《The Sitters 》作者：- Clifford D Simak【EPUB】

zaq

THE SITTERS Clifford D. Simak THE FIRST WEEK of school was finished. Johnson Dean superintendent of Millville High sat athis desk enjoying the quiet and the satisfaction of late Friday afternoon. The quiet was massacred by Coach Jerry Higgins. He clomped into the office and threw hismuscular blond frame heavily in a chair. quotWell you can call off football for the yearquot he said angrily. quotWe can drop out of theconference.quot Dean pushed away the papers on which he had been working and leaned back in his chair. Thesunlight from the western windows turned his silver thatch into a seeming halo. His pale blue-veined wrinkled hands smoothed out painstakingly the fading crease in hisfading trousers. quotWhat has happened nowquot he asked. quotIts King and Martin Mr. Dean. They arent coming out this year.quot Dean clucked sympathetically but somewhat hollowly as if his heart was not quite in it. quotLetme seequot he said. quotIf I remember rightly those two were very good last year. King was in theline and Martin quarterback.quot Higgins exploded in righteous indignation. quotWho ever heard of a quarterback deciding hewouldnt play no more And not just an ordinary boy but one of the very best. He made all-conference last year.quot quotYouve talked to them of coursequot quotI got down on my knees to themquot said the coach. quotI asked them did they want that I shouldlose my job. I asked is there anything you got against me. I told them they were letting downthe school. I told them we wouldnt have a team without them. They didnt laugh at me but -quot quotThey wouldnt laugh at youquot said Dean. quotThose boys are gentlemen. In fact all the youngstersin school -quot quotTheyre a pack of sissiesquot stormed the coach. Dean said gently quotThat is a matter of opinion. There have been moments when I also wasnt ableto attach as much importance to football as it seemed to me I should.quot quotBut thats differentquot argued the coach. quotWhen a man grows up naturally he will lose someinterest. But these are kids. This just isnt healthy. These young fellows should be out therepawing up the earth. All kids should have a strong sense of competition. And even if theydont theres the financial angle. Any outstanding football man has a chance when he goes tocollege -quot quotOur kids dont need athletic subsidiesquot said Dean a little sharply. quotTheyre getting morethan their share of scholastic scholarships.quot quotIf we had a lot more materialquot moaned Higgins quotKing and Martin wouldnt mean so much. Wewouldnt win too often but we still would have a team. But as it is - do you