Ben Stone at Oakdale

by Morgan Scott

  CHAPTER XV.

  THE FELLOW WHO WOULDN’T YIELD.

  Through the mail that night Roger received a letter from Jack Merwin,captain and manager of the Clearport eleven, which he read ere leavingthe post office. The letter was as follows:

  “MR. ROGER ELIOT, ”Capt. Oakdale Academy Football Team,“Dear Sir:— “Replying to yours of the 13th regarding thescheduling of one or more games between Oakdaleand Clearport, would say that we have anopen date on next Saturday, the 29th, and willplay you here in Clearport if you care to come.After the usual custom, we will, of course, defraythe expenses of the visiting team. I trustyou will inform me without delay whether ornot this proposal is acceptable to you. “Yours truly,“JOHN MERWIN, Capt. Clearport Eleven.”

  With the letter still in his hand, Roger met Sam Rollins on thepostoffice steps. Hunk would have hurried on into the building, butEliot stopped him.

  “Look here, Rollins,” he questioned. “I want to know why you failed tocome out for practice to-day?”

  Hunk shrugged his thick shoulders. “Why, I had some work to do,” hefaltered.

  “Did you, indeed? How long since you have become ambitious to work? Youknow, according to your reputation, you never lift a hand to do anylabor if you can avoid it.”

  “Ho!” grunted Rollins. “That’s all right. Sometimes a feller has to dosome things.”

  “Why didn’t you tell me you weren’t coming out to the field? You shouldhave given me notice, and you could have done so without any trouble atall.”

  “I didn’t think of it,” lied Hunk.

  “You know better than that, Rollins. At any rate, you should havethought of it. You were told that our new coach would be on hand, andyou knew well enough that I wanted every man out at the field.”

  “Was I the only one who didn’t come?” asked the fellow, with a leer.

  The grim expression of Roger’s face did not change in the least. “I’mtalking to you about what _you_ did, and not speaking of the acts ofany one else. I shall say what I have to say directly to them, as I doto you.”

  “Well, what are you going to do about it if I don’t come out?” wasHunk’s insolent question.

  “I’ll tell you what I’m going to do, Rollins, and you’d better payclose attention. You’re not such a valuable man to the team that anyone would think of chasing you up and coaxing you. Your place can befilled, and it will be filled if you play any more such tricks.”

  “Oh, perhaps you can fill the places of some other fellers.”

  “Perhaps so; but, as I just remarked, I’m telling you what will happenin your individual case. If you want to play on the academy eleven,you’ll come out for practice regularly, or you’ll give a good andsufficient excuse in case you can’t appear—and give it in advance, too.If you’re not at the field to-morrow afternoon when practice beginsyou’ll be dropped for good.”

  “Say, you’re a regular autocrat, ain’t ye? You’re going to try to runthings your way with an iron hand, ain’t ye? Mebbe you’ll find out——”

  “That’s enough. You’ve heard all I have to say. Think it over. If youdon’t come out to-morrow night it won’t be any great loss to the team.”With which Eliot left Rollins there on the steps, muttering andgrowling beneath his breath.

  At the very next corner Roger saw a fellow who had been coming towardhim cross over suddenly to the opposite side of the street, which wasdarker. He recognized the figure and movements of Fred Sage, thequarter back, who had likewise absented himself without excuse orexplanation of any sort.

  “Sage,” he called sharply, “I’m looking for you.”

  The fellow paused, and then slowly recrossed the street toward thedetermined captain of the eleven.

  “That you, Roger?” he asked in pretended surprise. “I didn’t recognizeyou.”

  Eliot despised him for the prevarication and was tempted to give himthe same advice about lying that he had given Rollins. Instead of that,however, he asked:

  “Have you decided not to play football this season?”

  “Why—why, no,” stammered Fred. “How’d you get that idea?”

  “You weren’t at the field this afternoon, and I told you our coachwould be there, for which reason I desired every man to be on hand. Youare filling an important position on the team. Of course we have asubstitute who can take your place if you are injured in a game, butthat will make it necessary to shift the line-up. If you have anythought of quitting, I want to know it now.”

  Sage shifted his weight from one foot to the other and twisted his heelinto the ground. Twice he started to speak; twice he stopped; then hesuddenly blurted:

  “You’ll have trouble finding substitutes for all the fellows who didn’tcome out to-day.”

