bitter sarcasm
“Oh, yes, you’re plumb broken-hearted, aren’t you?” asked “Boots” with
bitter sarcasm. As a relief to his feelings, he shouted pungent
criticism at Quarter-back Hinton. “Well,” he said finally, “which do
you want and when do you want him?”

Penny nodded soberly. “It’ll be–funny,” he agreed. “I don’t suppose
you’ll quite understand it, Thayer, but–well, this school is more like
a real home than any other place I know. You see, my mother died a long
while ago; I was just a toddler then; and my father married again. Then,
when I was eleven, he died and now I live with my stepmother and her
brother. He’s not a bad sort of man, Uncle Steve. I just call him uncle,
of course. But my stepmother never liked me much, and then, besides,
father didn’t leave much money when he died and she sort of feels that
she can’t afford to pay my education. I’ve always had to fight to get
back here every year. Uncle Steve helped me some, but he’s kind of
scared of ma and doesn’t dare say much. That’s why school seems like
home. When I go back to Parkerstown it’s more like going on a visit than
going home. And after this year it’s going to seem funny, unless I go
to college.”

truthfully
“Much better, thanks,” replied Clint, more optimistically than
truthfully. Turner nodded.

“I would if I knew when they were coming,” replied the official drily.
“But they may not come back here for a month. Maybe they won’t then.
They won’t if we can get our hands on them,” he added grimly.

school acted as if a most notable victory had been won
But all this had no present effect on Brimfield’s jubilation, and the
school acted as if a most notable victory had been won. When the
‘varsity team came in to supper that night it received an ovation hardly
second in enthusiasm to that usually accorded it after a victory over
Claflin. And perhaps, after all, the team deserved it, for when all was
said and done the spirit which had been shown when they had held
Chambers scoreless on the four yards and again later when they had
themselves worn down the defence and gained their touchdown had been of
the right sort.

“We might have got him to bring us some coffee now,” said Amy.

ago, when he was in college
“I have an uncle,” said Chase, “who used to play football a long time
ago, when he was in college. In those days about everything went, I
guess. He told me once that he used to be scared to death every time he
started in a hard game for fear he’d get badly injured. Said it wasn’t
until someone had jabbed him in the nose or ‘chinned’ him that he forgot
to be scared.”

“Yes, this is my last year.”

As I nibble at my toast of a morning I prop the New York _Herald_
against the water giraffe and read, spilling my coffee down my neck:
‘The life of the party was Right Tackle Thayer
“And then, Clint, think of following your meteoric career in the papers!
As I nibble at my toast of a morning I prop the New York _Herald_
against the water giraffe and read, spilling my coffee down my neck:
‘The life of the party was Right Tackle Thayer. Seizing the elongated
sphere and tucking it under his strong left arm, Thayer dashed into the
embattled line of the helpless adversary. Hurling the foe right and left
and biting the Claflin quarter-back in the neck, he emerged triumphant
from the mle. Dodging the enemy’s bewildered secondary defence, and
upsetting the umpire with a dull thud, our hero dashed down the field.
Line after line vanished behind his flying feet. Shod with the wings of
Mercury, he sped on and on and still on toward the far-distant goal
line. Cheers thundered from the encompassing stadium, met overhead,
broke and descended upon the head of the speeding runner in a shower of
fragmentary vowels and consonants. Still on and on went Right Tackle
Thayer. Friend and enemy were far behind. Victory stretched eager arms
toward him. With a last, gallant effort he plunged across the goal line
and fell unconscious beneath the cross-bar. At a given signal a wreath
of laurel descended from above and fitted about his noble brow. The
score: Thayer, 98; Claflin, 0!’”

“I wonder! Well, maybe they would. Yes, I guess so. Consequently, I’ll
knock him down on my own account–ostensibly, Clint, ostensibly.”