The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1879-01-08
RY HUGH WILSON AND w. G. BENET.

"They don't row with the sun IN
faces, Kate, as I do. And the stakes
are more to me than those of all the
races ever rowed in Christendom. If
you mean never to speak to me-
"Oh, is it there? had quite for
gotten
"What you were not in earnest ?"
"Never more So"
skate ?"
"Well ?"
.'Givo me something to row for, my
girl" and I stopped short and looked
down at her with the color rising on her
lovely cheek.
81 will give you signal"
"How shall I know what it meansa"
"You will know"
"I believe you would send man
into den of lions for your glove"
~ never blamed the woman who did,
said Kate, with gay laugh all at once,
because, as I saw, her eyes were actual
ly full of tears, "and never thought we'll
Of the man in that story"
So We parted. Rates tears-they
augured i'll. Plying me-burial before
death A sudden flash Of anger swept
through me. If she would not give me
something to row for, I would give her
something to cry for. I would win, or
I would break a blood. vessel.
went to my Office for the mail, on the
way back to quarters, and found it full
of smoke and Cheviots. "Tell US the
truth, Geoffreys, they cried. "These
Gath people are up here with fists full
of money, ready to wager thousands on
their crew. Say, shall We take them
up?"
81 can't advise you, boys" said I.
"They are mighty men. They row to
win. I never saw anything so hand
some in my life as their morning exer-
else. No-don't bet on US. We won't
disgrace the Cheviots. It'll be close
thing, perhaps, but it's out of the ques-
ton to suppose we can win from them"
"That's as it may be-" cried Brand.
" But I've taken the offers of the Philis-
tines to the last dollar in my pocket. "
And a cheer greeted him that fairly
slammed the door behind me as left,
and told what the rest meant to do; and OF
course it didn't Tighten our hearts any
to know how they were going to Tighten
their pockets.
Well, it was big crowd that lined
the shores and the building-tops, that
hung along the banks in boats anil skiffs
when we went down to the boathouse,
and seemed only like one vast animal
with countless eyes and tongues. The
balconies were filled with ladies, the
stake-boat was set, the tugs were ready
to follow US, and such a tumult of ex-
element as there was in the boathouse
nothing but menagerie just before
could rival; old Reed was
kicking through the panels of his dress
door because he had dropped
his key, and young Smythe was taking
his fist and smashing every pane in a
sash because he couldn't open window;
they were yelling here and running
there-the blood of all the Cheviots was
up. In the midst of the confusion, there,
on heap of sail-cloth under one of the
balconies. the Gaths lay stretched at
their ease like nest Of young lions, and
as I looked them over wondered if four
as superb gladiators ever fought in
Roman circus. They had deuced pretty
uniform, too, snow-white, with deep
crimson handkerchief knotted on their
heads. "Come up here, I cried, lean
ing over" come up and survey the
course, and see the crowd, and be in
troduced to some"-
"Thank you, GeoHrey," answered
Converse. '"It's very clever of you,
Geoffreys, you know; but we're very
we'll as we are" And when time sound
ed, and they rose and strobe down to
their boat, I was not surprised at the
shouts of admiration that rent the air
in fact, we shouted ourselves.
I never want to endure another
moment like that in which I grasped my
oar, waiting for the start, after places
were taken. glanced back at Harden
and the rest, and then across at the
Gaths-such white, set faces My pulse
stopped for one second; there was a
dead silence; then word, dip, a
bound, a Yell was all myself again,
my heart beat at my oars blade, my
soul went out of me at every stroke,
Harden and Devlin were one with me,
little Jersey steered her to hair, my
detection had vanished like smoke. I
meant to win that race or die. We were
side by side, We we're creeping on, We
gave them our wash, the swift tremen.
dous strokes seem to come like our
breaths; I heard nothing but one con-
tinous roar along the banks the whole OF
the way, saw nothing but those fellows
laboring after; and as for them, they
never saw us again without turning their
heads over their shoulders. As we
rounded, they seemed to be losing form
moment, although they rallied; and as
we entered the quarter, I asked the men
if they had anything left to call for.
ga last breath" piped Jersey.
"Let them have it,, cried. Aud we
came in two lengths ahead, in the midst
of deafening tumult, wild women and
yelling men, that might Lave walked the
dead.
Of course we padded aside to let the
Gaths enter at the landing first. But rs
we came up ourselves, eight great arms
were reaching out to seize me; power
less to struggle, we were carried up the
slip by Gaths and Cheviots together.
just as I passed under the balcony in
that triumph, I looked up. There was
Kate leaning far over. Upon my word,
for that instant, that one instant, I had
forgotten that Kate existed. And there
she stood with the others, framed in the
sunset, her disordered hair gilded like a
nimbus, laughing, crying, flushed, love.
ly and half divine As her eye caught
mine, she extended her hand impetu-
ously, kissed the spray of flowers she
held, and tossed it down to me. It was
spray of orange wers.-Harper's g
weekly.
CT Guose 1911 Wall -