Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-11-01


and he knew it, Ruefully he raised q
X careful hand and fingered the dressing
that covered an ugly cut on his chin.
Then he gingerly moved his left shoul-
der which had been wrenched rather badly
when he had tackled the second-string fullback
in practice that afternoon.
He didn't mind the shoulder so much, though
It was really more annoying injury than the
cut ON his chin He could conceal the shoulder
from his mother if he was careful when ne
took on his coat moved that arm in any
way. But how in the world could he hide that
cut on his chin?
eft sticks out like sore thumb" he lamented
70 himself "It's worse than thumb. ! could
hide a sore thumb in my pocket. but there's
Just no place to hide bandaged chin"
Ordinarily these injuries would not bother
member of q high school foot bali team, for
they were not dangerous, and few minor
bumps are inevitable in foot ball. But Rays
case was not an ordinary one His mother had
a perfect horror of foot bali, and lived In con-
slant fear that Ray would be badly hurt play
ing the game.
It had been bad enough the year before,
when Ray played on the freshman team. But
the freshmen played only few games, and
Ray had managed to convince his mother that
there was very little danger. Even SO, ne
played only over her constant protests. Luck
ily he had gone through the season without
miShap of any sort.
At the beginning of this year, when he an
nounced his intention of going out for
the regular team" Mrs Dunno had protested
more vigorously than ever. The argument had
lasted for days, and Ray could not say that he
had really won it. He merely had played IN
spite of everything his mother could say to
prevent it.
The one argument that had saved the day
for him was his cousin, Johnny Fitzpatrick,
who was playing his third year rs right guard
on the State University team Johnny was
Rays idol, and whenever all other arguments
failed he would say to his mother:
Look at Johnny. He has played all through
high school and college and has never had any
thing worse than sprainad ankle or a scratch.
There's no reason why can't do that, too"
This might silence Mrs. Dunno for the time
being but in q short time she would see an
item in the paper about some boy being hurt
playing foot ball, and then the argument would
begin again. One day she read of boy who
had died as the result Of foot BAN injury, and
Ray still shuddered at the memory of that His
mother had cried and almost made herself
sick worrying over him, and Ray himself had
felt so sorry for her that he was miserable.
IA That could he do? He loved the game,
Wv and the school needed him. If he quit
plaving he would be called yellow" All those
things would not have counted with Ray If he
had been convinced that his mother was justi-
fed in not wanting him TO play. But he could
not help feeling that her fears were unreason-
able He had tried TO get her to attend the
games, so that she might become enthused over
foot ball but she absolutely refused to go near
the field He showed her that other fathers
and mothers let their sons play-in fact were
glad they had the chance to learn the lessons
that foot ball taught a boy-but that meant
nothing to Mrs. Dunno She merely said that
those parents must not think as much Of their
sons as she thought Of Ray.
The worst Of 1t that Ray realized his
mothers fears we're for his sake and that
made it all the harder to go on playing in the
face Of her opposition. Rays father was dead,