Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1903-11-07
DAILY SHORT STORY
Animating a Sluggard.

lightning, but it required a galvanic
| battery to rouse him. Captain Harkcr
of Princeton knew that if he could
| keep Pondrus galvanized during the
game he would win. Knowing also
that POndrus wOrshiped little black
| eyed Lucy Meriweather, Harker went
to her and begged her to encourage the
monster during the game. This was
| embarrassing to Miss Meriweather, for
| Mr.. TOpliff, captain of the Yale team,
was a sutton of hers. TOpliff was rich,
| and Mrs. Meriweather was determined
that her daughter should marry him.
| But girls will be contrary, and Miss
Lucy preferred the cumbrous Pondrus.
She half promised Harker to do what
she could in the matter.
| Just before the game was called Top
lift approached Miss Meriweather and,
giving her q blue flag, asked her to
wave it for Yale. He had no time to
wait for a reply and hurried off on to
the gridlrOn.
Allen Pondrus, discouraged at seeing
a blue flag in Miss Meriweather's hand,
numbered about like a ship in the dol
| drums. During a wait for umplres
Harker passed Miss Meriweather and
gave her a look which said plainly
Help u.s. She dropped the flag and
Joined in a cheer for Princeton. Top
lift noticed what she did and, passing
her few moments later, looked the
other way. This angered her, and she
determined to make an effort to rouse
| Pondrus' energy.
The men were massed in the center
| of the field; then came a sudden
| spreading, and Miss Meriweather saw
| Pondrus on the right of the Princeton
| line, gazing at her lugubriOusly. She
gave him the sweetest smile she could
call up. Just then the pigskin struck
him in the face. He reached for it, but
muffed. He tried again and got it.
Dashing off like a twisting arrow, he
made toward his goal. A man stood in
| his way and went down like lead.
| Two men tackled him, but he swung
his right arm backward, getting rid OF
one, and. lunging against the other,
| freed himself. Then commenced the
most remarkable run of the season,
over more than half the length of the
field to goal.
Captain TOpliff was at loss to
know what had so suddenly infused
vigor into the principal man of the
| opposing team. He was soon made
aware of the cause. Seeing Pondrus
| stalk by the grand stand, Miss Meri-
weather waved an orange flag to him
as he passed 1t was plain to the Yale
| captain that in showing his dissatis-
faction with Miss Meriweather he had
made a blunder. He resolved to undo,
if possible, what he had done. Making
II to I,n ,fT
the girl sat, he forced a smile. She
leaned over the rail, and he spoke to
| her: What he said no one could hear,
though her mother, who sat near, see
ing that all was not going well be-
| tween the two. whispered a few words
in her daughters ear. The result was
that during the rest of the first half
Miss Meriweather waved a blue flag.
| Moreover, Allen POndrus, who Occa
| siOnally looked toward her for more
smiles, not only did not receive them.
| but saw the flag of his enemies waved
| by her fair hands. The change in him
| was instantaneous.
What's the matter with Pondrus?"
| was the universal cry.
Harker, who had kept an eye on the
| grand stand and knew all that had
happened, cOntrived to pass Miss Meri
weather and gave her mute appeal.
| Whether it was this or something that
had occurred between her and the
| Yale captain or n desire to show once
more her power over Pondrus, she
suddenly ceased to regard the interests
of Mr.. TOpliff and the admonitions of
her mother. Before the men lined up
| again she caught the giants eye and
| gave him another smile.
Look at Pondrus. See him scatter
those men! He's got the pigskin! He's
going for goal, No. Hello! He's in the
openI Julius Caesar! What kickv'
The giant sent the ball to one of his
team, who caught it and carried it in
semicircle to goal.
Pondrus, after noting the result of
his punt. turned and faced the group
about Miss Meriweather. She waved
| the Princeton colors and gave him a
shower of smiles. Topliff saw it all.
Miss Meriweather's eyes met his. and
she knew that she had sinned beyond
| forgiveness.
Then Pondrus was carried off the
field injured, and during the next FIVE
minutes what he had gained by his
Harker got Miss Meriweather to
scratch a few words on the back of an
old letter asking the giant for her sake
to come back and win the game. The
device brought him stalking on to the
field to the music of Princeton's thun-
dering cheers. His awakened enthu-
siasm needed to last only five minutes.
The Princeton men contrived to get
the ball to him and with almost super
human strength, breaking away from
his clinging enemies, his TANKS well
guarded. he took zigzag course for
few moments; then, leaving all behind
made goal and the game.
The last incident of that exciting
game was Miss Meriweather taking a
flower from her snowy corsage and
pinning it to Pondrus' dirty buckskin.
Mr. Pondrus came very near losing