Tough to Tackle (7 page)

Suddenly a blue and white uniform swooped toward the ball. A pair of hands reached out and grabbed the pass. In the same motion
the player started running in the opposite direction. He had an open field. He went all the way. Boots didn’t know what had
happened until he heard the fans shouting and saw Jackie Preston touching the football to the ground in the end zone.

Bud shot a quick forward pass for the extra point and it was Argonauts 13, Apollos 14.

In the fourth quarter Boots nailed Lynn again for an eight-yard loss. At another time he caused Lynn to fumble the ball which
was recovered by Richie Powell, the right guard.

The Apollos moved ahead like a steamroller. And then Bud faked a handoff to Leo and Leo faded back and threw a long bomb to
Duck that nailed the coffin on the Argonauts. Duck went over for the touchdown.
Leo’s kick missed, and the score stayed at 20 to 13, Apollos’ favor. The Argonauts had the ball on the Apollos’ twenty-six
when the final whistle blew.

“We’re champs!” yelled Duck, jumping around like a clown and throwing his helmet into the air.

Then they all threw their helmets into the air and started to jump and yell and whoop. Bo Higgins and Coach Dekay ran out
to the field and praised the boys and then went over to shake hands with the losing coaches.

“Boots, you did great,” said Bud Davis, a broad grin on his sweaty, dirty face.

Boots smiled. “Thanks, Bud. Guess we all did.”

Someone grabbed his arm. “Boots!” cried Gail, her eyes wide as bottle caps. “Come on! We’ve heard from Tom!”

He stared at her. “You — you mean that letter?”

“Yes!”

He ran off the field, her hand still clinging to his arm. Mom and Dad were waiting at the sideline, smiling happily. Dad handed
him the letter. “Read it,” he said.

Boots’s hand trembled as he held the letter and read:

Dear Mom, Dad, Gail, and Boots,

I’ve been very busy these last couple of weeks, which is why you haven’t heard from me. I was really in the thick of it. But
I’m back now and I’m okay, so don’t worry.

I used to get very lonely and discouraged. I don’t know what I would have done if it hadn’t been for your letters coming to
me almost every day.

I am especially grateful to Boots for his letters. I think that we had our own private mutual determination society going
between us. I told him to stick with football, and he did. And his
letters have helped me to see my way through here, too — as much as yours did, Mom, Dad, and Gail — because I think that both
he and I have shared a common experience. Neither one of us enjoyed doing a job we were asked to do. But we did it because
it was necessary.

Take care, and don’t stop writing.

Love,

Tom

A sense of relief filled Boots as he handed the letter back to his father.

“Well, we can relax now,” said Dad, smiling. “Tom’s okay.”

Boots nodded. “I suppose that when he comes home he won’t want to wrestle with me anymore,” he said.

Dad chuckled. “Don’t be too sure about that. You’ve come a long way, too, you know.”

FINAL STANDINGS

Read them all!

Baseball Flyhawk	Dive Right In
Baseball Turnaround	Double Play at Short
The Basket Counts	Face-Off
Body Check	Fairway Phenom
Catch That Pass!	Football Double Threat
Catcher with a Glass Arm	Football Fugitive
Catching Waves	Football Nightmare
Center Court Sting	The Fox Steals Home