JUDD GAINS A PROMOTION
One week more dragged slowly by; dragged because Cateye and Judd had
been suspended for their antics in regard to the drowning incident.
Benz escaped with only a severe reprimand. Cateye assumed the entire
blame for the affair and sought to have his room-mate released, but
President Windell declared: "One is as guilty as the other," and forced
both boys to do penance.
The intended cure for Benz had been a splendid failure in more ways
than one. True, Benz felt highly elated to know that Judd was not
drowned but he also was indignant because Judd allowed the students to
think him dead and let the affair gain such prominence. Since the
incident Benz's popularity had decreased fully fifty percent. He was
greeted with taunts and jeers and nicknamed, "The Impractical Joker."
Life had grown exceedingly unpleasant. Benz avoided everyone that he
could, imagining that the whole college was turned against him. He
remained close within the seclusion of his room during idle moments;
practiced football somewhat indifferently; scarcely ever opened his
mouth except when it came time to eat; and above all things he kept out
of Judd's sight. He was very thankful that Judd had been suspended.
This kept the rube from football practice and Benz could again star
against the seconds.
Poor, mis-used second team! The week following their disastrous
celebration on the bank of the Pretty Falls River had been a trying one
for them. Minus their best player, the varsity had gone at them with a
vengeance, piling up top heavy scores in every scrimmage, until McCabe
remarked one night after an unusually crushing defeat: "Fellows, I feel
like Napoleon after the battle of Waterloo."
Cateye had hoped that this joke might prove an ending of hostilities
between Benz and Judd but he now realized the foolhardiness of his plan
and wished many times that he had never suggested it to Judd. The
return joke on Benz had produced exactly the opposite effect than that
desired. Besides, Judd had lost an entire week of valuable football
practice and one week from tomorrow, upon Thanksgiving day, came the
great game with Pennington!
The contest this year meant more than formerly. The two colleges were
not only intense rivals but neither had been defeated throughout the
present season. Reports from Pennington claimed the strongest eleven
in the history of the college. Why, Pennington had defeated the State
University, 9 to 0, a short time ago, which victory rightfully gave her
the title of State Champion!
Bartlett supporters in turn, heralded their eleven as the greatest
bunch of warriors ever gotten together. But, although the students
were loyal to the core, deep down in their hearts they doubted whether
Bartlett even so much as had a chance against Pennington this year.
Pennington, claimants of the State Championship by virtue of their
victory over the State University, a heretofore unheard of exploit!
Pennington, the rival college, which had not only defeated some of the
same teams played by Bartlett but had even doubled and in one case
tripled the scores! On paper the Pennington team seemed much the
stronger eleven but despite this fact everyone at Bartlett was looking
eagerly forward to the day when the unbeaten colleges would clash.
Thursday morning, one week before the big game, Pole rushed jubilantly
into Cateye's room.
"Hurrah! Your suspensions are raised!" he cried.
"What's that?" Cateye and Judd shouted, jumping to their feet.
"That's what!" rejoiced Pole. "Gee, that's great news! I just heard
about it a minute ago."
"You bet it's great news! Whoopee, Judd, that means football practice
again to-night!"
Cateye began to dance a Highland fling of his own invention. "And my
injured knee is practically well now. Maybe I won't be able to hit
that old line, huh?"
Judd and Pole winked at each other.
"The silly boy," grinned Judd.
"The news has upset him," laughed Pole.
The appearance of Judd and Cateye upon the gridiron that afternoon was
the signal for a great ovation. The members of the second team crowded
about their idol, Judd, and immediately began plotting the destruction
of the "beloved" varsity. Cateye, meanwhile, was kept busy answering
greetings from his old team-mates.
"Hello, Cateye, how's that knee of yours?" It was Neil, quarterback,
speaking.
"Fine!" responded Cateye, adjusting his shoulder pads.
"That's good. I sure am glad to see you back. Between you and me,
Cateye, left guard has been the weak spot on our team since you were
laid up. Besides, Benz hasn't been playing up to standard and although
we've been trimming the seconds we haven't got that old fighting
spirit. The boys are due to recover their form to-day."
"Everybody out!" ordered Coach Phillips. The players trotted from the
locker room onto the field.
"Billings, you take right guard on the seconds and Cateye, your old
position at left guard on the varsity. We'll have fifteen minutes of
signal practice and a thirty minute's scrimmage. Lively now!"
Practice that afternoon did go off better. Benz played with a
vengeance, eager to out do any play that Judd might make, and he was
successful in tearing off several long gains; through Judd's position
too! Benz was elated.
The explanation was quite simple. Judd, assigned the position of right
guard found that he was pitted directly against Cateye who played left
guard for the varsity. Rather than show up his room-mate Judd made
half-hearted attempts to stem the varsity's advance, and the seconds,
losing some of their confidence in Judd's stonewall defence, allowed
the varsity to score almost at will.
