A TERRIBLE ACCIDENT
"Hello, Tim! Hello, Larry! How have you been?" The two actors had little
reason to complain of the warmth of their reception, as the radio boys
shook hands with them, pounded them on the back, and asked innumerable
questions.
"You both look as though you were being treated all right," said Joe,
after they had quieted down somewhat after the first riotous greetings.
"How do you like being with a regular show?"
"Oh, we manage to get along," answered Larry. "But tell us a little of
what you fellows have been doing since we saw you last. Are you still as
interested in radio as ever?"
"You bet we are!" said Bob. "If you once get interested in that, I don't
think you'd ever be willing to drop it. The more you learn about it, the
more you want to learn."
"Well, that's fine," said Larry, heartily. "I only wish I had time enough
to take it up. I'd like nothing better."
"When you make a lot of money in the vaudeville business and retire,
you'll have plenty of time for it," said Tim, with a wink at the others.
"Yes, when I do," said Larry, scornfully. "It doesn't strain my back at
present to carry around my roll, though. I feel lucky if I can keep a jump
or two ahead of the wolf, as it is. But we may both have luck and land on
a big circuit, and then we'll begin to get some real money."
While talking, the little party had been walking at a brisk pace and now
found themselves close to the theater. Many of the townspeople were going
in the same direction, and most of these recognized the radio boys and
looked inquisitively at their two companions. Some of their schoolmates,
who knew that Larry and Tim were actors, made bold to join the group and
be introduced. By the time they reached the theater Larry and Tim had
quite an escort of honor, all of whom were loath to leave them at the
stage door. As they disappeared within they were followed by three rousing
cheers, and then all the boys made their way to the main entrance.
The radio boys had secured their tickets in advance, and were soon
comfortably seated, waiting expectantly for the curtain to rise on the
first act.
This proved to be an acrobatic turn of mediocre quality, and the boys
waited impatiently for it to finish, for Tim and Larry were billed to
appear in the next act. With a moderate meed of applause, the acrobats
retired. The orchestra struck up a catchy tune and the big curtain slowly
rose. The scene disclosed was pretty and artistic, representing a glade in
a forest, realistic trees surrounding a green clearing. Nothing was to be
seen of Larry and Tim, however, and the radio boys were mystified, as both
their friends had refused to tell them what the act was like. Suddenly the
first piping notes of a canary bird's song were heard, rising so clear and
lifelike that even the boys themselves were deluded at first into thinking
that they were listening to an actual bird. The canary song ended with a
sustained trill, and then, soft and melodious, came the limpid notes of
the mocking bird's song. By this time the audience had comprehended that
this was in reality a clever human imitation of bird notes, and they
applauded heartily.
"Say!" whispered Jimmy, excitedly, "Larry has picked up a lot of new stuff
since he was at Ocean Point. That was fine, wasn't it?"
"Keep still," whispered Joe, fiercely. "We want to hear every bit of
this."
Jimmy subsided, and they all listened with keen delight as Larry imitated
a host of feathered songsters, each one so true to life that the audience
applauded again and again. At last Larry exhausted his repertoire, and
for the first time appeared in the open, emerging from behind the trunk of
a tree. He was heartily applauded, and as he bowed his way off the stage,
the spotlight shifted, and Tim came onto the stage like a whirlwind, arms
and legs flying as he did a complicated clog dance. At the most furious
part Larry joined him, and they danced together, keeping such perfect time
and going through such identical motions that it seemed as though they
must be automatons actuated by the same string.
As a spectacular finale to the act, each one was supposed to make a dash
for one of the property trees in the background, climb up it and disappear
in the branches as the curtain fell. With a final wild gyration that
brought spontaneous applause from the audience, each one made for his
appointed tree, and started up.
Everything went as usual until Larry had almost reached the branches.
Suddenly there came a cracking sound, the artificial tree swayed and
tottered, and, amid horrified cries from the spectators, crashed to the
stage, bringing down others on top of it as it fell. The radio boys had
just time to see Larry lying, white and senseless, among the ruins when
the curtain descended quickly, shutting off the scene of the accident from
the audience.
