The Crimson Sweater Read online

  CHAPTER IV

  ROY CHANGES HIS MIND

  For an instant his arms thrashed wildly. Then he was standing, gaspingand sputtering, with the bandage torn away and the ripples breakingagainst his thighs! From the bank, only a few feet away, came roars oflaughter, diminishing as his captors, having drawn the boat up onto thelittle pebbly beach, stumbled up the path toward the school. And Roy,shivering and chattering, stood there in a scant three feet of icy waterand impotently shook his fist in the darkness!

  At first, as he scrambled with his bare feet over the sharp pebbles tothe shore, he could not understand what had happened. Then he realizedthat all the rowing had been in circles, or possibly back and forthalong the shore. For some reason this made him madder than if they hadreally made him dive into deep water beyond his depth. They had made aperfect fool of him! And all the way back up the hill and across thecampus he vowed vengeance--when his chattering teeth would let him!

  A few minutes later, divested of his wet pajamas, he was under thecovers again, striving to get some warmth back into his chilled body.When he had tiptoed noiselessly into the dormitory whispers had greetedhim and unseen persons had asked softly whether he had found the waterwarm, how the walking was and how he liked diving. But Roy had made noanswer and soon the voices had been stilled. Sleep was long in coming tohim and when it did it brought such unpleasant dreams that he foundlittle rest.

  At breakfast, when the announcements were read by Mr. Buckman, Roy foundhimself one of four boys summoned to call on Dr. Emery at the office inSchool Hall after the meal was over. Looking up he encountered the eyesof Horace Burlen fixed upon him threateningly. Roy smiled to himself. Sothey were afraid that he would tell on them, were they? Well, they'dsee!

  When Roy's turn to enter the office came, after a few minutes of waitingin the outer room in company with the school secretary, he found himselfa little bit nervous. Perhaps the Principal had already learned of lastnight's mischief and held him to blame in the matter.

  But when, five minutes or so later, Roy came out again he looked quitecontented. In the outer office he encountered Mr. Buckman, who nodded tohim, paused as though about to speak, apparently thought better of itand passed on into the Principal's room. Roy hurried over to the SeniorDormitory, armed himself with books, pad and pencils and managed toreach his first class just as the doors were being closed. Lessons wentwell enough that first day, and when, at four o'clock, Roy trotted ontothe gridiron for afternoon practice he hadn't a worry in the world.Perhaps that is one reason why he did such good work at quarter on thesecond squad that Jack Rogers patted him once on the shoulder and toldhim to "keep it up, Porter," while Mr. Cobb paid him the compliment ofalmost remembering his name!

  "Good work, Proctor!" said the coach.

  There were several absentees that afternoon, notably Horace Burlen andOtto Ferris, and there was much discussion amongst the fellows as to thereason. Before practice was over the report had got around that theabsent ones had been "placed on inner bounds." Roy didn't know just whatthat meant, but it sounded pretty bad, and he was almost sorry for theculprits. When, after practice was over, Roy did his two laps with theothers, he looked across the hedge as he passed the stables. The doveswere circling about in the late sunshine and the wicked Spot was sunninghimself on the edge of the shed roof, but the girl with the red hair wasnot in sight.

  At supper Roy found a decided change in the attitude of the fellowstoward him. Instead of the friendly, half curious glances of the nightbefore, the looks he received were cold and contemptuous. For the mostpart, however, the fellows avoided noticing him and all during the mealonly Jack Rogers and Mr. Cobb addressed him, the former to inquire wherehe had played football before coming to Ferry Hill and the latter tooffer him a second helping of cold meat. Later Roy accidentallyoverheard a conversation not intended for his ears. He was in the studyroom, whither he had taken his books. The window beside him was open andunder it, on the granite steps outside, was a group of the younger boys.

  "Emmy called them to the office at noon," one boy was saying, "andraised an awful row with them. Said hazing was forbidden, and they knewit, and that he had a good mind to send them all home. He tried to getthem to tell who started it, but they wouldn't. So he put them all oninner bounds for a month."

