CHAPTER XIV.
A MYSTERIOUS APPEARANCE.
David saw his first football practice the next afternoon and enjoyedthe spectacle of Jimmy zipping through the line or spilling thefellow with the ball when he happened to be playing on the defensive.Dixon was living up to the part of the contract forced upon him byFrank and the Wee One, and made no further obstacle for Jimmy whenthe coach occasionally put him over in the backfield on the Firsteleven. But Chip bore the Freshman halfback no very deep affection.He was, however, becoming more and more impressed with the beliefthat Jimmy was the genuine material and that he was pretty nearlynecessary to the welfare of his eleven. Hillard generally tookprecedence, that is, he went in at first, but Jimmy would get inawhile toward the end of practice.
During the week, practice had been very satisfactory, by far thebest of the season, and when on Saturday the school eleven scored12 to 4 against the Milldale High School eleven, hope began to runhigh in the school that perhaps after all Queen's might pull out thatWarwick game, which was now only a week off.
Friday night there was a mass-meeting under the elms in the yard,and Horton, Mr. Parks and a graduate of the school of some fortyyears before--a Mr. Walbridge--were the speakers. They stood on thesteps of Russell and torches lighted up the scene. There had beena torchlight parade up and down the walks of the school, and theprocession finally halted in front of the wide steps of Russell Hallwhere the speakers were in readiness.
"We are going out next Saturday for a victory, boys," said Horton."We have been down in the mouth all the season because factionshave been pulling us one way and another, but that is all over now.You played good football this afternoon, but you'll have to playbetter next Saturday for those fellows up the river are going togive you the battle of your lives. But if you will forget all yourdisagreements and get together, and then stay together, we'll showthem yet."
"You bet we will," sang out a voice from the rear, as Horton retired."Three cheers for Horton."
Harding, the captain of the eleven, wakened from his lethargy by theenthusiasm, jumped out in front of the bunch of boys and cried: "Nowa long one for Mr. Horton, get into it," and they did with a vim anda snap which made Horton's eyes brighten.
"Rackety wow, rackety wow, rackety wow, Horton, Horton, Horton."
The rumpus stirred the katydids in their leafy bowers overhead andthey were loudly affirming and denying when Mr. Parks gave the boys aword of encouragement. Mr. Parks was followed by the elderly graduateof the school, who told them of football when he was at Queen's.
"We hadn't a quarter of the number of boys to choose from in myday," he said, "and I don't think we were any bigger, but we workedtogether and played together and ate together, and when we went outon the field to play our games we were so completely together thatthe team moved like one man. And if you will look over the recordsof those old days, you'll find that Queen's didn't lose many games.
"It's the same on the football field as it is in the daily walks oflife. To be successful, I mean to have the right kind of success,you've got to play fair and hard and keep thinking. If some oneslams into you, I know the feeling is to retaliate, for that's humannature; but when you're tempted to do that, just think that whileyou're slugging the fellow who slammed into you unnecessarily, youropponent may be getting past you, for you can't do two things atonce. I remember a fellow in my own class; they called him 'BiffScott.' He used to play center, and when he could keep his temper hewas a wonder. But a hard jolt always made him mad, and then he was avery poor center. In our big game with Warwick, for our big game waswith Warwick just the same as yours is now, the Warwick center knewof Scott's weak point, so he teased him into forgetting what he wasthere for, and they put play after play right over him and actuallywon the game because he fought and didn't play.
"I'm of the opinion," the old graduate continued, "that what Mr.Horton says is right, that if you give up these little dissensions,get together and stay together, you may yet make this football seasonsomething to be proud of. I, for one, believe you can and will do it.That's all."
Again the school yell ripped out sharply and was echoed back by thewalls of Warren just across the way. Cheers were given for the team,the coaches, the captain, and a crashing one for Queen's School. Thenthe torches were swung over shoulders again, and the procession tookup its course, the tramp of many feet following the marching melodyof the school--
Tramp, tramp, tramp, old Queen's is marching, Marching onward to the fray. Can't you hear our ringing cheer, Rising loud and high and clear, Queen's will fight and win the victory to-day.
