Bridgeton pioneer., 1917-10-04

days went there in hay wagon.
Nevertheless 1t was not long before
the men students learned that the CO.
eds had organized football team and
were practicing. Then it leaked out
that they were intending to challenge
the men. Innumerable were the jokes
perpetrated at the girls expense, which
luckily they did not hear. Miss Horton
was working with some especial pur-
pose in view, but since she kept her
own counsel no one knew what it was.
She urged the team to learn the game
and charged a few of the strongest
especially some who were fleet run
ners, to prepare for some real work
ON the last Saturday in November.
There was considerable anx;aIy on
the part of the men team to learn when
and where the girls did their practic,
ing. In order to prevent giving away
these important matters the young la
dies chose unexpected practice days
and set out each and every one for
the field in different direction.
The university team and the woman's
college team were in fine practice, there
being about two weeks remaining be-
fore the end of November. Then for.
NAL challenge passed, which was ac,
cepted by the university team captain
with great formality, but with the be.
lief that the affair was joke Soon
after this it was noticed that a change
had come over the women students
Up to this time there had appeared nc
disposition on their part to flirt, but
now it was observed that several Of
the prettiest had abandoned their maid
enly reserve and were showing a dis.
position 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 a more serious mat
ter. The annual game between West
moreland and Pompton was to come
off 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 q
sham game intended for a sort of so.
cial function. \ 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 be.
came very lax in their training, and not
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 ir.
regularities grew instead of decreasing
until during the last week before the
great game the condition of the team
approached decentralization
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 acct
dentally shooting himself in the foot
while cleaning his revolver and thus
rendering himself unfit to take his
part in the annual game Wharton.
another COOL man, was called home
the day before Thanksgiving by tele-
gram announcing that he was wanted
there Immediately. He did not return
till the beginning of the next week
1t 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
punting, 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 its
best men and with others whose non
attendance upon practice had untitled
them for their parts. 1t 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 he especially gratifying tc
the goods. They were observed con.
graduating each other, and the defeat
was celebrated by spreads given in
several of the girls rooms. Four men
who had been attentive to four differ.
ent girls left college on Thanksgiving
night, and three out of the four never
returned 1t was rumored that they
had made propositions of marriage and
been rejected.
On Friday, the day after Thanksgiv.
ing, the captain of the woman's team
wrote a note fo the captain of the
Westmorelands asking some question
pertaining to the game to come off on
the morrow. The messenger returning.
announced that the captains room was
locked and bolted. Messengers sent to
other members of the team failed to
find any one of them. Not a man Jack
OF them was left in town.