Argosy All-Story Weekly, November 12, 1927 — page 121: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

THE END OF APOLLO. worried him, hurt his playing. Once in awhile he fought harder under their taunts, but when he failed he consoled himself with thoughts of Germaine and her: “ You are a handsome devil.” Steve. was cheerful by nature, and at- tached no great importance to his football defections. He wanted to make the team, but, confound it, he was particular about his face, too. And why not? Germaine Rivers was practically engaged to him, and she was the catch of the school, and well did young Ferris realize it. Even Habisch had made no impression on her; the most brilliant stars of visiting teams went utterly flat with her; and the persist- ence of Butcher Merrick was wasted. He might have been quicker to regret his team mates’ disfavor at another time, but with dreams of Germaine—well, what if he didn’t make the team? She’d love him anyway: it was his face that won her; and so might it be selling bonds after college. He played hard enough, but there was a certain restraint. “Tm not taking any wild chances,” he said to himself when he let a man through or failed to break through on a run. “ Aw, you yellow Apollo, go have yer picture taken.” He heard this sneer one day, and it hurt. Then he noticed some _ strangeness among his companions off the field. Good Heaven! Could they be thinking he was really yellow? A cold chill seized him. “T am careful of myself,” he reflected, “but Dll swear I’m not yellow.” He confided in one of his most intimate fraternity brothers. “Tell me, Dick,” he asked, “ what’s wrong with all the fellows? They give me a fishy stare lately. It can’t be because I didn’t make the team. I didn’t make it the last two years either; and a lot of other fellows don’t make it. Why this sneering from the first team men, and these odd looks frorm you chaps?” Dick was strangely evasive. He left a _ deeply concerned Steve to wander off for- lornly to his room. But Diék left deeply concerned also. He sought several other Alpha Alpha Gammas. 595 “ Gee, fellows,” he said, “ I couldn’t tell Steve the word has passed around that he’s yellow. I don’t believe he is myself. But they think that Butcher Merrick’s got him scared. They say that Butcher’s threats unnerved him.” “T don’t know,” cut in Bud Conroy, second team tackle. ‘ The varsity is rid- ing him pretty hard on this Apollo gag. I’ve seen him lay down. I never believed Steve was yellow myself. But he surely is careful about that mug of his.” ‘“* And he is a handsome brute,” envious- ly sighed Reefer. “But that’s his ruin, and it doesn’t help the house to have this yellow talk going around. Something ought to be done.” “ Well,” said Reefer, “ it’s too late to do anything now. ‘The season is over.” “There is the State game yet,” put in Dick, rather hopelessly. “Hell,” grunted Bud Conroy, “you don’t think the coach’d put him in that, do you? Why, Brown is beating him out for right half on the scrubs.” ‘“‘Tf he’d only make a last minute spurt it’d remove the stigma of yellow, got to do something.” “ T’ve got one hope,” slyly said Reefer. “ What is it?” several asked eagerly. Reefer carefully outlined his plan. “‘ Great,”’ some cried when he finished. “We can try it anyway.” “Tt might do some good,” gloomily added Conroy. Next night found the group utterly de- jected. “She wouldn’t do it, eh?” “Wouldn’t help us, huh?” “ Sure she wouldn’t consider it?” asked Reefer, more disappointed than any. “‘ Absolutely not.” And so it stood until the final afternoon before the game, and so it might have re- mained at the conclusion of the season, but for the indiscreet jubilance of Butcher Merrick. He left the field after that final practice seeing Apollo Ferris assigned to the third team for the bench to-morrow, which meant no earthly chance for the game. Habisch and Scraggin both were playing at their regular positions. Yelverton at his regular Comichboo He's: <SEGO