The Worthington advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1874-1908, 1899-08-25

shade were as clearly defined, but in
some way the whole scene was different.
It was as if I were looking through
glasses ever so slightly darkened. And
in some way seemed to be great way
off from it. Yet the sounds were just
as distinct. I could hear the dinghey
humping against the float, and the
voices from the boathouse came up Just
as clearly.
''After awhile the men came out of
the boathouse and up toward the house
and, remembering that it would not do
to be caught out of bed, tried to get
up. 1 say I tried-thought of trying
would be better. I wanted to get up,
I willed to get up with all my will,
but not muscle stirred. saw the men
outside coming up the walk, their faces
white in the moonlight, and I wanted
to get out of the way, and never budged.
I determined to get up, bent my mind
on getting up until 1 thought it would
snap, but my great body never stirred.
My big arms lay on the sill in front of
me, sinewy, hard as steel, but they
were just as placid and just as helpless
as If they had been sleeping baby's.
I heard the men enter the house, heard
the clink of glasses in the dining room
as they took a nightcap, and then I
heard the steps of the coach coming up
the stairs to make final inspection.
1t seemed to me that I struggled, or
that part of me did; that strained and
fought in horrible agony. 1t seemed
to me that the sweat must be breaking
out on me, that my eyes must be start
ing out of their sockets; yet my arms
hung TRANQUILITY on the sill and my bin
chest rose and fell quietly and reg
ularly.
For some reason the coach did not
look into my room, and I knelt before
the window for don't know how long,
sometimes graphing, asst seemed to me.
with my helpless body in the bitteresr
struggle, and sometimes numb with de-
spair. And at last simply rose quiet
ly, with no effort, walked over to my
bed, threw myself on it and fell fast
asleep.
''You think it was nightmare? So
did the next morning, and brushed the
remembrance of it away. Nevertheless,
felt just bit shaken, and could only
toy with my breakfast. Some time in
the morning the coach came up to me,
tapped me on the arm and drew me
aside.
"'Look here, Jim,' he said, what's the
matter?'
II told him nothing was the matter.
He shook his head and frowned impa-
tiently.
You and I owe too much to the COL
lege to mince Matters he said. Come,
now, what's troubling you? Sleep
well?'
'"Then told him about my night
mare. He listened attentively.
"'Humph!' he grunted. I'll fix you
up little something. You'll be all
right
$50 he fixed me up little something
and I felt more like myself. That was a
long day; it seems to me now an in
terminable day, for I think I can re-
member every minute of it. We prac-
ticed starting, and had swim, ate
@uAASAA3 AoAASuS 4CdO, ld1hcu. LIE Jokes
we cracked come back to me, the smell
of the grass lay in. can see the rip
pies on the water and the big white
clouds sailing over the sky.
"We were down at the boathouse lust
before it was time to get the boat into
the water. was lying full length on
the float ready dressed, just trunks and
stockings, you know. I was lying
there, letting the warm sun beat down
on my big bare body and lazily stitfen-
ing and relaxing my limbs to see the
muscles stitfen and swell and then re-
lax. I was lying there laughing to my
self to think that at last I was going
to do the thing had all my life de-
sired to do; laughing to think of the
splendid power with which I could do
it. And then, just as quickly and as
quietly as you please, everything
seemed to be under light shadow.
"Just then the coach came running
down the bank.
SHOW boys, be alive he cried.
Time to get out the boat
Everybody jumped up but me.
Frank Moore gave me little kick.
sect up, old lazybones,' he said.
"Then he caught up one of my arms.
But when he let it go it fell back heav-
lily on the planlzs.
Good God he gasped, something's
the matter with JIM
''They crowded round me in a min
ute, CONSERVATION on every face, and
the coach came thrusting through
them.
Throw water on him. he cried.
Shake him. Get the DOCTOR
''They rolled me and I rolled like a
log. They drenched me with wat .r
and never gasped. They worked over
me as if Il had been drowned, and I
looked up into their faces with CLASSY
eyes and fought,my God, how fought,
to speak to them. ~
'At last some one said: rs he dead?'
"'How should I know. said the
coach. Where's the doctor?'
"'On the observation train by this
time said some one. >Ef #ss T.
"'Well, we can't stop any long er,
there's the referees boat now,' cried
the coach. jerks, you stay here with
him. Brown, you row in his place.
'They laid me just inside the boat
house. Then the. floor shook to their
steady tramp as they carried out the
.sS 49, p - s..E$ -