The daily morning Alaskan., 1903-01-11
Who Passed the
 Great Football Man ?
toriginall

It won't do Co mention the coiieseo or the parties interested. They must all so under fictitious names Wen eall the colleges Kings and Queena Kings was a large institution, and Queens was a small one. But Queens had been iugged through Q series of successful games for tho championship by spangier. a splendid, powerful fel- low. whose only fault was that be was always ln danger of falling on his ex- animation. And now. when the final game Of the series was coming on, ho had to so and make a guy of himself by breaking down In analytical geom- ety. No student could play football for the championship who had not passed In every subject The conse- Quence was that Queens must lose aft CT an her victories because the great bulk of a fellow couldn't learn math- ematics.
 "Blast mathematicsF' said the team and the college generally. Whats mathematics compared with foOtballP
 Now. Professor Plum of the ehair of mathematics had every reason to help Spangler through. He had himself been the best tackle when an under graduate the college had ever had and was stil devoted to the game More over. he was engaged to Dc married to Spangler's sister He had agreed to give the athlete a final trial the day before the game was to be played and be as lenlent as possible with his pa- pers, but the professor was conscien- tlous man. and Spangler must get the average required by college law.
 And SO it was that the day before the game. when everybody said that Span- gler should be spending his time legiu- mately practicing with the team in- stead of wasting it In useless figures he was sitting In a classroom endeayor Ing to answer the questions Plum had written out for hlm.
 It was 8 o'clock before Spangler handed in his papers. and Professor Plum. who did not relish spending an evening apart from his betrothed. took them to the little bOudolr where Alice usually received him and, taking bis pencil began to look them over, giving each answer a number denoting lts value. The rule was that the stu dent must get sixty out of a possible hundred In order to pass. Alice, who had been graduated at the head of her class the year before at the woman's college attached to the university, ask ed the professor to read the questions and their answers aloud.
 There were ten questions. The first was a complete breakdown and was given a zero. The second was answer cd perfectly aud received 100. the third IO and SO on Co the end. As the pro lessor put down the numbers Alice added them in her head, and when eight had been answered with only a total of 100. or an average of 40, she knew that unless the next two ques- tons received 100 each the result would be a failure.
 CT think" she said. "that you made a slight mistake in giving only 60 to the sixth question. It was In two parts The first part was not answered en- tirely wrong. and the second was an right"
 After a brief argument the professor was convinced and added 90 to the score The eighth question was fairly answered and secured so. This gave a total of 5iO. and the last question must receive % to make the required average. The professor, who had not kept tally, was about to mark co for it when Alice stopped him.
 'Srhe first four out of Ave subdivi- slOns in this question are right" she said.
 '-The third is wrong"
 Figure 1t again"
 He did SO and found an error fin his own work. He changed the marking to 80.
 Before you take the average" said Alice, who knew that It was stin short by 10 numbers, Hook over the fourth question again"
 The professor dld SO and Alice took Issue with him on bis interpretation of the answer. claiming that the student meant one thing while the professor claimed he meant another. Plum was not thoroughly convinced. but. feeling that one on trial should have the ben eAt of all dOubts yielded and added 10 to the total
 q sincerely hope" said the profess or, that the average will be up to the mark. but l fear not"
 Meanwhile several hundred students who had tracked the professor had eongregated outside the house and now began to howl for the result
 "Pu make the addition before them" said Plum. Then neither they nor the faculty can accuse me, since l don't know the result myself"
 Going out on the piazza, he faced the expectant crowd
 "Gentlemen. I have laid down a fair value for each question do not know the result but win strike an average"
 'Tu do lt for your cried the captain Of the football team and selzed the paper.