Football -- Juvenile fiction; Schools -- Juvenile fiction
Adams Street was quite a busy scene on a Saturday night, for the stores
kept open and the residents of a half-dozen neighbouring hamlets came
in to do the week’s buying. While they were making their way through
the leisurely throng Sid had a fleeting vision of Rusty Crozier, or
thought he had. Stanley said it was quite likely, as Rusty was a
great movie “fan.” Then they were part of the jam in the entrance
of the Scenic Temple, and Blash, because of superior height, had
been commissioned to fight his way to the ticket window. Followed
a scurry down a darkened aisle and the eventual discovery of three
seats together and one in the row behind. Blash volunteered for the
single one and since it was directly behind the seat occupied by Dick
the latter subsequently shared with Stanley the benefit of Blash’s
observations and criticisms. A news weekly was on the screen when they
arrived, and Blash had little to say of the pictured events, but
when Episode 17 of “The Face in the Moonlight” began he became most
voluble. Stanley kept telling him to shut up, but Dick, who didn’t find
the serial very enthralling, rather enjoyed Blash’s absurdities. A
comedy followed and then came a Western melodrama with a hero who took
remarkable chances on horseback and a heroine who had a perfect passion
for getting into trouble. There were numerous picturesque cow-boys
and Mexicans and a villain who, so Blash declared delightedly, was
the “dead spit” of Mr. Hale, the instructor in physics. Just when the
picture was at its most absorbing stage the piano ceased abruptly and
after an instant of startling silence a voice was heard.
“Is Mr. Wallace Blashington in the house? Mr. Wallace Blashington is
wanted at the telephone!”
The piano began again and the usher, a dimly seen figure down front,
retreated up the aisle like a shadow. The three boys in front turned to
Blash excitedly.
“What is it, Blash?” asked Sid.
“Better go see,” counselled Stanley.
“Are you sure he said me?” whispered Blash. He sounded rather nervous.
“Of course he did! Beat it, you idiot! Come back if you can. Ask the
man next you to hold your seat, Blash.”
“We-ell--but I don’t see----” muttered Blash. Then he got up, dropped
his cap, groped for it and found it and pushed his way past a long
line of feet, stepping on most of them. At the back of the theatre an
usher conducted him to the ticket booth and he picked up the telephone
receiver.
“Hello!” he said. “Hello! This is Blashington!”
“Hello! Is that you, Mr. Blashington?” asked a faint voice from what
seemed hundreds of miles away.
“Yes. Who is talking?”
“Mr. Wallace Blashington?”
“Yes! Who----”
“Of Parkinson School?”
“Yes! What--who----”
“Hold the line, please. Baltimore is calling.”
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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