“That’s very important,” he explained, “and my brother says if you can develop a good punter on your team, half your troubles are settled. I think Bobby does pretty well now.”
Bobby was very much pleased at this praise from a boy whose brother was a big football captain and he resolved, more firmly than ever, to make the football team the first year he was in high school.
“Punt now,” urged Elmer. “Stand back, fellows, and give him a chance. Go on and try, Bobby.”
Bobby took the ball from Fred, held it a moment in his hands and dropped it. Before it reached the ground he kicked and his toe sent it curving in a long line over the lot toward the carpenter shop.
“My goodness, it went in the window!” gasped Palmer Davis. “Bobby, you’ve kicked it into the carpenter shop!”
“How’ll we get it out?” asked Fred anxiously. “All the doors are locked, the back one, too. I saw the padlocks. How’ll we get my ball back?”
The five boys looked at each other anxiously. There was Fred’s new, expensive football inside the locked shop. What would the carpenter say when he found it there and would he give it back?
“Do you know the man who owns the shop, Bertrand?” asked Elmer sensibly. “Is he cross?”
“Yes, he is,” said Bertrand quickly. “He’ll be mad anyway ’cause we’ve been playing here and I don’t believe he’ll give the ball back. He doesn’t like boys much, ever since a gang used to play round his shop and steal pieces of wood and tin and solder. That’s why he had the locks put on the doors; he used to have just bolts.”
Bertrand had a memory like a great many other people. He remembered these small details after something had happened.