“Oh, nothing much,” was the answer. “Merriwell’s got a nasty fall, that’s all.”
“That is not all!” declared a voice that caused Defarge’s heart to stand still, for it was that of Frank Merriwell himself. “My fall was nothing, but I’d like to know where this huge stone came from, for I know it whizzed past my head just as I tripped and went down.”
Beneath his breath Defarge muttered an oath.
Frank was absolutely unharmed, for, being in perfect condition, the shock of the fall over a stone which he had not seen in the road affected him to no perceptible extent.
Indeed, when a man is in the best physical condition, ordinary falls, that seem to jar and severely injure the untrained, are not noticed at all. Sometimes a man may, in perfect condition, receive shocks and sustain falls which naturally would break the bones of the unprepared and still escape without any apparent harm.
Thus it is that exercise, physical training, and muscle-building prepare those who follow faithfully the upbuilding of the body for all the hardships they may have to encounter in life.
“The survival of the fittest” is a law of nature that has been in full sway since the dawn of creation, and modern conditions have simply seemed to emphasize its unyielding rigidness.
A weakling might have been severely, even fatally, injured by the fall that had not harmed Merriwell at all.
Sometimes men die from the effects of shocks which trained athletes would have withstood without great distress.
Thousands of weak-backed, narrow-chested, scrawny-necked men are swiftly wearing away their lives in offices and stores and other places of business when, had they known and respected the laws of health, they might be strong, and robust, and healthy.