Part 7 (1/2)
”Hot towel!” cried Rollo, to Jonas's amazement, and running violently about the room to the grave danger of the dainty bric-a-brac which stood on the marble-topped table.
”We start to-morrow morning at ten o'clock,” said Lucy, ”and mother said you must surely wear your tippet, and take the little shawl your Aunt Sarah knit for you.”
”Tippet and shawl, indeed!” said Rollo, ”I shall wear my new fur-lined great-coat and my c.o.o.n-skin hat. Oh, hot towel! Hot towel!”
The little folks then joined hands and danced about excitedly until they were quite exhausted.
Promptly at ten o'clock on the following day, Cousin Stella's handsome automobile came rolling around the corner, and Rollo and Lucy, warmly dressed in their best coats and hats, were soon ensconced among the comfortable cus.h.i.+ons with their little friends.
Somewhat to Rollo's disappointment Rupert Hogan was one of the party, but this feeling was almost immediately forgotten in his enthusiasm at again seeing Miss Anabelle who looked charming indeed in a dark blue dress with grey furs, against which she wore a large bouquet of violets. Rupert, on the contrary, wore a bright, brown suit with an extremely large yellow chrysanthemum in his b.u.t.tonhole.
”Which are you for, Rollo,” asked Anabelle, ”Yale or Princeton?”
”I am for Princeton,” said Rupert loudly, which was very rude as he had not been addressed.
”I am for Yale, of course,” cried Rollo.
”Oh joy!” laughed Anabelle. ”So am I. I must teach you the cheer. It begins 'Brek-ek-kek-kek, ko-ax, ko-ax!'”
”Tiger. Siz-boom-ah!” shouted Rupert.
”See, I have a tin horn, all the Princeton men carry tin horns.”
Thus, with much shouting and noise and merry glee the little company sped on their way towards the city of New Haven. The thoroughfare soon began to be greatly crowded with thousands of automobiles filled with other girls and boys as well as grown-ups, some so old that Rollo marvelled at their being out of doors at all, all bound for the great match. There was much dust and confusion, and not a little danger.
Racing cars filled with gentlemen with pleasant red faces dashed by at a break-neck pace, and at one spot there was quite a pile of autos which had run into each other and were severely damaged. It also began to be extremely cold.
”Are we not delightfully uncomfortable?” shouted Rollo, as they whirled off the road to avoid another car, jumped a ditch, grazed a telegraph pole, and bounced back onto the turnpike again.
”Yes indeed,” said Anabelle. ”That is half the fun. Of course we might have made the journey in a warm train, but that is not considered the smart thing to do. One should always be half-frozen when one arrives at a football match.”
”Right-o!” said Rollo. ”Come, Rupert, I will wager you a dime on the result!”
”Done with you, Rollo,” said Rupert, and Lucy and Stella and Anabelle all applauded.
New Haven town was even more crowded and confusing than the highway had been. Important constables waved them hither and thither, and they were soon pa.s.sing imposing buildings, which Stella's mother told them were the Halls of Learning.
”There are the new Harkness buildings,” she said. ”A very great architect, Mr. Rogers, designed the group.”
”We have a Rogers group in our parlor,” said Rollo, ”but it is by no means so large or so fine as this one. But do they play the match in that great courtyard?”
”Dumbbell!” said Rupert. ”They play the game in the Bowl.”
”Well I vow!” thought Rollo, ”who ever heard of playing football in a bowl!”
But he kept silent and was very glad he had done so, for, after an hour of snail-like pace through the streets they came in sight of a gigantic structure, in which Rollo could see thousands and thousands of people sitting.
”There is the Bowl,” cried his friends and they all clambered stiffly to the ground, still munching their luncheon sandwiches, and made their way to their seats.
The spectacle which met Rollo's gaze was indeed an imposing one. Round about the great arena stretched thousands of people, tier upon tier, an unbroken ma.s.s rising far above his head.