The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1895-04-04

no means settled; liam borough was
still in the sullSs, and more deter.
mined than ever to make the cause of
its misfortune suffer for his pains.
What a weary time it was! So diff
ferent from previous years, when !
was on good terms with everybody;
not that moped about and let them
see that was tired of it, for if they
would not speak TO me, was equally
certain they should NOT nave the
chance.
This state of things went on until
the end Of the term, when the inter
school sports were to be held as
usual, for you must know it was.
the custom for the two schools to
hold an athletic meeting, much in the
same manner as football and baseball
matches, in which both lots os fell
lows competed
Now, it was a strange fact that, al
though the two schools were nearly
equal in every thing else, and the
honors were fairly divided, Fetch
erite had never won the mile cup.
Many desperate efforts had been
made to obtain possession of it, but
up to the present had been unsuccess-
full, and 1t was bitter taunt to ask
when they intended to win the mile.
This year, however, there seemed
every probability of their achieving
the long wished-for triumph, for they
had very good man named Woods,
whom Webster, our crack runner
who had held the cup for the last
four years, had only defeated by
yard when they last met; but Web
ster was not we'll at the time, and
our fellows vowed he would win any
time the pair met.
Webster had left at Christmas, and
as no one had appeared to worthily
I'LL his shoes, this race was felt to be
the one weak spot in the program;
and it was a vital one, too, for, if all
the other events were won, they
would not count for much if the cup
was lost and the glorious record
broken.
had not intended to enter for any
of the events until it occurred to me
to do SO one day. when [ was watch
ing Rogers training for the mile He
was the sole representative of the
school, and very poor one, too, and
had only been induced to enter IN the
hope that something might happen
to Woods, and that some stroke of
luck might enable us to still retain
possession of the cup.
AS | watched Rogers go round the
track it suddenly flashed through my
mind that if / could but win the mile
it would be the means of putting me
right with the fellows again. Of one
thing l was certain, and that was that
could beat the present man any day
in the week. So / decided to enter
for the race, and at once began to
: train.
1t had been remarked that / had
entered, but no notice was taken of
the fact beyond one or two inqulsi-
tive stares. At last the day of the
sports came, and all was hustle and
excitement. The mile was the last
Tevent, and so I was able to lounge
about and watch the other races GO off.
The much talked-of triumph did
not happen, for Fletcher's- proved
themselves equal to Ham borough, and
when the bell rang for the last race
each had won an equal number of
Sevents and this struggle not only de-
cfded the cup, but also who was to
claim the advantage in the sports.
F1etcher's were jubilant at the re-
suit, for they had heard lot of the
preparations we had been making,
aud had, in fact, expected rare LICK
ing, whereas they had done splendid
~, and seemed in fair way to win
the cup at last.
Two Fletcherites were running, and
when they walked down the track
with Rogers to the starting point, all
three were loudly cheered, but when
I.followed some body gave slight
hiss, and it quickly spread all around
z the ground. When the race began,
Woods started at an awful pace, and
might have been going for the hun
dred' instead of Furnishing mile.
/ Poor Rogers was quickly out of it,
and before lap had been covered re-
tired from the race.
i This was a nice state of things for
Marlborough to witness; but when
the bell rang for the last lap, and it
was seen that they still had cham
pion in the struggle, and that he was
going strongly, all the old feeling
revived. and fellows forgot who the
runner was, and the ofense that he
had committed. and remem bered only
that he carried the beloved colors,
and was making a gallant effort to
stave off that much dreaded defeat.
Fletcher's and Hamborough's
howled and yelled in their excitement,
and encouraged their respective men
with loud and frantic cheers.
When we were about two hundred
yards from the winning post, Woods
made final squirt, and I was begin
ming to think that it was all over,
and that | should be beaten after all,
when | somehow felt that he was
falling, and that there was hope for
Ham borough yet
What difference it made!
The other chap had stuck to his