Football -- Juvenile fiction; Schools -- Juvenile fiction
They went to the movies that evening, a jovial, noisy “gang” of nearly
a dozen that included the “Three Guardsmen,” Willard, Don Harris,
Stacey Ross, Cal Grainger and several more. Unfortunately, the picture
lacked action to a lamentable degree, being largely concerned with
the doings of a few ladies and gentlemen who when at home, which was
infrequent, lived in large white marble palaces in Westchester County,
New York. At least, the titles placed the scene of the story in
Westchester County, but Martin expressed incredulity, asserting that he
had never seen palmettoes and cocoanut palms growing in that locality
in such profusion. Jack Macon, however, was of the opinion that “anyone
as rich as those guys could have their lawns trimmed with palms even if
they lived at the North Pole!” The hero was a strapping gentleman with
a broad, flat face, large, limpid eyes and a very brief mustache. He
dressed immaculately on all occasions, which, since he, like everyone
else, was forever “weekending” somewhere, must have caused him a
great deal of thought and care. Of course, he had a Japanese valet at
his beck and call, and that probably helped. Don Harris declared that
when he became wealthy he would have a valet just like the one in the
picture. “Why,” he marveled, “that fellow doesn’t even have to go to
the telephone. The valet pulls the thing out by the roots and brings it
to him wherever he is! That’s what I call service!”
Paul Nichols, who had played center all through the afternoon’s game
and who, consequently, was rather tired, went sound asleep somewhere
about the third reel and snored loudly until the final “fade-out,” to
the amusement of his companions and the audience in general. Martin
expressed the fear, loudly enough to be heard by Bob, several seats
distant, that Nichols had contracted the sleeping sickness from “one of
our number.” The comedy that followed the big picture provided a few
“fine moments,” but, on the whole, the party considered that they had
wasted the evening. Nichols was aroused with difficulty and led, in a
comatose condition, up the aisle and into the street where the brisk
October breeze that was hurrying and scurrying through the little town
awakened him more thoroughly. Having missed most of the entertainment,
Nichols insisted on partaking of food and drink and, being in funds
this evening, invited the party to visit the lunch-cart. This vividly
painted institution stood at night in the square at the other side of
town, a matter of twelve blocks in distance, but, as Nichols pointed
out, the night was still young. So they set out, decorously joyous,
along West Street, “window shopping” as they went, and turned down
Meadow Street and finally reached the Square and hailed the crimson
and blue windows of the “Owl Night Lunch” with shouts of approval that
won them the fleeting interest of the single blue-coated guardian of
the law on duty there. Fortunately, since their numbers were many, the
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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