Wauwatosa news. [volume] (Wauwatosa, Wis.) 1900-1948, 1908-08-21
THE ENEMY's SISTER.

the grand challenge cup 1T was Tor the
| last time He was a veteran of 2S 1t
was six years since he had rowed his
last university race, and fo eleven
years. at Elton, at Cambridge. at Hem
ley, he had had the pick of the fun. It
was time to retire in favor of younger
men.
The crew came together only three
weeks before the race. They We're a
fine lot and they made fine crew.
which is not always the same thing.
IF they can't beat the Americans,y sid
the riverside critics, nobody can"
For an American university crew had
come over, eight deeply earnest young
of diminutive size and preternatural
wisdom, and 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
ng's practice why, it's a cinch!. he
said exultantlv BOYS, | 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 short stroke, but they
rowed it like a 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 We're moved by the exercise
of eight separate wills. And the boat
travelled; there was no doubt about
that. Leander would have to do a'l
they knew to beat that crew; and no
other boat seemed likely to be able to.
But in a day or two the I.eander crew
had shaken down and were coming on
wonderfully The men We're 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 al
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 a nice enough
lot, and with one of them, whose name
was Van Troop, Godfrey Linden struck
up a 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 or 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
IL & ~
ately smitten with this charming mix
ture of pert gayety and ethereal grace
that he had to be spoken 10 about it,.
He was given to understand that love
making and rowing did not mix we'll,
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 its 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.
1t is not possible to do more than in
dictate the | ogress he made in Miss Van
Troops good graces, but that may be
done by the statement that he gave her
a Leander scarf, and that when he fowed
past the houseboat in the first heat of
the grand challenge cup she boldly
Haunted it in one hand, although she
tempered its effect by Haunting the
stars and stripes in the other.
The draw, as will be remembered,
brought Leander and lie .Nia II, sqs to-
gether in the Anal 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 IS to which of them
was actually the better We're divided in
the same proportion as the number of
English and American spectators in at
tendance, there was great deal of ex-
element as they rowed down TO tn, ir
places, and terrific amount of cheer
ing and tiagwagging.
There was not hint OF Leander color
about the Van Troops houseboat now.
1t was almost indccently starry and
Istripy. Godfrey Linden allowed himself
one glance as they swung past, and his
heart sank as he saw his adoced Lady
waving the star-spangled banner in one
hand and her brothers colors in tneI
lother; while her beautiful mouth, meant
for sounds so different, was contorted
into the shape necessary Tor emitting
the college yen with which his ars bad
been atfronted for the last few days
The Americans got off first. Their
start was absolutely faultless, their
strokes short and powerful, and not a
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 a living
thing.
But the Americans gained on them
yard by yard In few seconds, il
seemed to Godfrey, first their stroke
then their cox was on a level with them
Then the canvas and rudder slid past,
and there was nothing to do but TO nut
everything out of his mind but his oar.
| He felt as if he could row from Hem
Hey to london at that pace, and when