The Press., 1912-01-24

arrer this 1t was norlceo LnRE a cnange had come over the women students. Up to this time there had appeared no disposition on their part to firt, but | now it was observed that several of the prettiest had abandoned their maidenly reserve and were showing a disposition to be wooed. But what was | not especially noticed was that the at traction for them seemed to lie not in the honor men, but in the stalwarts of the football team.
 The truth is that the joke attending the proposed game with the girls was overshadowed by more serious mat ter. The annual game between West l moreland and PomptOn was to come of on Thanksgiving day. As to the game with the girls on the following Saturday, no one believed it would take place, or, if it did, it would be a sham game intended for sort of so- cial function. A couple of weeks be- fore Thanksgiving Captain Ashton of the Westmoreland university team be- gan to have trouble with his men, Several of those he most relied on became very lax in their training, and not a practice game was played but one or more men were absent. The captain stormed and threatened and vowed he would resign. but to no effect The irregularities grew instead of de creasing until during the last week be- fore the great game the condition of the team approached demoralization.
 Ashton questioned the big fellows as to what was drawing them, but re ceived no satisfaction. His best man, Tomkins, suddenly cast the captain into the depths of despair by acc1- dentally shooting himself in the foot while cleaning his revolver and thus rendering himself unfit to take his part in the annual game. Wbarton, another good man, was called home the day before Thanksgiving by tel egram announcing that he was want ed there immediately. He did not re turn till the beginning of the next week.
 It was only two days before the game that an incident occurred which cast faint light on what was the matter with the Westmoreland team. Skulpins, who was relied on to do the bunting, while his team was out for practice was seen walking on a by lane with Beatrice Wheaton, one of the prettiest girls in the woman's col lege. The fact was reported to Ash ton, who began to ''see through a mill stone.' But it was too late. His team was obliged to go into the game with Pompton shorn of several of It's best men and with others whose non attendance upon practice had unf1tted them for their parts. It subsequently leaked out that no less than seven of them had the evening before been sumptuously entertained by young la dies of the woman's college. The re suit was that at the match game the score at the close stood: POmpton. "A; Westmoreland, 0.
 This defeat of the WestmOrelanders seemed to be especially gratifying to the co-eds. They were observed con- gratulating each other, and the defeat was celebrated by spreads given in several of the girls rooms. Four men who had been attentive to four diff ferent girls left college on Thanksg1v- ing night, and three out of the four never returned. It was rumOred that
 they had made propositions of mar riage and been rejected.
 On Friday. the day after ThanksgiV' | ing, the captain of the wOman's team wrote note to the captain of the Westmorelands asking some question
 pertaining to the game to come on | on the morrow. The messenger re. turning. announced that the captains
 room was locked and bOlted. Messen
 gers sent to other members of the
 team failed to find any one of them Not a man Jack of them was left 1I town.
 On Saturday evening a notice wal 1 posted on the college bulletin board
 signed by the captain of the wOman'f team, claiming the game to nave been | played that afternoon. since the mems team had run away.
 The girls scheme of revenge was
 out, and to no one was 1t palmer in
 all it's details than to Captain Ashton.
 The triumph of heart over muscle had
 been complete. Miss Horton's man
 agement had been eminently efficient.
 She had set the most intellectual girl
 after the prizes, placed the most mus
 cular on her team, while for the break
 ing down of the athletes she had
 brought up her corps of beauty, before
 which their hearts collapsed like g
 bursted football.
 The class of 1910 was the last wom
 ans class to be graduated at West
 moreland. and the men students sw0re
 great oath that there should never
 be another.