CHAPTER XVIII
PUBLICITY
Mr. Bates' reply to Dick's letter was contained in his regular weeklyepistle and was decidedly non-committal. He appeared to accept Dick'sstatements as to the latter's studiousness and progress but madelittle comment. Only, a mail later than the letter, came two copiesof the Leonardville daily, each with a paragraph circled in red ink.Seeing them, Dick sighed and shook his head even before he read them.Thursday's paper held the following under the caption "High SchoolJottings":
"Richard C. Bates, for two years one of High School's most popular students, is certainly making good at his new Alma Mater, Parkinson School, which he entered last September. Dick went out for the Parkinson Football Team and proceeded to show them how the position of quarter-back should be played. Now he is first substitute, we learn, and the season isn't over yet. Dick's loss was a severe blow to the High School Team, but his old friends are surely proud of his success and are rooting hard for him."
Dick shuddered over that and took up the second paper. "Leonardvilleis Proud of Him," he read. "Richard Corliss Bates, the younger son ofour prominent citizen and successful merchant, Mr. Henry L. Bates,of Euclid Boulevard, is a fine example of the coming citizens ofLeonardville. Young Bates is well and favourably known to a wide circleof friends in this city who will be pleased to learn of his successin the various branches of his career at Parkinson School, Warne,Mass., of which famous institution of learning he became a studentin September last. While attending the local High School RichardBates was unusually popular, both for his personal traits and forthe brilliancy displayed by him in athletics. As a football playerhe was easily supreme in this part of the State and his prowess wasrecognised widely. A number of schools and colleges sought his servicesbut young Bates chose the school which his brother, Stuart Bates, nowof Philadelphia, attended. There, in the short space of two months,Richard has already made his presence felt and is in a fair way toattain renown both for scholastic attainments and athletic supremacy.He entered into competition at the beginning of the school year forthe position of quarter-back on the School Football Team, an honor forwhich there were dozens of contenders, and now holds the place of firstsubstitute, with every indication of becoming the regular incumbentof the position before the football season ends. He has also recentlybeen elected to membership in one of the school's most exclusiveorganizations, the Banjo and Mandolin Club, to which, because of arare musical talent, he will doubtless prove a valuable addition. Inhis classes Richard stands high. There is, we understand, talk amongsthis friends in the High School of organising a party to go to Warne onthe occasion of the Parkinson-Kenwood football game, which is held theSaturday before Thanksgiving, to see him play and to do honour to onewho is so pleasingly upholding the traditions of Leonardville youngmanhood. His career will be watched with sympathetic interest by a hostof well-wishers in our fair city."
Having completed the reading of that, Dick not only shuddered again butgroaned loudly, so loudly that Stanley, at the table, looked up fromhis studies and viewed him with alarm.
"What's the matter?" asked Stanley.
"It's that rotten paper again," moaned Dick, casting the offendingsheet to the floor and turning a disheartened gaze to the window.Stanley smiled, pulled the paper toward him dexterously with one foot,rescued it and read. And as he read he chuckled, and Dick, seeing whatwas happening, made a dash to wrest the paper away.
"No, get out of here! Let me read it, you simp!" Stanley fended Dickoff with feet and one hand. "Everybody else has," he laughed, "so whyshouldn't I?"
Dick scowled, shrugged, thrust his hands into his pockets and subsidedon the window-seat. "Go ahead then," he muttered. "But if you laughI'll kill you!"
So Stanley put the paper between them and made no sound, althoughcertain twitchings of his hands aroused the other's suspicions. When hewas through Stanley lowered the paper from in front of a very seriouscountenance.
"Well?" said Dick morosely. "Say it, you chump!"
"Why, I--well, of course, Dickie, it's a bit--a bit fulsome, you know,but I can't see anything in it to be mad about."
"You can't, eh? Well, I can! What do you suppose dad thinks when hereads that sort of piffle? No wonder he wasn't more--more cordial inhis letter!"
"But the paper says a lot of very nice things about you, Dick,"protested Stanley. "That about the exclusive Banjo and Mando----"
"Oh, shut up!" growled Dick. "They make me sick."
"And I'm sure," pursued the other gravely, "any fellow would beflattered at having his friends come all the way from Pennsylvania tosee him play in the big game."
"Huh! That's only guff, thank goodness! Gee, if that happened----"
"But this paper says it's likely to happen," Stanley objected. "If itwas me, I'd be pleased purple!"
"Yes, you would!" jeered Dick. "Someone's been filling that newspaperchap with a lot of hot air. That's the sort of stuff they print aboutanyone that--that does anything; like moving away or dying or--orgetting married. It doesn't mean anything, but the trouble is that dadhas seen it and I'll bet he believed it."
"Why not? Besides, it says here 'In his classes Richard stands high.'That ought to please him, anyway!"
"I'd like to know what they know about my classes. The whole thing'ssickening."
"Oh, I don't know," murmured Stanley judicially, casting his eyes downthe column again. "Say, you never told me that 'a number of schools andcolleges' were after you, old man. That's hot stuff! You've been hidingyour bush under a lightning."
"Well, they really were, Stan, but I didn't brag of it. Not here,anyway. I did show the letters to Blash one time when he was here, justas a sort of joke. But I don't see how the paper got hold of it. Isuppose Sumner White blabbed."
"Well, cheer up, Dickie. Folks may not think you wrote that yourself.There's always that chance. Even if they do----"
"Stan! Does it--does it sound as if I'd--I'd done it?"
"N-no, only the election to the Banjo----"
"The High School _Argus_ got that from _The Leader_, you idiot! Isuppose the guy that wrote all this drivel found it in the _Argus_ andjust--just dilated on it."
