Prev | Current Page 195 | Next

Hancock, H. Irving (Harrie Irving), 1868-1922

"The Grammar School Boys in Summer Athletics"

You shall not duck
Prescott! Hi, pi, yi, animus, hocus pocus! That enchantment
will foil you!"
Having reached the fountain, Len drew aside dramatically.
"In with him!" shouted the youngsters.
Then they halted in sheer amazement. For the first time the boys
noted that no water was running in the fountain, and that the
basin underneath was wholly dry.
"My enchantment has worked," chuckled Len.
"How did you do it?" demanded one puzzled youngster.
"Never mind," Len retorted mysteriously. "Now, if you don't instantly
put Dick Prescott on his feet and leave him alone, I'll work an
enchantment that will raise hob with every boy who lays as much
as a finger on Dick."
So Prescott was allowed to slide down to his feet. He was laughing,
enjoying every moment of the fun.
"We could have run him down to the next fountain," suggested one
of the schoolboys.
"It would do you no good, and Prescott no harm," Len retorted
dryly. "At three o'clock this afternoon the fire department turned
off all of the public fountains in order to clean 'em."
Now Dick's late tormentors began to feel that they had been badly
"sold" all around. After the manner of boys, they grinned sheepishly,
then more broadly and finally ended by laughing heartily.


Pages:
183 184 185 186 187 188 189 190 191 192 193 194 195 196 197 198 199 200 201 202 203 204 205 206 207