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About The morning Astorian. (Astoria, Or.) 1899-1930 | View Entire Issue (March 26, 1908)
THURSDAY, MARCH 28, 1908."' : !rm mowing astobian. astoria obegq .! Imp ossibility 'jr ttenal H. Halnu. Copyright, Wt, W Donal If. Haines, DEKIIIIO Rblftod In hii ecat, let ttmt hlii eyeglass moro firmly upon hi dom aud, with hi 'gloved bands folded oo tlio top of hli cine, turned hi glance again Ko the flold of play. On all aldea of blm meo end women wore abandoning thenwelvei to picesses of othUNUtn, but hl cold neutral tinted eyes fol lowed the movements of tbe muddy flguree on tbe gridiron without a trace of excitement, though they loet do do tails of tb play.'. "I beg your pardon"-Desbro"i blgb pitched, pervoua Tolce cut Incisively Into the throaty cheer of wblcb tbe wan next to hlia was delivering blm eelf;"but cam you tell me wbo Is tbe black haired man at tackier "Babblngton," snapped tbe other shortly and ttirued again to bla cbeer- i Inf. while Desbro murmured eonrteoua Turning a pair of fleldgtaasea upon tbe field, Desbro 1 witched tbe strug gling flguree Intently for a few mo ments; then, laying tbe binoculars side and lighting cigarette, he com menced to talk to himself In a low tone, obllvloua of bis aurroundloga. "A uiatclilees phyliue," be mutter ed, "coupled wltb a face which might bare been .Adam's as devoid of tbe spark of Intelllgenct as in ox's-tbe very embodiment of tbe game be la playing." Hla Intent gate noted a sudden con ation of tbe padded flguree below tin and an eager cranlug of necks m the aeats of the big stand. One the oppoelng players lay stretched tbe turf wrttbtng In pain, while a up of tbe visiting eleven's support- leaned from tbetr seats and point Impotently accusing fingers at the an called Itsbblngton, who atood king down at tbe proetrate figure 1th bis banda on bla massive blpa. A cold little ineer gathered about e corners of Dcabro'a mouth ia be atcbod the Incident, J : .,: I I What callousness," be exclaimed ftly, "what savagely unconscious cat snessl la tbe man an anachronism only brats? Such simple minded ft unconcern for pbyalcal agony cauaed Pity one's own bands Is tbe mark of nmers coarseness or a throwbacki ' 1 "I must ace more of this 'strange 'm.n ha nl.l hlmanlf and an lit Ml tfl !the gymnasium, where be sat for in hour gating at tbe celling wltb a preoccupied air. When rtabblngtoa'i great bulk emerged from tbe door lead lug to the bathe an hour later, Desbro rose and walked to meet him. "Mr. Itablilngtonr be asked. Tbe other nodded. . ... -1 "My name la Desbro," be went on t J rapidly, bla auddenly keen eyes scarch- lng tbe other"! face. "I come from the -'same part of the country tbat you do. and I thought poaalbly you might give tte newa of an old friend, Morton Harold Morton. Did you happen to knew hlmT" "Morton?" be laid slowly. "Mortoul o, don't believe I know him." , (Ah, of course," Desbro hastened to ay.v "I thought perhaps"- And be woveNa few aeoteucea of cany Action before turning abruptly on bla beel. A few hours later be sat In tbe bil liard room of bla fraternity bouse Us I tenlng curiously to the talk of the men wnicn centered a twin me game or toe (tftornoon. The comments were all live y, enthusiastic, on tbe team's chances, on the Individual prowess of tlio men, and constantly recurring In the bum of conversation was Babblngton's name. "The finest type of a player the crop of new men baa produced," a fair hair ed man with a big voice called from ft one end of tbe smoky room. "Bight you areJ Desbro broke In suddenly. Tbe men around the tablet turned In astonishment, for to havi Desbro offer comment on matters of this nature wis unusual. "Bight you are, I iny," be repeated, leaning back In his chair aud survey ing tbe curious, faces through, h!l glasses. "This man la tbe very embod iment of the spirit foetored by this beautiful game of yours-bullt for a human chopping . block or battering ram, as the case may demand I By the exertion of those muscles for which be Is no more responsible than Thompson there for bis red hair be brings down on his richly undeserving head the frensled cbeen of a sport erased crowd. He sends a man lees fortunate ly endowed ; physically than : himself into a few moments of unhappy obliv ion and then grins at you with crass satisfaction when you cheor nim-not for himself or because his name means anything, but limply for what he has done ; iviiA "!' 11 .'';'.'