The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1902-11-28
O'Venps Last Game
By LOUISE ROBINSON RHODES

cago made good use of the tagging min
utes. The score board read 56-o,
90 and just as the whistle sounded the
boy slipped out the figures '24-0.
The great audience melted away as II
by magic. Students skunk down the back
streets to avoid seeing the little band OF
Chicagoans zigzagging down the main
thoroughfare bearing the captain OF their
team on :heir shoulders: The defeated
team remained in the dressing booth until
every one was well out of the way. No
on could talk, but more than one husky
lad shifted audibly when Ned O'Neal
buried his head in his hands and cried
like child. A sadder lot of boys never
sought the unfrequented paths across the
campus. They felt as if disgrace, black,
awful, amending, had fallen upon them.
: But the. bitterness in the hearts Of
all the others could not equal that which
The others could have another chance,
he thought but he must go out of col
lege blamed for the most sweeping de-
feat the team had ever met and with no
chance to show he could still play foot
hall. What would Lucia think? He
had tried 50 hard Of late to make Lucia
Hancock care for his triumphs and sue
cesses and most of all for himself Now
she would be glad, no doubt, that she had
never shown any regard for him,
failure. " " -,
He had met number of people during
his short, lonely walk. but no one had
spoken to him, and some had even turned
away, appearing not to see him. So it
is not strange he did not look up as
tall girl walked rapidly toward him across
the campus. Her hand was outstretched,.
but at sight of his face she dropped it.
and a little sob caught her breath as she
passed hurriedly up the steps of ladies'
hall. Once in her own room a storm Of
tears relieved Lucia's feelings and en-.
abled her to see what seemed to have
escaped every ones vision at the time.s
that it was only a game that was lost
after ALL.
Dear boy" she exclaimed impulsively,
caressing Ned's picture, which stood on
her dresser. He must not be let to suf-
fer alone" Then second thought came
to her. '..They must all be suffering"
Thought meant action with Lucia and
soon two devoted freshmen were speed
ing over the hall tapping on every door
with the summons, Meet in the gym
at once" Other petticoated couriers
gathered in the girls from the neighbor-
ing fraternity houses, and the gymna SUM
was filled with restless. wondering groups
when Lucia marched in clad in a GRIM
son lounging robe girt with an azure
sash and holding under her arm NINA
ture football which had once contained
bonbons. She walked calmly to the plat
form.
"Girls," she said. waving her hand
toward the athletic quarters, chose boys
the tean-are over there alone. crying
crying. do you hear?-with shame and
humiliation. The boys have left them
without as much as fandshake. People
have passed them on the street as if
they had the plague. They are our boys.
our team, who have won every game for
L,
up the field with Chicago only a year
ago; how they have beaten Minnesota
three times. Remember how they went
east and tied Cornell and showed the
eastern teams we could play football out
here. We know, too, that they have
never played an unfair game, that they
have denied themselves Inquiries and
.amusements and have practiced hard to
be a credit to Greatwestern. What right
have We who never helped to win their
victories to draw back and blame them
for their failure? il is shame TO all OF
us, I tell you, to let them suffer there
alone"
sion of her speech and little Nell Hustled
jumped on the piano stool to make her
voice heard among the babel of approx
ing tongues as she cried, II move we send
the boys some flowers and let EN- know
we like 'em still" - -. 49,. '.-~'
. Nell seized the football and started
around the ROOM Dollars and half dol
lars ratified together until she poured the
glittering heap of silver into Lucia's lap.
saying, Get 'em the beauties, Lucia, and
send note" -
AS the members of the team sat gloom
lily in the hall of the athletic quarters
trying to talk, and only spasmodically
succeeding, the roses were brought in,
great, fragrant armful, tied with an azure
sash.
A card bore the inscription. with cor
dial good wishes from the Greatwestern
girls. who have admired the team in its
victories and still admire it in its first
defeat .~ - -: -; - 80
There was a moment Of strained 81
'lence, while each boy tried not to show
all he felt. Then ONeal leaped to his
feet. and the way they all Joined in his
cheer for "Our girls. They're trumps!.'
showed that the first bitterness of failure
had passed.
There was note for O'Neal. just
few lines from Lucia, in which she
wrote, Make the boys eat their Thanks
giving dinner, Ned, then come see me.
slease." -.
: The oldtime ring was in Ned's voice
as he turned to the boys, saying, We'll
have the dinner brought over here and
keep THANKSGIVING after all: Let's have
it now, for i have. an engagement this
evening" - $50
The boys could even laugh as some one
said Make it for life if you can, old fell
low ,-s so
81 WILL" said Ned hunbly. .--c