For the Children

Star (Christchurch), Issue 16908, 6 December 1922, Page 3

For the Children

THE I N>l 1* RECTOS. Mr Putnam Mas., as Toddy -ml. ' "one good sporr.” and he occupied j lvi- time by teaching seventeen little •- boys Greek, at tljfe Charles School. < W lieu you add lo 'Vl.is the fact that they all liked him. if made him a re- j markable person indeed, dust now he yeas slauding at one ol‘ the long windows watching the Greeks and the Spaniards plying miniature baseball with a shingle, and a tennis ball in the backyard. At Charles School, you studied (-reek—or Sapnl.di. ami the Greeks and the Spaniards to'k sides in everything and celled each 1 other nam oeea J nally. “ It’s a good tiling vonr boys are. • :d scholar-.” commented Mr Ho-. burly man wh tm■ : 1 1 t - . . and also \*a assistant coach of the* football team. " because they’re poor athletes.” ••They do have very good marks." said Mr Putnam. “ Hut none of t Item are on the footbail tin mi.” continued Mr Ho--. “ All >.'• - on the team iik Athletic I».y don't like Greek. Can’t expect ’em to. Not a bit of football material in .our class. nc\t a bit!” Mr Putnam pointed out a sandyhai red boy who wis pi telling •* Teddy went out for the team, didn t b e? He was too light-!” growled Mr floss. ‘‘There goes the bell; All in. boys. Bell’s rung!”’ THE Cl .ASS FILES IN. As his boys . wanned up the steps. Mr Putnaiij looked curiously at them. There was Teddy who had tried for ‘the team; C’cottie. who was Alalcolm Mae-some thing or other: the AgatMarble, whose conversation consisted o' “Yes.” ‘"No,” and "Perhaps”: "Chick.” the smallest boy in the | .school and the brightest- and thirteen j more. The Snow Bab.'." came last, eating a sandwich. He was a very large indi- j vidual with very red checks, who was j compiling translations of the word | ” bash into as many languages as j vmssiblc. Sliding easily into his seat | in class, lie addressed Air Putnam. “I>o you know the word for. Ija sh i n G reek. sir?” He repeated the question twice and j Air .Putnam did not hear ii. Suddenly the teacher- rapped on the dc-k I with his ruler. ‘‘l’ve got it!” he de- j j dared. ! “ What ? ” asked the class in uni- | J son. j “ Hash,” said the Snow Bab;/ j j dreamily. All* .Putnam stood up. "* Hei e- ! alter, the Greeks cla.-s will have two , periods of outdoor study a week. ! Riing vonr hook-- and cr-er. your loot-, ball Outfits !” The class gasped in surprise, but j piompt and early the next afternoon i they followed AJ i Putnam on board a street ear and arrived in the course i of time at public playground in tin* : oburbs. There they fopiid a tiny j i mm in a big orange jersey, who was j j-arsing a football with two ragged j * dim.” -aid Mr Putnam. “this is, • (he team. Boys, this- is dim Cn.na- ■ The class gasped again. I "Mr Canavan is going to coach an j i'.i!-Greek team.” i Teddy gurgled. “Coach us?” j ‘* Sure,” said Mr Canavan. **’ Why AN ALL-GREEK TF AM. : The class looked at each other in I amazement,. Two years since Air : tanavnii had gone lo coaelr at Indiej cola, whose ie-aiu .-uddordv ,iro»e from ! j last place in its Aliddle West confer- i | «-rce. boat Michigan, blanked Pi:ls-| j i urgb. - ored two touchdowns on : \\ < Virginia. and held Princeton to ; : a scoreless tie. And now he was going :<» eoacu the lowly Greek class at | Chari. School. Moreover, ho was a ! riend • ; Mr Put uam's. . ' "" If we fake tin - timeout of class.” I I wi. I’ifetl the teacher " you chaps will ! j have to studv twic_* as liard at homt. j : Will yon de it? ” " Ye .” said the Agate Marble and \ i tie- class echoed him. For forty minute's the diminutive I ' Mr Canavan put them through such a > drill as they had never soon. To liis | surprise, Chick found Tsimsef at quar- '} terback. with Teddy at full-back, the ! Agate Alarhle and Lottie on the ends, ! and the Snow .Baby at centre. ; They wmit back to the school, hot and jvntiug. i<> learn about the Eng- . lish kings of history, 'but when they passed Air Hoi : and hi - Sy-■"■u l '-h v'os. they all mitred. And a- Ai r Putnam. found out to his delight, they studied so hard at home that their marks went up by leaps am: bounds. 3n fact, they were so remarkably good that Mr Charles, the head, of the school, called .Mr Putnam into conference. ‘ * I’m airaid, ” lie said, “that your boys are working too hard. They’ve wonderful mark*, bid doidt you think—” _ „ 1 41 It’s the outdoor work it.” said Mi Putnam. with _ a ftriu. "You ought to Sf« Ims quickly itiey loom in the open air.” GETTING THE TEAM INTO condition. r* Air oharle.c could have seen the •Av—ks ie.borjoi.islj learning sluits and i• :Y i ;g dav' iv da-* intn well-oiled swift ' moving football 1 ,„..,-liine. he would have been rather I than - m-pri—d. -Ml Canavan

