[Sidenote: Football]
Elbert Morgan stood six feet in his socks and weighed half as much as
any other three men on the football team. He was a senior in the
Middletown High School and the darling of the school because of his
unfailing attacks and unflinching defense.
Reginald Phelps, his nearest competitor for honors, had the ill grace to
be jealous and to hold a festering grudge against Elbert. In a school of
five hundred pupils small quarrels readily become large issues. Reginald
easily linked two or three chums into a cabal to pull Elbert down from
his pedestal of glory. Their first plan was to convince the coach that
Elbert was weak in head work in critical moments and that he should be
removed from the position as center. After a few ludicrous failures to
make any progress in this project, Reginald next tried to get even with
Elbert by provoking a fight.
The coach occasionally split his squad and made two teams by adding a
few “subs” to complete the quota. One Tuesday afternoon Elbert being on
one team and Reginald with two comrades, being on the other team, the
opportunity came for revenge. In the scrimmage Reginald gave Elbert a
heavy knee punch on his “wind,” in a way to disclose his venom and
enmity.
“You rascal, I know what you are about. I’ll pay you for this,” said
Elbert, groaning with a terrible pain.
Soon his hurt eased up and with but little help he rose to his feet,
glowered at Reginald, ten feet distant, and fairly leaped across the
intervening space.
[Sidenote: The Fight]
Then followed the fight. All the resentment, suspicion, rumors, vows of
vengeance, arose to mind in a moment as the two stalwarts came to blows.
When Reginald showed his inferiority in strength two friends attempted
to intervene. Elbert suspected their partisanship and drove with a hard
fist on each chest, sending them to the ground in a heap.
By this time Principal Maxwell made his appearance.
“Elbert, shame on you! Fighting over a game! Reginald, stop it at once.
Off these grounds at once, both of you,” were the principal’s words, all
in one breath.
“But Mr. Maxwell,” began Elbert.
“No, no explanation! I saw you. You got up from the scrimmage and
deliberately began a fight. You needn’t explain it. You two boys are
suspended from the school until the board of education permits you to
return. I’ll see that you are not on the football squad again this
year.”
With this last speech a howl arose from the players. In a moment more a
swift runner reached the grandstand and quickly the news spread among
the assembled high school pupils as if it had been the report of a
murder.
The team was nearly frantic at the principal’s action. The board,
however, decided to restore the boys to school after one week’s
suspension and requested the principal to adjust the matter so they
could again play on the team.
“Are you going to let them play out the season?” was provokingly asked
many times. Mr. Maxwell found, moreover, that unless he restored these
boys to their places at least three desperate revolts would break out.
He finally yielded and gave the football team, the senior class, and the
glee club (of which Elbert was a member) the whip over him for the
remainder of the year.