A Dog with a Bad Name | Page 5

"I wish I'd learnt football at home; I couldn't
do that to save my life."

"I slipped," said Jeffreys, rising slowly to his feet, and flushing
crimson.
"Did you?" said the irreverent youth. "I thought it was part of the play.
Stand out of the way, though, while I take a shot."
Before, however, Jeffreys could step aside, a neat and, for a wonder,
accurate drop-kick from Forrester sent the ball violently against the
side of the unwieldy senior's head, knocking off his hat and nearly
precipitating him a second time to the earth.
The storm fairly burst now. As the fleet-footed junior darted past him
the other struck out wildly; but missing his blow, he seized the ball and
gave a furious kick in the direction of the retreating enemy.
It was a fine drop-kick, and soared far over the head of its intended
victim, straight between the goal posts, an undoubted and brilliant goal.
Forrester stopped his retreat to applaud, and Scarfe scornfully joined.
"Awfully good," said he; "you certainly must play on Saturday. We've
nobody can kick like that."
"I meant it to hit Forrester," said Jeffreys, panting with his effort, and
his lips nearly white with excitement.
"Would you like another shot?" called out the young gentleman in
question.
"You ought to be ashamed of yourself, losing your temper like that,"
said Scarfe bitterly. "Couldn't you see he hit you by accident?"
"He did it on purpose," said Jeffreys savagely.
"Nonsense. He was aiming at the goal and missed. You did the same
thing yourself, only you aimed at him."
"I wish I had hit him!" growled Jeffreys, glaring first at Scarfe, than at
Forrester, and finally shambling off the ground.

"There's a nice amiable lamb," said Forrester, as he watched the
retreating figure. "I'm sometimes half ashamed to bait him, he does get
into such tantrums. But it's awfully tempting."
"You'd better keep out of his way the rest of the day," said Scarfe.
"Oh, bless you, he'll have worked it off in half an hour. What do you
bet I don't get him to do my Latin prose for me this afternoon?"
Forrester knew his man; and that afternoon, as if nothing had happened,
the junior sat in the Cad's study, eating some of the Cad's bread and jam
while the Cad wrote out the junior's exercise for him.
CHAPTER TWO.
A FOOTBALL TRAGEDY.
The two days' grace which Mr Frampton had almost reluctantly
allowed before putting into execution his new rule of compulsory
athletics told very much in his favour.
Bolsover, after the first shock, grew used to the idea and even resigned.
After all, it would be a variety, and things were precious dull as they
were. As to making a rule of it, that was absurd, and Frampton could
hardly be serious when he talked of doing so. But on Saturday, if it was
fine, and they felt in the humour--well, they would see about it.
With which condescending resolution they returned to their loafings
and novels and secret cigarettes, and tried to forget all about Mr
Frampton.
But Mr Frampton had no idea of being forgotten. He had the
schoolmaster's virtue of enthusiasm, but he lacked the schoolmaster's
virtue of patience. He hated the dry-rot like poison, and could not rest
till he had ripped up every board and rafter that harboured it.
Any ordinary reformer would have been satisfied with the week's work
he had already accomplished. But Mr Frampton added yet another blow

at the very heart of the dry-rot before the week was out.
On the day before the football match Bolsover was staggered, and, so
to speak, struck all of a heap by the announcement that in future the
school tuck-shop would be closed until after the dinner hour!
Fellows stared at one another with a sickly, incredulous smile when
they first heard the grim announcement and wondered whether, after all,
the new head-master was an escaped lunatic. A few gifted with more
presence of mind than others bethought them of visiting the shop and of
dispelling the hideous nightmare by optical demonstration.
Alas! the shutters were up. Mother Partridge was not at the receipt of
custom, but instead, written in the bold, square hand of Mr Frampton
himself, there confronted them the truculent notice, "The shop will for
the future be open only before breakfast and after dinner."
"Brutal!" gasped Farfield, as he read it. "Does he mean to starve us as
well as drown us?"
"Hard lines for poor old Mother Partridge," suggested Scarfe.
This cry took. There was somehow a lurking sense of shame which
made it difficult for Bolsover to rise in arms on account of the injury
done to itself. Money had been wasted, appetites had been lost,
digestions had been ruined in that