wav taking a month's vacation trom'--/ ludiano’a. and he drove them on and ,'g cn. Chick tinned into ;t very general - ra Snow Bab;, wa- :i pillar of strength, the Agate Marble* and Scot tie became two of the fastest ends in the schoolboy game, and Teddv developed a drop-kick that.ser.t ‘Mr Canavan into wild ciuhus-“ ii sin. Bn. •* ill (-* their schoolmates at L harles uok Th . in a succession bud d.de ,i . (' •«- /•- tie! Hi'-h. !..n ;ip .i mammoth . ii- ■■• ;,w«J on ••• . ; vic tci > . l! dg • v. ii> hel l to a lie i lie last moment, and liually a strong * • team fr.*:?i th Fa-t ]-'r. ! pil?d i'k,M ra’dv tlr.il was twontv-odd to nothing-' .', :• . th; p '■ . Putnam went to the teiephoue and- rT after some conversation, arranged a Wednesday afternoon g'me with ice Fast Fi'dt"’-. Yvho had tiunughts «»f bev^A* •cn in-A th.. v.istrioi < ■■ .. r.pious. A edr.c sdn*-" afternoon i-ollcd * around, tic.c? th.c A-:, a Marble, who was -out ta,/ sc.- that no members of tlie regular Charles team won!-.! v. m-- the content. ropo'fed that the entire cloven were aimlessly riding ou rowboats on u public garden pond, having unanimously decided that practice would not benefit them. So to the East End went Air Pub uam and Mr Canavan and the Greeks*. md the Fust Endcrs laughed when f r they saw them coming. They were a . hi;*,l y. well developed team, and they bulked big against, the Greek line.’ ‘•They’re easy,” sai*.l llieir captain: 1 v.hen the (treeks hold the bail on their-, own twenty-yard line. ‘"Go get ’em!-’ yNOT SO EASY. AFTER ALT,. It seemed very easy. indeed, for'’" Chick took the hail and bewail r.o I scurry around end. All of a sud- •* l den he was screened, by a swift mov- - ! ing interference, rhe East End cap- n ' ifuin (found himself blocked by r.!ie, S low Baby, whilg the Agate Marble I and Chick carried the ball through the East End line, for a twenty-yard i gain. On the f nex.t play. Scot tie streaked clown the field with a for- ''' i I ‘ward pass, lend one touchdown was • ' chalked up for the Greeks. From- >•. Then on it was a walk-awn y. Tfifty rk.. Greeks, with the training of A 1 r Canap, va i:, ran circles about their slower .. fr> aud bulkier opponents, and when the . game was over, they had more than equalled the score of the East Enders I against their own school. So when Ah* Ross came to class <-u mxt morning, lie found iiis Spanish students poring over the morning.;,, I apers. “Here, sir!” called the cap-.., ; tain of the football team. *" Head this, sii ! ‘ Insurrecto l oam From Charles Blanks Fast Enders. Greek Cla-s 1 J,j i T riiirapJxs Over Near Champious ‘ ' f i J’here’s a lot more of it. and Teddy "b L-’extier was just downstairs with a -- challenge from the ti reeks. They want to play us this afternoon ” ( / 'But they can't play,” contended Air Boss. * Think what a dub Teddy was on om* team. It’ll be good piac- ‘ tic* l , though. Why don't you accept tl.eir cisalienge? ” • Wi- will!” suapped the captains ' Ward, run up and -tell Teddy we’ll i./ knock lii-N old Greek team into hash.” SCORING AGAINST THE SPANISH TEAM. Every hoy in C harles School seur-. • ried to the athletic field that afternoon, and oven the picket fence held its quota of outsiders, including the' j befeated East Enders who had corm-1 om of curiosity. The Greeks and theSpaniards were at last going to s**i-'w•; •lo the ancient grudge, and boy fop . I bi.y tiio Spaniards loomed bigger ami j above the Greeks, their kick-ofl went.. | oaring down the field, their hacks'' ; were close upon it; but, for all that! TV ; t-ho Snow Baby ran it back fifteen ' yards, and Chi« k signalled a plunge through eentJe that gained ten more,.*. ■ Tiicre tlie Spanish line* held for a mo- : ment, and then, a 1,1 of a. sudden., j Teddy was out and around their end ~ a ;ih a fast clearing field before him.’/Ay I Ward of the Spaniard- missed hisA-/ I i..< kle. a»id Teddy went weaving in " j and out. till he was down on the tenj van/ bur’. Tn u th. A gait Marble I bucked centre and iaok the ball over ‘ i i>.,r a touch-down. The Spaniards rush* : e-*:; in sumtitut-es. they tried in’ok pl;iy>. they samed to crush the (ircek l>n.’ hy main strrn/xi l b »t. at tin* c:id • u the first hall, they had two tom-j'v • owns against them. Then they hr a forcing : :••• br< •• r - • a'.'k - , i. • k until, at ihe last -w '. ' i *|Uarter. the Bt*' - |V; ’ ". y m tv thirty yard* down the tick. yifj VA scored just as the whistle blew. There, silting on the ball, Mr found him. _ •* You--you •■ciLanily can said the tcrt'ihei’. 4^ •• Yes sir!" chived the Snow tut king the ball under his arm. ‘‘ Cm, v. you tell mo the Spanish word for *h’ sir?”