  "How'd he know who was in it?" asked another boy.

  "Why, the new chap squealed, of course!" was the contemptuous answer."Horace Burlen says so. Says he doesn't know how he guessed the otherfellows, but supposes he recognized him by his voice. A mighty dirtytrick, I call it."

  "That's the way with those public school fellows," said a third speaker."They haven't any principles."

  "It's going to just about bust up the eleven," said the first boy. "Why,there's Burlen and Ferris and Gus Pryor and Billy Warren all footballmen!"

  "Mighty little difference Otto Ferris's absence will make, though."

  "Oh, he'd have made the team this year, all right."

  "Well, a month isn't very long. They'll get back in time to play the biggames."

  "S'posing they do, silly! How about practice? If Hammond beats us thisyear it will be that Porter fellow's fault."

  "I don't believe he told on them," said a low voice that Roy recognizedas Sidney Welch's. "He--he doesn't look like that sort!"

  "Doesn't, eh? Then who did tell? Think they peached on themselves?" wasthe scathing reply. "You'd better not let Horace hear you talking likethat, Sid!"

  Roy stole away to a distant table with burning cheeks and clenchedhands.

  When bedtime came things were even worse. All the time he was undressinghe was aware that he was the subject of much of the whispered discussionaround him and the hostile glances that met him made silence almostimpossible. But silent he was, doing his best to seem unaware of whatthe others were thinking and saying. He passed down the dormitory to thewash-room with head held high and as unconcerned a look as he couldmanage, but he was heartily thankful when Mr. Cobb put his head out ofthe door of his room at the end of the dormitory, announced "Bed,fellows," and switched off the electric lights. Roy wasn't very happywhile he lay awake there in the darkness waiting for sleep to come tohim. He had made a sorry beginning of school life, he reflectedbitterly. To be sure, he might deny that he had told on Burlen and hiscompanions, but what good would it do when every fellow believed as theydid? No, the only way was to brave it out and in time win back thefellows' respect. But how he hated Horace Burlen! Some day, how or whenhe did not know, he would get even with Burlen! Meanwhile sleep came tohim after a while and he fell into troubled dreams.

  The next day his cup of bitterness was filled yet fuller. Harry cut him!He met her on the way across the campus at noon. She was immaculatelytidy in a blue skirt and a fresh white shirt-waist and her red hair fellin a neat braid at her back. She carried a bundle of books under her armand Snip, the fox terrier, ran beside her. Roy nodded with a friendlysmile, but his only reward was an unseeing glance from the blue eyes.The color flamed into Roy's face and he hurried on with bent head. Ithink Harry regretted her action the next instant, for when he hadpassed she turned and looked after him with a little wistful frown onher face.

  On the football field life wasn't much pleasanter than in hall. Roy hadalready worked himself into the position of first substitutequarter-back, and Bacon, the last year's quarter, was looking anxiousand buckling down to work in a way that showed he was not over-confidentof holding his place. But when the men before and behind you had rathermake you look ridiculous than play the game you are in a hard way. Andthat was Roy's fix. Whitcomb, who was playing center in Burlen'sabsence, was inclined to treat Roy rather decently, but there wereothers in the squad who never let slip an opportunity to worry him. Theway his signals were misunderstood was extraordinary. Not that itmattered so much these days, since practice was in its most primitivestage, but after three afternoons of such treatment Roy was ready togive up the fight. After practice on Saturday he waited for Jack Rogersoutside the gymnasium and ranged himself
alongside the older boy as heturned toward the dormitory. Jack shot a quick glance at him and nodded.

  "Roy lifted his hat, and nodded with a friendly smile,but his only reward was an unseeing glance from the blue eyes."]

  "I thought I'd better tell you," began Roy, "that I've decided to giveup football."

  "Think so?" asked the captain dryly.

