Jack Winters' Gridiron Chums

st thinking of droppin

minutes of your preci

day morning that was to give the town folks their first taste of real football. Everywhere people seemed to be talking about it, and the chances the local team had of pulling off a victory. Jack, being known as the captain of the el

e boy had returned a mer

d we have hopes, that's all I can say

ross Jack's face, the very first that morning. He feared lest the other was abou

ewed hope that his troubles were sure to end in smoke. But evidently the b

erving fellow come along just then and noticed the expression on his face, he might have spread an alarm to the effect tha

, of course, you've got your hands full of the coming battle on the gridiron;

n a little of a hurry, but we can be going in the direction

welcome it; but every day's like the one before it. I go to bed, and get to sleep all right, but when I wake up along in the early hours, about

same thing. "But you say things haven't changed at home. By that I reckon you m

se there hasn't been any too much time so far. But my mother is worried on account of me. I've almost lost my appetite. The things that used to appeal to me the most I now l

Jack, solicitously, for it pained hi

can't meet her eyes when she looks at me like that. Once she begged me to tell her what had gone wrong with me, whether I was doing poorly at schoo

only we can come back home this afternoon, singing, and feeling joyous. Of

kade and German submarines? Why, no, I never found out if father took to the idea or not. I only know he must have seen the paper, because I found it later on his desk in the library, and I left it crumpled up on the floor. He

ning to look serious,

a

He certainly must suspect something, Jack. But the queer part of it all is that

get the hang

gs of life. I heard him tell that once, and I've tried to understand what it really meant, but somehow I couldn't, because my nature is just the opposite, so I guess I must take after my mother's side of the family. I can hardly remember the time when my dad

at this point. Jack in order to prevent

our father is acting differently no

art, "he's not only been watching me close at times, but twice now he's even asked me something about the football match with Marshall; and last night Ma told me he had said they must surely

dn't, I sup

r she called after me; but I didn't dare turn back right then, and pretended not to hear her. Later on I'd managed to get a fresh grip

failed us our goose would surely be cooked, you know, because the fellow who has been practicing as your understudy at fullback is a mighty poor f

, and I'll take it out on Marshall. Besides, I'll always be remembering that Ma and Dad will be there seeing no one but their Bobbie; and

felt pretty sure you wouldn't

k like his old self for once. "But that Thanksgiving game is another question. If this sort

w, and some fellows are addicted to it. There's another old saying that you might take to heart, and which runs like this: 'Sufficient unto the day is the ev

r how badly I'm feeling, only let me get in touch with you, and I seem to draw in new li

n of your father, for after all he's the central object of the whole thing. You said in the beginning that you feared he was beginning to su

he'd noticed in the window down at Higgins' store. Oh! that nearly broke me all up. I felt as if I wanted to throw myself down on my knees before Mm, and say that I didn't deserve new skates, or anything like that this year, because I was a wretched, careless boy, who had done some

understand how that came. The big fellow was extremely sensitive, and the possible enormity

take more interest in his children, and not leave it all to his good wife. And in the end possibly this affair might work out for the good of all concer