CHAPTER VIII THE FIRST GAME

 Kendall wrote the letter to his father that afternoon, about the time he was accustomed to chase the pigskin. He felt rather better after the letter was finished, and he took it down and dropped it into the letter box in front of Oxford¹ Hall with a sigh of relief. At least, his parents would know that his conscience was clear. He wondered if his father would be very angry with Mr. Collins! To anticipate a little, however, Mr. Burtis’s reply when it reached his son was not entirely² satisfactory to that youth. In the first place, asked that worthy³ Puritan, why had Kendall been sitting around in a drug store? Had he joined the town loafers? Satan, reminded Farmer Burtis, was still finding mischief⁴ for idle hands to engage in. Bluntly he suggested that Kendall remain at school and study his lessons and not go gallivanting into the city. As for the punishment, he guessed it wouldn’t do Kendall any harm to have to stay around the school and keep away from the football field; he had heard[98] of boys getting their arms and legs broken playing football!

Kendall’s mother, however, wrote a letter full of sympathy for Kendall and indignation at Mr. Collins. That letter was like a pat on the back. The only unsatisfactory part of it was where Mrs. Burtis said she didn’t see why Kendall needed to have shielded those bad boys who really merited the punishment. Kendall was for a moment disappointed in his mother. But he presently “guessed that a woman doesn’t look at those things in quite the way a man does,” and viewed her more leniently⁶. When he replied he explained at great length that it would have been a most dishonorable action to have revealed the identity of the Broadwood fellows, and hinted that nothing short of boiling oil or melted lead would ever induce him to speak. Then he struck the pose of a martyr⁷ for a page or so and inscribed⁸ himself “Your loving son, Kendall.”

But these letters and replies came later, and we are getting ahead of our story.

As Mr. Collins had suggested, there was no reason why Kendall’s schoolmates should know of his probation⁹, and so Kendall kept the knowledge to himself. There were times when the temptation to tell Harold was strong, times when Kendall felt the need of talking it over with somebody[99] and getting sympathy. But Harold was not what Kendall called a very sympathetic soul, and so the secret was kept. At the end of two or three days the incident of the green paint ceased to interest the school and for the present it remained a mystery. Other things happened to engage the attention of the fellows. There was first scrimmage one Thursday afternoon, when they were allowed to get for the first time some idea of what the line-up of the football team was to be. And then, two days later, came the first game of the schedule, a contest of four eight-minute periods with Greenburg High School. It was a warm afternoon and players and spectators alike sweltered in the sun. Kendall witnessed his first real game of football and found it interesting, although as a matter of fact it was rather a dull and loosely played contest. Neither team had “got together” as yet, and fumbles¹⁰, mixed signals and other misplays were frequent on both sides. Yardley took the lead in the second period by seizing advantage of a Greenburg fumble¹¹ on the latter’s twenty yards and from there working over the goal line for a touchdown from which Wallace Hammel missed a try at goal by some six yards. In the next period Greenburg tied the score, missing an even easier goal, and in the last period of play Stearns, right half-back, got away[100] around Greenburg’s end for a sixty-yard run and another score. Hammel again missed a goal and the final score stood 10 to 5.

Nobody was unduly¹² elated over the showing of the Yardley team, although, as Tom Roeder pointed⁵ out that evening when they were talking it over in Dan’s room, they hadn’t done so badly considering everything. “Look at the heat, Dan! Thunder, I had a regular cascade¹³ running down my back all the time! Bet you I lost five pounds!”

“What did the scales say?” asked Arthur Thompson, who, a new recruit that fall, was after Roeder’s or Stearns’s position.

“Oh, they said a pound and four ounces,” replied Tom carelessly. “But they were probably mistaken!”

“Sandy Fogg played a dandy game at center,” said Gerald.

“Good on defense,” agreed Dan, “but he was mighty¹⁴ slow on getting into the attack.”

“He has too much fat on,” said Tom. “Or he did have before we began playing. I guess he’s some lighter¹⁵ now.”

“What the dickens was the matter with Wallace Hammel?” asked Arthur. Tom shrugged¹⁶ his shoulders.

“Search me. Both those goals were easy[101] enough, and he had all the time he wanted. He’s feeling rather rotten about it to-night; peevish¹⁷ as you please; I simply had to get out of the room.”

“He will come around all right after awhile,” said Dan. “But I certainly wish we had two or three good drop-kickers.”

“Simms did pretty good work last year,” suggested Arthur.

“Simms had a record of five goals last season,” replied Dan, “out of about sixteen chances. What we need is a fellow we can depend on. We need better punters than we’ve got, too. Ridge¹⁸ is fair, but if he gets put out of a game it’s up to Wallace or me, and we’re neither of us much good. Payson says he’s going to find some kickers if he has to go over the school with a fine-tooth comb, but I don’t know where he’s going to get them.”

