CHAPTER XV

GERALD VISITS YARDLEY

The next afternoon Dan got into the scrimmage for a few minutes at left end on the Second and put up such a snappy game that many of the fellows opened their eyes, while Norton, whose place he had taken watched him anxiously from the side-line. The Second was using the forward pass and onside kick for all they were worth, and Ridge, the captain, had taught it two or three rather clever variations of these. The First was learning to hold its own, but now and then the forward pass was pulled off successfully. In the second half of the twenty minute scrimmage which followed practice Dan got by Dickenson twice and in each case captured the ball on a forward pass for a good gain, the second time getting away from the First Team players and landing the pigskin on the twelve yards before being downed by Capes. It was a run of forty yards and it brought the handful of watchers in the grandstand to their feet. King, the Second Team quarter, hugged him ecstatically. The First held and got the ball away and kicked out of danger, but it had been a near thing for them and after the whistle had blown and the players were back in the gymnasium Dan was viewed very respectfully by the First Team fellows.

“That was a nice little romp of yours,” said Loring. “Someone told me, though, that you weren’t playing any more.”

“That’s what I thought myself,” panted Dan as he struggled out of his togs. “Payson forgot to put my name on the list and so I didn’t show up yesterday or the day before. And yesterday afternoon Payson came up to the room and began to give me fits for not reporting. I told him he hadn’t put my name down.”

“That was one on him,” chuckled Loring. “He ought to give you a show on the First before long. Hope he does.”

“I guess he won’t though. He told me yesterday that I didn’t have any show for the First.”

“Candid, anyway, wasn’t he?” Loring laughed. “But don’t you care, Vinton. I’ll tell you something about Payson. He’s a good coach and a dandy fellow when you get to know him, but he never could size up his men. He’s been fooled time and again. Last year he kept Mitchell on the Second all season until just before the Broadwood game. Then Hughes got hurt and Mitchell was moved over to substitute Littleton. In two days he had Littleton looking like a base imitation, got his place at tackle and played the dandiest sort of game against Broadwood. And he’s one of our best men this year.”

“Oh, well, I’m willing to wait until next year,” answered Dan. “All I want is the fun of playing. Of course I’d like mighty well to get on your team, but Dickenson and Williams and Sayer are all better than I am.”

Loring pursed his lips and looked doubtful.

“Well, Dickenson is a dandy, all right,” he said, “and Norton is good, but--Still, it isn’t my place to criticise. It’s early yet, and there’ll be plenty of changes before the twenty-third of November. Now it’s me for the merry shower.” And with a blood-curdling yell Loring disappeared behind the rubber curtains.

Dan had telephoned Gerald Pennimore at noon that he would not be able to make his promised visit that day. Gerald had been very much disappointed, and a little bit sulky. Eventually, however, Dan had made his peace and Gerald had agreed to come to Yardley the next afternoon. He arrived at a little before two o’clock. There were no recitations Saturday afternoons and as the game with St. John’s Academy was not called until three Dan had a full hour in which to show Gerald about.

The automobile was sent home and Dan conducted Gerald from building to building. They did Oxford from top to bottom, saw the commons and peeked into the kitchens, visited Merle and Dudley and then went up to Dan’s room. Tubby was in and so he and Gerald were introduced. Tubby was not at his best, and that’s saying a good deal. Gerald had found everything very interesting and fascinating, but when he told Dan and Tubby so the latter at once began to compare Yardley and Broadwood, the result being decidedly unflattering to Yardley. That, thought Dan would never do, and so he suddenly recollected that it was time for him to get dressed for the game, and he hurried Gerald off before Tubby could do any more damage.

“You mustn’t mind Tubby Jones,” said Dan as they cut across the yard. “He’s a chronic kicker. If he was at Broadwood he’d want to be here. Nothing ever quite suits Tubby.”

“Do you like him much?” asked Gerald.

“Oh, we get on well enough,” answered Dan. “But Tubby isn’t exactly what you’d call a lovable character, although he really isn’t quite as bad as he makes you think.”

“I don’t like him,” said Gerald decisively.

Gerald was vastly interested in the gymnasium and tried all the apparatus in turn. Then they visited the trophy room, where Dan showed him the football and baseballs which, inscribed with names and dates, commemorated various victories on gridiron and diamond. There were cups, too, and one or two banners dating back nearly thirty years, and numerous framed photographs of Yardley teams. Gerald had a stream of questions to ask, many of them quite beyond Dan’s ability to answer. They looked into the boxing room and Gerald wanted Dan to show him how to box, but Dan assured him that he hadn’t taken it up yet and hurried him off downstairs. Gerald was allowed only a peep into the locker room, for the football fellows were in possession. Then he was sent back to the gymnasium to amuse himself until Dan had changed his clothes. Later they went down to the field together and Dan bought a ticket and placed Gerald in a lower seat on the stand. After the substitutes had been sent to the side-line, Dan took his place beside him and explained everything to the best of his ability. Gerald didn’t know football very well and there was plenty of work for Dan.

St. John’s Academy had sent a pretty green team to Wissining and after the first few minutes of play it was evident that Yardley would not have to work very hard. Mr. Payson had taught his team no new plays as yet and so only the simplest of old-fashioned football was used by the home team. St. John’s was light and fairly fast and had been coached to play an open game. There were numerous tries of the forward pass but Yardley had little trouble in frustrating them. For the most part Yardley kept the ball and used plays through the line, especially outside of tackle, for good gains. The first half ended with the score 18 to 0 in favor of the Blue.

