“Hello,” Neil exclaimed, “what’s your trouble?”
“That’s what I’ve been trying to discover,” answered Stuart soberly.
CHAPTER XVI
LE GETTE EXPLAINS
The cold spell continued well into the middle of the week, with brisk winds from the northwest and, if rumor was to be credited, a momentary flurry of snow Tuesday evening. The clicking of the steam in the pipes had a pleasant sound those mornings when, leaping heroically from bed, one slammed the window down, hustled shiveringly into a bathrobe and scuttled along the corridor to the showers. Once inside the swinging doors, the warm steam-laden atmosphere drove out the chills and almost invariably, for some reason, induced song. Disrobed figures, darting in or out of the showers, sang lustily. Robed figures, awaiting their turns, sang, too. As one had to drown the sound of the spray and his neighbors’ voices in order to hear and appreciate his own vocal efforts, the lavatories were so many Babels. At this season football songs were in favor, and a stranger listening outside could not have failed to be convinced of Manning’s might and valor and of the futility of Pearsall’s pretensions!
But one didn’t have to listen outside the lavatories to hear football pæans those days. Every one sang them or whistled them, in hall, on campus, along the village street. Already the big cherry-red banner with the gray M floated beneath the stars-and-stripes from the flagpole in front of Manning Hall and dormitory windows were showing crossed pennants or cherry-colored pillows. In the village the storekeepers were digging out last season’s surplus of flags and megaphones and arm bands, and over the portal of the town hall the ancient and faded length of red and gray bunting was once more in place. In short, Safford was preparing for the big event that came but once in two years and scorned expense! It was even said that Mr. Hutchins—familiarly known throughout school as “Blinky”—had recklessly imported from New York a whole dozen cherry-and-gray four-in-hands the like of which had never been seen in Safford and, which was even more certain, would never be seen at Manning! But, although fellows shied from the ties, they considered that “Blinky” had been very sporting.
Cheer meetings were held nightly, increasing in fervor as the big game approached. Unknown to fame indeed was he who by Friday night had not stood at least once on the platform in assembly hall and voiced his faith in the team! Fellows who never read a newspaper save on Sunday, and then confined themselves to the magazine and “comic” sections, hurried to the village after breakfast and meandered back to the campus with their faces concealed behind the outspread pages of the morning journals. Studious youths who had hitherto been uncertain whether a touchback was a player or an article of football attire became suddenly versed in the rules of the game to the point of argument, and Nutting, who kept the stationery store, sold the four rules-books that had caused him sorrow for nearly two years! In fact, Manning School was undergoing a recurrent malady known as football fever and was experiencing it in its most virulent form.
On Wednesday, however, the malady had not reached its height, and morning recitations were fairly normal; something not to be said of Thursday’s or Friday’s. Stuart and Le Gette put in the usual practice session on the second team gridiron and Le Gette did seven goals out of ten tries by drop kicking and four out of ten from placement. When work was over Stuart announced that the other would have a chance to show what he could do against the second team that afternoon. If Stuart expected signs of trepidation in Le Gette he was disappointed. Le Gette only nodded and said: “I suppose you’ve got to forget the other fellows and just keep your mind on the kick.”
Stuart had no better advice to offer.