Bert Wilson on the Gridiron

  CHAPTER IV

  BREAKING THE RULES

  "YES," remarked Tom, following up a conversation he and his two comradeshad been engaged in for some time, "there's certainly somethingradically wrong with Martin, and personally I believe he's hitting thebooze, or something just as bad. There's always some explanation when afellow goes all to pieces the way he has, and ninety-nine times out of ahundred the answer is 'red-eye.'"

  "I wouldn't be surprised if you were right, Tom," agreed Bert soberly,"and it's too bad, too. Martin has always been such a good scout that Ihate to see him going back. What he needs is to have somebody give him aheart-to-heart talk and point out the error of his ways to him. Butlikely even that would do little good, anyway. When drink once gets ahold on a man it usually takes more than talk to break him of thehabit."

  "You can bet your hat it does," put in Dick. "I guess nobody who hasn'tactually fallen a victim of the liquor habit and then broken himself ofit can have any idea of the struggle necessary to do it. The only safeway is to let the 'stuff' strictly alone."

  "Right you are," said Bert earnestly. "Everybody thinks that liquor willnever get a grip on him. Oh, no! But what most people never take intoaccount is the fact that every drink of whiskey taken weakens the willjust a little, and makes it just so much harder to refuse the nextdrink. So it goes on, in increasing ratio, until it becomes next toimpossible for the victim to break himself of the habit. My idea is,don't monkey with a red-hot poker and you won't get hurt. If you do, nomatter how careful you may be, you're apt to get hold of the hot end,and then it's too late to wish you hadn't."

  "My, Bert, you could get a job as lecturer for the W. C. T. U.," laughedDick. "But just the same," he continued more seriously, "there's not adoubt in the world but what you're dead right. But the question is, ifMartin, as we have reason to believe, has started drinking, what can wedo to help him? Not only for his sake, but for the sake of the college.Without him on the team, we'd be so badly crippled that we wouldn't havea chance in the world to win the championship."

  "I don't know what we can do, I'm sure," said Bert with a perplexedfrown; "about all we can do is sit tight, and hope he'll see the errorof his ways before he gets so bad that Reddy will have to fire him fromthe squad."

  The others had no suggestions to offer, and after a little furtherdiscussion of the problem they gathered up their paraphernalia and wentto their respective rooms.

  The foregoing conversation took place on a Monday evening, and all thenext day the three comrades saw comparatively little of each other, allbeing "up to their eyes in work," as Tom expressed it. But on Wednesdaymorning they happened to meet on the campus after the first lectureperiod, and Tom proposed that that evening, after supper, they take aramble through the town after they had prepared their work for thefollowing day.

  "I'm beginning to feel stale," he complained; "Reddy won't let us go toa theater, of course, because that would keep us up too late. But Iguess he'd have no objection to our taking a walk like that, provided wegot back early."

  "All right," said Bert. "I was just going to propose something of thekind myself. You'll come, won't you, Dick?"

  "Surest thing you know," agreed that personage promptly. "What time doyou want to go? About seven o'clock?"

  The others were agreeable to this, and so the matter was settled. Theytalked a few minutes more, and then hurried away to the classrooms.

  In accordance with this plan, they met at the appointed time in Bert'sroom, and sallied merrily forth. And indeed, it seemed as though thesethree needed no other entertainment than they could give each other.What with jokes, laughter, and "monkey-shines" the time passed veryquickly, and they soon found themselves on one of the main thoroughfaresof the town. They sauntered along, extracting amusement from everythingthey saw, and were about to return to the college, when Bert's laughingface suddenly grew grave.

  They were approaching a brilliantly lighted saloon at the time, and Berthalted his companions with a gesture.

  "What's up, Bert?" inquired Tom and Dick in surprise.

  "I may be mistaken," replied Bert, "but I'm sure I saw Martin go intothat place. And I should think, by the way he was walking, that he'dabsorbed a few drinks already. What do you think we ought to do aboutit?"

  "We might wait around until he comes out, and then give him a talkingto," suggested Dick.

  "No, I think that the best thing we can do is to go in and catch him redhanded," said Bert. "It may make him so ashamed of himself that he'llcut out such things in the future."

  "Well, perhaps that would be best," said Dick, and as Tom seemed tothink so too, they decided to follow this course of action.

  Accordingly, they made their way through the swinging doors, and foundthemselves in the brilliantly lighted interior of the saloon. Rows ofglasses behind the polished mahogany bar sparkled in the light, and manymirrors reflected it, so that at first their eyes were almost dazzled.Nevertheless, they had little difficulty in locating Martin. He wasleaning up against the far end of the bar, a whiskey decanter in frontof him, and a glass a third full of the liquor in his hand.

  Even as the boys watched him he raised the glass to his lips, andemptied the contents at two gulps. He was starting to pour out anotherportion when Bert walked swiftly up to him and laid his hand on his arm.

  "Come on along out of this, Martin," he said; "we're all going back tothe college now, and you'd better come back with us."

