Every day while the other children were decorating their hoops or were playing together, Johnnie Jones would practise all alone in the back yard, where no one could see him. He tried so hard that at last he succeeded in rolling his hoop from the porch to the gate without letting it fall a single time. He was greatly encouraged then, but he had to continue practising, because he could not even yet guide the hoop very well, and he could not turn corners at all.
When Saturday came, he went to the park to watch the first procession. It was a very pretty sight, for the hoops had been decorated with bright ribbons, and with bells which made a merry tinkling sound. Ned was the captain, as he was the oldest and could manage his hoop most skilfully. He led the children through the park, stopping now and then for breath. Whenever anyone dropped his hoop, he had to go to the end of the line, for that was the rule of the club.
All the next week Johnnie Jones worked very hard, learning to guide his hoop in a straight line, and to turn corners. He went to the park to practise now, so that he might have more room.
Mother watched him every day, and after a while she told him that he had become quite skilful enough to join the club. Then he was very happy, and began to decorate his hoop with the bright pink ribbon and shining brass bells which Mother had bought for him.
The next Saturday morning, Johnnie Jones took his hoop with him when he went to the park with the other children, all of whom were glad to hear that he had learned to roll it.
"But you had better be last in the procession," they told him, "because, most likely, you can't manage it very well yet."
They did not know how hard he had worked.
When the procession started off, Johnnie Jones kept up with the other children. Not once did he let his hoop fall, and he made it go so straight, and turned such square corners, that, presently, the children noticed how well he was doing.
"Well, look at little Johnnie Jones!" they said. "He can roll his hoop better than anyone here, even better than Ned!"
After they had watched him for a while, they decided he must be their captain, until Ned, or one of the other children had learned to do better than he.