The Crimson Banner : $b A story of college baseballMoffat, William D. (William David)
General
The Crimson Banner : $b A story of college baseball
Moffat, William D. (William David)
Baseball stories; College sports -- Juvenile fiction; College students -- Juvenile fiction
“I hardly believe that,” said Ray. “There must be some reason. I don’t
know what to think. I thought I had judged Harrison correctly when we
chose him for the nine. I counted on some little nervousness, for he
is a Freshman, and has had no experience on the ball field, but I did
not look for such a complete demoralization as this to-day. Did any of
you speak much to him during the game? Did you notice how confused his
ideas seemed to be? Why, in the fourth inning, when we took the field,
he started to go to third base instead of first, and only stopped when
I spoke to him. Were such a thing possible, I could almost believe the
fellow had been drugged.”
I had reached out at this moment to place Fred’s right arm in a
more comfortable position, when my hand struck something hard which
protruded partly from his inside coat pocket.
“Why, what is this?” I exclaimed, drawing it out to view.
It was a small brandy flask, half emptied.
“Jerusalem, the boy has been drinking!” cried Tony Larcom, as the whole
truth of the affair suddenly dawned on him.
“Not a doubt of it,” said Frank Holland, who was a classmate of
Harrison’s. “It was only last night that Fred told me that he was going
to be nervous to-day, and said that he wished he could take something
to strengthen him. I told him that he would be only the worse for it,
and so he said no more about it.”
Ray had taken the bottle from me.
“I am afraid it is true,” he said.
“No wonder he was upset,” said Tony. “He must have been fairly
stupefied. What on earth possessed him to do such a thing? He knew the
rule that no member of the nine should touch stimulants.”
“He has certainly made a bad mistake,” said Ray. “I wish I could have
advised him in time.”
Little more was to be said. The matter seemed clear enough now, and
foolish as Fred Harrison had been, we could only pity him in his
present helpless condition.
We reached Belmont about six o’clock, and drove immediately to the
dormitory where Fred roomed. One of our number was despatched for a
doctor, while others carried the still partially unconscious student up
to his room.
The doctor arrived in a few minutes, and made a hasty examination.
“The arm is not broken,” he said. “It is slightly dislocated. Two or
three of you hold him tightly a moment.”
We followed his directions at once. Then the doctor planted his foot
firmly against the bed, grasped the arm with both hands, bent and
twisted it until we thought he would sever it from the body, and then
suddenly turned it skilfully back into its proper position.
During the operation Fred had cried incessantly with pain, but when the
bone had resumed its place, his muscles relaxed, and his head sank back
with a long sigh of relief.
The doctor was now examining his wrist.
“There is a sprain here that will probably give him trouble for two or
three weeks,” he said.
“Is there anything else to do?” I asked.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account