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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 1, 1939)
4* t ☆ - ? It ” ’ i * 1 I • * ♦ they eou.'l - ] < I; of troubb* I ij /N i \ BY PAUL KtTtlSth '} r Mary left tlie train and walked toward tke iitation. That is, she #aa pushed and shoved in the general * di rection of the station. The crowd was there to sed a too*- } ' 1 . Lk j Ii 4. ’ I a hard fight—but to Jose anyway; and u bank on Johnny's punting to keep thrm they would have even leal 4 chance of winning. It wasn’t so much the losing of a football game that the Inns minded, that is, the home-town fans; it was that they would hat** like hell if they loat the JF* mv to Mid-Westerw I The gam'* was an annual affair, and for eight aUgi^hl years Mid Western had |i immed them. The conference was at stake this game, and this, by the way, was the first time that Canton had been powerful enough to go the full schedule undefeated. It was not an unusual feat for Mid-Western to ; be in the playoff for the conference championship, and that made it even doubly important for the Canton "Johnny, kick those balls higher.” The coach had been wratchSng Johnny all afternoon and still hadn't discovered the reaadn for his slow, halfhearted attempts to play foot ball. "O.K., boys, go in and take a shower. Johnny, I want to talk to y^u a minute.** "Yes sir?** “Listen son. I've known you for three years and you’ve been telling me all your troubles for the saUMi. length of toll k*ik'. and from the look, of the people pu.hinKI uml I*'"*' 1 know “ botherin* jrou; ju«t ethat i, H?" , jamming for what little mom there wan. it waa ;to be a ' "I*'* nothing, roach. I juat don’t feel like doing any- . laige weekend. Mary let her eyes search the biob f^r thing.” Mike's eyes wandered over the boy. It couldn't a crop of blond hair arid a pair of massive shoulders, but . he the big-head. Johnny just wasn't made that way. He nothing to match that description was to be sewn. * Her thdn looked Johnny straight in the eye and said, “O.K.”, eyes clouded and she brushed a few mischievous strands <»f then turned and walked off. Jake caught up with tho amber-colored hair back from her face and forehead. “Mias Carlton?** The question came tM a short and very moek-lookigg individual. He was a f re ah man, as indicated by the lit$«. maroon and gold cap he wore at a rakish angle on the back of his head. “Why yea,” Mary answered, “how did you know?** i '1 .“Well, Johnny. I mean Mr. Drake—told me what you looked like, ’n* Misa Carlton, after a description like that no one could miaa.” Mary hesitated a moment, undecided whether to laak why johnny hadn’t come. She finally u w * ^ i did. the frrohmwn looked .. though he Imd •i.tieipMed th- I** ^ „_° f 1* question and answered. “Well, the coach kinda thought that coach in the shower room. His eyes asked ^Ihp question. Mike just shrugged his shoulders and walked on. Johnny took a hot shower and a rub*lown. then went to the main .inniu. i *oni of the Country Club. Cota feuai been put up for the boys to sleep on and the room looked more like an army barracks than an elite dining roam. Johnny was worried, too worried to he in ally kind of shape for a big gaMK His forehead was wrinkled as he aat down on his cot and extracted a letter from his open sait- casc He read It again, for the umpteenth time. The let ter was written in large letters, black and sinister words with all the crowd the boys wrould naturally get a: little nervous, so to keep that from happening he aorta crossed them up and rented the Country Club for the weekend, t think it's a pretty good idea, that is if you want to hear my opinion.” “Can’t anyone see Ihsm?” Mary asked. “'Fraid pot, they wont even let you telephone out there.” “Well, I suppose that is ths best thing to do with them.” The fresh man summered a moment then asked. “If you are ? i. --mmerwu . momem. uien *re ... AfUr Dkk left Mary * her room in the hotel, ahe to go. ru .how you to your hotel. The re.erv.tion. h»>* rtood in he center of the room if .. C 1 » the page. “Either you play a very sorry game of foot ball Saturday and make sure your team dtwsnt win or w»* will see that yous lovely girl friend isn't such a lovely thing to look at” That was all, no signature, just noth- kV The letter had reached Johnny thf day before the team left for the Club and Johnny had worried Ipuar since. He couldn’t tell the coach, for fear of not ^jfeipg able to play at alL He had to play and hod to help win. * had to wear tennis shoes, that ia, all of them exeeptj j “Well, I guess you’re the one then. Ya don't mind if i the kickers. That’s yhat Johnny was, a kicker. w Johnny f make myself comforUble do you?” fbr cryin’ out loud, put some snap into calling those sig- “But I don't understand^-thi* is my room; what do nals; you’re going through these practices as if we had pup wsnt and why did you tiave to pick ray room to g?t all year. You know we have a game day after tomorrow.” 'jjkpipfo!table in?” r “O.K. coach, satvy,” said Johnny Jake, the team trainer, J “Sister. I’m here to see that you are a me. * H r looked at the roach. “What the hell’s wrong with the khl, stay v<?ry quiet.” Mike? I’ve never seer^himj act that way before.” “Neither “But why? It doesn't make hav I, Jake; maybe it’s that he’s a little nervous.” “Wall . jUrginu into my room and telling me what to do.” losing “Sister, as far as you're concerned, I don’t know from . nothin’. I’m just here, that's all.” There must be 'MBS rupBOU THE BATTALION if he doesn't snap out of H soon we can count on that game Johnny was truly the sparkplug of the team. As it M “But who sent you? was, they were scheduled to lose the game*-not without J Jfor this intrusion.” \\ for you to come 6