  Martin turned toward him, but hardly seemed to recognize him. He wasabout to speak when the bartender, who saw a good customer being takenaway from him, interfered.

  "Aw, let de gent alone, can't youse," he said, in a belligerent tone;"he's got a right to take a drink or two if he wants to, ain't he? Hedon't look like no kid to need a guardian."

  "You keep out of this," said Bert, with a steely glint in his eyes,"this is our business, not yours, and if you want to steer clear oftrouble don't try to mix in."

  The bartender seamed inclined at first to try the efficacy of force, butas Dick and Tom ranged up alongside Bert, he thought better of it.

  "Awright," he grumbled, "awright. Take the guy along wid youse, an' Iwish you joy of him."

  Martin at first refused to move, but at last, by dint of muchpersuasion, the three comrades prevailed on him to go with them. Bertand Tom supported him on either side, guiding his uncertain footsteps tothe best of their ability.

  "I only hope we don't meet any one we know," said Dick fervently. "We'dbetter take a roundabout course going back, so as to take as littlechance as possible of that happening."

  "It wouldn't be a bad idea," said Tom, "and I think it would be a goodstunt for me to go on ahead and do a little scouting. I could meet youat the east gate and let you know if the coast is clear. If possible, wewant to get Mart to his room without anybody getting on to the state ofaffairs."

  "All right, go ahead," acquiesced Bert, "we'll get there as soon as wecan."

  Accordingly Tom set off at a round pace, and soon came within sight ofthe college towers. Fortunately, there was a swimming contest going onin the natatorium, and many students who ordinarily would have been aptto be wandering about on the campus were indoors watching the swimmers.There was hardly a soul to be seen, and Tom prayed that the favorableconditions might last until Bert and Dick arrived with their unfortunatecharge.

  He hurried to the appointed meeting place, and strained his eyes throughthe darkness in search of the trio that he knew must be pretty near bythis time. Sure enough, in less than five minutes they emerged from aneighboring street, and Tom walked swiftly up to them.

  "We're in luck," he said, in a low tone. "Everybody's in the natatoriumwatching the swimming meet, and we've got the campus practically toourselves. I'll walk in front of Martin, and the chances are we'll gethim to his room without anybody getting wise."

  Bert and Dick accordingly hurried Martin forward as fast as possible,and, as Tom had predicted, found everything favorable to them. Theyhurried across the deserted campus, and
entered the dormitory in whichMartin's room was located by a side door.

  By the greatest good fortune they met no one in the corridors, and in avery few moments had the "high life" exponent safely in his room.

  "Well, that's about all we can do to-night," said Bert, as they wereleaving the room. "I think the best thing will be to let him sleep offthe effects of his carouse, and then give him a talking to to-morrow."

  "I think we'd better leave that to you," said Dick, after exchangingglances with Tom. "Probably if we all got at him at once, it would onlymake him obstinate. You do the talking for all of us, Bert. Show Martwhat bad medicine he's been mixing, and maybe he'll come around to yourpoint of view."

  "Well," agreed Bert, but with evident reluctance, "I suppose that wouldbe the best way to do it. I'll get hold of him some time to-morrow, andtalk to him like a Dutch uncle."

  Accordingly, the next day he was on the lookout for the backslider.Several times in the course of the day he saw him, but Martin alwaysmanaged to avoid him, more by design than accident, as Bert thought. Atlast, however, after the last recitation period, he cornered him in asecluded corner of the campus.

  "I guess you know what I want to say to you, don't you, Mart?" heinquired gravely.

  "Oh, yes, I guess I know, all right," the other replied sullenly, "butthere's no use your preaching to me about the evils of drink, oranything like that. I've tried to cut out the stuff, and I can't, that'sall. I'm going to Reddy to-night and resign from the team."

  "You're not going to do anything of the kind," said Bert gravely,"you're going to keep right on being the best halfback the college everhad, but I'm going to ask a personal favor of you on behalf of myself,and also Trent and Henderson."

  "I think I know what you mean," said Martin suspiciously, "but fire awayand ask it."

  "We want you to go to Reddy and make a clean breast of it, ending up bypromising to do your best to cut out the 'stuff,'" said Bert. "Will youdo it? Don't say no now," as the other started to shake his head, "don'tgive me an answer now, if you don't want to. Think it over. I'm mightysure if you think hard enough you'll do what we want you to."

  "I'll do it!" exclaimed Martin, suddenly thrusting out his hand, "andI'll let the booze alone in the future if it takes a leg. You and theothers have done me a bigger service than you'll ever realize,probably."

  "Well, you know the way you can best repay it," said Bert, with a heartysmile, and after another strong handclasp they parted.

  Bert went straight to Dick and Tom, and told them what he hadaccomplished. "I think he'll keep his word, too," he finished. And as itproved, he, was right. From that day forward Martin reported regularlyfor practice, and kept strictly to training table regulations. In lessthan a week he was back to his old time form, and became as he had beenbefore, one of the mainstays of the team.