Change Signals: A Story of the New FootballBarbour, Ralph Henry
General
Change Signals: A Story of the New Football
Barbour, Ralph Henry
Football -- Juvenile fiction; Schools -- Juvenile fiction
They played five holes that afternoon, and after that Ned made Kendall
practice swinging his club for ten minutes or so at the fifth tee. And
then he made him drive several times, always patiently correcting and
explaining. When Kendall’s first lesson in golf was finally over he
went back to Clarke with an unwonted aching in his arms and shoulders.
There was only one more lesson that week, for Ned had to look after the
work of the Golf Team. But on Wednesday, Kendall did rather better and
was terribly proud and delighted. Ned had insisted on Kendall’s using
his spare clubs and suggested that the novice could learn a good deal
by playing a few holes alone. Kendall tried that on Thursday and did so
poorly, seeming to have lost what little science he had attained, that
he went home quite discouraged. On Friday, Ned sought him after school
and announced that they were going to Greenburg to have their hair cut.
“But I can’t go,” said Kendall. “I’m on probation, you see.”
“I thought of that and so I saw Collins and got permission for you to
leave school for two hours. Come on now.”
Ned’s hair didn’t really require trimming, but he went through with it,
and he was glad he had afterwards, since by doing so he had brought
about the shearing of Kendall’s abundant locks. Kendall looked at least
twenty-five per cent. better when he left the barber shop and Ned,
whose courage had been failing him, took heart again. “If,” he told
himself, “a mere hair-cut will work that improvement in him, what will
a decent suit of clothes do?”
They strolled along the street, looking in at windows and enjoying
themselves hugely, until they reached Wallace’s. There Ned stood treat
to a wonderful concoction called a “maple-nut sundae.” If you don’t
think it was good, try it yourself some time. It was vanilla ice cream
with chopped walnuts and maple sugar lavishly sprinkled over the top
of it. It was so good that Kendall begged to be allowed to stand treat
in turn, and so they each had another glass of the delectable mixture.
Then Ned observed carelessly:
“I wonder if you’d mind walking down to the New York Store with me,
Curt?”
“Of course not. What sort of a place is it?”
“Don’t you know it? It’s the best clothing store here. I want to see
what they’ve got there. I’ll have to be buying a winter suit some day.”
Once inside, the rest was far easier than Ned had dared hope. He had
some ten or fifteen suits produced for their inspection and asked
Kendall’s opinion and advice constantly. Then he “jollied” the clerk
until that young gentleman would have pulled half the stock down for
them. At last Ned remarked casually:
“This wouldn’t be a bad chance for you to get rigged out with some new
togs, Curt. How do you like this?”
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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