FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   149   150   151   152   153   154   155   156   157   158   159   160   161   162   163   164   165   166   167   168   169   170   171   172   173  
174   175   176   177   178   179   180   181   182   183   184   185   186   187   188   189   190   191   192   193   194   195   196   197   198   >>   >|  
th his left." "All right," said Arthur. "Why don't you put on side? I was watching you, and saw you give three awfully bad chances in your first over. Never mind, stick to it, and we'll make a tidy player of you some day. I hear they're going to get up a third eleven. I dare say Ainger will stick you in it if we ask him." Tilbury laughed good-humouredly; for it was all on the cards that he might get a place in the first eleven before very long. "I fancied Ainger had knocked you two over the boundary a little while ago. I heard someone say, by the way, if you two could be thrown into one, and taught to hold your bat straight and not hit everything across the wicket, you could be spared to play substitute in Wickford Infant School eleven at their next treat. I said I fancied not, but they're going to try you, for the sake of getting rid of you for half a day." "Get along. You needn't bowl any of your mild lobs down to us. By the way, is it true you've been stuck in the choir?" "Yes; awful sell. I tried to scratch, but Parks said they were hard up for a good contralto; so I had to go in the team. I'm to be third man up in the anthem to-morrow--got half a line of solo." "All serene," said Arthur, "we'll look out for squalls. Tip us one of your low A's, and we'll sky it from our pew. Who's there?" It was Simson, also infected with the fever, although with him, being of the weak-minded order, it took the form of a craze for "sport" generally. For Simson, as we have mentioned, once tipped a ball to leg for two, and consequently was entitled to be regarded as an authority on every subject pertaining to the turf generally. He looked very important at present, as he began: "I say, you chaps, I've got something to tell you--private, you know. You know Mills? His father's brother-in-law lives at Epsom, and so gets all the tips for the races; and Mills says he's put his father up to no end of a straight tip for the Derby. And Mills says he wants to get up a little sweep on the quiet. No blanks, you know. Each fellow draws one horse, and the one that wins gets the lot. Jolly good score, too." "Oh yes," said Arthur, "I know all about that! I once put a sixpence in a sweep, and never saw it again. Catch me fielding in that little game." "Oh, but Mills says it's not to be for money, for that's not allowed. He suggested postage-stamps, and then whoever won would be able to write lots of letters h
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   149   150   151   152   153   154   155   156   157   158   159   160   161   162   163   164   165   166   167   168   169   170   171   172   173  
174   175   176   177   178   179   180   181   182   183   184   185   186   187   188   189   190   191   192   193   194   195   196   197   198   >>   >|  



Top keywords:

Arthur

 

eleven

 

straight

 
father
 

fancied

 
generally
 

Simson

 
Ainger
 

infected

 

looked


important

 

pertaining

 

present

 

entitled

 
tipped
 
regarded
 
minded
 

mentioned

 

authority

 

subject


fielding
 

allowed

 

sixpence

 
suggested
 

postage

 

letters

 

stamps

 

brother

 
fellow
 
blanks

private
 

boundary

 
knocked
 

thrown

 
wicket
 

spared

 

substitute

 

taught

 

humouredly

 

laughed


watching

 

chances

 

Tilbury

 

player

 

Wickford

 

Infant

 

anthem

 
contralto
 

scratch

 

morrow