Smyrna times., 1901-01-30


We're up to them! Now ten more!
One, two, three
But the other crews were pulling
their hardest, and between strokes
Bruce could hear the voices of their
cockswains as they. too, counted tens.
At the end the three were still even,
and the question seemed to be one of
endurance. The "Old man" in the
launch behind was shouting encourage
mCnt to the freshmen, for their burst
OF speed surprised and delighted him.
"Go it, freshmen he called.
And ''go it, they did. His words put
them on their mettle, and again the
boat Quivered as eight broad backs
heaved simultaneously. Inch by inch
and stroke 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. y great sob of joy |
shook him; then his eyes went back
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.
Its half over, boys" he cried as
they flashed by the old windmill on the
shore. Just keep it up, and we've got
'em dead. -strOke-strOkew
Yes, but could they keep it up? Al
ready Bruce's wrists were beginning to
grow numb. and his legs shook ON the
slow recover.
And still a mile to go!
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 will we never reach the half
mile?" he wondered.
Even as the thought entered his head
the cockswain called:
"Only half a mile more. and we're n
!. length ahead"
Oh, luckless boat! Scarcely had the
: words left his lips when No 3 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 n
fraction of q second. The cOckswain.
too, remained cool. His calm voice in
this moment of CONSERVATION reas-
sured the rOwers, who quickly re-
+ CnOn1aH fn hic stSfrOlyn-
stroke-stroke" as Bruce's blade caught
4 the water. In moment all were row
- ing again as evenly as before the acci
:. 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 thu
% last quarter mile they were more thar
- half length to the good and still gain
- ing slowly. But the strain was begin
ming to tell. Bruces arms were numl
=, to the elbows, his breath came in quicl
- pants and a haze seemed to have set
-, tied over him which dulled the pain il
- his aching muscles, but made his wOrl
:, only mechanical. Forward and back
- ward, forward and backward, his bod
swayed, while the shrill voice OF tn
cockswain sounded faint and far ava!
"If could only stop for an instant,
40 he thought; "Only a stroke" And the
= he fell to thinking of what he woul
- give if he could rest for one stroke
So, yes. $40. even week from his sun
oa mer vacation. and he dreamed of hO'
- he would lie on the cool grass undo
~ the trees during that vacation, tC
=. blissfully lazy to mOve-and all Il
-. while his weary body swayed bacl
ward and forward, backward and fO
" ward, without ceasing. He was arOu
- ed by that strident voice, now grow
strangely hoarse. How he hated it!
"a was shouting:
~, "Only a hundred yards more, fellow
Now give her ten-One, two, three
And as the tired crew responded
ivy the appeal their light boat again leap
forward When the ten was over, the
was open water between them and t
varsity, while the sOphOmOres hi
dropped four lengths Dehlnd. Stlll III
little torment in the stern was not s;
49,, isfied.
Inc "I'm going to count till we cross t
tho line" ne announced. and then beg
"a those terrible numbers once more:
ma "One, two. three. four But w
and "23" he stopped and then called:
~. "Iet her rum
Thank God. it was over! Eight pa
+ha of weary hands dropped the oars
4ha+ which they had been tugging o.
'ant those two long miles. and eight wef
80 bodies slouched down into their sea
,o,I,+ too tired to sit erect
Bruce leaned over the gunwale a
r,no plunged his arms into the cold, cl
5 water. Perfectly content was he
&C., filled with the joy of triumph, he ga
- over the fast darkening bosom of
Gli - Al. l. Af, xx-haro haPn