Around the End by Ralph Henry Barbour

At Yardley Hall, a new football season begins under a cloud of rebuilding, uncertainty, and eager hope. Coach Payson gathers returning players, substitutes, and raw newcomers for the first scrimmage, while Gerald Pennimore and Harry Merrow watch closely from the stands, weighing Yardley's chances after the loss of several strong veterans. Their banter is lively, but the stakes are real: the team must depend on quick development, leadership, and unexpected talent if it is to stay competitive. One of those talents is Kendall Burtis, a rugged, modest boy whose awkward exterior hides real speed, strength, and promise on the field. Gerald, polished and influential, is drawn to Burtis's quiet decency and invites him into a friendship that begins with a candid talk in Burtis's plain room at Clarke Hall. There, Gerald's easy confidence and loyalty prove just as important off the field as Burtis's athletic gift is on it. The school's comic, sometimes cutthroat social life soon comes into view when a frightened newcomer called "Cotton-Tail" is hidden from a hazing party, and the good-natured Lester Wellington, "The Duke," explains the trouble he has caused. Gerald's wit, courage, and fairness help turn mischief into a new opportunity, including a rooming arrangement that changes Kendall's place in school life. As September settles in, Yardley buzzes with football, friendship, rivalry, and the pressures of belonging—while a suspicious visitor from Broadwood Academy hints that not everyone on campus is there for harmless reasons. This edition has been fully restored with modern typesetting, custom cover design.