“Oh, he’s been grinding at his books all the afternoon,” said Harold. “I tell him he’s after a scholarship.”
“Very commendable ambition,” said Ned soberly. “I tried it myself once and came within one of getting a Burrows. I wrote home about it and my dad wrote back that he guessed that was about as near as I’d ever get to making fifty dollars. Such ingratitude was naturally discouraging and I never tried again.”
Harold laughed uproariously and Ned observed him in grave surprise.
“I made a quarter to-day, though,” he went on. “Walked over to Lloyd for dinner and held a man’s auto for him and he gave me a quarter. Here it is. Looks all right, doesn’t it?” He passed it to Kendall.
“Seems to be real money,” laughed Kendall. “What do you mean by saying you held a man’s auto? Looked after it for him?”
“Yes, held it by the bit. It was rather nervous, you see; tried to jump out of the shafts every time a leaf rustled.”
“Oh, it was a horse?” said Harold.
“No, an automobile! a dark bay with coppery points. It was very good-looking, too. Very deep in the radiator, and had an arched neck and fine quarters. This is one of them.”
“You’re crazy, Ned,” laughed Kendall. “Was it a horse or was it an automobile?”
“Oh, I don’t know, but I got a quarter. And all I did was hold its head, bring a pail of water for it and polish the brass. My, but it’s easy to earn money if you know how! Want to play some golf to-morrow?”