surprise, as he Judi
cially set forth the respective merits of
| the opposing football teams and called
attention to their most vulnerable
points.
III turn in early tonight. l think" :"
he yawned as he withdrew from the
dining room. Il put pretty solid work
into the last half Of that game" and
he leisurely wended his way up stairs.
Il wish that Clinton would put a
little solid work into something else"
his father volunteered rs he disap.
peared from the room.
At this Harold. who had in times
past repeatedly scofIed at his brothers
athletic p:oclivities. instantly fired up.
| Father" he burst forth. you're
making n big mistake about Clinton.
He's got more genuine stuff in him
than all the rest of us put together,
and il it's foot bali that's done it, the
sooner We all so in for the game the
better and then he proceeded to give
4 graphic account OF tie afternoons
experience, which caused his father
to bow his nose loudly and repeatedly.
+, while his eyes glistened with happy
pride. ard which sent his mother weep
| ing in search OF the sleepy athlete,
who could not understand what he
had done that was worth making such
4 fuss about.
\ few days later Mr.. Crompton re-
! ceived 9 note from his old friend Rob-
ert Choate, which ran somewhat as
follows:
Dear Crompton: I hear that your
Clinton is going in for law, and If so.
l want him. When he gets through
with the law school you can hand him
over TO me. for he's just the material
| that am on the lookout for. and yon
may well be proud of him. He scared
ME out OF q years growth the other
| afternoon at the station, the young
rascal but in spite of that ! wish you
would tell him to come around and
! take dinner with me some night, for
l want to talk to him. With kind re.
CARDS to Mrs. Crompton, believe me
ever your friehd,
ROBERT CHOATE."
| When Clinton came home the follow
ing Saturday his father handed him
the note. remar,lins: I'm afraid
| haven't appreciated your football, old
man, but Pm going to do better in the
| f1,t;lre and hy the WAY Clinton l hear