“The trouble is,” said Tom, “that you can’t develop good punters and drop-kickers in a season, and those we had all graduated. We’re going to miss Loring like anything. He was a born punter, Alf was.”

“He was a born everything in the football line,” said Arthur.

“I wish he had his job back again,” sighed Dan.

“I’ll tell you who was the dandy kicker,” said[102] Tom, “and that’s Kapenhysen, Dan. Remember how he used to send ’em off?”

“I sure do. I wish I could get him back here this fall to take charge of the punters. I believe I’ll write and ask him.”

“He couldn’t come, I guess,” said Tom. “He’s on the Yale Varsity this year.”

“I know, but he might get away for a week just before the Broadwood game and put the finishing touches on for us. I don’t believe Kap will make the first team this season, Tom; he’s got too many good men to beat.”

“Perhaps not. Better ask him, anyhow. By the way, Gerald, I thought you were going to play this fall.”

“I thought so, too, but Dan wouldn’t let me.”

“He’s still trying to boss you? Kick him in the shins, Gerald. Why won’t he let you?”

“Because,” replied Dan, “Mr. Pennimore is on the Cross-Country Team and they need his services more than we do.”

“You don’t know, Dan,” laughed Gerald. “I may have the making of a great football player in me.”

“Better stick to your trade, though,” said Tom. “How’s the Cross-Country Team coming on?”

“Hard at it every afternoon now,” Gerald answered.[103] “We’ve got a dandy string of runners this year, fellows. Broadwood won’t have a look-in.”

“Larry Goodyear’s captain, isn’t he?” asked Arthur.

“Yes. He wants to get Nordham to come in and make it a three-cornered race this year. I wish she would.”

“Won’t she?” asked Dan.

“I don’t know yet. They haven’t answered Goodyear’s letter. Say, Arthur, Harry¹⁹’s doing pretty well. I suppose he told you he finished eighth yesterday?”

“He said something like that but I didn’t believe him.”

“Who’s Harry?” inquired Tom.

“Young Merrow, Arthur’s roommate and fidus,” Dan replied.

“Fido would be better,” laughed Gerald. “He’s always at Arthur’s heels. I’ll bet you persuaded him to try for the Cross-Country Team, Arthur, so you could get away from him a minute.”

“You guessed it, son. I’m going over to Oxford. Anyone coming my way?”

Tom Roeder decided²⁰ that his path led in that direction and the two boys departed together. After they had gone Dan asked:

[104]

“Did you mean that about young Merrow, Gerald? I thought he was a bit of a duffer.”

“He was. Arthur used to have to drive him out of the room every afternoon to make him take exercise. But Arthur seems to have knocked some sense into him somehow. I was awfully²¹ surprised last week when I found him out for the Cross-Country Team. He told me yesterday that he’d never done anything but play a little tennis, but he’s taken hold in good shape.”

“I suppose,” observed Dan, “that Merrow is Arthur’s penalty for heroism²².”

“That’s right. Ever since Arthur pulled Harry out of the lake that time Harry’s stuck to him like a brother.”

“You had a hand in it, too. It’s lucky he didn’t decide to stick to you instead of Arthur. By the way, speaking of protégés, your friend down the hall has got tired, I notice.”

“Who is that, Dan? Oh, I remember. You mean he’s given up football?”

“Yes, I was looking over the list this afternoon and saw his name scratched off. Cowles says he’s stopped coming. Another ‘natural-born player’ gone wrong.”

“That’s rather funny. I told you, didn’t I, that I had him in one afternoon? He seemed—well, not the sort of fellow to quit. I meant to look[105] him up again. I rather liked him. But this cross-country work has kept me busy. Did he show anything in practice?”

“N-no, I believe not. I think you prophesied²³ quite a career for him, didn’t you?”

“I said maybe,” laughed Gerald. “There was something about the chap that made me—sort of believe in him.”

“I remember there was something,” Dan agreed. “Well, he will probably find himself in the course of time. Evidently football isn’t what he was looking for. Perhaps it’s just as well he dropped out, though, for the first cut comes next week and I guess most of Holmes’s ‘rookies’ will retire to private life.”

“What does Payson think of the outlook, Dan?”

“Says it’s an average one. There’s no one very startling in sight. That rather pleases Payson, though; you know he doesn’t fancy ‘stars.’ Says he’d rather have a team of common or garden variety of peggers.”

“I thought Billy Norton was considered a ‘star,’” said Gerald with a smile.

“He is—by Billy Norton,” replied Dan dryly. “He’s a star that will suffer eclipse if he doesn’t get down out of the clouds and play the game. Sayer is hot after him these days.”

