Johnny Long Legs by Matt Christopher Read Free Book Online Page A

“See you tonight, Mr. Reese.”
    “Hollis is my first name,” said Mr. Reese. “Call me Hollis.”
    Mr. Sain put out his hand and Mr. Reese took it. “And mine is Jim, the same as my son's,” said Mr. Sain.
    During Christmas vacation Johnny did as much jumping as he could. On Sunday, the day before school started again, Toby made
     a new chalk mark where the tips of Johnny's fingers touched the boards after he hadjumped. Then he measured it with a foot ruler.
    “Look!” he exclaimed. “A gain of seven inches from the first time!”
    Johnny grinned. “I'm getting there,” he said.
    Jim was there, too. He jumped and Toby made a chalk mark where his fingers had touched. It was exactly two inches below Johnny's.
    “I guess you are getting there,” exclaimed Jim. “But maybe on a basketball court it'll be different.”
    “We'll see about that. Won't we, Johnny?” said Toby, his eyes glinting with pride.
    Johnny smiled. Toby sure was for him every bit of the way.
    On January 4 the White Cats played the Red Foxes. The Cats had beaten the Foxes twice. They had confidence in beating them
     again. The game was at the school gym.Since it started at 6:30 Dad could attend. Mom and Grandpa came with him. It was the first game that Grandpa had come to see.
     Mr. Sain had found an apartment and he and Jim had left that morning.
    The Red Foxes' red satin uniforms, the face of a fox painted on the front of the jerseys, looked as if they had just come
     out of their boxes. They were a colorful contrast to the Cats' white.
    Johnny started at the left forward position, playing opposite Butch Hendricks, the Red Foxes' leading scorer. Butch wore glasses
     and was tall and thin as a reed. At right forward was Huck Stevens. Toby and Cotton played the guard positions and Rick Davis
     center.
    The referee blew his whistle as he tossed the ball up between Rick and Tom Case, the Foxes' center, and the game was on. Tom
     outjumped Rick and tapped the ball to ateammate. The Fox dribbled it toward the White Cats basket, then stopped as Toby popped in front of him. The Red Fox player
     tossed the ball to another Fox coming up behind him. The Fox dribbled to the corner, aimed at the basket, and shot. In for
     two points.
    Toby took out the ball and tossed it to Johnny. Johnny dribbled across the center line, bounced the ball to Huck. Huck made
     a fast break for the basket, stopped inches in front of it, leaped, and shot the ball in a slow arc. In.
    Seconds later the ball was again close to the White Cats basket. The Red Foxes tossed it back and forth, waiting for the chance
     to make a break and shoot. Then, as if he couldn't wait any longer, a Red Fox took a shot. The ball struck the backboard,
     then the rim, and bounced off.
    Johnny and two Red Fox men, includingTom Case, scrambled for the ball. Johnny and Tom came down with the ball clutched in their hands.
    “Jump!” yelled the ref.
    The boys faced each other.
    The referee tossed up the ball. The boys leaped. Johnny gave his legs all the spring he could. His hands went up beyond Tom's.
     He tapped the ball!
    “That-a-way, Johnny!” a voice cried in the stands. Mr. Sain's voice!
    Cotton caught the tap and dribbled down-court. A Red Fox swooped in from behind him, tried to steal the ball. Smack! His hand
     struck Cotton's. The whistle shrilled.
    “One shot!” said the ref.
    Cotton took his time at the foul line. He bounced the ball twice, then looked at the basket and shot. The ball arced gracefully
     and sank in without touching the rim.
    The seconds ticked away on the big clockabove the lighted, red-figured scoreboard. When the first four minutes of the first quarter had passed, the score was tied,
     7 to 7.
    The Red Foxes broke it, scoring a long shot from the center line. The shot was made by Butch Hendricks, Johnny's man.
    The Red Foxes widened their lead. Butch scored again and again, each shot from behind the foul line or from a corner. Johnny
     couldn't stop him.
    In the