A hundred or so onlookers, enthused by the varsity's exceptional
showing, shouted, "Oh you Pennington!" until their voices were hoarse.
It was a badly bruised and dejected second team that crawled off the
field after scrimmage was over following one of the worst trouncings
that they had ever experienced. The varsity, upon the other hand, was
bubbling over with pep and renewed confidence.
"Guess we've found our stride again!" cried Benz, almost the first
cheerful words he had uttered in a week.
"Found our stride!" ejaculated Pole, "Why man, we're away ahead of our
stride."
"Don't get too cocky over that showing," warned Bartz, inclined to be
cautious. "Even the best of 'em fall, you know."
"Bartz is right," spoke up Neil, "In order to keep our record clean up
to the Pennington game we've got to wallop Paulson this coming
Saturday. And that'll be a hard game too. We can't expect to loaf and
win. We've got to be in the fight every minute!"
"We'll be there, kid!" grunted the big Oole.
Judd and Cateye walked back to the dormitory together. Cateye, for
some reason that Judd could not understand, was not very talkative.
"The varsity sure did rip us seconds up to-day," began Judd, for the
nth time, trying to get an answer from his room-mate.
Cateye unlocked the door to his room, stepped in, and swung about,
facing Judd.
"Judd, what did you do that for?" he questioned, softly.
"Do what?" rejoined Judd, evasively.
"True, you didn't do anything in scrimmage to-day," admitted Cateye,
"But I know the reason why."
"That's easy, I haven't played for over a week," retorted Judd, "I'll
tell you it takes practice to--."
"Nonsense, Judd! A kid could have played as well as you did this
afternoon. Don't try to bluff me; I know you too well. If you'd have
played any other position on that team you'd have been a living
cyclone, but just because Coach Phillips put you in against me you laid
down!"
"It isn't so!" protested Judd, weakly.
"It is so!" persisted Cateye, "And what's more, if we have the same
positions to-morrow and you play that way I'll go to the coach about
it!"
"Well,--s'pose it is so," surrendered Judd, "No man on earth can make
me go back on my room-mate--."
"Judd, you don't look at things in the right light," argued Cateye. "I
know that you're true blue to me and all that but you're not true to
your college,--your team."
"Why not?" demanded Judd, kicking at a rug.
"Because, you are not giving your team the best that is in you! Some
time ago you sacrificed a chance to play on the first team because you
would not accept my position. To-day, by your miserable playing, you
lowered yourself in the coach's estimation and undoubtedly made me look
good. But you know, and _I_ know, Judd that there are few football men
who could hold that line against you if you cared to get through. It
is your duty to play your best regardless of circumstances."
"I think more of my friends than any old football team in the country,"
mumbled Judd, stubbornly. "There's no use talking, Cateye, I'll lay
down, every time he pits me against you."
Luckily Judd was shifted to right tackle the following afternoon and a
chance for further trouble was averted. The varsity was not quite as
successful as on the previous day and it took a hard fight to drub the
seconds in a short scrimmage.
The next day, Saturday, Bartlett met and defeated Paulson, 20 to 7,
thus keeping her record clean for the entire season up to the final
game. The high class of football that the little college displayed in
besting Paulson, a team touted to be her equal, gladdened the hearts of
every Bartlett rooter. The spirits of all were now fairly on edge for
the coming contest with Pennington, just five days away. Some even
conceded Bartlett an equal chance but when respective records were
compared the skeptics shook their heads. Although both teams had clean
slates as to victories, Pennington had played against some stronger
teams than Bartlett and seemed to possess a much greater scoring
machine.
Cateye had only played in one quarter of the Paulson game. Coach
Phillips was saving him for the big fray and taking no risks of his
knee giving out. Judd watched the game from the bench.
Monday afternoon marked the last day of scrimmage for the varsity.
Coach Phillips had decided to spend the remaining two days at secret
signal practice. Consequently the college turned out almost to a man
to watch their idol pigskin chasers maul the scrubs as a final
demonstration of their ability to whip Pennington. Inspired by the
wild cheers of the student body and the realization that the season's
biggest game was only two days distant, the varsity fairly outdid
itself.
But the faithful second team was resolved to make the varsity earn
every touchdown that they secured and fought fiercely to stop each
play. For fifteen minutes the battered seconds withstood the onslaught
and actually succeeded in pushing across a touchdown themselves. After
this the game became a rout and finally ended in a 56 to 7 score. Both
elevens left the field, physically fit and in good spirits, but dead
tired.
"Whew!" gasped Benz, throwing a shoe the length of the locker room,
"Talk about marathon races! I'll bet I ran ten or twenty miles up and
down the field scoring touchdowns."
"Great snakes! Did you hear that, guys?" broke in Knox, a second
string man, "The swelled head only scored two touchdowns himself and
yet he runs ten or twenty miles! What were you doing, Benz, playing
solitaire?"
