The Half-Back - A Story Of School, Football, And Golf (1900) (Hardcover)

Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: CHAPTER III. OUTFIELD WEST. It was several moments before West recovered his breath enough to speak, during which time he sat and gazed at his rescuer in amazement not unmixed with curiosity. And the rescuer looked down at "West in simple amusement. " Thanks," gasped West at length. " I suppose I'd have broke my silly neck if you hadn't given me a hand just when you did." The other nodded. "You're welcome, of course; but I don't believe you'd have been very much hurt. What's that thing? " nodding toward the brassie, still tightly clutched in West's hand. " A bras?a golf club. I was knocking a ball around a bit, and it went over the cliff here." " I should think golf was a rather funny sort of a game." " It isn't funny at all, if you know anything about it," replied West a trifle sharply. The rescuer was on dangerous ground, had he but known it. " Isn't it? Well, I guess it is all in getting used to it. I don't believe I'd care much for tumbling over cliffsthat way; I should think it would use a fellow up after a while." " Look here," exclaimed West, " you saved me an ugly fall, and I'm very much obliged, and all that; but?but you don't know the first thing about golf, and so you had better not talk about it." He made an effort to gain his feet, but sat down again with a groan. " You sit still a while," said the boy in the straw hat, " and I'll drop down and get that ball for you." Suiting the action to the word, he lowered himself over the ledge, and slid down the bank to the beach. He dropped the golf ball in his pocket, after examining it with deep curiosity, and started back. But the return was less easy than the descent had been. The bank was gravelly, and his feet could gain no hold. Several times he struggled up a yard or so, only to slip bac...