[106]

“Sayer,” mused²⁴ Gerald. “Yes, he was rather good last year in the Porter game. Let’s see, we dropped Porter this year, didn’t we?”

“Porter? No, we dropped Brewer²⁵. We have seven games instead of eight. Seven’s enough, too. Well, let’s go over to Cambridge and see what’s doing. I haven’t been near it yet.”

Cambridge and Oxford were the two school societies, with rooms on the top floor of Oxford Hall. On their way down the stairs they met a boy coming up. Gerald nudged Dan.

“Here he is now,” he whispered.

The boy was Kendall, and as he reached the others he glanced up, said “How do you do?” and would have gone by had not Gerald spoken.

“How are you getting on?” he asked.

“Pretty well, thanks.” Kendall paused on the step above.

“How’s football coming?” asked Dan.

“Not very well. I gave it up.”

“That so? I’m sorry. What was the trouble?”

“Nothing much. I—I just thought I’d better.”

Dan smiled and nodded and started on, but Gerald, yielding to a sudden impulse, said: “I thought you were coming to see me, Burtis. drop in some evening. I’m not in much in the afternoon now. Will you?”

[107]

“Thanks, I—I’d like to.”

“Good stuff! Don’t forget, then.”

At the doorway²⁶ Dan turned with a quizzical smile. “Why?” he asked.

Gerald looked puzzled and shook his head. “I don’t know. But there’s something about him that—interests me. I don’t know—”

“Maybe it’s his hair,” chuckled²⁷ Dan. “There’s plenty of it.”

“I must get him to have it cut,” replied Gerald soberly. Then after a moment, he exclaimed triumphantly²⁸: “I know what it is!”

“What what is?” asked Dan.

“It’s his mouth, Dan. Ever notice it? It’s always on the point of laughing and it never does it. I want to see him laugh!”

“You’re a queer duffer,” Dan answered with amusement as they entered Oxford. “I believe Curtis, or whatever his name is, has hypnotized you!”

1 Oxford   

n.牛津（英国城市）

参考例句：

• At present he has become a Professor of Chemistry at Oxford.他现在已是牛津大学的化学教授了。
• This is where the road to Oxford joins the road to London.这是去牛津的路与去伦敦的路的汇合处。

2 entirely   

ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地

参考例句：

• The fire was entirely caused by their neglect of duty. 那场火灾完全是由于他们失职而引起的。
• His life was entirely given up to the educational work. 他的一生统统献给了教育工作。

3 worthy   

adj.(of)值得的，配得上的；有价值的

参考例句：

• I did not esteem him to be worthy of trust.我认为他不值得信赖。
• There occurred nothing that was worthy to be mentioned.没有值得一提的事发生。

4 mischief   

n.损害，伤害，危害；恶作剧，捣蛋，胡闹

参考例句：

• Nobody took notice of the mischief of the matter. 没有人注意到这件事情所带来的危害。
• He seems to intend mischief.看来他想捣蛋。

5 pointed   

adj.尖的，直截了当的

参考例句：

• He gave me a very sharp pointed pencil.他给我一支削得非常尖的铅笔。
• She wished to show Mrs.John Dashwood by this pointed invitation to her brother.她想通过对达茨伍德夫人提出直截了当的邀请向她的哥哥表示出来。

6 leniently   

温和地，仁慈地

参考例句：

• He marked the paper leniently. 他改考卷打分数很松。
• Considering the signs he showed of genuine repentance,we shall deal leniently with him. 鉴于他有真诚悔改的表现，我们将对他宽大处理。

7 martyr   

n.烈士，殉难者；vt.杀害，折磨，牺牲

参考例句：

• The martyr laid down his life for the cause of national independence.这位烈士是为了民族独立的事业而献身的。
• The newspaper carried the martyr's photo framed in black.报上登载了框有黑边的烈士遗像。

8 inscribed   

v.写，刻( inscribe的过去式和过去分词 )；内接

参考例句：

• His name was inscribed on the trophy. 他的名字刻在奖杯上。
• The names of the dead were inscribed on the wall. 死者的名字被刻在墙上。 来自《简明英汉词典》

9 probation   

n.缓刑(期)，(以观后效的)察看；试用(期)

参考例句：

• The judge did not jail the young man,but put him on probation for a year.法官没有把那个年轻人关进监狱，而且将他缓刑察看一年。
• His salary was raised by 800 yuan after his probation.试用期满以后，他的工资增加了800元。

10 fumbles   

摸索，笨拙的处理( fumble的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Van der Meyde boots the ball to safety after Toldo fumbles a right cross. 因为托尔多在右侧漏球，范得美德把球护到安全的地方。
• The placement shot fumbles the primary cause which into this competition Chinese army loses the game. 定位球失球成为本场比赛汉军输球的主要原因。

