The Waterbury Democrat., 1933-12-29

Thrusting aside the curtain, he entered another small room. Seat ed around a circular table were four men. Their faces were bronz- ed by the weather. There was a hardy look about them, look of | physical fitness. Although they were dressed neatly in quiet business suits, one could not but notice that there was on paunchiness about these four, no excess weight. Setting down the glasses in front of them, Jake stepped back from the table and stood by the door. There he could keep an attentive ear on the other room in case some customer entered.
 At the same time he could listen to the conversation among ths four men at the table. They spoke of football and obviously knew whereof they spoke. Each was an expert, former college star now playing professionally. Jake was drawn by their talk as iron is drawn to a magnet. In his youth Jake had dreamed of conquest on the gridiron. But these dreams of youth had never mater ialized. Jake's family had lived Ion the wrong side of the tracks to make college possible for him. For time. by attending night school and working during the day he had thought college possible. Hard facts, q large family left with a widowed mother, soon showed him that his desire was never to be realized.
 He stood by the door, his eyes shining and a faraway look in their depths as he listened to the talk of spinners, off-tackle slants. single wing-backs, sweeps around end.
 "WHEN WAS
 PLAYING FULLBACK -
 Listening to these men seemed to fill a gap in his life, supply something which he had missed. How he yearned to be able to sit down beside them and join in their conversation. If he could only start to talk with them by glib. "Well when I was playing full for the 
 But such was not tC be. He was just Jake, the bar keeper, ap- proaching the forties, softening and getting stouter about his midrift even as his hair was getting thin ner. He heard somebody enter the other room and with sigh, he abruptly came back to the present and reluctantly left to attend to the others wants.
 Each Fall, during the season when the professionals played their dreams over again. It was the hy.fc 1,f ctN i&, l,fe T I, H., came to look forward to the fall.
 He never saw q real game, his work prevented that and he felt he could still number of that family to be taken care of and every dollar counted. Times were not so easy.
 Cutting across q large sandlot on his way 10 work the following day, Jake say a number Of young sters playing with q football. One kicked it. It scared far over the heads of the others and came bounding directly at Jake. Instinc- lively, he thrust out his hands and caught the ball. For the first time he had his hands on football. His fingers caressed the pigskin. Then he heard shouts from the youngsters. He was holding up their game, they wanted the bait! Wake up. mister"
 obeying he knew not what inn pulse, Jake drew back his foot and dropped the ball. As it dropped he kicked at it with all his might. By some strange quirk of Fate. his foot met the ball solidly. There was a soul-satisfying thump and the ball sailed up into the air. Turing end over end, it scared down the field, far past the young sters and landed, only to go bound-