"Never you mind," retorted Benz, amid laughter; then, seeing a way out:
"Possibly, Knox, you have never heard of Miles Standish. That's the
kind of Miles I run."
"Zowie!"
"Take him out!"
"Stow it!"
"As bright as mud!"
"Call a doctor!"
"A cold shower for that!" shouted Neil, "That stuff is too deep for
we'uns!"
A dozen hands seized the unwilling Benz and thrust him cruelly under a
cold, cold shower.
"B-r-r-r-r-r! Let me out!" sputtered Benz, making a tremendous
struggle. "I don't mind the cold but that water is wet!"
"A double dose for that!" howled Pole, and Benz was forced to submit to
another flood of H2O. He was finally released and took his punishment
good naturedly. The fun went on, first one, and then the other of the
fellows being made the object for humorous attack.
Of a sudden the locker door opened and Coach Phillips stepped in.
Instantly all laughing and talking ceased. Fellows in half-dressed
attitudes hesitated before proceeding. It was evident by the look on
Coach Phillips' face that he had something important to say.
"Any of the fellows left yet?"
"No!"
"Good!" snapped the coach. "I have a little something that I want to
say to you all before you go. I--"
"Ouch! Have a heart!" Benz had unwittingly slapped Pole across the
small of the back with a wet bath towel. A titter of laughter went up.
"Benz, stop that fooling and pay attention!" Coach Phillips' voice was
unusually hard and penetrating.
"Fun is all right in its place," continued the coach, "I'm glad to see
you fellows light-hearted and care free. That is usually a good sign
before a game. But too much of this sort of business will have a
disastrous effect. Such mental attitudes breed self confidence. Self
confidence breeds listlessness; and listlessness spells defeat. Now
don't misunderstand me. I want you to have a certain amount of
confidence, in yourselves, in the team. But beware of over-confidence!
Over-confidence will do more than misplays or anything else to bring
defeat. Just because we have gone through the season thus far
unbeaten, don't for one moment imagine that we are invincible. In
order to win Thursday it will take all the skill, strength, and
endurance that you fellows have! From now on until the big game is
over I want every fellow on the varsity to forget his studies. There
is no occasion to look astonished, (as several players gasped). It is
a new procedure at Bartlett, I know, but I believe a wise one. You
have all worked hard and kept up in your marks throughout the entire
season. Now I want complete relaxation. Don't look at a class book.
Work hard in football practice and memorize those plays so well that
there is not a possibility of mistake. Forget about the game. Get
plenty of sleep the next two nights. Take good care of yourselves.
When you trot on the field Thanksgiving day I expect to see the best
physically and mentally fit team that Bartlett college has ever turned
out. Remember, it is not only brawn but brains that wins games
now-a-days and you fellows must be in the fight with minds and bodies
every minute!"
"Yea!"
"I wish to thank every member of the second team for the loyal manner
in which you have come out night after night in order to make a good
first team possible," went on Coach Phillips, ignoring the show of
enthusiasm. "I am sure that you will all feel amply repaid if your
efforts will have made the varsity victorious in the coming big game.
Just as a great army depends upon those left behind to properly feed
and clothe it, so does a varsity football team depend upon its second
team to keep it at its playing strength and build it up through
scrimmage. A good first team can hardly ever be attained without a
good second team. The fact that we have had an exceptionally fine
second team this year has been largely responsible for the success of
the varsity.
"I have already talked longer and said more than I at first intended.
The second team's work is done for the year but the varsity's hardest
work is yet to come. I want all of you varsity men to report for
signal practice to-morrow at two P. M. All of you may go now except
Judd Billings and McCabe of the seconds."
The fellows filed noisily out of the locker room leaving the wondering
Judd and the elated McCabe to interview Coach Phillips.
"What have I done now?" demanded Judd of McCabe, when he was ordered to
remain.
"Don't you know, you rube!" hissed McCabe, joyfully, in his ear.
"We're promoted!"
"Promoted?"
"Yes,--unless I miss my guess he's going to tell us to report for
practice with the varsity!"
"That would be kind of nice, wouldn't it?" replied Judd, trying to
conceal his joy at the very thought.
Coach Phillips closed the locker door and came up, facing the two eager
youths.
"Both of you report for signal practice with the varsity to-morrow. It
is possible that you may get into the game Thursday, for a short time
at least. Remember what I told the rest about keeping in condition and
not studying until the game is over. McCabe, come to my room to-night
at seven. I want you to get the signals well in mind and especially
some new plays. That is all."
The coach turned abruptly and left the locker room.
McCabe and Judd stood eyeing each other, the news seeming too good to
be true. Finally McCabe broke the trance by running across and
thumping Judd joyfully.
"What did I tell you?" he shouted, "And it's my first chance in four
years!"