[{"node":{"title":"Hanna179","Collections":"Part Two","Contributor":"Linen Hall Library","Coverage":"1951","Creator":"Linen Hall Library","Date":"Thursday, April 7, 2016","Format":"TIFF","Identifier":"Hanna179","Item Description":"Manuscript","Keywords":"Sport, Boyhood","Language":"English","Path":"https://www.niliteraryarchive.com/content/hanna179","Publisher":"Linen Hall Library","Relation":"Linen Hall Library","Rights":"Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike CC BY-NC-SA","Scanned image":{"src":"https://www.niliteraryarchive.com/sites/default/files/Hanna179_0.jpg","alt":""},"Source":"LHL Archive","Transcript":"\ufeff173\n\none side, his mouth slightly open and a frown on his\nforehead as he listened. He stood with his legs apart\nand his paunch drooping, so that he looked like a man of\nmiddle age. Now he was prancing round with a girl on\neach arm, throwing up his knees like a horse, his mouth\nwide open in laughter in his brickred face and the black\nlocks dancing on his brow. Frank hunched his shoulders\nand pushed further into the throng.\n\nAs he passed slowly over the crowded field, gazing\ninto little groups of frolicking folk, he caught the\nglances of neighbours and old school-friends and nodded\nand smiled in reply to their greetings, but no one asked\nhim to stop and join in the sport. Once, as if by\naccident, he looked back and saw that the people were\nwatching him and whispering together.\n\nHe felt that he must turn and rush away from the\nfield and never stop until he was back on the lonely\nslope overlooking the lough. But pride or obstinacy\nkept dragging him toward the great beech tree in the\nmiddle of the field, when he reached it he turned and\nleant against its muscular trunk and studied the grey soil\nat his feet where neither the sun, nor the rain, ever fell.\n\nAfter a time his attention was attracted to a little\ngroup of men who were following the minister through the\ncrowd. At each game they would pause, and the minister,\non the advice of the young man at his side, would call\na man from his sport and ask him to join the party that he\nled. As they came ciose to the tree, Frank heard his name\ncalled aloud. He looked up and saw Willie Gill, a boyhood\ncompanion, beckoning to him. \"Put down Frankie Echlin's\nname, Nr Hunter. He\u2019s the boy that can run.\u201d The young\nclergyman approached Frank. \"Would you like to join in\nthis?\" he asked. \"Its a scarf game.\" He put his arm in\nFrank's and drew him along with the others.\n","Type":"Text"}}]