Center Rush Rowland

by Ralph Henry Barbour

  CHAPTER XIII

  A CONFERENCE

  As it happened, an unusually large number of fellows had accompaniedthe team that day, and in consequence a great many disappointed anddisgruntled youths returned to Warne and a late supper and reciteddiscouraging stories of the contest. Those who had remained at homeshrugged their shoulders and said: "Well, what did you go for? Youmight have known!"

  Fred Lyons was too downcast to make an effort to put a good face on thematter. As for Coach Driscoll, it was hard to say what his feelingswere, for he looked and acted the same in success or failure. De WolfLowell, the manager, declared that Driscoll was beastly unsatisfactory,since he "always looked untroubled and you never could tell whetherhe wanted to kiss you or kick you!" The defeat could not have come ata more inopportune time, for the _Leader_, which appeared on Fridays,held that week an appeal for funds for the football team. It was awell-worded appeal, signed by the four class presidents and ManagerLowell, but it failed of its purpose very largely. In the course of thenext week or so enough small contributions materialised to enable theteam to struggle along for the moment, but the amount donated was onlya drop in the bucket when viewed with the season's expenses in mind.

  There was a consultation Sunday evening in Coach Driscoll's roomattended by coach, captain and manager. The coach's attitude was oneof polite indifference when the matter of finances was reached. "Itisn't in my province," he explained calmly. "That may sound heartless,fellows, but if I have to worry about money I can't give the undividedattention to my real business that it requires. I'm here to turn outa good team, and I mean to do it if it's any way possible. I can't doit if my mind is disturbed by questions of receipts and expenditures.Whatever you decide I'll agree to, and I'll do anything in reason tocarry the play through, but you mustn't look to me for schemes."

  "If we don't get some money," said Lowell dismally, "there won't be anyuse for a team."

  "That's up to you," replied the coach, smiling.

  Lowell looked doubtfully at Fred, and the latter nodded agreement."The coach is right, old man. It isn't his funeral. We've got to find away out ourselves."

  "Then, for the love of lemons, let's get something started," saidLowell impatiently. "Canvas the school, go through it with a fine-toothcomb. There's no other way. If we called a meeting it would end in afarce."

  "I don't think so," said Fred. "We'd have the class leaders with us anda good many others. We could get them on the platform and have themspeak. Whatever we do, though, we must wait until we've won a game."

  "That's all very well, but suppose, we lose again Saturday!"

  "We won't," replied Fred confidently. "We can beat High School withouttrouble. The only thing is that it won't be much of a victory when weget it! I wish it was Musket Hill next Saturday instead of High School."

  "We can't wait much longer," protested the manager. "We need coin,Fred. We owe so many bills now that I'm ashamed to walk through town!Hang it, the money's here. Why can't we get hold of it? If it was thebaseball team that needed it the fellows would fall all over themselvespassing it out!"

  "We're not popular," said Fred, with a grimace.

  Coach Driscoll, who had listened tranquilly to the discussion, took hispipe from his mouth and viewed it thoughtfully. "I wouldn't count toomuch on a win next week," he said. "I'm planning to use a good manysecond-string fellows Saturday." The pipe went back again and he viewedFred untroubledly.

  "Great Scott!" exclaimed Lowell. "That'll never do, Coach!"

  "Is it necessary?" asked Fred dubiously.

  The coach nodded. "Very," he answered. "The subs have got to tasteblood if they're going to be any use. Just putting them in for a fewminutes at the end of a game doesn't do much good. I want to start withpractically a substitute line-up Saturday; Bradford, French, Buffum,Conlon maybe, and so on. You can start if you like and Dannis hadbetter run them: and we'll keep Wirt in the backfield. I don't say thatwe won't win even with that bunch. I don't know much about the HighSchool team. But I wouldn't consider it a foregone conclusion, fellows."

  "That means waiting another week," said Lowell disgustedly.

  "No, we'll go ahead whatever happens," said Fred. "Look here, we'llstart things up tomorrow. Call a mass meeting for next Saturday nightin the auditorium. I'll see Knowles and Hodges. You get after Sternerand young Lane. Tell them we'll want them to sign the notices and tosay something at the meeting. Who else can we count on?"

  "You'll speak; and Mr. Driscoll?" Lowell looked inquiringly across atthe coach and the latter nodded. "And I will, too, if you want me to.Perhaps I'd better. I can tell them facts, give them figures and so on.How about Gene? He's Track Captain. Wouldn't he count?"

  "Gene can't talk much," replied Fred. "I mean he isn't much of aspeaker in public. Still, he will do his best if we ask him. I wish weknew of someone who really had the gift of the gab, someone who couldget them started."

