Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1891-11-11

broad back-3i-36-SS- Chiswick didn,t
know how many times to the minute.
quick strokes and yet long and powerful.
and the boat spun along as though it had
been shot from something, and the half
mile was done in no time. Chiswick was
done too. He cried, Hold on to the other
fellow, all out of breath; and when the
stranger turned around he looked at him
in astonishment; he hadn't turned a hair
and he breathed as easy as child asleep.
Then Chiswick (as soon as he got wind
enough burst out into what was on his
mind.
"'Oh, il only could have you pull in
the race Fridayl' cried he.
Thar ksl I'd like to awfully, you
know said the stranger
"Fd give $500 for you,' declared CHS
wick.
"'Would you, indeed'' said the stranger.
| We'll, Pm willing, Pm sure'
| "Chiswick gnawed his mustache fiercely
moment. Then:
All right he exclaimed suddenly
It's bargain. FL do it if Pm hung for
it. What l want is just this. I'm going
to put you in the boat, stroke, in the place
of another fellow. You look exactly like
him, so exactly that nobody-nobody out
side the BOAT at least-will know the diff
ference. All you've got to do is to keep
still and not say word to anybody as to
who you are or who you are not. And |
expect you to win the race for us. Our
fellows can pull if they're made to, and
| you're just the man that can make 'em.
and you shall have your $500 the minute
the race is over
so that was Chiswick's notion. and
I've only to tell you how it worked and
what came of it at the very last.
! AS for the way it worked, it worked to
charm. The stranger went back to the
! boathouse with Chiswick and Bancroft,
and was given room like the Others He
went to supper with the crew that night
! In Jennings place, and he went out in the
boat with them the next morning, pulling
Jennings oar. To all intents and pur-
poses hewas Jennings. Ifanybody thought
he wasn't, or if anybody knew he wasn't,
they didn't say so. They didn't look so.
Perhaps they didn't know the difference
Perhaps the word had been passed, and
they prete nded not to know the difference.
Any way, nothing was said, and everything
went on exactly as though he was Jen-
nings-exactly the same, except that the
boat went faster. Caesar of OSTRICH didn't
that boat go faster! What stroke that
new man did set themi How he walked
them up and put new life into them, and
made them do such work as they had never
supposed themselves capable of before. In
that three days he just did wonders with
them, And the night before the race Cap
tain Chisvick was just as sure of winning
as he was of pulling. He knew it was a
foregone conclusion.
| And it was, you know. Don't think
Pm going to tell you that the plan failed of
success after all. Not bit of it. 1t sue
ceeded, and nobody found it out either
That isn't what I'm going to tell you. The
race came off at the appointed time (for a
wonder(-11:3C O'Clock. There never was a
better day; clear sky, beautiful water,
not breath of wind. l needn't describe
the race to you. You've seen plenty, no
doubt. The crews came up in their
launches, got into the boats, pulled around
to the starting place, stripped off their
blue and crimson jerseys, and at the word
off they went. There was the usual yell
ing and cb eering and steam whistling and
hooting, but the boats were quickly out of
that, and I ne thing settled down into test
of speed and pluck and endurance between
the two as to which should reach the other
end of the course first. But bless you,
there wasn't any doubt from the very first
in our boat. We didn't take the lead at
first. We didn't want to. We simply
wanted to hang close on the stern of the
boat for the first two miles or SO. And we
had no trouble in doing that. Indeed the
other crew didn't work over hard those
first two miles either; but that suited us
all right. If they wanted to take it easy
the first half of the race we were willing.
The last mile was the part where we meant
to put in our work.
at was wonderful squirt when it did
come. AL at once, just past the third
mile stake, they quickened their stroke,
lconsideriny that the time had come at last
to leave Us behind them; and all at once
then our fellows quickened their stroke,
too, and just didn't let them do it. That
stroke oar of ours he looked in the cox
lswain's eye and saw, without word being
said. what was going on; and the next
minute down went his head almost into
the little steerer's lap. And then at it they
went, eight Hen like one, working like
beavers. Beavers! Working like insane
men. They had to work. There WASH I
any get ouJ of it or slack up to 1t or any
thing else. There was that big fellow
down at the bottom of the row, working
back and forth with that long, quick
tremendous stroke; and the next man had
10 work vi th him, and the next with him,
and so on And the boat started up as
though she had had an engine in her some
where; they were alongside the other crew
before you knew it. alongside and then
ahead, and then one length you could see
between 'em-two-three-four
then you hated to count 'em, you felt SC
bad for the other fellows, and that's the
way the ra re was won"
The young Harvard fellow ended his
Itory rathsr abruptly and looked at his
three auditors, who had followed his mar
.ative breithless, from start to finish
Wasn't that quite scheme" he asked
with an air of pride.
81 should think so," answered one of the
two young Yale fellows soberly. He evil
IDENTIFY die not approve the SCHEME
though he did not say so.
"But how did they keep it quiet" asked
the second young Yale fellow. Il should
have thoue hit it would have been sure &c
get out. Didn't the stroke oar-the pro
Iessional, suppose he was-didn't he tel
Of its"