The Washington times., 1937-10-06

of nelghborliness they should nave
been chummy.
Deac raised rabbits and turkeys,
Bill raised chickens and ducks.
Deac Harwood could see no good
in a chicken, and turkeys were
anathema to Bill Maloney.
The way Harwood and Maloney
loathed each other might have
been a Valley scandal but for the
fact that they we're both honest,
God-fearing, hard-working fellows
who were too busy attending TO
their own business to let their teud
interfere.
When young Tom Barrows was
about IL years old he went to
work as general handy boy for Bill
Maloney. Up to that time Mrs.
Barrows had been friendly with
both Bill and Deac but now Deac
had nothing good to say of her.
If you wanted to give your boy
a chance in life, Mrs. Barrows," y
he said, why let him fool around
with chickens and ducks? Why not
get him into something solid and
respectable like turkeys?"
ENVY RACES
That was all. But Deac looked
on with envy raging in his soul at
Bill and his dependable assistant.
Tom BarroWs. while he himself had
to get along the best he could with
fly-by-night help and idlers who
were here today and gone tomor-
row. Then he had a stroke of luck.
Tom Barrows' cousin, Alec Saun-
derS, came to live with the Bar
rows. The two boys went to high
school together and family circum-
stances we're such that Alec had to
rustic a job, too. Deac hired him.
Now the two ancient rivals had
nothing on each other again.
Every time either of them went to
the store he would dilate on the
virtues of whichever boy was work
ing for him.
The other was no good and just
naturally couldn't be. Tom and
Alec, the closest of buddies, got a
lot of fun out of the feud. They
were growing up now, stout, husky
lads. old enough to have an eye
for the girls, athletic, too, tanned
and rugged from their boyhood OF
hard work in the outdoors.
Alec turned out to be such an
efficient worker for Deac HarWood
that friendly relations were re-
stored between Deac and Mrs.
BarroWS.
Being rangy, strong fellows, both
boys played on the football team
at Valley High and made as tough
pair of halfbacks as you might
find in a months journey.
The little Valley Weekly called
them the Twin Terrors because of
their relationship and so they
were, one running with the ball
and the other blocking for him
and vice versa.
The gridiron glory of Tom and
Alec inflamed the feud of Har-
wood and Maloney. Each knew
dadblamed well that there was a
plot by the coach to steal glory
from his favorite.
Deac and Bill became dyed-in.
the.Wool fans, going to all the
games and discussing pigSkin
strategy with all the skill of Mon.
day morning quarterbackS every
where.
FINAL GAME
On a crisp Saturday in Novem.
Der the final game of the season
was to be played between Valley
High and a tough team of inva-
ders for the county champion.
ship. Tom and Alec got their
chores out of the way early.
Bill Maloney was going to es.
cort Mrs. Barrows to the game.
The growing friendship between
those two, closely eyed by Deac
HARDWOOD, was the cause of some
gossip. Deac was in a fair way
to being left entirely out in the
cold.
He'd been practically a father
to Alec Saunders ever since Alec
had come. a gangling, toWheaded
kid, to work at the Harwood place.
Age was creeping on Deac and he
feared loneliness.
This Sketchy chapter out of the
lives of a few humble folk takes
cognizance of that hard.fought
football game only because the
game happened to be the focal
point in a number of things.
The climax, as it were, of a plot
by Fate, master weaver of DIES.
TIMES, to root out hatred and els.
trust from where they didn't be-
long.
Valley High was leading by a
comfortable margin in the third
quarter. Tom and Alec were play.
ing their usual bang.up game,
smearing the opposition and car.
rylng the ball on brilliant runs.
The other team had the ball.
They could not gain and had to
punt. Back trotted Tom and Alec
as safety men. The ball was
kicked. lofty spiral that seemed
to reach its peak, and then hang
in the air before beginning its
lazy. floating descent.
: 1--WE got it," cried Tom.
A puff Of wind caught the pig
skin. Alec yelled: I've got it,"
Eyes aloft. the two boys watched
the ball. Both tried to get under
1t.
They came together crashing in
full career like couple of plung-
ing buffalo. The ball bounced
-harmleSsly on the ground. But
Tom ana Alec lay still.