The Camden chronicle. (Camden, Tenn.) 1890-current, 1903-08-21

Ab nc lUuNHtA inc curve AA the tfAch
az the finish OF the last lap but one.
Elton took a quick glance back at the
other runners. Then he gasped sud-
denly, lost step and nearly fell He
could not see Denty!
There was a blurred sight OF the two
other runners, already beginning to
gain upon him, but back OF them.
where Denty had been a moment be-
fore, tho track lay black and deserted.
Had he fallen? Had he given up the
race? There was no time. however.
for conjccturcs. But one thought was
IN Elton's mind; Denly was gone; be
must win the race himself.
He crossed the line and started on
the last lap Well in the rear, tho
two other runners quickened their
pace, and began to draw nearer and
nearer. Up In the grand stand some
one yelled a word Of encouragement,
and Elton tried 70 move his legs a
little faster. His breath was coming
in queer, choking gasps now, and his
lips were burning hot and dry.
Halfway round the track he STUN
bled from sheer exhaustion and lost
yard or two. BY the time he had
forced his legs into the stride again,
he could hear the labored breathing
Of some other runner close behind.
With desperate energy he dug the
spikes of his running shoes into the
cinder track, and leaped ahead as he
would with a long stroke in skating
For an instant he lost the prodding
sounds behind, and hope returned
Then once more, seemingly closer and
louder than ever, he heard the breath
ing.
He faltered again and almost fell.
/ He began to count now, out loud, that
| he might keep the stride, for he knew
| if he lost it once his chance of win
ming the race would go with it. After
a time, when his legs we're moving
better, he caught the thud! thud! Of
the other runner, and he stopped
counting and listened eagerly to the
crunching footballs.
Elton fully realized that his chance
of winning was small He had DELHI
erately tired himself out at the start,
with no thought of being forced to the
terrible strain of a sprint on the las:
lap Of the track. AS he ran now, his
eyes burned with sharp pains, the mus
cles in his legs jerked and tugged, his
breath rushed in and out through
throat sore and parched with dust. Try
as he might his body refused to swing
evenly and his steps faltered with
growing frequency.
He kept his eyes fixed on the track
as he ran. 1t seemed to be rushing to
meet him, and he fancied it swayed
and reeled. Sometimes his foot hit
the cinders too soon, sometimes the
track dropped down, almost out Of
reach. But still he forced his legs up
! and down up and down, up and down,
until it seemed that the terrible, mon
otonous stride must finally give way
to the toddling gait of a little baby
just learning to walk
Elton lost all count of his position
on the track until his gaze fell upon
the little holes the runners of the hun
dred-yard dash had dug in starting
Then he. knew the race was almost
ended, and he tried to put forth the
whole strength of his body. Could he
run those last 100 yards without fall
ing?
Up in the grand stand the crowd
was yelling madly. He heard his own
name shouted again and again. but the
sounds seemed to come from a great
distance. The footballs of the other
runner had died out now, and he Won
dered if it were possible that the man
had passed him without his noticing
1t. He looked at the track ahead, half
expecting to see the runner, but 1t was
deserted clear up to the taut little
string that marked the finish. So he
lowered his head and began to count
once more as his feet hit the cinders.
He was close to the finish now, run
ming with mouth open and eyes half
shut. He staggered from side to side
OF the track, only dimly seeing the
crowd that lived It, Then, through
his half-closed eyes, he saw the tape
just ahead.
The sight seemed to put new strength
into him. He opened his eyes wide
and threw back his head, squaring his
shoulders. His legs thumped up and
down with more evenness.
There was one awful second when
the tape, just as he reached it, seemed
to melt away into tho distance. But
the next instant he came full spon it,
and with arms high in the air felt it