Gerald became much excited as the game went on and yelled himself red in the face. By the time the struggle was over he had become a zealous Yardley partisan and Dan secretly congratulated himself on his success. In the second half most of the first string men were laid off and substitutes took their places. But even so, Yardley managed to pile up eleven more points, so that the contest terminated with the very satisfactory score of 29 to 0 in Yardley’s favor. Gerald climbed into the automobile at half-past five, declaring that he had had a dandy time and that he was going to make his father let him come to all the remaining football games. Dan promised to go down to Sound View the next day, Sunday, for luncheon at one o’clock and Gerald went off supremely contented.

“Getting pretty swell, aren’t we?” asked Tubby as Dan entered the room after seeing his guest off. “Riding around in automobiles and leaving cards on John T.”

“Don’t be nasty, Tubby,” answered Dan good-naturedly. “What did you think of Gerald?”

“Got so you call him that, have you? I suppose you call his father Uncle John, don’t you? Is he going to make you a present of a steamship line or two to play with?”

“Tubby, your sarcasm isn’t delicate enough to amuse me. Cut it out!”

“Oh, I dare say! Getting kind of particular these days, aren’t you? Sort of finicky and--and fastidious. I’ll bet you’ll be wearing lemon-colored gloves to church to-morrow!”

“Now, look here, Tubby,” said Dan warmly. “That’s as much of your ill-temper as I’m going to stand. If you can’t talk decently keep still until you can. If you don’t you and I’ll get into trouble.”

As physical combat was something that Tubby had no love for, he subsided promptly. He kept up an angry muttering for some minutes, but he maintained all the time a careful eye on Dan who was getting ready for dinner. After awhile he summoned sufficient courage to say defiantly:

“You might as well keep that little Pennimore chump out of this room while I’m in it, for I tell you right now, Dan Vinton, that he makes me sick and I don’t intend to be sweet to him and lick his shoes even if he is as rich as all get-out!”

“Tubby,” replied Dan very politely, “I never thought for a moment that you could be sweet to anyone.”

“Is that so?” Tubby growled. “You think you’re smart, don’t you? That little chump isn’t any better than I am, even if his father has money. So has mine, for that matter. How did old John T. make his money, anyhow? By grinding it out of the poor, that’s how! He’s just a great big trust; owns all the steamships and puts the prices up, and--”

“Well, don’t let you and I worry about it,” said Dan. “We haven’t got to buy any of his steamships. So the price doesn’t matter to us, Tubby.”

“Oh, I suppose you think he’s going to give you passes on them,” Tubby jeered. “Why, he’s one of the meanest men in the country; everyone knows that! I’ll bet you didn’t get anything but a bunch of thanks for pulling his kid out of the fire!”

“Tubby!” said Dan warningly. “Cut it out now. I told you once!”

“Huh!” said Tubby.

The next day Dan walked over to Sound View from church and found Gerald impatiently awaiting him at the lodge.

“I thought you weren’t coming,” exclaimed Gerald. “I’ve been waiting half an hour. Say, I told father about the football game and he’s promised to let me go again some time. Isn’t that great?”

Dan agreed that it was, and all the way along the winding road to the house Gerald talked football with the enthusiasm of a new convert. Dan had to promise to show him how to drop-kick and how to tackle.

“You’d soon get the hang of it, though,” said Dan, “if you’d go over in the afternoons and see the fellows practice. Then you could get your ball and try it yourself.”

“But father won’t let me go over there, I guess; at any rate, not unless my tutor goes along. And that wouldn’t be any fun, would it? I’d like to learn something about football now because I mean to go to school next year.”

“Will your father let you?”

“I’m going to keep after him until he does,” answered Gerald. “I wish I had some brothers and sisters,” he added gloomily.

“Yes, it wouldn’t be nearly so lonesome,” said Dan sympathetically.

“Oh, it isn’t that! But if father had some more children he wouldn’t be so blamed careful of me!”

“What school are you thinking about?” Dan asked carelessly.

“Oh, I don’t know,” was the vague reply. “Father used to talk about Broadwood a year or so ago. But I don’t want to go there. Then there is a school in New York City he fancies. I guess he likes that because I could live at home. But that wouldn’t be the same thing at all, would it? Say, are you going to be at Yardley next year?”

“Hope to,” answered Dan. Gerald was silent a moment. There was evidently something he wanted to say. Finally,

“I’d like to go to Yardley if you were going to be there,” he said rather shyly.

“I’d like to have you,” replied Dan heartily. “Why don’t you ask your father to let you come next Fall?”

“Do you think I could pass the examinations?”

“Yes, I’m pretty sure you could. You ought to make the Third Class.”

“Would you be in that?”

“No, Second Class next year, unless I failed at my finals. You’d have to study fairly hard if you came to Yardley, but it would be lots easier than what you’re doing now, I guess. When you are going along with a lot of other fellows it doesn’t seem so bad.”

“No, that’s just it,” said Gerald aggrievedly. “There’s no fun in being the only fellow in class.”

“Has your father found a new tutor yet?”

“No.” Gerald’s face brightened. “And he can’t get one before Tuesday or Wednesday, anyhow. That gives me three days more vacation, doesn’t it?”

“Yes, if he doesn’t come until Wednesday,” answered Dan with a smile at the younger boy’s delight.

“Say,” said Gerald presently, “are you going to room with that Jones fellow next year?”

“Not if I--no, I don’t think so.” Dan was silent an instant, thinking hard. Then, “I tell you what,” he said. “You get your father to let you come to Yardley and then, if you like, you and I’ll arrange to room together. That is, if your father wanted you to.”

“Will you do that?” cried Gerald eagerly. “That would be fine! I’ll ask him to-day! He thinks you’re great, Vinton; he said so the other night. If I tell him I can room with you, maybe he will let me go! Come on, there he is on the terrace!”