. ' ' 1 ' "This Babblngton comes out of no where,", Desbro continued,,' "a grace less, coarae fl bored clod, with a giant's strength and the broad Ideas of a goat, hungry ' for notoriety of the sort his great jenusclel' can command, and you pojyper his cheap cravings witn unc- fon. iYou lit In the stands and shout yourselves hoarse while he Is battering some poor fellowjn the arena, and you will bo further. You will desire the capture of this athletic Hon In spite of the fact that be la a-a social impossi bility, and you will be crowding around trying tq, put your fraternity pins on hit cost. Dahl ' ' ' "I talked with the man, looked into hla treat, otllk syesodesd, devoid of tbs spark of real life?- " . - The unfinished sentence broke abrupt ly, and every eye In the room followed Desbro'i startled glance to tbe door way,, where, turning bli cans, In bis bands and staring at the spesJtsr.wltb an expression wholly Indescribable, stood Babblngton, . For moment there was tbs dead lUence of ntter euibar raaament; then one by one the men turned to tbs tables, while Babblngton cleared bis throat and spoke. , , "I came to see It poaalbly I hadn't misunderstood you," he said, turning to Desbro. "That name you mention ed was Morion, wasn't It??,., Deabro, redder , titan any man had ever seen him, m tag. ' "I thought tm tood," Babblngt Ided without speak- ly I hadn't under- explained, backing awkwardly out of tbs door, "and I did know a man named tlorton," A few moments later, Desbro passed the door of the billiard room, wearing the raincoat and slouch bat which be Invariably wore on the evening walks which wert is much a' part of his ex istence as his meals, v.; .... (.; No man pretended to know tbe object of these nightly walks of Desbro's. To all Inquiries be responded tbat "tbey gave him a chance to think without In terruption." .,; ;... At the gate Desbro paused to light a cigarette, and the flare of the match as bs shielded It from the snappy Oc tober wind brought bis thin features Into prominence sgalnst the darkness. Babblngton, standing under a tree not a dosen yards away, tamed as the sul phur sputtered sod saw:., Ills great hand clinched Instinctively Into a fist and he bad already taken a atep for ward when Desbro turned and started quickly down tbe itreet - Babblngton waited a few moments, then stepped lightly on to the sidewalk and followed, quietly at first and then without caution as Desbro paid no at tention to the footfalls behind blm. He glanced now and then at the receding lights snd then Increased the length of his strides as Deabro's phrases throb bed through bis mind. "Social Impossibility!" bs muttered, gritting bis teeth over the phrase. "I'll teach tbe little whelp!" Ill eyes nsver left the llttlo spark which marked the other's position, but every time he started to close tbs gap between them something checked him. His thoughts refused to ran to any but a given polnt-a fierce desire to get bis hands upon tbs man wbo had bald his Ignorance up to a roomful of men while be stood and listened helplessly. As be had atood under tbe tree In front of the bouss be bad felt only a aense of lm potency, of ibime, a gulping feel ing of disappointment which was not easy to understand, a Sickening realisa tion that some of Desbro's words bad rung true. : Block after block the man In front walked, turning now to tbe right and now to. the left, sometimes walking rapidly, and again Idling along at a snail's pace. They passed through the business streets, lonely snd deserted under tbe harsh glare of tbe arc lights. Here Desbro paused to talk wltb a po liceman with whom he seemed to be on excellent terms, and, turned sudden ly cold at the slgbt of tbe patrolman, Babblngton , crossed the street and nearly lost bis man, who wheeled abruptly Into a dark aide street Babblngton was conscious tbat a struggle bad commenced within him and that tbe first beat of anger wu passing. Ha grew ashamed of bis growing calmness, fearful lest tbe cool ing Influence of tbe walk rob blm of tbe merited retaliation which be knew hla massive anus could administer. Desbro stopped abruptly to light an other cigarette, and hla pursuer halted In tbe midst of a stride. For an In tant be paused Irresolute, divided be tween tbe lingering desire to close his fingers on Desbro'i neck and a sudden Impulse to run, to get away from ev erything, back to tbe life where other men bad lived and talked like himself. Tbe hotter sensa&ra triumphed, and Babblngton had talten three quick, lithe steps toward bis victim wben, cl ient at the shadowi from which they sprang, a little knot of men threw themselves at