“On his arm!” replied Fudge, hoarsely, triumphantly. “The l-l-left one!”
CHAPTER XVI
SEARS MAKES A SUGGESTION
That Sunday evening there was an informal meeting at Guy Felker’s house in the interests of the Track Team. Guy had asked a half-dozen fellows to come and talk over affairs, and Lanny, Harry Partridge, Arthur Beaton and Toby Sears had responded. Orson Kirke had excused himself by telephone and Jack Toll had simply failed to appear. Toby Sears was Senior Class President, the School’s best broad-jumper and a fair quarter-miler. Sears was eighteen and a rather earnest chap on whose judgment the school always placed the utmost reliance. It was Sears who was talking now.
“What Guy has said is just about so. There isn’t now and never has been enough interest in track and field athletics with us. Every year it’s been increasingly difficult to get fellows to come out for the team. Considering the lack of material we’ve had to contend with, I think we’ve done very well. But this spring a lot of us have been hoping that things would be easier for the captain and the coach, for we want to make this year’s victory over Springdale decisive. But, as Guy has told us, as things stand now the team is very one-sided. That is, we’ve got a lot of candidates for the field events and mighty few for the track. And here it is the first of May and the Springdale meet is little over a month off. Even if we found fellows now to come out and work for track positions there is scarcely time to develop them. And, for my part, I doubt that we can get any. Guy made a pretty good canvass of the school last month and I think he’s got hold of about all the talent there is. Seems to me, then, that the only thing to do is for us fellows to see if we can’t come to the rescue and round out the team better. I’ve never run a half-mile in competition and don’t know what I could do, but I’m willing to try. That would give me three events but if they didn’t come too close together I guess I could manage them. And it seems to me that there are others who could attempt more than they are attempting now. How about you, Harry? You’re down for the shot and hammer, aren’t you?”
“Yes, but I’ll try anything once, Toby. The trouble is that I don’t think I’m good for anything else, and a month is short time to learn new tricks.”
“Well, you know what you can do and can’t do. Still, I think that some others of us could double up, so to speak. We haven’t but one miler on the team, as you know. Smith is doing his best, but unless he travels faster than he did last year he won’t get a point. Springdale, from what I can learn, is especially strong this year at the mile, half and quarter and we’ve got to get some seconds and thirds in those events to have a chance at winning. Presser is willing to do all he possibly can, but he can’t turn out runners if he isn’t given material to work on. So, as I’ve said, it seems to me it would be a good plan to induce some of the fellows who are trying for field events to go in for track work. I don’t suppose it’s possible to take, say, a chap who has never done anything but jumping and make a good half-miler of him in a month, but if we can make him good enough to capture a third we’re helping our chances.”
“I think that’s a splendid idea,” said Captain Felker. “Of course, there are some of us who couldn’t take up more than we are taking. I, for one. I’d be willing enough, but you simply can’t run sprints or distances and do yourself justice at the pole-vault. Besides that, the arrangement of events interferes. But I do think there are fellows on the team who will be willing to enter two or, in some cases, even three events. I wish we could get up some enthusiasm for the mile and the half-mile. Fellows seem to hold off from those events as if they were poison. I dare say they think they’re harder work. In a way they are, or, at least, they require a more sustained effort than the sprints and hurdles. And speaking of hurdles, we need a bigger field there. Lanny’s got all he can manage with the sprints, although he intends to try the high hurdles too. The only fellow we have in sight now for the low sticks is Arthur here. We ought to have four men for every event on the program, and that’s the truth of it.”
“I’m willing to try the sprints if you think it will do any good,” said Arthur Beaton. “I might push some Springdale fellow out in the trials, anyway.”