The Monitor. [volume] (Woodstown, N.J.) 1884-1892, 1885-08-28

W h"N h"tS i'NAh 81 Nv w oRDINA'
This meeting was the beginning of a
delightful friendship between Miss Dor
rance and myself. 1t was not in the least
of a Irritation, though it did grow after a
while into something warmer than mere
friendliness. She was charmed to find
that was a boating man. She adored the
water, and every fine evening her jaunty
little cedar boat. ''Elfn Queen" was on
the river with her old father in the stern.
Sometimes she took me, for she was trying
to learn to pull in better form, but gener-
ally she went only with the Judge.
1t was in Freshman year that | first met
her, in May, and just before our first col
lege race. OF course | was wild over the
prospect, and talked big, as all Freshmen
will, and, like the concerted young donkey
| was, really had not a doubt of our COM
ing III away ahead in the race. Kitty was
eager and interested, too. She promised
to wear our colors, and she believed in us
from the bottom of her heart. She had a
plan of u course--a fine sweep 1t is,
ooNh bhO iifNis otohild ! anu
back again-which she kept pinned above
the w~riting-desk, in her own little parlor.
She had a photograph of the crew taken
in the gig, and she knew the age and
was as proud of us as we were of our
selves-a fellow couldn't say nlore-and
had vowed to make a banner for the boat
house if we only came in ahead. Then the
great day really came, and We rowed a
regular Freshman race-started ont with a
tremendous squirt, and shook off all the
other boats, and forged ahead like mad !;
then the other fellows began to gain on us
as We came up the home stretch, and we
lost our heads and pulled like maniacs,
losing stroke and fairly turning the boat
around; and we came in three lengths
behind the others. winded as if we'd
pulled ten miles without a let-up.
| do not suppose a fellow ever knows
again in his life just the same sort of dis
appointment that he feels at losing his first
boat-race. He has worked so hard; he has
used up strength enough for a = dozen races;
he was so absolutely sure of winning that
he actually pitied the upper-classmen for
being left behind by the Freshman boat,
and then, after all. he is %gloriously beaten
himself. tell you it is like a plunge into
ice-water, and the worst of all this was
that Kitty Dorrance lost her faith in me.
-
You told me you We're sure of Win
ming" she said; and no amount of expla-
nation would make her look at the matter
final disgrace.
i did not despair so easily myself, and
Sophomore year | was full of hope again,
for we had replaced Wilson, a heavy fell
Latham, a young man who entered as
Sophomore from an English university,
and had the name of being a crack oar.
Even Kitty Dorrance allowed herself to
catch a little of our enthusiasm. We had
a superb crew and a fine, new gig-we had
pulled in an old one we bought from the
Juniors, in our first race-and | say, and
always shall say, that we should have
come in decently that year if luck had not
been against us. To begin with, Latham
turned giddy that morning and wasn't
himself at all; he didn't more than half
pull, and then, just as we had doubled the
island, his stretcher-support gave way and
we had to stop while he slipped it into a
new groove; and by the time we were
under way again, the race belonged to the
Juniors, and we dragged in neck and neck
with the Freshmen, and hardly an inch in
our favor.
Now" announced Kitty, decidedly, the
next time | sneaked over to call upon her,
'sH0ac, | shall neoer believe in you again.
You were my f~avorite crew, and | wore
your colors. and | was SO ashamed that |
took them off and put them in my
pocket, and | shall never, never put them
ON again.
OF course | laughed. and told her that
was all NONSENSE; but she held to it, and in
the Junior spring races not a bit of scarlet
could you see, except in her checks and
lips, where she couldn't very well help it.
Well. as usual, luck was against MS.
We drew lots for position that year, and
cot the inside place. We were. of course.
set up by that. and felt confident enough
for anything. We were abreast of the
Sophomores, who had the crack crew that
year. The Seniors and Freshmen Jagged
behind. and things looked about six for
the S~ophomores and half-a-dozen for us;
but, lust as we were rounding the island,
little Smith, the coxswain, tried to take all
the advantage of our position and sent us
an inch too near the shore, and there We
were. stuck fast ON a confounded sand-bar.
Even the Freshmen passed us, and the fell
lows on the shore hooted and yelled like a
band of Apaches.
That was the last straw; | gave up hop
ing then. We all gave up. We knew
that the Fates were against us. | felt as
though | didn't care to pull another race,
and about made M my mind to leave the
crew and take to digging, though it was
rather late in the day to run for literary
honors.
That summer vacation | was at Lake
George, and Judge Dorrance. and Kitty,