Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1891-11-13
THE STROKE OAR.

"Apropos of all this talk about 'profes
sional playing and going to college sim
ply to play foot ball." said the Young
Harvard fellow, settling himself in his
luxurious Pullman seat and looking curl
ously at the two young Yale fellows and
the other young fellow (al going home
west somewhere, for the Christmas holi-
days., "rll tell you queer story. got
it-well, the fact is my brother was on the
university crew at that time; and was
down at New London with him the week
of the races, and of course was around
with the crew a good deal, and as boy
will picked up good many things that /
ought not to have known. You mustn't
say anything about it. 1t would make
trouble, even now, if the thing were
known.
You see that year our fellows were par
ticularly anxious to win the boat race with
Yale. Yale had beat us three times run
ming, and we thought it was about time
we did little celebrating ourselves. We
had good crew; and we had one especially
strong man. fellow named Jennings, who
pulled stroke. He was a tremendously
powerful oarsman; and if the other fellows
could keep up the day of the race the
stroke he would set them, we were certain
to win. Well, now, what do you think?
-Four days before the race that fellow, big
and strong as he was, keeled over in the
boat just as they were coming in from
practice one morning, and was taken up to
quarters in "A dead faint
They got a doctor there as soon as DOS
sible; and the doctor looked at him and
talked to him and felt of him and listened
to him awhile, and then he looked up and
ont with it: He'll be all right, presently
20 far As getting about is concerned. But
no more rowing for him. The man has a
heart troube-incurable Put him in a
boat again and you kill him.
you ought to have heard the crew cap
tain groan at that. You'd have thought
be had heart trouble
Then we might as well give up the
race said he. He was worth any three of
the rest of u.s. and we haven't a man to
take his place.
The doctor had nothing to say to this,
and pretty quick got up to 90. Chiswick
1.-THE captain) followed him to the door
Doctor, take that back, said he. al
most crying. Let him pull in the race
FRIDAY
The doctor shook his head 'Hemustn't
do it. He must not' said he He'll come
home dead man if he does
"'Well, doctor, you won't say anything
nbout this, please For certain reasons
we'd rather it wouldn't get OUT
Certainly not, said the doctor, and
went away.
Then Chiswick with face as long as
an oar blade and without "A word to any
body save to call to Bancroft to come with
nm, went out the door and down to the
river and off for pull in the pair oar.
And now comes the queer thing that
happened--or the first part of it,
'Chiswick and Bancroft pulled up
stream good bit and then resting on
Their oars had drifted in close ashore,
when all at once looking up right there on
Bartlett's point, within twenty feet of
them, they saw an apparition. There was
Jennings, the stroke, rudy and fresh as
ever standing there and looking at them
Hello, Jen,' Chiswick addressed him,
surprised enough, but no believer in
ghosts. How in the name of the seven
wonders did you get yourself well again
ana down here so quicky You must have
had private locomotive
'EhY answered Jennings. I-a-fancy
there must be some mistake
And then, as they touched the bank,
they saw from his clothes and his voice
and one or two other bits of things that it
wasn't Jennings at all; it was a stran ger
only 1t was just as much a wonder to them
as ever the way the man looked like .Jen-
nings. He was put up exactly like him.
the same powerful frame, the same long
legs and arms, the same big chest and
shoulders, and when it came to his head
and face of course it was there that the
resemblance chiefly was, and it was sim
ply marvellous. The eyes, nose, mouth, the
furly hair, even the bit of side whisker
were exactly alike in the two men, Either
might have set for the others picture
They saw that it wasn't Jennings, how
ever, and apologized for speaking to him
And that made talk, and led to "A discus.
sion OF boating matters, in which the
stranger showed such considerable interest
and knowledge that Chswick presently
took notion into his head-whether it was
the notion, entire, ! don't know, but it
was the beginning of the notion He asked
Bancroft If he'd mind stepping ashore a
bit and letting him take the stranger off
in the pair oar for five minutes spin, 10
which Bancroft of course agreed, and the
stranger, quite as readily, took his place
"Chiswick had the bow oar, and the
stranger therefore was in front of him.
1--WE notion, somehow, from your
looks and your talk that you've been in "A
boat before said Chiswick. Would YOU
mind setting me the best stroke you know
how for "A half mile or so down streamY
Not at all was the strangers cheerful
response. And at once forward went his
long body and down into the water went
his oar.
And then he did set the captain a