The Half-Back

The Half-Back is a Story of of School, Football, and Golf. How's craps, Country?" "Shut up, Bart! he may hear you". "What if he does, ninny? I want him to. Say, Spinach!" "Do you suppose he's going to try and play football, Bart?" "Not he. He's looking for a rake. Thinks this is a hayfield, Wall". The speakers were lying on the turf back of the north goal on the campus at Hillton Academy. The elder and larger of the two was a rather coarse looking youth of seventeen. His name was Bartlett Cloud, shortened by his acquaintances to "Bart" for the sake of that brevity beloved of the schoolboy. His companion, Wallace Clausen, was a handsome though rather frail looking boy, a year his junior. The two were roommates and friends. "He'd better rake his hair", responded the latter youth jeeringly. "I'll bet there's lots of hayseed in it!" The subject of their derisive remarks, although standing but a scant distance away, apparently heard none of them. "Hi, West!" shouted Bartlett Cloud as a youth, attired in a finely fitting golf costume, and swinging a brassie, approached. The newcomer hesitated, then joined the two friends. "Hello! you fellows. What's up? Thought it was golf, from the crowd over here". He stretched himself beside them on the grass. "Golf!" answered Bartlett Cloud contemptuously. "I don't believe you ever think of anything except golf, Out! Do you ever wake up in the middle of the night trying to drive the pillow out of the window with a bed slat?" "Oh, sometimes", answered Outfield West smilingly. "There's a heap more sense in being daft over a decent game like golf than in going crazy about football. It's just a kid's game".