  “So that’s it,” said Roger. “I’m glad you didn’t make the same excuseas Hunk Rollins—didn’t claim you had work to do. Sage, the academyfootball team will not be broken up by the underhand work of any one,nor do I propose to knuckle to the man who is seeking by suchcontemptible methods to force my hand. Don’t pretend that you don’tknow what I mean, for you do. If I yielded in this case, any fellow whohad a grudge against another chap might try the same picayunish,selfish, discipline-wrecking trick. A chap who is so unpatriotic thathe will quit his team because he had a personal grudge against somefellow on it is of no real value to the team anyhow; and when he seeksto lead others to follow his example he’s worse than a traitor. Youhave lived in Oakdale long enough to know that I have influence and afollowing, and I’ll tell you now that I’m not going to be whipped intoline by the fellow who is trying to force me to yield to him. No matterhow much the team is weakened by deserters, it will go ahead and playfootball—it will do so even if we don’t win a game this season. I wouldlike to see you at the field for practice to-morrow afternoon, butyou’ll not be asked again to come out. Good night.”

  Sage stood there looking after Eliot as the latter’s sturdy figuremelted into the darkness.

  “By Jove!” he muttered. “Roger means it, and when he makes up his mindin that fashion nothing in the world can change him. He has all of oldUrian Eliot’s stubbornness. Bern never can make him bend.”

  Eliot contemplated seeking Berlin Barker next, but suddenly he decidedto go straight to Hayden himself. He arrived at the latter’s home justas Bern was bidding Barker good night. Berlin looked a trifle startledas the captain of the eleven appeared, but into Hayden’s eyes theresprang a light of satisfaction; for he fancied Eliot had come totemporize, possibly to plead.

  “Good evening. Glad to see you, old fellow,” he said with pretendedfriendliness. “Berlin and I have just been having a little chat. Won’tyou come up to my room?”

  “Yes,” said Roger.

  Once in Hayden’s room, the visitor did not beat about the bush in theleast. He declined to sit down. Facing the dark-eyed youth, whoregarded him expectantly, he spoke deliberately and with a grimnessthat gave assurance of his unalterable resolution.

  “Hayden, I can’t find words to express my contempt of the methods towhich you have resorted. I’ve something to say to you, and I hopeyou’ll not interrupt me. You have succeeded in leading your friends andcertain weak-kneed fellows to follow your lead in failing to come outfor practice. There are four of you, all told. I doubt if there’sanother fellow in Oakdale who can be induced to do such a thing, andI’m sure there can’t be more than one or two. I’m not asking anythingof you; play your cards to the limit. However, I’m going to tell youprecisely what will happen. When you have won all the followerspossible, there will still be enough fellows left to make up a team,and that team will go ahead and play through the present season.Doubtless you will weaken it, and the record may not be one to be proudof; but your record will be still more shameful. I’m dead sure that themajority of the fellows will back me up. You are looking to be chosencaptain of the team for next season. What chance do you think you willstand if you persist in your dirty
work? Yes, that’s what I callit—dirty work. Why, you won’t even be a member of the team, and itwould be impossible to elect a man outside the team for captain nextyear.”

  By this time Hayden’s face was pallid with rage and his eyes glowing.He trembled a little, and his voice shook as he retorted:

  “You seem to fancy yourself a perfect czar, Roger. Have you got an ideathat you alone can throw me off the team? Answer me that.”

  “If you leave the team it won’t be necessary to throw you off; you’lltake yourself off by your own act.”

  “You know why I refuse to play. You’re the one who is weakening theteam by insisting on retaining that miserable——”

  “It won’t do you any good to slur Ben Stone, and I don’t think you’dbetter call him names before me. Of course I wouldn’t put a hand on youhere in your own home, but——”

  “Great Cæsar! you’re threatening me, Eliot.”

  “Stone will remain on the team, Hayden; you may as well make up yourmind to that. If you haven’t manhood enough to come back and work forthe team, you’re not worthy to be on it. You’re going to find it alosing fight, my boy; you may hurt me, but you’ll hurt yourself farmore. The poorer record the team makes without you and your friends,the more you’ll be blamed when the season is ended. Think that over.It’s all I have to say.”

  Without even adding good night, Roger left the room, descended thestairs and passed out of the house.

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