Left Guard Gilbert

by Ralph Henry Barbour

  CHAPTER II

  IN NUMBER SIX

  FOR a long minute confusion and the noise of battle reigned supreme.Then, in response to a sudden yelp of pain from Don, Tim drew off,panting and grinning. Don was extending a left hand, funereally wrappedin a black silk handkerchief, further along the window-seat and awayfrom the scene of action.

  "Hello!" said Tim. "What's the matter with that?"

  "Hurt it a little," replied Don.

  "Well, I supposed you had, you idiot! How? Hit it against your head?"

  The other smiled in his slow fashion. "We had a sort of a wreck comingon. Out in Indiana somewhere. I got this. That's why I'm behind time."

  "I'm beastly sorry, old man! I didn't notice the crepe. Did I hurt itmuch!"

  "No. I yelled so you wouldn't. Preparedness, you know. Safety first andso on. It isn't much. How's everything here?"

  Tim seated himself at the other end of the seat, took his knees in hishands, and beamed.

  "Oh, fine! Say, I'm tickled to death to see your ugly mug again, Don.You aren't a bit handsomer, are you?"

  "I've been told I was. Trouble with you is, you don't recognise manlybeauty when you see it."

  "Oh, don't I?" Tim twirled an imaginary moustache. "I recognise it everytime I look in the glass! Well, how are you aside from the bum fist?"

  "Great! I've just had a seance with Josh. I tried to register and sneakby, but Brooke wouldn't have it that way. 'Er, quite so, Gilbert, quiteso, but I--er--think you had better see Mr. Fernald.' So I did, and Joshread me the riot act. Thought for awhile he was going to send me homeagain."

  "But didn't you tell him your train was wrecked?"

  "Yes, but he didn't believe in it much. Thought I was romancing, Iguess. Got a railway guide and showed me how I might have got here ontime just the same. Maybe he's right, but I couldn't figure it out inCincinnati. Besides, I didn't get away with much of anything besidespajamas and overcoat and shoes, and so I had to refit. That lost me thefirst connection and then I got held up again at Pittsburg. So here Iam, the late Mr. Gilbert."

  "Josh is an idiot," said Tim disgustedly. "Didn't he see your hand? Howdid he think you did that if you weren't in a wreck?"

  "Oh, I kept that in my pocket and I guess he didn't notice it. He camearound all right in the end, though. We parted friends. At least, Idid."

  "Well, what about that?" Tim nodded at the injured hand. "How'd you cutyou, burn you?"

  "Yes. Things got on fire."

  "You're the most vivid descriptionist I ever listened to! Come acrosswith the sickening details. How did it happen? I didn't see anythingabout it in the papers."

  "Probably wasn't on the sporting page," replied Don gravely.

  "Oh, dry up and blow away! Wasn't it in the papers?"

  "Cincinnati papers had it. I haven't read the others. It wasn't much ofa wreck really. Engineer killed, fireman scalded, about twentypassengers injured more or less. Several considerably more. Expressmessenger expected to pass out. Just a nice, cosy little wreck withno--no spectacular features, as you might say."

  "Well, come on! How did it happen?"

  "Freight train taking a siding and went to sleep at it. Our enginebumped the other engine and they both went smash. Hot coals and steamand so on got busy. It was about five in the morning. Just gettinglightish. Everyone snuggled up in bed. _Biff! Wow!_ I landed out on thefloor on my hands and knees. Everyone yelled. Car turned half over andsat that way. Doors got jammed. We beat it out by the windows. I was aRoman Senator with a green berth curtain wrapped about me. Afterwards Isneaked back and pulled out my shoes and overcoat. Always sleep with myshoes under my pillow, you see. Good idea, too. If I hadn't had themthere I'd never have got them. Couldn't get my bag out. Car was on fireby that time. Three others, too. They saved all but the one I was in andthe express and baggage cars. After awhile a wrecking train came andthen a lot of us walked to a village about a mile and a half away andhad breakfast and went on to Cincinnati about noon."

  "Gee! But, still, you know, I don't see how you got burned."

  "Well, things were pretty hot. Some of them got burned a lot worse thanI did. Had to pull some of them out the windows and through the roofs.Women, too. Lucky thing our car had only two in it. Two women, I mean.Things were fairly busy for awhile."

  "Must have been. The engineer was killed straight off, eh?"

  "Ours was. The other one managed to jump. Firemen got off all right,too. The other fireman. Ours got caught and scalded like the dickens.Saw the engineer myself." Don frowned and shuddered. "Nasty mess he was,too, poor fellow. Let's talk about something else. I don't like toremember that engineer."

  "Too bad! But, say, you were lucky, weren't you? You might have beenkilled, I suppose."

  "Might have, maybe. Didn't come very near it, though. First wreck I eversaw and don't want to see any more. Funny thing, though, I didn't mindit at all until I was on the train going to Cincinnati. Excitement, Isuppose. Then I came near keeling over, honest! What do you know aboutthat, Timmy?"

