Page 90
By Jack Joseph Smith
91
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: at hima the menacing presence of us was coming over his fading form as he vate
tho the other side of a dim suns Father Lawnegan picked the ball up from the ground
and tossed it to me, as-David in-an instant was gones I watched his feet flickering
in slight blides over the ice, and then I tossed the ball, leading him as he ranj.
It hit him on the chest, and he held on to it almost falling as his heels kicked
high across the lonesome yard, We began to convergOon him, rynning wide spread
under the dismal sky, I was jogging evenly with him now, .as the others began to
elose ins His face had gone white watching us close she gaps There was-very little
sound and the breathing was loud; No one was yelling when he was hits and his voice
screamed with the pain of a broken spirit, Father Lawnegan was there in a moment,
and we all drew-back as David stood shivering with a wetthate in his eyess
Keep the ball and go with it again, rang through my brainy as the uninow' bas
becoming stronger and stronger, This time he ran as if on the wings of a know Pear, =
and we-all ran fast against hing A few of the boys optoled and between us he was
hit hard like the motion of a weed cut into by a cycles This time he yose terrified,
and we all aproled athe, fear with a distances
His blind vapecen Aware had almost brought him to the peak of shock, when Father 1
Lagnegan grabbed him by the shoulder with his full arm and held him nears It had /
been taken all the way, and his-spirit lay barren before us, like cinders in snows.
Let's see, there must be thirty of you heres Not bad; David of Saint Bernards :
against thirty other Saint Bernards boys; Your not afraid of them now are you Davidf
You put up a good fights Who wants to be on Davidd team? That's rights’ David's team : ‘*
against the rest,,for the rest of the afternoon, I hurried across that line of ° ‘
demarcation quick,.and stood beside David, No classes for the rest of the days. I
looked at David, as-some other boys were walking to him, It was elears We were on :
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