Desbro. The shock of the attack not only drove from Babblngton's mind every vestige of his own wrath, but bereft him for an Instant of tbe power of mo tion. He beard Desbro give a low ex clamation and saw by the last flicker of the match tbe slight figure attempt ing to shield Itself by leaping behind an Iron pole. In another Instant he found himself In the center of a press of struggling figures. Ho received blows aud felt the Impact of his hand against flesh as he returned them. "Where are you, Desbro t" he shout ed. "Sing out!" (i y.cj ,! "Here," came a choking voice from' behind, him, "quick!", . , , A club struck Babblngton'! arm with a numbing shock, but be kicked the man who wlolded It Into Insensibility and the next instant was tearing an other ruffian from off Desbro's pros trate form. Two of the assailants lay on the ground, mere blotches In the darkness,,, the others bad disappeared. Desbro roso to his feet slowly and took a step toward his rescuer. ; , "I soy," bo commenced, then stopped abruptly. "So tbli Is the cheap 'coals of fire' method you' pureue, Is it?' he continued, with tt sneer. ; 1 ' " ' A sudden easy smile passed over Babblngton's face. : "No," be answered shortly i "this is what I came for." and he struck Des bro squarely In the face, felling him instantly. v For an Instant tbs knowledge of the strength In bla great muscles fright ened blm, snd be leaned over Desbro anxiously, Satisfied that he bad struck Ne- ... . WIUi 100 SIIAKB HANI'H, SABMKOTOH ?' no harder than be intended, be leaned gainst the Iron poet panting from bis exertions. Tbe two roughs on the ground recovered their senses and scuttled off Into tbe night. He could bear Desbro's watch ticking and kept track of tbe seconds for two full min utes. Then be noticed that the fallen man was bareheaded and puttered about on bla bands and knees In tbe dead leaves and tbe filth of tbe gutter until be found Desbro's hat ' . , "Can you walk?', be asked shortly. Tbs disheveled figure nodded, and In silence tbey msde tbelr way back through tbe deserted streets. In front of the fraternity bouse tbey separated without words. -' - ' ' M " -"" Desbro gave up bis nightly walks for a week and was seen but little outside his room. He explstned his marred check and s stiffness in one leg by a fall through a broken crossing. e ' e "Going to make another character study of tbe game, Desbro? Desbro shook bis bead and smiled. "I'm continuing one," be answered shortly. , It wsi with a more interested, less coldly critical expression tbat bs fol lowed tbe movements of tbe men on the white striped flold beneath him. Tbe problem confronting the varsity team waa a different one from that which Desbro bad watched on tbe first occasion, for instead of feeble oppo nents wbo would only afford them good practice they faced an eleven of their own class. From tbe first the enemy's tactics had been obvious. Tbey realized that In Babblngton there was a living oppo sition wblch barred all progress to the varsity's goal line, and toward the wearing down of bis great strength tbey bad directed tbelr efforts. Men bad been led to tbe side lines pale and bleeding, and tbe list of tbe visitors' substitutes was diminished, but still Babblngton formed the center'of every attack and was tbe rock about wblch split the enemy's onslaughts. It was not a showy exhibition, but it was a splendid piece of physical stamina, and the great crowd was appreciative. Tbey saw tbat Babblngton's endurance would make victory possible, and tbey rose in a great wall of color and cheer ed him furiously. "Babblngton; Babblngton!" Closo to tbe goal posts Babblugton raised bis great frame from tbe tangle of tbe last attack wblch bad shattered Its force upon him aud faced tbe shout ing crowds. Slowly he raised a huge fist and shook It In tbe face of the mul titude, which grew wondorlngly silent "Curse you," he shouted, and the sound of bis hoarse voice carried to every part of tbe stands, "leave my name alone!" Desbro milled quietly. "In the term 'social impossibility, " ho muttered, "I was guilty of gross in justice." When the whistle sounded the end of the bnlf, he scrambled down from his sent, climbed the wire fence Inclosing the field and walked toward Babblng ton, who, . with hanging head, was walking slowly toward tne side lines. "Will you shake bands. BabblngtonT" he asked, smiling. , Babblngton looked up in surprise. Then bis somewhat heavy features lighted up, and tbe big band shot cut No Cause on Record. 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