FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   56   57   58   59   60   61   62   63   64   65   66   67   68   69   70   71   72   73   74   75   76   77   78   79   80  
81   82   83   84   85   86   87   88   89   90   91   92   93   94   95   96   97   98   99   100   101   102   103   104   105   >>   >|  
an's attitude. "This is Billy Burton, the sweet singer of the Wabash," he said, indicating a stocky youth with a shock of red hair. "We call him the Indiana Nightingale, because he's so different. You ought to hear him sing 'We Give the Baby Garlic, So that We Can Find Him in the Dark!' The sentiment's so strong, it brings tears to your eyes." "You're pretty good at music yourself, Mel," retorted Billy. "I?" said Melvin in surprise. "Why I don't know one note from another. I don't think I could play a jewsharp or a hand-organ. What kind of music am I good at?" "Chin music," replied Billy. Melvin was fairly caught, and the boys howled. "You got me that time, Billy," Melvin cried. "But, talking of music, here's the real goods in that line," and he laid his hand on the shoulder of an olive-skinned Italian boy, with delicate features and large dark eyes. "This is Tony Dirocco," he went on; "Tony's a count or some other high muckamuck in his own country, and he's studying here while his father is at Washington on some diplomatic business or other. But Tony doesn't care half as much about books as he does about music. Say, when he gets hold of a violin he fairly makes it talk. Real high brow stuff, you know, operas and things like that, the kind that goes right up and down your spine and takes your heart out by the roots. Just wait until he gives us one of his concerts all by himself." Tony shook hands with a shy smile, and the boys made up their minds that they were going to like him immensely. "Now for our Spanish athlete," said Granger, "the man who 'throws the bull.' This is Slim Haley," and he nodded toward a fat chubby fellow who must have weighed close to two hundred pounds. His broad face was wreathed with smiles, and his eyes twinkled with fun, as he came forward. "This puny infant," went on Melvin, "can tell the most wonderful stories you ever heard, and tell them with such an innocent air that sometimes you almost believe him. He's got Baron Munchausen skinned a mile. He was telling me one to-day about a rabbit, and I sat watching him, expecting every minute to see him choke." "Oh, come off, Mel," laughed "Slim." "You see," he said, turning to the boys, "the trouble with Mel is that he hasn't imagination enough to understand anything he hasn't seen himself. Now that story of the rabbit----" "Let's hear it, and judge for ourselves," suggested Fred. "Why, it was like this," said Slim. "I
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   56   57   58   59   60   61   62   63   64   65   66   67   68   69   70   71   72   73   74   75   76   77   78   79   80  
81   82   83   84   85   86   87   88   89   90   91   92   93   94   95   96   97   98   99   100   101   102   103   104   105   >>   >|  



Top keywords:
Melvin
 

fairly

 

rabbit

 

skinned

 

hundred

 
fellow
 
weighed
 

chubby

 
concerts
 

Spanish


immensely

 

athlete

 
nodded
 

throws

 
Granger
 

wonderful

 
laughed
 
minute
 

telling

 

watching


expecting

 

turning

 

trouble

 

suggested

 

imagination

 

understand

 

Munchausen

 

forward

 

infant

 

twinkled


wreathed

 
smiles
 

innocent

 

stories

 

pounds

 
pretty
 

retorted

 
surprise
 

brings

 
sentiment

strong
 

replied

 
caught
 
jewsharp
 

stocky

 

indicating

 
Wabash
 

attitude

 
Burton
 

singer