The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1896-05-01

reach the eyes of the public. He re-
signed not only the higher life of bodily
endeavor to Paddy O'Toole, but also the
trivialities of social intercourse In
fact, for purposes of such narration as
this or the glorious traditions of the
university, the real Lawrence Bangs
ceased to exist at the close of the sec
ond Harvard game in his freshman
year.
He might proftably be dismissed at
| this point, had he not figured in a
series of events, the first of which was
witnessed by thousands, some of whom
NAV be interested to learn what fol-
lowed. Nobody can have forgotten the
extraordinary success of the alleged
Larry Bangs on the football field. His
triumphs there were second only to
those which he scored upon the green
diamond. Perhaps the greatest of them
was the last.
The Harvard Yale football game in
Larry's senior year was bloody and
desperate struggle. The Harvard team
that year was entirely made up of
heavyweight pugilists of the first
rank 1t was said that they were
trained on diet of raw meat and
warm blood. The game which resulted
was one of the most entertaining ath-
letic exhibitions ever presented to the
gaze of the first families of America.
Every time the referee winlled some
BODY was knocked down, and by the
end of the first half Harvard had
scored eleven black eyes. But Yale
man always plays with an eye single to
the interests of his college, and there
fore the mere fact that the other eye is
closed up does. not destroy his useful
ness. So it happened that while the
Harvard team would have taken bet
ter photograph ut the close of the first
half the Yale eleven looked the like
lier to win, when viewed by an expert.
1t must be confessed, however, that
upon the feminine part of the vast sur
rounding throng Harvard had made
very deep impression. Nothing SO
perfectly lovely as Buck" Halford's
and his headwork was simply marvel
Gus. He seemed to know by secret su-
pernatural means when the referee was
looking at somebody else, and the man
who played opposite him could not
have been identified by a coroners jury
composed of his immediate relatives
after play had been in progress twenty
minutes. His face looked more like a
strawberry shortcake than it did like
any recognized type of human coun-
tenance; yet "Buck" had accomplished
it all without so much as warning
from the referee. 1t is no wonder the
girls thought him clever. Even Flor
ence Lorne admitted that, but she al
ways added, hopefully: Gust wait
till Larry Bangs gets hold of him."
Yale had borne the assault of her
enemy remarkably well. Only one
man had been permanently retired
from the game, and he had been re
stored to consciousness by his own ia
| Their, who was a celebrated surgeon
and one of the most interested specta-
tors of the struggle.
In the midst of this animated scene
Paddy O'Toole had been conspicuous
figure. He was unquestionably the
best running halfback on any college
team. When the ball was with the
blue, and ground had to be gained,
| Paddy got the signal, and in almost
| every case it was discovered, after the
| other twenty-one men had been re-
moved from his PROSTATE form, that he
had scored the necessary advance. In
this way he accumulated courtplaster
and glory, till the latter encircled his
| head like a halo and the former COW
cred his face like mask.
He was the man whom Harvard
feared most, and in the fifteen minutes
interval while the crimson eleven were
having their knuckle bones put back
into place by a competent surgeon his
doom was sealed. BY great good
| fortune and the most marvellous endur-
ance he succeeded in staving off the In
evitable for fully thirty minutes of the
second half. Neither side had scored.
Yale had pushed the ball to Harvard's
ten-yard line, and still retained it. A
mass play advanced it three yards
more.
1t was decided to send Paddy be-
tween right guard and tackle for
the remaining distance. Nobody
who saw that play will ever forget it.
Everybody was In 1t. Even the ex-
perts among the spectators could not
tell what had happened. They knew
that big gain had been made, but it
was impossible to disentangle the run
ner from the mass of struggling giants
| For the first time in her athletic ex-
| perience Florence was frightened.
She was certain that she saw one of
her lovers legs ut a distance of three
yards from the spot where his body
lay. But as that spot was over the
line and Florence was true blue, she
breathed prayer that Larry's body
might be there, and the leather spheroid
with him, for touchdown counts four
and leg more or less counts nothing
in the game of football.
The referee approached and succeeded
in persuading several men to get of
the top of the heap. Then, with the
aid of his cane as lever, he removed
such as could not peEtorg- AhN- Naa"~