The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1908-08-19
THE REAL TIE S r

aAo eP'tfe WIZ 'fhAf ~" N"'NN 'N~N
had still couple Of hours 90 wait be-
fore they could get train back. The
station platform was not inviting, and
the old fashioned village inn absorbed
them. There was but one man seated
before the huge open fireplace when
they entered. lie was o middle aged
man. dressed IN black, and had dark
poetieai eyes. lie moved eourteousiy
TO make way for the three friends
He had a bright pint tankard by his
side for purposes OF reference. and
be smoked q new churchwarden clay
The three men regarded him with some
curiosity as they ordered refreshinent
and M cigars. Then they discussed
the sports aud the time for the quar-
ter, which had been good. II showed
one OF them observed. that Timson
was undoubtedly the better man.
Pardon me" the stranger observed,
removing the churcbwarden from his
lips. but surely 1t only showed that be
was the superior in running the guar.
ter-not that be was the better man."
The FIRST speaker laughed, but an.
swered little eoniemptuously: Ger.
tainly. ! didn't suppose that It showed
that Timson was morally better OF
that be was quicker over the sticks"
IL See" said the stranger. that you
think me pedantic. Really. It is not
unnatural. But | was thinking OF an
extraordinary test which has Just come
to an end and was intended to show
which of two men really was In all re.
spects the better II lasted for three
years"
Three yearsiv asked another Of the
friends.
Three long consecutive years" He
Tilted up his tankard. wiped his mouth
and resumed mot one word OF II
ever got into the papers. Very few
people knew anything about Il. I got
10 hear OF It because one OF the COM
petitors, George Shadwell, was my
cousin. Ny own name Is Shadwell
too. Besides, | knew the lady who
was the cause Of IL all. II was the
strangest thing ever heard OF In my
life. My cousin. George shadwell. and
Herbert Bracebridge were both fair
specimens Of good all round men. In
looks, position. fortune. physique. abll-
Ia.
they We're as near equal as they could
possibly be, yet when II came TO the
test OF which have spoken my cousin
George won III out OF 113 items out OF
which the test was composed. II came
about in this way: They were both In
love with the same lady. This lady
made them both come 10 her one after
noon and told them frankly that she
would marry the better man, and to
find out which was the better man she
had made ont real test, consisting OF
lib different competitions Both men
had to swear that they would 90
through all the competitions; other
wise, Of course, Herbert Bracebridge
would have given it up long before II
came 70 the end. Many Of the tests
were quite ordinary. The frst was
test for memory. They hnd 10 learn
the first book Of the tAeneid' by heart.
Both did 1t IN exactly the same time.
but Bracebifdse made two mistakes in
repeating It. and my cousin George
made only one. This was the more ex-
traordinary because my cousin George
didn't know a word OF Latin. In an
other of the events he was handicap
ped In exactly the same way This
was swimming race. and George
had never learned to swim. or course
be would have taken lessons and train
ed for II, but no notice was ever given
them Of what the next event was 10 be.
AS soon as they were told II they had
to begin It. lie got shilling manual
on swimming. studied the theory Of II
as he was going down 10 the swim
ming baths, mastered II completely and
won by head"
What sort OF time did your cousin
make in the athletic evcnts?"
We'll, there was only one race put
down for them. That was from the
marble arch to the top Of the Matter
horn. George got the quicker OF the
two hansoms and maintained his lead
throughout 1t was near thing.
Bracebridge almost oyerhauled him Mt
the end. and he won by only about
twenty minutes. ! don't know the
time that 1t took, nor, am sorry to
say, have got the exact measurement
OF the only jump which they had to
try-a deep jump. fancy II was
from a second story window into a
street. There again Bracebridge had
bad luck, Both men did ii, but Brace
bridge broke his leg. That, OF course,
meant that he had not done 1T quite
so well MS George. There was a drink
ing competition, but that was a very
hollow affair. A gift in that direction
has always been In our family. George
was a bottle ahead and perfectly So
Der at the finish. The starvation com
petition was interesting too. They had
to fast for week, and the one who
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