Freeland tribune. (Freeland, Pa.) 1888-1921, 1903-02-06
When Football
"Sand" Counted.
By Clinton p. Ticknor.

emily devoid of any worthy ambi-
4 ton. Their two older boys were
so utterly different. Harold had been
graduated from Yale with high hon
urs, and Eric was making remarkable
progress at the scientific school. In
fact, they We're both exceptionally fine
students, which made the contrast all
the more striking.
For Clinton was sadly unlike his
brothers. He seemed to labor under
the impression that he had been sent
to college simply and solely for the
purpose of learning to play football.
Apparently nothing else had the pow
er to kindle the slightest enthusiasm
in his sluggish breast. and his mother
argued and expostulated with him in
vain.
'You are frittering away your valu-
able time" she argued again and
again, ''and letting slip golden oppor-
tunities which. once gone, never will
come back to you, and what have you
TO show for it all but broken nose
and fractured collarbone?"
rs there any prospective benefit to
be derived from these hours spent in
scrambling after football?" his father
questioned, severely. to which Clinton
merely responded, in his usual offhand
style: "Who knows but may be elect
ed captain of the Varsity team next
year,"
rs that the height Of your ambi-
tion?' his parent returned, bitterly.
II am terribly disappointed in you, sir.
Are you to go on playing football for
ever and ever, or what do you propose
to make OF your life? Perhaps you
think that your reputation as a foot
ball player will prove an open sesame
to all desirable positions. Do you
suppose that any one wants fellow
who has willfully wasted his best oD-
portunities? 1 had hoped to make n
professional man of you-not profess
sional athlete-and had even aspred
to see you some day in our leading law
office with my old friend Robert
Choatc, but It's no use. Choate only
wants young men of the highest prom
's2,' and Mr.. Crompton sighed wearily.
ut does no good to talk to Clinton"
he confided to his wife afterward, "for
hardly ten minutes had elapsed after /
had been demonstrating with him about
the evils of football before he inquired
If l wouldn't bring you down to see the
game on Saturday and informed me
that he had saved two tickets for u.s."
Jrs ntn arJ \
helplessly. what did you say to
him?" she queried
Il told him certainly not" Mr..
Crompton exclaimed, warmly. "and 1
expressed my surprise at his daring to
suggest such a thing. Show me some
lasting benefit or any abiding good
that is to be derived from this rdlcu-
lous game told him, and then come
to me to abet you in such folly, but not
till them"
And so Mr.. and Mrs. Crompton failed
to witness that memorable game in
which their youngest son gained for
himself such enviable laurels. Once on
the field, Clinton was like one trans
formed. keen alert, cool, rising splen-
aidly to every emergency, no one would
have known him for the same slow,
Indifferent, easy-going specimen of hui
manity who grieved the ambitious
Souls of his parents by his small apti-
tude for Greek.
Not by any means that Clinton was
n OUNCE for his class standing was
fairly good, but what panied his father
and mother was the recognition OF
what he might have accomplished had
IT not been for that arch enemy foot
ball.
The great game over, the victorious
team FASTENED back to the gymnasium
with all possible speed They haC
some little distance to go, as the gym
nisium was not very near the bal
grounds, so that in order to reach il
they We're obliged to traverse the cen
tre of the town and cross the railroad
tracks.
Clinton. who had been detained {
moment or so longer than the others
reached the station short time aftel
they had crossed. and found the plat
A'7 NAN''Nh wan ptoIIlt W lio Ntlt
returning from the game mingled Will
those who were alighting from the in
coming trains. As he stepped from
the platform he became conscious tina
something unusual was going on. ant
he Immediately perceived the eyes o
the multitude were riveted upon
figure half way across the tracks. .
figure pausing there in bewilderment.
There's a train coming each way
somebody gasped. why doesn't h
get off the track?'
The station agent and one or tw,
other officials were shouting loudly
hut the man, who was old and seem
ingly deaf, appeared thoroughly dazcd
AS he prepared to step upon the tract
nearest him he had caught sight of on
train coming down upon him. and h
now staggered back and was about t
plunge in front Of the other down com
ing express. Suddenly something yer.
unexpected happened.