Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-09-22


ment was made through the streets of the town
that Pgskin Pete had returned.
Pigskin Pete, the Bad Man from Trouble,
Ruction Township Rufantumbel County,
: Texas, who could draw quicker, shoot straight
er, swear longer, and drink harder than any
man in the State, who boosted that his father
had killed sixty in his lifetime and that
he was out to beat the record! No wonder
Sluggtt Corners looked worried and the
shall put fresh shells in his shotgun and
loaded his revOlvers.
Nobody went looking for Pigskin Pete but
soon he sauntered in to the Sluggtt Inn, and
then we saw that change had come over HIM
He wasn't armed,-visibv, at east,-and he
wore clean blue shirt and fresh handker-
chief round his neck. His eyes were clear and
bright Surely something must have hap
pened This was not the bad man we knew
We were all there,-Sure Eye Simmons,
off Spots Chicago Glen, Leggt Sanders,
Putemover Pinckney, Dwarf Duffy and me-
We rubbed our eyes when we saw Pigskin Pete.
Don't stare at me like that, fellersi'
he exclaimed, as every man IN the house
watched him pour some water in his whisky.
That in itself was unheard of. The next min
ute he broke out:
Il admit it." says he. 81 do drink water
in it What of it? I'm trainin' now. l amt
the old riotous, shootin' iron, drunk an dis
orderly Pigskin Pete you once knew" says
he I've reformed. I've been converted to
the noble side O life. Gentlemen, you
here now as pleader fer clean an humane
football"
Shucks! If he'd said clean an humane
cuttin O windpipes" an then throwed a stick
% dynamite at us, we wouldn't been sur
prised But this "A pleader fer WHAT"
says Sure Eye Simmons, when he had caught
his breath.
Clean, humane manly football" says he.
No more brutal sluggin', kickin', bltln', or
gougin I've been enlisted in the cause an
mean to stick to the good work until all the
unnecessary Toughness is stamped I'm the
game forever"
In his excitement he takes up the whisky
bottle and puts away a good stiff Swaller be-
fore he sees it's waterless. Then he apologies,
and says as he's trainin' it's no more straight
goods for him.
But nobody plays football round here"
says Sure ye,-"only them dudes up at the
boss doctor school. When you goin' to be-
gin with Your reform?
I'm goin' to begin right you fellers,
says he Wen organize the Sluggtt Corners
football team right here and now. I'll have
little talk with anybody who refuses to play"
He looked fierce an we knew he meant it.
But don't know nothin about foot
ball says Sure Eye Simmons.
SO much the better" allowed Pigskin Pete.
81 won't have any bad habits to break in you"
Pigskin Pete had his way, and the next day
we came out for our FIRST practice. He said
Dwarf Duffy should be center rush because he
is seven feet tall and weighs most a ton.
ball: and then he made Chopemout Clancy
quarterback He told Chop, after he'd got us
into positions q was tackle but | might as
well have been the headman in Persia), to take
the ball an pass it. He said Leary, who
halfback, to buck the center. First Duffy
wouldn't give up the ball, havin' been told it
his duty to hold it. They got it away at
last, and it went back to Leary, and he came
diving forward Duffy was standin' still,
eyes to the 'front.' waitin for some one to tell
him what to do next, when Leary butted him
in the back with his head, and he went sprawl
ing
Two minutes later they was clinched an
rough housing it all over the field, Pigskin
Pete wrung his hands, an says it was a dis
grace, and when We got EN- separated he called
Leary down hard
You told me to buck the center" says
Leary, an | bucked him. Watts wrong in
that Here he soaks me fer dom W at you tell
him. an you call me too. Where do get OFF,"
and he wiped a bloody nose an shifts.
Well, Pete reduced Leary from halfback
to u common line man for that and fin'lly
we got whipped into shape so we knew when
to with the ball, and what ends" and
"center" meant. Then he gave us a lot of
hggers which meant something, he said, and
whenever he, as fullback and captain, yelled
en- we had to do EN-. Sawedoff SPOTS
had SllCh had memory that all