So suddenly had the thing happened that at first the boys could hardly
believe the evidence of their eyes. For a few moments they gazed at one
another in horrified silence, and then, as though all were moved
simultaneously by the same thought, they rushed down the aisle and, before
the ushers could stop them, climbed onto the stage. It took them a few
seconds, that seemed like hours, to find their way behind the scenes to
the place where the accident had occurred.
Tim, aided by several stage hands, was frantically trying to release his
partner from the heavy pieces of scenery that held him pinned down. Bob
and his friends fell to the work of rescue with every ounce of energy and
strength that they possessed, but, work as they did, it was a considerable
time before they at last managed to free their unfortunate friend.
A doctor had been sent for, and by the time Larry was laid, still
unconscious, on a cot, the physician had arrived. As he made his
examination his face grew more and more serious, and he shook his head
doubtfully.
"He's pretty badly hurt, I'm afraid," he said. "We must get him to a
hospital as soon as possible. I have my car outside, and if some of you
will carry him out, I'll take him there."
In sorrowful silence Tim and the radio boys carried their injured friend
out to the doctor's automobile. Tim got in with him, and Larry was
whirled away to the hospital, where he faced a grim fight for life.
The radio boys followed on foot, after first telephoning to their homes to
explain why they would not be home until late.
Meantime, in the theater, the performance had gone on after an
announcement by the management that "Mr. Bartlett is but slightly
hurt,"--so spoke the manager--"and has been taken to a hospital where he
can receive better care than in the hotel."
The radio boys followed the doctor's car to the hospital and spent an
anxious hour in the waiting room while their friend was being thoroughly
examined by the head physician, for of course the announcement at the
theater had been made to quiet the audience, and no one yet knew just how
serious Larry's injuries were.
"We'll have to get Doctor Ellis to take care of him," said Bob, while they
were waiting. "I'm awfully sorry your father isn't in town, Joe. Next to
him Dr. Ellis is the best doctor in Clintonia, I guess."
The others concurred in this view, and Bob promised to call up Dr. Ellis
in the morning. After what seemed an endless wait the physician who had
brought Larry to the hospital entered the waiting room.
"I'm afraid you won't be able to see your friend to-night," he said. "His
left arm is broken, and I think his back is injured, although I can't tell
yet how seriously. By this time to-morrow night I'll be able to tell you
more. Has he any relatives that should be notified of the accident?"
"I know he has a mother, who is dependent on him," said Bob. "We've all
heard him speak of her. I don't know where she lives, though, but probably
Tim would have her address."
"Whose address?" asked Tim, entering the room at that moment.
"Larry's mother's," said Bob. "Do you know where she lives, Tim? As the
doctor says, she ought to be notified about this."
"Yes, I know where she can be reached," said Tim. "I'll write to her
before I go to bed to-night. Poor Larry!" and Tim tried hard to wink the
tears back, but with little success.
"You mustn't feel too bad," advised the kindly doctor. "I think that there
is little doubt that he will live, but as to whether or not he'll fully
recover, I can't say yet. But we'll hope for the best, and you can rest
assured that everything possible will be done for him."
The boys thanked the doctor for the help he had given their unfortunate
friend, and then, after taking a sorrowful leave of Tim, started homeward.
The next few days were anxious ones for the radio boys. Larry hovered
between life and death, and almost a week had passed before the doctors in
charge of his case would say positively that he was going to pull through.
At the end of that period the boys were allowed to see him, for a few
minutes, after promising not to let him talk or to say anything to him
that might excite him.
Larry received them with his old cheerful grin, but the boys were shocked
at his wan and wasted appearance, so different from his usual vigorous
self. They did not let him see this, however, but talked and joked with
him in the usual way, and when the doctor finally signaled for them to
leave they had the satisfaction of knowing that they had cheered their
friend up and left him looking happier than when they came.