  "I guess anyone would have. How bad is your burn?"

  "Not bad. Hurts a bit, though. It's the inside of the fingers and thepalm. It'll be all right in a few days, I guess. Doctor chap said I'dhave to have it dressed every day for awhile."

  "But, Great Scott, Don, what about football?"

  "I've thought of that. Nothing doing for a week or so, I guess. Rottenluck, eh?"

  "Beastly! And Robey was telling me only half an hour ago to hurry youup. Said you'd have to come right out if you wanted a place. Still, whenhe understands what the trouble is----"

  "I'll see him tonight, I guess. Who's playing guard, Tim?"

  "Joe Gafferty, left; Tom Hall, right. Walton and Pryme and Lawton areall after places. Walton's been doing good work too, I think."

  "All the fellows back?"

  "Every last one. Remember Howard, who played sub half-back for thesecond last year? He's showing great form. Still, you can't tell muchyet. There's to be scrimmage tomorrow. We play Thacher Saturday, youknow. Sort of quick work and I don't believe we'll be anywhere nearready for them."

  "Thacher's easy. We beat them 26 to 3 last year."

  "Twenty-three to three."

  "Twenty-six."

  "Twenty-three. Bet you!"

  "I don't bet, Timmy. Know I'm right, though. Anyway, Thacher's easy.Tell me the news."

  "Oh, there isn't anything startling. We had the usual polite party atJosh's last night. Shook hands with the new chaps and told 'em howtickled we were to see them. Ate sandwiches and cake and lemonadeand--by the way, we've got a new master; physics; Moller his name is;Caleb Moller, B.A. Quite a handsome brute and a swell dresser. Comesfrom Lehigh or one of those Southern colleges, I believe."

  "Lehigh's in Pennsylvania, you ignoramus."

  "Is it?" answered Tim untroubledly. "All right. Let it stay there.Anyhow, Caleb is some cheese."

  "Where's Rollinson gone?"

  "Don't know what happened to Rollo. Draper said he heard he'd gone tosome whopping big prep school up in New Hampshire or somewhere."

  "Or some other Southern school," suggested Don soberly.

  "Dry up! And, say, get a move on. It's nearly time for eats and I'mstarved."

  "Timmy, I never saw the time you weren't starved. All right. I'm sort ofhungry myself. Haven't had anything since about ten o'clock thismorning. Ran out of money. Got here with eight cents in my pocket. Thatand my tuition check. I'd have cashed that if I could have and had adinner. I was sure hungry!"

  "Well, wash your dirty face and hands," said Tim, "and come along. Oh,say, Don, wait till you see the classy Norfolk suit I've got. I enticeddad into Crook's when we struck the city; told him I had to have somehankies and ties, you know. Then I steered him up against this heresuit, and this here suit made a hit with him right away. If he couldhave got into it himself he'd have walked out in it. It's sort of greenwith a reddish thread wandering carelessly through it. It's someapparel, take it from me."

  "Maybe I w
ill if it fits me," responded Don.

  "Will what?"

  "Take it from you."

  "Gee, but you're bright! Getting wrecked's put an edge on you, sonny.I'm afraid that suit wouldn't fit you, though, Don. You've grown aboutan inch since Spring, haven't you? You're beastly fat, too."

  "I am not," denied Don, good-humouredly indignant. "I've kept in stricttraining all summer. What you think is fat is good hard muscle, Timmy.Feel of that arm if you don't believe it."

  "Yes, quite village-blacksmithy."

  "Quite _what_?"

  "Village-blacksmithy. 'The muscles of his mighty arms were strong asiron bands,' or something like that. Get out of the way and let me washup."

  Don retired to his dresser and passed the brushes over his brown hairand snugged his tie up a bit. The face that looked back at him from themirror was not, perhaps, handsome, although it by no means merited Tim'saspersions. There was a nice pair of dark brown eyes, rather slumberouslooking, a nose a trifle too short for perfection and a mouth a shadetoo wide. But it was a good-tempered, pleasant face, on the whole,intelligent and capable and matching well the physically capable bodybelow, a body of wide shoulders and well-knit muscles and a deep chestthat might have belonged to a youth of eighteen instead of seventeen.Compared with Tim Otis, who was of the same age, Don Gilbert suffered ononly two counts--quickness and vivacity. Tim, well-muscled, possessed alitheness that Don could never attain to, and moved, thought and spokefar more quickly. In height Don topped his friend by almost a full inchand was broader and bigger-boned. They were both, in spite ofdissimilarity, fine, manly fellows.

  Tim, wiping his hands after ablutions, turned to survey Don with aquizzical smile on his good-looking face. And, after a moment'sreflective regard of his chum's broad back, he broke the silence.

  "Say, Don," he asked, "glad to get back?"

  Don turned, while a slow smile crept over his countenance.

  "_Su-u-re_," he drawled.