  "Yes," replied Roy, looking a little bit surprised. There was nothingfurther from the other and Roy strode on at his side, trying to matchhis long stride and somewhat embarrassedly striving to think of what tosay next.

  "You see," he said finally, "there's no use in my trying to play quarterwhile the fellows are down on me. It's just a waste of time. I--I don'tseem to be able to get things right."

  What he meant was that the others were doing their best to get thingswrong, but he didn't want to seem to be complaining of them to Rogers.The latter turned and observed Roy thoughtfully.

  "That your only reason?" he asked.

  "Yes."

  "Well, let's stop here a minute if you've got time." The two seatedthemselves on a wooden bench under the trees a few yards from theentrance to the dormitory. "You're new here," continued Jack, "and thereare some things you don't know. One of the things is this: we've got towin from Hammond this Fall if we have to work every minute between nowand the day of the game. They beat us last year and they didn't do itvery squarely. That is, they played a great big fellow named Richardsonat right guard who had no business on their team. We protested him, butit did no good. He was a student of the academy at the time, andalthough we knew he was there just to play football, we couldn't doanything beyond making the protest. As it turned out we were right, forRichardson left Hammond a week after the game, and this year he'splaying on a college team. He was a big fellow, twenty years old,weighed two hundred pounds and simply played all around our men. He usedup two of them before the game was over. He played mighty dirty ball,too. Our captain last year was Johnny King--he's playing with Cornellthis year--and he was plucky clean through. The whole school was infavor of refusing to play Hammond, and Cobb was with us. But King saidhe'd play them if they had the whole Yale varsity to pick from. When wewent out for the second half with the score eleven to nothing against ushe said to me: 'Jack, you'll be captain next year, and I want you toremember to-day's game. Get a team together that will lick Hammond. Workfor it all the Fall. Never mind what other teams do to you; keep Hammondin mind every minute. Lose every other game on the schedule if you haveto, but beat Hammond, Jack! I'll do all I can to get coaches for you,and I'll come down myself for a day or two if I can possibly manage it.What do you say?' I said 'All right, Johnnie,' and we shook hands on it.Hammond scored again in that half, and after it was over we had to carryJohnnie back to the gym. Well?"

  He stopped and looked inquiringly at Roy.

  "I guess I'll go ahead and play," answered Roy.

  "That's better. You're one of us now, and that means that you've got towork yourself blue in the face if necessary to make up for what Hammonddid to us last Fall. I can't promise you that you'll get into the game,although I don't see why you shouldn't, but even if you don't, even ifyou stay on the second all season you'll be doing just as much towardwinning the game as any of us--if you'll do your best and a little more.And it mustn't make any difference to you how the fellows treat you orwhat they say. You're there to play football and run your team. Ofcourse, what takes place between you and the others is none of mybusiness and I shan't step in to help you, not once; but just as soon asI find that they are risking the success of the eleven you can count onme to back you up. I won't stand any nonsense from them, and they knowit; or if they don't know it now they mighty soon will. They say yougave away the fellows who hazed you the other night. I don't knowwhether you did or didn't, and I don't want you to tell me. I don'tcare. You can play football, and that's enough for me. I wouldn't carethis year if you had stolen the cupola of School Hall. I have nothing todo with what you are off the football field. If you'll do your honestbest there I'll stick to you as long as you live. Will you?"

  "Yes," answered Roy.

  "Good! Shake hands! Now let's go on."

  "About that hazing affair, though," said Roy as they left the seat. "I'dlike to tell you--"

  "I don't want to be told," answered Jack curtly. "If you told on Burlenand the others maybe you had reason, and if you're a decent sort of achap they'll get over it in time. If you didn't you've got nothing toworry about. If a chap plays fair and square fellows pretty soon knowit. See you at supper. So long."

  Jack turned down the path toward the Cottage and Roy ran up the steps ofBurgess Hall with a lighter heart than he had had for several days.

  "'If you'll do your honest best there, I'll stick to youas long as you live.'"]