  "How about you, coach?" asked Lowell.

  But Mr. Driscoll shook his head. "I'm no spellbinder," he replied."I'll talk, but don't expect eloquence, Lowell."

  "Well, we'll just do the best we can," said Fred. "What time can youcome around tomorrow? We'll have to draw up some notices to post andanother to put in the _Leader_."

  "I'll see my men in the morning and meet you at your room at half-pastone," answered Lowell. "I'm glad we're going to get something startedat last. I'm getting white-headed over it!"

  "Through?" asked Mr. Driscoll. The others nodded. "Then let's take upanother subject." He reached to the table and lifted a notebook tohim. "We've got forty-odd men out now and we don't want them all muchlonger. I think we'd better make a final cut a week from Monday. We cantell how some of the green ones size up in the High School game. I wishI'd asked Billy Goode to come around here tonight. He's got dope onsome of these chaps that I don't know."

  "How many shall we keep?" asked Fred.

  "Twenty-eight or thirty are enough. Run your eye over that list and seehow it strikes you. I've crossed the names I mean to drop."

  "Sumner?" asked Fred doubtfully as he went down the list.

  "Don't need him. We've got five half-backs without him. He will bebetter next year, but he isn't 'varsity material yet."

  Fred nodded and went on. Presently: "Rowland?" he questioned.

  "Y-yes," answered the coach hesitantly. "I wasn't certain about him,though. If I were certain Crane would keep coming I'd drop Rowland,but Crane's pretty poor sometimes. What do you think?"

  "I'd keep him," said Fred. "Rowland's a mighty steady player, andconsidering that he didn't know a football from a ham sandwich threeweeks ago I think he's done remarkably."

  "Yes, he has. I only questioned him because we don't want a lot ofdeadwood around. Cross him off, Lyons. If Donovan doesn't come aroundwe may need him."

  "Al? Isn't he going to? I thought he was coming back tomorrow."

  "So he is, as far as I know, but a fellow who gets hurt once is twiceas likely to get it again. I'm always leery of them after they oncecome a cropper. I've seen it happen so often. We'll keep Rowland and beon the safe side. The boy is a worker and would make a corking guard ifhe put his mind on his work. The trouble with him is that he acts as ifhe was attending a tea-fight instead of football practice!"

  Fred laughed. "He's too good-natured, I guess."

  "It doesn't do to be too good-natured in football," replied the coachdrily. "But I don't think it's that so much, as it is that he doesn'ttake it seriously. I watched him the other day in practice and hesmiled the whole time!"

  Fred handed the list back. "The others are all right, I think," hesaid. "Maybe we'll want to make changes after Saturday's game, though.Is there anything more tonight, coach?"

  "Not a thing. You fellows go ahead with your meeting and try to makea hit with it. Let Lowell attend to as much of it as he can. That'shis business, I guess. If you get it on your mind too much you will befalling off in your play. And we don't want that. Save him all you can,Lowell. We may need him."
/>   Beginning on Monday, Ira's services were constantly in demand. Donovanreturned to his position at left guard on the first team, but he wasused very carefully and most of the time Tom Buffum had his place.That brought Ira into the substitute squad and he and Crane alternatedopposite to Buffum, or, in the usual scrimmage, against Johns afterDonovan and Buffum had had their chances. Ira played hard and fast andused his head, but in the final analysis there was something lacking,and not even Coach Driscoll could put his finger on that something. Oneday he called Ira to him on the side line and questioned him.

  "Well, what do you think of it, Rowland?" he asked pleasantly.

  "Of what, sir?"

  "Football work. Find it interesting?"

  "Oh, yes, sir, quite. I like it better than I expected to. But I'mstill pretty green at it, I guess."

  "Why, I don't know," replied the coach slowly. "You've come pretty fastfor a beginner. Do you feel yourself that you're still green?"

  "Well, I--realise that I don't know as much about the game as I should.The other fellows seem to always know just what to do. I sort of--sortof blunder along, I guess."

  "What is it you think you don't know?" asked the coach.

  "I can't say exactly. I suppose it's lack of experience that I mean.There's so much more in it than I realised, sir; in the game, I mean."

  "Yes, there's a lot in it, but all you need to know is how to play theguard position, Rowland. Don't worry yourself too much about the gameas a whole. Play your own position as well as you can and leave therest to the others. Which of the fellows are you most afraid of?"

  "Oh, I'm not afraid of any of them," replied Ira placidly.

  "I didn't mean it just that way," corrected the coach, hiding a smile."I meant which one do you find it hardest to play against?"

