Pigskins and Dowitchers 239 



radio accounts and would rejoice at the team's success and 

 feel free to criticize it and the coaches for the losses. Fame 

 would come to the regulars; obscurity and drudgery would 

 be the lot of the reserves. There may have been light-heart- 

 edness and humor in the showers, but I saw none on the held. 

 The man who fumbled the ball or failed to follow instructions 

 showed by his actions in the next trial that he realized the 

 enormity of his crime and was determined not to repeat it. 

 There was no letdown. Men who apparently had been over- 

 looked by the coaches gathered in little groups and busied 

 themselves at practicing starts or passing the ball. When I 

 left I had never failed to contrast the two sides of the road, 

 the gulls so indifferent to the problems of living, and the men 

 so intensely absorbed with the intricacies of sport. 



On this day the practice field was deserted. It was easy to 

 tell why. The popcorn and candy trucks parked in advan- 

 tageous situations, the student guards placed at intervals to 

 prevent cars from blocking vital lanes, the sight of boys 

 wandering about the stadium fence, and of men going in 

 and out of the gates clearly indicated that a game would be 

 played in the afternoon. 



At the canoehouse a sturdy black-headed lad of about 

 twelve watched me as I worked. 



"What you doing, mister?" he asked. 



"I'm getting ready to go out in a canoe." 



"You going to be out long?" 



"Four or five hours, I expect." 



"How much do they charge?" 



I told him the hourly rate. He looked at me incredulously. 



"Gosh, mister. You could see the game for that. You could 

 get a good seat, too." 



As I pushed off I knew just how a boy of that age felt. Why 

 did a man who could go to a football game want to do any- 

 thing else? Nothing should keep him away. Nothing could 

 keep him away from so desirable an event. He reminded me 



