Central Junior High School - Junior Classic Yearbook (South Bend, IN)

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4 S , ,1- HEALTH ACTIVITIES ,U --f ws- f . , -1.. 12 T-z 5.4 J fi .. ' 115 ff. .rf ,., '5 4.11 lPage Thirty-eightl

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QE The Junior Classic 26 The Farmer It was September. and the corridors of Tren- ton High School were filled with throngs of merry students ready to go to work after a vacation of two months. Everyone seemed happy, and here and there stood groups of laughing, chattering boys and girls. But in one corner of the great hall lounged a bov, evidently a new pupil. plainly from the country. He was tall. sun-burned, and muscu- lar, with nice eyes and a generally good-looking face. If anyone noticed him at all. they sup- posed him to be a basliful Freshie . At an angle from the country boys' corner. stood a group of football men , discussing the games for the coming season. Gee, Bill Kennedy, football captain, was saying, we haven't a good husky tackle on the squad that is almost sure to be picked. They're good. but they haven't got the weight they need. He stopped talking and stared hard for a minute. Say, he's going to be right tackle on this year's squad, he announced triumph- antly. YVho? came in a chorus from the boys. f'YVhy, the 'Farmer' over there. Bill re- turned impatiently. Now, isn't he built swell for tackle? Yeh, but try and get him out for football. I'll bet he keeps his nose glued to a book all the time. S'pose he never saw a real 'pigskin' before this year, drawled Jim Davis disdain- fully. Oh, never mindg we'll promise him all kinds of glories if he'll only come out. He's simple, he won't fall for our scheme. And besides. it's for the honor of our school, answered Bill in a matter-of-fact tone. Come on! Let's go over and get acquainted. The boys sauntered over, spoke to him, made a casual remark about the weather. and promptly decided that the Farmer didn't want their patronage. After several questions were briefly answered, Bill ventured to remark about football. The Farmer was not very en- thusiastic. He had never seen a good gameg he did not know how to play. He didn't think he'd care to-. But by this time Bill had dis- covered that the Farmer was not as simple as he looked. Plainly. he had no time for foot- ball. But it is hardly possible for one to be approached about football, to be chased after by the big men of the school, and to visualize the glories one would receive if one played on the time-team and not consent at least to try to play. At last. the Farmer consented to go out for football The first night of practice, promptly at three thirty, he came lumbering onto the field. with his sweat-shirt and head-gear on backwards, and his shoulder-pads hanging loosely over one arm It was somewhat of an etfort for the bovs to keep from laughing. but tinally they did get him fixed: then practice began. First, they showed him how to tackle, but the squad was divided into two teams. wearing the same uni forms. The Farmer,' tackled anvbodv an everybody who got in his way. But he brought them down, just the same - Somehow he vot the ball. and somebody told him to run. He did. They stopped him just before he reached the edge of the athletic park But they would teach him vet. the bovs declared So practice went on, though many expressed the opinion that it was a hopeless task. They thought the i'Farmer would never learn the signals, as he always seemed to do the wrong thing at the right time. He was kept out of as many games as could be played without him The boy may have been very simple , as Bill expressed it, but he did not realize that he was a total loss at football: and he had so wanted to show up those city snobs Three weeks before the last game-the Bi Game with Beaton High-the Farmer decided that he would learn to play. He got the neigh borhood fellows together, and started practicing At last the fatal dav arrived. with Trenton s only other good tackle in bed with a broken leg. The game started with the Farmer play ing right tackle on the bench. A poor tackle though a fellow who knew the signals. had been put in the game. The Farmer was disap pointed. but his disappointment was greater when. at the end of the half. the score stood 6 to 0 in favor of Beaton The third quarter began, and ended. with the score only 6 to 3. with Trenton still at the little end of the scale. Immediately after the last quarter began. Trenton's right tackle was knocked out. and the coach turned resignedlv to the Farmer Youll have to go in there and play almost sighed. Were voinfr to win. the Farmer flung back at him over his shoulder. The last word he heard were: IfPafze Fortyl - D d I U -.. U with them. N , he s