  "Johns," was the prompt reply.

  "Johns?" The coach's voice contained surprise. "But Johns isn't theplayer that Buffum is."

  "No, I guess not, sir, but Johns--well, I don't know; I think he plays_harder_ than Buffum."

  The coach looked mystified. "Harder, eh? Look here, isn't it just thatyou yourself don't play as hard against Johns as you do against Buffumor Donovan? Maybe Johns has got you scared."

  "It might be that," answered Ira. "Anyway, I'd rather tackle Johns."

  "But you just said you found him harder!"

  "That's the reason, I guess," laughed Ira.

  "Hm. Well, you go in there now and see what you can do to Johns. Holdon! Wait till the play's over. Just forget that Johns is Johns and seeif you can't put it over on him, Rowland."

  But Ira didn't put it over on Johns. For the ensuing ten or twelveminutes they played each other to a standstill and neither could havefairly claimed supremacy. Coach Driscoll, watching at intervals fromthe side line--he had a way of absenting himself from the field forlong periods before jumping in and reading the riot-act--frowned inpuzzlement. "I wonder," he muttered once, "what the result would be ifJohns handed him a jolt under the chin! What that boy needs is to getwarmed up to his work. He's too calm!"

  The announcement of the mass meeting appeared on the differentbulletin boards on Tuesday and occasioned plenty of interest but smallenthusiasm. "'Football Mass Meeting,' eh?" Ira heard one fellow remarkin front of the board in Parkinson. "Suppose they want us to shell out.Not for mine, thank you. Let them win a game once."

  "Oh, a dollar won't hurt us," observed his companion carelessly. "Iguess they're pretty hard up."

  "I paid perfectly good money for a season ticket," answered the firstspeaker, "and that's enough. I haven't had my money's worth so far anddon't expect to. They'll have to tie me and take it away by force ifthey get any dollar from me!"

  "Where's your patriotism?" jeered the other. "You're a nice piker, youare!"

  "Patriotism be blowed! Where's their football team, if it comes tothat? Why should I give good money to support a bunch of losers andquitters?"

  "Oh, pshaw, if they'll beat Kenwood I don't care how many games theylose."

  "If!" sneered his companion. "Well, they won't. Not that bunch. I'dgive them _two_ dollars if they would."

  "They'd fall dead if you did," laughed the other boy. "You never gavetwo dollars to anyone in your life, you tightwad!"

  The second- and third-string players had the call all that week and onThursday it became rumoured about that Coach Driscoll was to start thegame with the Warne High School team with a substitute line-up and adeal of speculation ensued among the substitutes. Ira was interested,but not greatly. Buffum would play right guard, of course, and Brackettleft. If substitutes were needed there were Tooker and Crane. Hecouldn't conceive of getting into the battle save, perhaps, for a scantfive minutes after the result had been determined. On Friday there wasonly signal work for the subs, but the first-string players and thesecond held scrimmage as usual. To his surprise, Ira was not called onwhen Donovan was released, Fuller, a third-string tackle, falling heirto the position, and, very naturally, playing it badly.

  It was not until half-past two on Saturday that the line-up wasgiven out. The squad was getting into togs in the locker-room of thegymnasium when Coach Driscoll arrived, a little earlier than usual, andproved the rumour correct.

  "We're going to make a cut next week," he announced, "and some of youfellows are going to leave us. Which of you stay and which go dependslargely on how you show up this afternoon. You'll all have a chance toplay before the game's over. Any of you who want to keep on must showsomething. It's your last chance. We're going to beat High School andwe're going to do it with the subs."

  And then he read the line-up, and Ira's surprise was considerable whenhe found himself slated in Brackett's place at right guard. Of theregulars only Captain Lyons and Quarter-Back Dannis were to start.

  "Don't," added the coach, "fool yourselves with the idea that if youget in trouble I'll put the first-string men in to pull you out. Itisn't being done this season. You'll win this game or lose it on yourown merits. Now go ahead and show that you're just as good as theregulars. Take them out, Captain Lyons!"

  High School was already at work when the brown-stockinged playersreached the field and the stands were filling with an audience thatthreatened to test their capacity, for High School had plenty offriends and admirers, many of them of the gentler sex. The lightdresses of the girls, together with a multitude of red-and-bluepennants and arm-bands, made the scene unusually bright and colourful,and for the first time Ira felt something very much like stage fright.But there wasn't much time to indulge it, for they were at once hustledout of blankets and sweaters and set to work at warming up, and almostbefore Ira had limbered his muscles decently a whistle called them backto the bench. And then, three minutes later, while High School cheeredmightily, Fred Lyons kicked off.