11 fumble   

vi.笨拙地用手摸、弄、接等，摸索

参考例句：

• His awkwardness made him fumble with the key.由于尴尬不安，他拿钥匙开锁时显得笨手笨脚。
• He fumbled his one-handed attempt to light his cigarette.他笨拙地想用一只手点燃香烟。

12 unduly   

adv.过度地，不适当地

参考例句：

• He did not sound unduly worried at the prospect.他的口气听上去对前景并不十分担忧。
• He argued that the law was unduly restrictive.他辩称法律的约束性有些过分了。

13 cascade   

n.小瀑布，喷流；层叠；vi.成瀑布落下

参考例句：

• She watched the magnificent waterfall cascade down the mountainside.她看着壮观的瀑布从山坡上倾泻而下。
• Her hair fell over her shoulders in a cascade of curls.她的卷发像瀑布一样垂在肩上。

14 mighty   

adj.强有力的；巨大的

参考例句：

• A mighty force was about to break loose.一股巨大的力量即将迸发而出。
• The mighty iceberg came into view.巨大的冰山出现在眼前。

15 lighter   

n.打火机，点火器；驳船；v.用驳船运送；light的比较级

参考例句：

• The portrait was touched up so as to make it lighter.这张画经过润色，色调明朗了一些。
• The lighter works off the car battery.引燃器利用汽车蓄电池打火。

16 shrugged   

vt.耸肩（shrug的过去式与过去分词形式）

参考例句：

• Sam shrugged and said nothing. 萨姆耸耸肩膀，什么也没说。
• She shrugged, feigning nonchalance. 她耸耸肩，装出一副无所谓的样子。 来自《简明英汉词典》

17 peevish   

adj.易怒的，坏脾气的

参考例句：

• A peevish child is unhappy and makes others unhappy.一个脾气暴躁的孩子自己不高兴也使别人不高兴。
• She glared down at me with a peevish expression on her face.她低头瞪着我，一脸怒气。

18 ridge   

n.山脊；鼻梁；分水岭

参考例句：

• We clambered up the hillside to the ridge above.我们沿着山坡费力地爬上了山脊。
• The infantry were advancing to attack the ridge.步兵部队正在向前挺进攻打山脊。

19 harry   

vt.掠夺，蹂躏，使苦恼

参考例句：

• Today,people feel more hurried and harried.今天，人们感到更加忙碌和苦恼。
• Obama harried business by Healthcare Reform plan.奥巴马用医改掠夺了商界。

20 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

21 awfully   

adv.可怕地，非常地，极端地

参考例句：

• Agriculture was awfully neglected in the past.过去农业遭到严重忽视。
• I've been feeling awfully bad about it.对这我一直感到很难受。

22 heroism   

n.大无畏精神，英勇

参考例句：

• He received a medal for his heroism.他由于英勇而获得一枚奖章。
• Stories of his heroism resounded through the country.他的英雄故事传遍全国。

23 prophesied   

v.预告，预言( prophesy的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• She prophesied that she would win a gold medal. 她预言自己将赢得金牌。
• She prophesied the tragic outcome. 她预言有悲惨的结果。 来自《简明英汉词典》

24 mused   

v.沉思，冥想( muse的过去式和过去分词 )；沉思自语说（某事）

参考例句：

• \"I wonder if I shall ever see them again, \"he mused. “我不知道是否还可以再见到他们，”他沉思自问。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• \"Where are we going from here?\" mused one of Rutherford's guests. 卢瑟福的一位客人忍不住说道：‘我们这是在干什么？” 来自英汉非文学 - 科学史

25 brewer   

n. 啤酒制造者

参考例句：

• Brewer is a very interesting man. 布鲁尔是一个很有趣的人。
• I decided to quit my job to become a brewer. 我决定辞职，做一名酿酒人。

26 doorway   

n.门口，(喻)入门；门路，途径

参考例句：

• They huddled in the shop doorway to shelter from the rain.他们挤在商店门口躲雨。
• Mary suddenly appeared in the doorway.玛丽突然出现在门口。

27 chuckled   

轻声地笑( chuckle的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• She chuckled at the memory. 想起这件事她就暗自发笑。
• She chuckled softly to herself as she remembered his astonished look. 想起他那惊讶的表情，她就轻轻地暗自发笑。

28 triumphantly   

ad.得意洋洋地；得胜地；成功地

参考例句：

• The lion was roaring triumphantly. 狮子正在发出胜利的吼叫。
• Robert was looking at me triumphantly. 罗伯特正得意扬扬地看着我。