Daily globe., 1879-02-09

dlluS.
"HoW's the wates?" said I, as we stepped
down down u me slip, for the wind was blowing
tnro.tgh the mills in gusts, and there was q
good chop on the river.
"Calm's pond,o said he placidlv
we looked at each other and groaned in
Wardly-the Gaths had always rowed on the
pay, about the same as sea water, and we had
roWed on q smooth inland surface; chor
ana swell that would anihilate us would b.
water over which they would skim like SC
many Camlllas Ger the plain. But we went
on qqletly, serenading the janitor with "Wee
may the boatie row" as we went. Our new
boat had come, and waited for us, outriggers
anda all, and we had taken her down to a spo
secure from observation, and given hel
a thorough trial. She was q beauty. anG
from the mo. nent she took water answered te
our will not merely like steed beneath it:
rider, but as the breath does in ones nostrils
We came in after our breather on an easv ioe
and there sat the janitor as we had left him
II say,' said be, with an air of keeping the
SAD secret from our superiors, as I came ur
the s sllp-"I say, is that the best you car
"Best?" answered. I can't say that tits
we weren't on our mettle just now, yoy
know. l suppose that we could do little
better on spurt. But perhaps that is fal,
average"
Pm sorry for you," said he, with really
compassionate condescension, not that we
were to be simply beaten, but that we were
to be beaten out Of sight. But 1 had heard
that In diplomacy it is sometimes what is no,
said that counts, and there were certain
tnlngs to be read between the lines of my re.
ply.
he first thing that we looked for in the
morning was the water: it was as smooth as q
paoYs cheek, and as rosy in the sunrise that
stole over it between the dewey shadows OF
the steep and woody shores. Latter in the
forenoon some of the club went to the rail.
way station, happening to be with them, to
meet certain friends of the Gaths who came
over for the day, among the rest some won
derfully pretty girls, one whom I,knew Har-
den would rather have in Jericho than on the
boathouse balcony to see the Gatt S come in
best men. Kate and several of her compan-
IONS were there tOo-all our acquaintances
mad made the affair their own, and there was
to be general half holiday in the town that
afternoon
/ took Kates hand moment, drawing her
little apart, and she walked on with me
You see, Kate, even the dogs would cry
whipped if they
"'Vox, ct preterea nihil,' hundred times
and l don't see anything of the sort, more
over: If you can't whip those great"-
"Goliaths. Goliaths of Gath"
"Your oars are just as much weavers' beams
as theirs"
"They don't row with, the sun in faces, Kate
as do. And the stakes are more to me than
OF all the races ever rowed in Christendom. Ii
you mean never to speak to me"-
"Oh, is it there? had quite forgotten'-
What! you are not in earnest"'
"Never more So"
sKate?
"Wen?"
"Give me something to row for, my girl
and stopped short and looked down at her
with the color rising on her lovely cheek.
II Will give you a signal"
"How shall l know what it means ?"
"You will know"
II believe you would send man into den
of lions for your glove"
l. never blamed the woman who did," SAID
Kate, with gay laugh all at once, because,
as saw, her eyes were actually full OF tears
land never thought well of the man in that
story"
So we parted. Kate's tears-they augured
i'll. Plying me-bnrial before death 4 sud.
den flash of anger swept through me- If she
would not give me something to row for,
would give her something to cry for, would
win, or would break blood-vessel.
went to my office for the mail, on the way
back to quarters, and found it fun of smoke
and Cheviots. "Tell us the truth, Geotfreys,'
they cried. "These Gath people are up here;
with lists full OF money, ready to wager thou
sands on their crew. Say, shall we take them
up?"
~ can't advise you. boys" saidI. "They
are mighty men. They row toswin. I never
saw anything so handsome in my life as their
We won't disgrace the Cheviots. It'll be a
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 Philistines to the
last dollar in my pocket" And cheer greet
ed him that fairly slammed the door behind
me as left, and told what the rest meant to
any to know how they were going to tighten
their pockets.
Well, it was a big crowd that lined the
shores and the building g-tops, that hung along g
the banks in boats and skitfs when we went
down to the boat-house, and seemed only like
one vast animal with countless eyes and
tongues. The balconies were filled with
ladies, the stake-bo was set, the tugs were
ready to follow us, and such tumult of e1-
citement as there was in the boat-house moth
ing but menagerie just before dinner-time
could rival; old Reed was kicking through the
panels OF his dressing room 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 a window;
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 on
dered if four as superb gladiators ever fought
in a Roman circus. They had deuced pretty
uniform, too, snow-white, With a deep Grim
son handkerchief knotted on their heads.
Come up here" cried, leaning over-''come
up and survey the course, and Sc the crox xd,
andkbe introduced to sOme-'
"Ihank you, Geoffrey" answered Converse.
TITS very clever of you, Geoffrey, you know ;
but we're very we'll as we are" And when
time sounded, and they rose and strobe down
their boat, was not surprised at the shouts
shouted ourselves.
never want to endure another momeul
like that IN which grasped my oar, waitin g
for the start, after places were taken. I
glanced back at Harden and the rest, and then
across to the Gaths-such white, set faces!
My pulse stopped for one second; there was a
dead silence; then word, a 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, ,littlesJ 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 were creeping on, we gave them our wash,
the swift tremendous strokes seem to come
like our breaths; l heard nothing but one
continuous 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 he losing form moment, although they
rallied; and as we entered the quarter, asked
the men If they had anything left to call for.
"a last BREATH" piped Jersey.
Let them have it." cried. And we came
in two lengths ahead, in the midst of deaf
ening tumult, wild women and yelling men,
that might have walked the dead.
OF course we padded aside to let the Gaths
enter at the landing first. But as we came up
ourselves, eight great arms were reaching out
to seize me; powerless to struggle we were
carried up the slip by Gaths and Cheyiots to-