FOOTBALL—WITHOUT RULES
School was out for the day. Three quarters of the boys belonging to the four upper grades made a bee line for a field about a block away. The magnet was a football that Dave Darrin proudly carried tucked under his left arm.
"I wanter play!"
"Let me try just one good kick with it, Dave!"
"Take a stroll," advised Darrin laconically. "How can I blow up the ball and talk to you fellows, too?"
"Hurry up, then. We want to give the ball a fierce old kick."
"No kids in this," announced Dave, rather loftily. "Only fellows in the eighth and seventh grades. Fellows in the grades below the seventh are only kids and would get hurt."
"Oh, say!"
"That isn't fair!"
The protests were many and vigorous from sixth and fifth-grade boys, but Darrin, ignoring them all, went placidly on inflating the pigskin. At last the task was completed.
"Hurrah! Now, Dave, give it a boost and let us all have some fun!" cried the boys. But Darrin coolly tucked the ball under one arm.
"Dick Prescott has a few remarks to make first," Dave announced.
"Dick going to make a speech?"
"Cut it, and start the ball moving!"
"Won't you fellows interrupt your music lessons long enough to listen to an idea that some of us have been talking over?" called Dick. "Now, fellows, you know this is the time when the crack Gridley High School football team is hard at work. We're all proud of the Gridley High School eleven. A lot of you fellows expect to go to High School, and I know you'd all like a chance to play on Gridley High's eleven."
"Set the ball moving!"
"Wait a minute," Dick insisted. "Now, fellows, no Grammar School in Gridley has ever had an eleven."
"How could we," came a discontented wail, "if we have to stand here and see Dave just do nothing but hold the ball?"
"Fellows," Dick went on impressively, "it's time to have Grammar School football teams here in Gridley. Central Grammar ought to have one, North Grammar one and South Grammar one. Then our three Grammar Schools could play a championship series among themselves."
"Hooray! Give the ball a throw, Dave!"
"So, fellows," Dick continued, "a lot of us think we ought to organize a football team at once. Then we can challenge North Grammar and South Grammar. We can practise the rest of this month, and next month we can play off our games. What do you say?"
"Hooray!"
"We'll have two teams," called Dave. "We'll call one team the Rangers and the other the Rustlers. Now, let's make Dick captain of the Rangers."
"All right!"
"And Tom Craig captain of the Rustlers."
"Good!"
"All right, then," nodded Dave. "Dick, you pick out the Rangers; Craig, you go ahead with the Rustlers. After we've practised a few times we'll pick the best men from both elevens, and make up the Central Grammar eleven. Get busy, captains!"
Forthwith the choosing began. Dick chose all his chums for his own eleven. And no boy lower than seventh grade was allowed on either team.
"Now, who'll be referee?" demanded Dick. "Captain Craig, have you any choice?"
"Have we got any fellows, not on either team, who really know the rules?" asked Tom Craig dubiously.
There was a hush, for this was surely a stumbling block. It seemed clear that a referee ought to know the rules of the game.
"What's up, kids?" called a friendly voice.
The speaker was Len Spencer, a young man who had been graduated from the High School the June before, and who was now serving his apprenticeship as reporter on one of the two local daily papers, the morning "Blade."
"Oh, see here, Len!" called Dick joyously. "You're just the right fellow for us. You know the football rules?"
"I have a speaking acquaintance with 'em," laughed Len.
Dick rapidly outlined what was being planned, adding:
"You can put that in the 'Blade' to-morrow morning, Len, and state our challenge to North and South Grammars. Won't you?"
"Surely."
"But we want to practise this afternoon," Dick continued earnestly, "and we haven't any referee. Len, can't you spare us a little time? Won't you boss the first practice for us?"
"All right," agreed Len, after a little thought. "I'll tackle it for a while. Have you got your teams picked?"
"Teams all picked, and the ball ready. We'll have to place stones for goal posts, though."
"Hustle and do it, then," commanded Len. "I can't stay here forever."
Five minutes later the field was as ready as it could be made.
"Captains will now attend the toss-up," ordered Len Spencer, producing a coin from one of his pockets. "Heads for Craig, tails for Prescott."
It fell head up, and Craig chose his goal, and also the first kick-off.
Dick had been busily engaged in making up his line and backfield. There was some delay while Tom Craig accomplished this same thing.
"Now, one thing that all you youngsters want to remember," declared Len, "is that no player can play off-side. All ready?"
Both young football captains called out that they were. Len had provided himself with a pocket whistle loaned by one of the fifth-grade boys.
Trill-ll! Tom Craig kicked the ball himself, but it was a poor kick. The pigskin soon struck the ground.
"I'll try that over again," announced Tom.
But Dick and his own fighting line had already started. Dick, at center, with Dave on his right hand and Greg Holmes on his left, snatched up the ball and started with it for the Rustlers' goal.
A bunch of Rustlers opposed and tackled Prescott. Dick succeeded, by the help of Dave and Greg, in breaking through the line, but the Rustlers turned and were after him. Down went Dick, but he had the pigskin under him.
"Take it away from him, fellows!" panted Craig. But Len blew his whistle, following up the signal by some sharp commands that brought the struggle to a close.
"Prescott's side have the ball," declared Len, "and will now play off a snap-back. And, boys, one thing I must emphasize. I've told you that under the rules no man may play off-side. So, hereafter, if I find any of you off-side, I'm going to penalize that eleven."
Dick was whispering to some of his players, for, without any code of signals, he must thus instruct his fellows in the play that was to be made with the ball.
Then the whistle sounded. The Rangers put the ball through the Rustlers' line, and onward for some fifteen yards before the ball was once more down.
"Good work, Prescott," nodded Len Spencer. "Now, pass your orders for the next play, then hustle into line and snap-back."
Len placed the whistle between his lips and was about to blow it when Dave Darrin darted forward, holding up one hand.
"What's the trouble?" asked Len.
"Mr. Referee, count the men on the other team."
"Fifteen players," summed up Len. "That's too many. Captain Craig, you'll have to shed four men."
"Oh, let him have 'em all," begged Dick serenely.