The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1905-11-11
gGlett gtprp.
THE GIRL AT THE FIVE-YARD LINE.
Edwin Balmer in Youths Companion.

It's Randall !
| It's Randall - In "A hoarse whisper,
as if louder tone feared to confirm the
statement, the words swept through the
| throng. On the twelfth tier of seats at
the fve-yard line the girl made out the
murmur. already confused to a sigh, upon
the lips of the thousands.
''It's 5 Randall ! Its Randall = she re-
peated THAT means
Young Barstow, beside her raised his
left wrist and let it fall again into the black
silk sling be wore over his shoulders.
Yes, he said, without interruptiug
his eager, jealous scrutiny Of the field be
low. THAT means David goes in as quarter
back It ought to mean me, and he
| glanced down bitterly at his broken wrist,
'.but it means David now They'll have
to put David in.
They Il have to-? the girl asked, re
proachfully.
Jimmy Barstow, Of Harvard O., and
/ but for his broken wrist first substitute for
Randall the crimson quarter. back, smiled
with his customary elder brother Of David
indulgence Then he looked approying'y
at her troubled, flushed little face set off
by wavy brown hair
Excuse me. Helen, h. said David
has my place today, but have his. Twas
awfully rude 20 want to change back,
wasn't it, But, he went un, quickly
and more seriously, he ouly "a freshman,
and he S never been in biz game-and
I the ball on the fye-yarj liue
He isn't only at all, the girl cor
rec,ed. stubboruly. He David Wha,
. it it Is our ball on the five yard line. Isn
that all the belter2
Upon the side lines, when the substitutes
sal together, q crimson. clad form, smaller
and morc Youthful than the other, turned
and twisted unsasily; aud beside him Dal.
ton. the bead cnacb, hesi;a,ei uncertainty
Alm0s; upon the broad chalk line, which
eleven men in bsdy aud twenty thousand in
spirit defended as Yale goal, the blae aui
the crimson teams, the latter lacking a man
eyed each other dehandy confidently Five
yaris more or only another play perhaps,
and the game would be lost aud wan. But
Randall. who had directed Harvard play
during the long first halt Of the game still
barren Of scare Randall, who. in the Second
half. driven back back. back bad al last
ir,pired his ,eaal for their successful stand
besgrc their goal Randall, whp, taking the
bail. had driven the uuoeasing. unweary
ins line pluugyS. whieh re-yained the lost
-ruuui for the crims5n. Randall who had
guided the play on rass the center OF the
ield, 90 pass lalc's twen'y -tve-yard
line and on to the very shadow Of ;he
coveted goal, Randall, who hai never
sal,eyei and never failed--wu gone,
and his team knew, A. Ihe coach kuew
who must take his place.
They bad known from the week before
aheu BarsoW lhe eldci ws> hurt. thar
Barstow the elder was hurt, that Barstos
the freshman would have 20 - into the
game II ANYTHING should happen 20 the
regular quarterback. Bu, Dalton caald
fg, have iors,cn that The boy was ia,ed to
make hi 6nt appearance noi Oaly 20 che
..amr against tie team, but 90 direct thS
,ery play which would be the play 10 ,hr
forty thousand sSrainins forward from their
-<ais. Il vas no, strange, therefore. that
lurin. the Seconds which seemed minutcs
the head coach hc-iiAtcd
Indeed. although lev in the eager. i'm
patient multitude fully comVreheaded the
rea~,u for she delay, all sat in silence
which seemed ioubly still by Teaotlcn from
the uaumenI before Ouly here and there
one who understood more fally mu,tered 20
himself, lie ouly freshman, he only
freshman, bui-bus Dalton half
bcekvns-i With his hand and as the i'ilc
substitute quarter back spang forward as
II AZ a signal, the rows ot crimson banners
STRAINED higher aud waved frangieally, as
the thousands jumped up to cheer hun.
Bu, Rarstow, running toward the waiting
teams. heard nolhin. but the voice If the
coach The tye-yard line, it said
The fye-yard hne, David, David
David That was all
The teams rrouehei in position. Young
BarSsow bent forward
- E--~sfHi 0t'Hf
Like the jaws Of grap. when sprung
the lines crashed together 10 direct the
play between guard and center. Barstow
had already received the ball but as be
turned with il toward the iuil-back, the
left guard behind him fell back h,lle
Stamping for a fresh hold, ss he yielded
the big hneman ,ripped the quarter back,
and the ball was fGmbled upon tie ground
Then a. the ball bounded perverely away
from the crimson line, an opposing end
rush threw himself forward upon it. Les
than FIVE seconds had passed; perhaps not
three
Barstow, as he trotted bravely to his
eonspicuonsly lonely place far to the rear
Of the line, where Harvard now crouehed
in defence, hardly realized his failure. He
scarcely heard the great tumult, still sound
ing as it did before that moment when the
ball slipped from his hands 1t confused
him at first, as it came hoarSe and unin-
telligible in It's exultation. IL sounded
duly in his ears. Why should they still
be cheering. 1t was not for some moments
that he realized that the sounds came from
the stands where the blue waved triumph
ant, aud that the great crimson -deeked
crowds TO his left and behind him were
sullen and silent For a moment the great
stands seemed to be dropping aud sinking
away till, as the sinking ceased, he realized
that it had been only the great masses
which had been standing settling down into
seats again.
A single figure, dozen tiers up and
opposite the yard line, remained stand
iug-a trim little girlish figure in gray
suit, across which the wind whipped a
broad crimson steamer The girl stood all
alone for moment, facing not the two
teams at the end of the field but the
quarter back all alone in the center. With
one hand she waved a crimson flag proudly
and confidently, and she extended the
other hand to the man beside her
The Yale captain dropped behind his
own goal for a kick, and Gray, the Har-
ward full back, ran down beside Barstow,
while the ends spread out The ball rose
in high ellipse, and lowered for a mo-
ment over the freshman quarter back. On
the right an end came down rapidly, but