The copper country evening news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 18??-1907, 1897-10-30
WHY HE LOST A RACE
THE TRULY ROMANTIC STORY OF A
QUARTER MILE DASH.

Sweet Girl Rescued From u Watery
Congratulations of an Unexpect-
| ed Kind After the Race.
$50 you want to know why didn { win
| the quarter mile dash in 1892, do your"
| said the Cornell man as we sat smoking
| and looking out ON the blue waters of
| Lake Cayuga from the Sheldrake inn.
Yes" l said. "Whon l last saw you
in the spring of that year, you were run
ming i'm magnificent form, and we all
banked on you to win for the red and
white.
well, said my friend, There are pre-
| cious few people who know anything about
the reason but don't mind telling you.
You know, of course, what the feeling
at Cornell was and still is, for that matter
toward Yale. When first struck the col
lege back in 1892, the feeling was very
strong. On the night / was initiated into
my frat the second toast proposed at the
banquet was the old, familiar one, TO
HI with Yale' The first time / went
into Casey's, down on State street, where
the college crowd used TO do their drink
ing, / saw gang of fellows i'm the back
room, with Joe Colnon in his shirt sleeves
standing on the table leading the singing,
and at the end of every verse old Joe
would wave his schuper and cry, TO HI
with Yalep TO HI with YaleP was the
reply from a hundred lusty threats, and
then every one took drink.
well, when / began TO show little
speed the seniors would come down to
Percy field and watch me and talk about
it among themselves. Along in 1894 | be-
gan to move so fast that surprised my
self, and then the trainer was beside him
self. Well beat Yale with yo~ me boy,
he used to say, and l could - whole
crowd was watching me and de lndirg on
me to do it, and / had determined TO do
it if there was possible chance,
"Well, / knew some New York people,
and had been down at their house for
week before the games were to come off,
but had kept up my training, and used
to take long runs and finish with few
short dashes along the beach of the sound
on whose banks their country house stood.
Il might mention incidentally that
there was a 19-year-old daughter of the
family in whom l was deeply interested,
and who had led me to believe that she
looked upon me with favor. Sheldon, the |
great Yale Splinter, also knew her, but he |
didn' { seem to be in the running.
We'll, the day before the match, when 1 |
was taking my last run along the beach, 1 |
heard cries for help coming in from the |
beach The source of these cries was hid |
den by point which ran out into the |
waters of the sound there, but recognized |
Marjories voice. and began to sprint for |
the place
II never ran so in all my life. 1t seemed |
as though my legs were india rubber and |
stool and / fnirlv flow no |
AS l rounded the point i saw her She |
was struggling out in the waters of the |
cove. Well, l was clad in my hunting suit |
and in went l was not the best of swim
mers, was tired from my long sprint, and |
there was strong current, but | finally |
got her ashore, almost senseless and fell |
painting by her side 1t took me an hour
to come around so that l could walk, and |
for the latter part of the time she was
over me, crying softly and wiring
ing her hands.
II went down TO New York that even
ing and showed up the next morning at |
Manhattan field. seemed TO feel all right, |
and so L went to the mark in my trial
heat, which won all right though there
was no one very good against me.
well, in the afternoon toed the mark
for the final Right next to me was Shell
don of Yale, and he was the only man |
feared
set, said the starter, and we crouched, I
tense, quivering, every muscle and nerve I
i'm readiness. Off went the pistol and away !
we sprang i felt rather weak, but took |
the lead, confident of my own powers of |
and that / would win all the
way.
within so yards of the wire began to
feel weak, but kept on, bound to lower
Yale's colors. Brownl Brownl' shouted |
the Cornell crowd, and the old cheer of
Cornell, l yell, YELL yell Cornell' began
to sweep across the field
Nearer and nearer to the wire, and |
closer and closer behind me heard the
of plucky Sheldon, as he pulled
up foot by foot. And then he passed me,
and a mighty cheer of Eli, Eli, Eli, Yalel
went up / saw his white, drawn face as
be slowly passed me and with a mighty
effort l summoned every energy and
again passed him. But it was useless.
Overtaxed nature rebelled and with
sweep of green and purple lights circling
around me l fell across the line beaten,
not by Sheldon, but by my efforts of the
day before, when rescued Marjorie.
THE boys got me out to the clubhouse,
and after working on me al hour got me
SO could walk. And went back to the
grand stand leaning on the arm of my
chum, confident of a tender reception from
Miss Marjorie. l found her hanging to
arm, with a radiant smile, and
they both had the nerve to ask me to con-
graduate them, as they were just engaged.
Well, summoned up enough presence of |
mind TO do so, but got away as soon as
could.
And that why lost the race and why
SO few know the reason. / didn't care to
talk about it much and wish ! hadn't
now, 80 IN going to take smoke and
think how big fool 1 was detroit
Journal
(Innd nd RaI