Tramp, tramp, tramp, the team is marching, Onward down the field they go. They're the best in all the land, They've the heart, the brain, the sand, And the courage high to conquer every foe.
Tramp, tramp, tramp, the battle's raging, Cheer the victors loud and long. They will raise the Blue and Gold Where it waved in days of old. Then a cheer, my boys, and join us in our song.
Tramp, tramp, tramp, old Queen's victorious, Ever valiant in the fray. And we'll give a rousing cheer For the team that knows no fear. Then for Queen's, my boys, hurray, hurray, hurray!
When it was all over Frank and Jimmy and Lewis climbed the stairs toNo. 18 and found David where they had left him.
"It was like fairy-land," cried David, as Jimmy and Frank came in."Looking down from here it was like a long fire-snake twisting andturning up and down the walks."
"How about the cheering?" asked Jimmy.
"It sounded wonderful coming up through the branches. I'm so glad Icame up after all. I had made up my mind not to go to school becauseI felt I would be in the way," and he looked down at his twisted andmisshapen limbs, and there was a tremor in his voice. "But just thesame, I'm glad I came. I can't take part in all the fun, but it willbe good to see it from the window."
"Go along with you," said Frank, going over to David and slipping hisarm around his shoulder. "In a little while you'll be taking yourpart just the same as any of us, and you won't have to watch fromthe window as you say."
"What could I do?" wailed David.
"There are lots of things you can do. Maybe you can write for the_Mirror_."
"That, we'd have you know, is the sparkling weekly of Queen's," brokein Jimmy.
"Yes," said Frank; "you might stamp your name forever on the historyof Queen's athletics by writing a good football song, and who knowsbut they might erect a monument to your memory, because we're alittle shy on good songs."
"I've been thinking of trying myself," said Lewis, "now that I'vegiven football up for more serious things."
"Because football's given you up, you mean," slung in Jimmy, "forbetter things!"
"But I can never do anything in athletics like you fellows," saidDavid wistfully. "It would be such fun."
"I'm not so sure you can't do any athletics," said Frank. "To-night Ihappened to meet Patsy, he's our trainer, you know, and instructor inthe gym as well. I told him about you and he said you might go intothe gym, and if you develop strength in your arms there are lots ofthings you could do."
"What, for instance?" inquired David, brightening up at thepossibility of taking part in any of the sports which he had thoughtall closed to him forever.
"Well, Patsy said there was the gymnastic work, parallel bars,horizontal bars, flying rings and rope climbing. The champion ofthe school gets a big 'Q' on a white sweater just the same as thefootball fellows. And he said you might make a good coxswain of thecrew. Lots of things for you to do, so cheer up."
"I'll see about it right away. I've always been strong in my arms andhands, probably because of these things," indicating the crutches."You see my poor legs are not very heavy," and he caught the armsof the chair in which he was sitting, and raised himself with thegreatest of ease, swinging his body clear of the seat and swayingbackwards and forwards.
"I say," said Jimmy, "wouldn't it be great if David got his 'Q'before any of us?"
br /> "Guess there's no real danger of my being burdened with a 'Q' for awhile," said David laughing. "But I'll train up and be ready for itif a 'Q' should be flying around looking for some pleasant place tonest."
"We're all looking that way and would be most willing to offer a nestto this much-desired but elusive letter. Jimmy is the most likely ofus if he doesn't break his neck before the Warwick game," said Frank.
"Come on, Fatty," cried Jimmy, after the boys had chatted for a halfhour. "We must be going to our model apartment up the road, and letthese old cronies get to bed. I've got to keep good hours, you know."
"Speaking of beds, you see how I've fixed my room," said Frank,leading the way to the chamber. "We got them to put another couch inhere alongside of mine, right by the window. From here we can lookout and see you fellows laboring any fine afternoon. The footballfield is right over there," added Frank, pointing. He broke offshort. "Gee whiz," he cried suddenly, "what's that?" The otherscrowded up close to the window and looked in the direction indicatedby Frank's finger.
