Amador ledger. (Jackson, Amador County, Calif.) 1875-19??, 1901-02-22


heaved !taneously. Inch by inch
and stroll by stroke they crept ahead.
Again Bruce glanced at the other
crews and saw the varsity stroke Ia
boring desperately to make up what
had been lost, and farther back he saw
the sophomore crew now permanently
In third place. A great sob of joy
shook him; then his eyes went back to
that bright patch of water, and his oar
blade bit more fiercely as it struck the
surface of the lake. The little cock
swain was fairly beside himself He
shouted aloud in his joy.
tits half over, boys" he cried as
they flashed by the old windmill on the
shore. "Just keep 1t up, and we've got
'em dead. Stroke stroke-stroker
Yes, but could they keep 1t up? Al
ready Bruce's wrists were beginning to
grow numb, and his legs shook on the
slow recover.
And still mile to gol
His heart thumped and pounded, and
the hot breath came gasping through
his open lips. He could hear No.
groan at every stroke, but there was
no thought of quitting. Death rather
than that
But viii we never reach the half
mile?' be wondered.
Even as the thought entered his head
the cockswain called:
''Only half mile more, and we're a
length ahead"
oh, luckless boat! Scarcely had the
words left his lips when No. caught
crab. The starboard side of the shell
sank almost to the waters edge as the
unfortunate oarsman tried to drag his
blade out by main force. At once the
speed was checked, and the other boats
drew up rapidly. But Bruce kept his
head and never let the stroke vary a
fraction of second. The cockswain,
too. remained cool. His calm voice in
this moment of CONSERVATION reas-
sured the rowers, who quickly re-
Sponded to his monotonous "Stroke-
stroke-stroke" as Bruce's blade caught
the water In moment all were row.
ing again as evenly as before the acct
dent, but the varsity was almost
abreast of them. The danger of defeat
after victory had seemed so sure made
the freshmen almost mad. They tug
ged at the sweeps as If they would
break them In twain. Men animated
by such a spirit could not be beaten,
and soon they were forging to the
front again. AS they entered on the
last quarter mile they were more than
half length to the good and still gain
ing slowly. But the strain was begin
ming to tell Bruce's arms were numb
to the elbows. his breath came in quick
pants and :! haze seemed to have set
tied over which dulled the pain In
his aching rscles. but made his work
only mecli;i cal. Forward and hack
ward. forward and backward, his body
swayed. while the shrill voice of the
cockswain sounded faint and far away.
"If could only stop for an Instant"
he thought; "only stroke" And then
he fell to thinking of what he would
give If he could rest for one stroke
So, yes, $40, even a week from his sum-
mer vacation, and he dreamed of how
he would lie on the cool grass under
the trees during that vacation, too
blissfully lazy to move-and all the
while his weary body swayed back
ward and forward, backward and for
ward, without ceasing. He was arous-
ed by that strident voice, now grown
strangely hearse. How he hated It'll It
was shouting:
'.Only hundred yards more, fellowsl
Now give her ten-one, two, three
And as the tired crew responded to
the appeal their light boat again leaped
forward. When the ten was over, there
was open water between them and the
varsity, while the sophomores had
dropped four lengths behind. Still that
little torment In the stern was not sat
isfied.
'I'm going to count till we cross the
line" he announced, and then began
those terrible numbers once more:
zone, two, three, four But with
1893" he stopped and then called:
.Let her run"
Thank God, 1t was over! Eight pairs
Of weary hands dropped the oars at
which they had been Juggling over
those two long miles. and eight weary
bodies slouched down into their seats,
too tired to sit erect
Bruce leaned over the gunwale and
plunged his arms into the cold. clear
water Perfectly content was he as,
filled with the joy of triumph, he gazed
over she fast darkening bosom of the
lake and up the hill to where. here and
there a light already twinkled on the
campus And AZ he gaZed softly,
swpPtly. from the tower the chimes
pcaled forth The Evening Song