The Washburn times. [volume] (Washburn, Wis.) 1896-1976, 1908-09-10

last university race, and for eleven
years, at Elton, at Cambridge, at Hen
lev, he had had the pick of the fun. 1t
was time to retire in favor of younger
men.
The crew came together only three
weeks before the race. They were q
! fine lot and they made a fine crew,
which is not always the same thing
eff they can't beat the Americans" said
the riverside critics, nobody cam
For an American university crew had
come over, eight deeply earnest young
men, and one or two over, with a cox
of diminutive size and preternatural
wisdom, and a professional coach armed
with the most drastic disciplinary pow
ers. This functionary made no secret
of his contempt for the Leander crew
when they went past on their first even
ing's practice. "Why, it's cinch!" he
said exultantly. Boys, 1 guess you can
sleep easy tonight. That cup is ours
| Well. they were certainly formidable
crew, full of power and full of grit.
They rowed a short stroke, but they
rowed it like machine. There was no
boat on the river whose oars entered
and left the water so rhythmically; the
eight muscular bodies swung to and fro
as if they were clamped together by
metal rods; it hardly seemed possible
that they were moved by the exercise
of eight separate wills. And the boat
travelled; there was no doubt about
that. Leander would have to do all
they knew to beat that crew; and no
other boat seemed likely to be able to.
But in day or two the Leander crew
had shaken down and were coming on
wonderfully. The men were fresh, they
enjoyed their work, they got on excel
lently together, and never knew a dull
or dispiriting moment in the pleasant
riverside house which they had taken
for the months training Henley was a
holiday to them, and although their de-
termination to hold the cup was as
strong as that of the Americans to lift
it, they did not allow the responsibility
to weigh upon them too heavily.
The Americans were nice enough
lot, and with one of them, whose name
was Van Troop, Godfrey Linden struck
up friendship. That friendship in
creased greatly in warmth on Geoffrey's
side when he, had seen Van Troops sis
ter, who came down with her father
once OF twice to see how matters were
progressing with "the boys" and by the
resplendence of her beauty and her at
tire made quite sensation on the river
bank.
By the time that the Van Troops had
occupied their elaborate houseboat, taken
from week before the regatta, for a
couple of days, Godfrey was so desper-
ately smitten with this charming mix
ture of pert gayety and ethereal grace
that he had to be spoken to about it.
He was given to understand that love-
making and rowing did not mix well,
and that his obvious duty was to put
Miss Van Troop out of his head until
the grand challenge cup was either won
or lost. He was unable 10 take this
advice in it's entirety, but he took as
much of it as he could. He was very
careful not to be seen in her company
more than he could help.
It is not possible to do more than in
dicate the | ogress he made in Miss Van
Troops good graces, but that may be
done by the statement that he gave her
Leander scarf, and that when he rowed
past the houseboat in the first heat of
the grand challenge cup she boldly
Haunted it in one hand, although she
tempered it's effect by Haunting the
stars and stripes in the other.
The draw, as will be remembered,
brought LeanIer and tie A,o I'D ans to-
gether in the final heat. Neither of
them had had much difficulty with their
earlier antagonists. they We're far and
away the best crews on the river, and,
although opinions as to which of them
was actually the better were divided in
the same proportion as the number of
English and American spectators in at
tendance, there was a great deal OF ex-
element as they rowed down to the ir
places, and a terrific amount of cheer
ing and fiagwagging.
There was not a hint of Leander color
about the Van Troops houseboat now
1t was almost indecently starry and
stripy. Godfrey Linden allowed himself
one glance as they swung past, and his
heart sank as he saw his aGoced lady
waving the star-spangled banner in one
hand and her brothers colors in the
other; while her beautiful mouth, meant
for sounds SO different, was contorted
into the shape necessary for emitting
the college yell with which his ars bad
been affronted for the last few DAYS
The Americans got off first. Their
start was absolutely faultless, their
strokes short and powerful, and not
fraction of a seconds difference between
their blades. Leander for the first few
strokes were ragged. Then they set
tied down to their long, easy swing, and
the shell lifted under them like living
thing.
But the Americans gained on them
yard by yard. In few seconds, it
seemed to Godfrey, first their stroke,
then their cox was on level with them.
Then the canvas and rudder slid past,
and there was nothing to do but to put
everything out of his mind but his oar.
He felt as if he could row from Hen
ley to London at that pace. and when
stroke quickened he still felt the same
He got over the period of distress, and /
was stronger than ever There was
nothing in the world but his oar and |
the back of No. g And so they rowed |
on, stroke after stroke.
Then doubt began to wake in his mind. |
He took momentary glance to the |
right. There was no glimpse of the
other boat, and, surely, the confused,
continuous roar into which they were
rowing had already note of triumph,
and triumph not for them.
They had reached the households now,
md, oh, joy! there was a ripple to the
light. He did not dare to shift his eve.
,ut there was the rudder coming back