The moon was shining brightly, the stars twinkled brilliantly, andthe trees and the football stands threw dense black shadows on thegrass which at that distance looked like a pall of black velvet.But what caught and held their attention was in the middle distancebetween themselves and the silvery line of the river, where a whiteshrouded figure moved rapidly along. It looked like a woman dressedcompletely in white, but the garments hung from the head rather thanfrom the shoulders, and seemed to flow out behind.
"It's a ghost," whispered Lewis, his scalp beginning to stretch withthe rising hairs. The boys watched the thing intently. It did notseem to walk but rather to glide along about five or six feet fromthe ground. Suddenly it turned from its course parallel to the river,and started to come in the direction of the dormitory. It came on andon until within perhaps a hundred yards of the foot of the slightlyhigher ground on which the dormitories were built, and then swungaway off in the direction of the football stands and disappeared assuddenly as it had come, while they stood watching with fascinatedeyes.
Frank was the first to recover himself.
"Well, if that doesn't beat the Dutch," he said, turning a puzzledface to his companions. Lewis was positively blue with fear.
"I thought the thing was coming right up the bank," he said.
"Yes, you grabbed me as if you had been a drowning man and I had beena straw," said Jimmy.
"You did some grabbing yourself," retorted Lewis, beginning torecover himself now that the apparition had gone.
"Well, I'll admit the blooming thing did startle me, all right. Musthave been a shadow," said Frank. "The moon plays funny tricks withshadows at night."
"It wasn't a shadow," remarked David, "because I distinctly saw ablack shadow following the thing, whatever it was; and if it had beena shadow it certainly wouldn't have cast a shadow, would it?"
The boys stood at the window for half an hour looking for anothervisitation of the spook or ghost, or whatever it was, but the fieldappeared to be deserted. There was only the moonlight on the grass,the black shadows and the katydids calling mournfully to each otherthe old, old refrain. Then Lewis and Jimmy made their departure, theformer keeping very close to Jimmy as they headed for their own room.Unconsciously they quickened their steps and occasionally lookedfearfully over their shoulders, and on reaching their entry made abreak for their room, three steps at a leap.
A little while after Jimmy and Lewis had made their hasty exit to theother end of Warren Hall, Gleason came sauntering up the stairs, andinto the room.
"This is our new room-mate, David Powers," said Frank. David andGleason shook hands.
"Glad to see you," said the Codfish. "Hope you and Web-foot won't getlost in that big room of yours--what's the matter with the both ofyou?--you look as if you had seen a ghost."
"That's just what we did do."
"Get out, where?"
"Right down there on the meadow."
"Go to bed and have a little sleep, and you'll get over it all right.You're studying too hard."
"I saw it too," chimed David. "There were four of us and we saw itplain as day."
"What was it, the headless horseman or the slaughtering ghost of theBarrows' football team? Did it walk or skate?"
"No, we're telling you the straight goods on this. Jimmy, Lewis,David and I saw it, and watched it for five minutes. It disappeareddown by the river bank. It didn't walk on the ground at all, butseemed to be floating through air."
"Poor fellow, poor fellow," said the Codfish mournfully. "We'll get adoctor in the morning. That algebra has gone to his brain."
"Well, you can believe it or not," said Frank. "We saw it sureenough. It came apparently from the river, and seemed to go back toit down there by the football field."
"By Jove," said the Codfish, after a moment's reflection. "One of thefellows at this school was drowned in the river just a little belowthe bath-house float three or four years ago, and they recovered hisbody down there by the football stand. I wonder---- I wish I'd beenhere."
And Frank and David and Jimmy and Lewis also wondered, and thelatter, when he was ready for dreamland took a long, long look outonto the silent playground. "Gee," he said to himself, "and I thoughtof going down there to-night, it looked so pretty in the moonlight.What do you suppose it could have been?" He took the precaution ofclosing the window tight that night, leaving only those windowson the yard side of the rooms open. That night he dreamed that aheadless woman dressed all in white stood beside his bed, and offeredhim her head which she had tucked nicely away under her arm, and whenhe looked at it more closely, he saw it was a football and not a headat all.