"Dilated is good," chuckled Stanley. "Whoever he is, I'd say hedelights to dilate. Well, cut it out and paste it in your scrap-book,Dick. It'll interest your grandchildren some day."
"Yes, I will!" declared Dick venomously. He seized the paper and toreit into shreds and then cast it from him into the general direction ofthe waste-basket. "Like fun!"
"When--er--that is, how many do you think there'll be in the party,Dick?" asked Stanley innocently.
"What party?" Dick scowled his puzzlement.
"Why, the party that's coming on to see you----"
But he didn't finish, for Dick was on him like a whirlwind, the chairwent over backward--Stanley accompanying it--and there was a rough timein Number 14 for the ensuing four minutes. At the end of that time Dicksat astride Stanley's chest and demanded apologies, and Stanley, weakfrom laughing, gave in. "Just the same," he added, wiping his eyes ashe scrambled to his feet again, "just the same, Dick, I think you oughtto make some sort of plans for their entertainment--All right! Allright! I won't open my mouth again! I was just thinking----"
"Don't think!" ordered Dick sternly. "Sit down there and help me writea letter to that editor man that'll blister his hide and make him letme alone after this! Come on now. How would you begin it?"
In the end it turned out to be a very brief and very formal andextremely polite epistle which thanked the Leonardville _Sentinel_ forits interest but requested that hereafter Mr. Richard Bates's name beexcluded from its columns since Mr. Richard Bates disliked publicity.
"Great stuff!" commented Stanley when Dick had read over the finaldraft. "Sounds so fine and modest. Hadn't you better enclose a checkfor that write-up, though? You don't want him to think----"
Stanley, however, was now looking into the muzzle of a paper-weight,so to speak, and his words dwindled to si
lence. Dick, cowing himfurther with a sustained glare, replaced the paper-weight and directedan envelope. When the letter was sealed and stamped Dick again fixedhis companion with a ferocious and intimidating look. "You keep quietabout this, Stan," he said, "or I'll bust you all up into a total loss!Understand?" Stanley nodded.
"Well, say so then!"
"Dick, you have my sacred word of honour that never so long as I dolive will I so much as breathe a single syllabub of this thing savethat I do have your permission to so do, though wild hearses drag mybody asunder and----"
"Oh, shut up! But you remember! If I find you've told Blash or--oranyone I'll lick you, Stan!"
"I hear and I obey in fear and trembling," responded Stanleyhumbly. "Least of all will I ever divulge a word to that exclusiveorganization, the Banjo and Mandolin Club, Dick! And if you want anyassistance in entertaining----"
Stanley beat the paper-weight to the door by one fifth of a second,establishing what was undoubtedly a record over the course!
Dick mailed the letter to the editor of the _Sentinel_ and tried todismiss the annoying affair from memory. In this effort he was wellaided by Coach Driscoll, for the coach didn't allow him much time thatweek for vain regretting. Dick and Stone were alternated in practiceevery day and none could have said with any degree of certainty thateither was the favourite. Cardin was quite evidently relegated tothird place, in token of which he drove B Squad around the field insignal drill while Dick and Gus Stone confined their attentions to A.The Second Team was licked to a frazzle on Tuesday in a thirty-minutesession, was held scoreless on Wednesday, although given the ball eighttimes on the First's ten-yard-line, and was again decisively beatenThursday. On Friday the First Team went through signals and did somepunting and catching and then were sent back to the showers. But workwas no longer over when twilight fell these days, for there was an hourof black-board talk in the gymnasium Trophy Room after supper eachnight. There, with the squad seated on some old yellow settees draggedin from the balcony, Coach Driscoll, with chalk and eraser and pointingfinger, explained and questioned. On Friday night Mr. Driscoll talkeddefence against shifts, first chalking his diagram on the black surfacebeside him.
"Chancellor uses several forms of shift plays," he began. "For a puntshe uses a tackle-over. You know how to meet that, I think, but we'llgo over it again to refresh your memories. When you see the opponentshifting a tackle to either side you must yourselves shift a full spacein that direction. I'm speaking to the five centre men now. SupposeChancellor calls for 'tackle-over left.' Centre, guards and tacklesmove a space to the left. That brings centre opposite the opposingright guard and left guard opposite the opposing right tackle, as shownon the board. Our left tackle is out here opposite their right end,our left end still further out where he can dash around to spoil thekick--if he's smart enough! Right end stays well out and a little backof the line, and it's his duty to spot fakes and give the news themoment he does it. If a forward-pass develops on his side his place isunder the ball. Right half-back plays about three yards back, betweenhis guard and tackle. Full-back occupies a similar position on theother side, ready to go in or out, as play develops. He and left tacklemust look after the opposing tackle and end. Behind him, more to theright and well back, is the left half. The quarter, of course, is upthe field. Chancellor will almost always punt from that formation, butshe may fake, and it is those fakes you must watch out for. Full-backmust be especially alive. He must watch the enemy's back-field and herright end too. If the latter goes out to receive a pass he must getto him promptly and block him. On the other hand, if a punt comes, asit is likely to nine times in ten, this defence puts three men wherethey ought to be able to sift through in time to hurry the punter ifnot to actually block the kick. And if you can hurry the punter, inChancellor's case her left half-back, you are doing something. For'tackle-over right' you merely reverse this diagram. Chancellor willsometimes punt from ordinary formation to fool you, but not often,for her punter likes plenty of room. Now, fellows, are there anyquestions? Let's have this perfectly understood, for it's a formationyou'll have to use often tomorrow."
Sometimes they adjourned to the gymnasium floor and lined up and thenwalked through the evolutions of some play not clearly understandablein the Trophy Room. After these evening seances Dick, for one, waslikely to have much difficulty in getting to sleep, his mind being aweird confusion of plays and signals.