Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1905-11-25
The Girl at the
FiYe-YaTd Line.
z EDWIN BALMER.

Its Randall!
It's Randall" In hoarse whisper,
as If a louder tone feared to confirm
khe statment, the words swept
through the throng. On the twelfth
tier of seats at the five-yard line the
girl made out the murmur, already
confused to a sigh, upon the lips of
the thousands.
tits Randall! It's Randall" she re
peated. "That means"
Young Barstow, beside her, raised
his left wrist and let it fall again
into the black silk sling he wore over
his shoulders.
eyes," he said, without interrupting
his eager, jealous scrutiny of the field
below, "that means David goes in as
and he glanced down bitterly at his
broken wrist, "but it means David
now. They'll have to put David in"
They'll have to-" the girl asked,
reproachfully.
Jimmy Barstow, Of Harvard %,
and but 'or his broken wrist first
substitute for Randall, the crimson
quarterback, smiled with his custo-
mary eldeT-brother-of-David indul-
gence. Then he looked approvingly
at her troubled, flushed little face set
off by wavy brown hair.
Excuse me- Helen,' he said. "Da-
yid has my place today, but have
his. Twas awfully rude to want to
change back, wasn't it? But" he went
on, quickly and more seriously, hes
only freshman he's only a fresh
man, and he's never been in a big
game-and the balls on the five-yard
line"
"He isn't only at ALL" the girl cor
rected, stubbonly. Hes David. What
If it is our ball on the five-yard line?
Isn't that all the better"
Upon the side lines, where the sub
stitutes sat together, crimson-o lad
form, smaller and more youthful than
the others, turned and twisted un-
easily; and beside him Dalton, the
head coach, hesitated uncertainty.
Almost upon the broad chalx-line,
which eleven men in body and twenty
thousand in spirit defended as Yale's
goal, the blue and the crimson teams
the latter lacking man-eyed
each cher defantly, confidently. Five
yards more or only another play,
perhaps, and the game would be lost
and Won But Randall, who had di-
rected Harvard's play during the
long first half of the game still bar
rem of score; Randall, who, in the
second half, driven back, back, had
at last inspired his team for Their
successful stand before their goal
Randall, who, taking the ball, had
driven the unceasing, unwearying
line plungeS, which regained the lost
ground for the crimson; Randall, who
had guided the play on past the cen
ter of the field, on past Yale's TWEEN
ty-five-yard line and on to the very
shadow of the coveted goal; Randall,
who had never faltered and never
failed-was gone, and his team knew,
as the coach knew, who must take
his place.
They had known from the week be-
tore, when Barstow the elder was
hurt, that Barstow the freshman
would have to go into the game if
anything should happen to tie regu.
lar quarterback. But Dalton could
not have foreseen that the boy was
fated to make his first appearance
not only In the game against the
team, but to direct the very play
which would be the play to the forty
thousand straining forward from
their seats. 1t was not strange
therefore, that during the seconds
which seemed minutes the head
coach hesitated
Indeed, although few in the eager
impatient multitude fully compre,
hended the reason for the delay. all
sat in a silence which seemed dcub y
still by reaction from the moment be
fore. Only here and there one who
understood more fully muttered to
himself, He's only freshman, he's
only a freshman; but-but"
Dalton half-beckoned with his hand
and as the little substitute quarter
back sprang forward, as. if at sig
nal, the rows of crimson banners
etreamed higher and wave franti
cally as the thousands jumped up tt
cheer him. But Barstow, running to