Evening star., 1926-12-18
Continued from Yesterdays Starr

"HE games were in progres,
when they arrived at the foI
ward part of the deck, an,
Il Trask cast an anxious glance
through the crowd in search {
Keeler The ribald costume and II
occupant were nowhere in sigh
Frrask softly sighed his relief,
though IL occurred to him that Keele
might have returned to the first cab
sind discovered that the bed of his pa
4ient was empty
him no particular concern, however
What he chiefly desired was to avoi,
& meeting with Keller now.
{ A swift excited hand-grip on hi
nrm snatched him from the realm ol
speculation.
There he goes!' she cried. my
ball player!'
The ball player ran earnestly anC
rapidly. There was absolutely Nc
doubt of his sincerity. But he lost
A pale-faced youth nosed him out az
the tape, almost nonchalantly. Trask
had never seen the youth before, but
experienced performer.
Too bad" he said, turning to his
companion.
II don't mind" she said cheerfully.
I'm sure my entry did his best. I'm
glad ! didn't have the other one, any.
how. I don't like him.
Still, 1t counts against the team
prize" observed TraSk.
That for it, said Sidney Sands,
Swapping her fingers. It's not the
prizes, after all. It's just the fun
the---. I'm afraid to say it, You'll
ink I'm perfectly silly about ad.
lures"
hereupon William milton
. rask. alias Spencer Trumbull, alias
an invalid. alias a person who could
move about only on wheels, made a
solemn vow that he would jump
higher than ever mortal man had
Jumped before If 1t would afford an
adventure to the small person who
stood at his side
& The high school boy won his potato
race with seconds to spare. He was
on agile youth, and Miss Sands placed
q crown of rhetorical laurel upon his
brow that sent Trask's pulse skyrock-
citing. If he could earn something
like that he did not care what else
might befall.
There was a broomstick race, in
which Sidney Sands champion Jared
aoorly. He was not even among the
viously too fat. She accepted her de-
feat laughingly. but she thanked the
toser as graciously as though he had
been winner by yards.
) After that came a sack race. In
this even the entry Of the professors
daughter was a middle-aged, solemn
gentleman, who ambled remarkably
well in hobbies, and proceeded, OBJ
stinately and successfully, upon the
theory that the race is not always to
the swift. He did it with such grav-
ity and method that the fair lady who
captained the team stif1ed her laugh
ter with a handkerchief.
But when he approached to recei> .
his crown she was as gracious and
serious as though he had been Ell.
gagged in mortal combat for her.
Then came the high jump. Trask
never felt more self-conscious in his
life. Competition before a crowd of
thousands, back in the old days, he
had regarded with indifference. But
then II had been merely for a large
and impersonal alma mater. Today
it was wholly a different matter. He
was determined, yet he was painfully
embarrassed. He knew what was ex-
pected Of him by at least one person.
and that was all that concerned him
The pale youth who had beaten the
ball player in the dash cleared the
bar at five feet, and did it with ap-
parent comfort Two others followed.
one of them failing utterly, the Sec
ond scratching through by the deci-
NAL of an inch.
Tt was Trask's turn. Five feet was
easy. He cleared the bar with several
inches TO spare, and waited for the
Judges to raise it.
The pale youth jumped again, and
was still obviously well within his
limit. One of the next pair failed, mar
rowing the contest. Trask qualified by
an inch. He could have done better.
but he was not wasting an ounce Of
reserve. AS he stepped back on the
sidelines he silently yet fervently
mathematical his three days In the
wheel chair. His legs were not right,
and he knew it.
Once more the pale one cleared the
bar. The youth who followed failed.
1t was Trask's turn now.
1t was only a matter of five feet
eight, just u workout. Yet the bar
seemed to be set at an appalling alti-
tude. Sidney Sands could have walked
under it with several inches to spare.
and perhaps 1t was because of this
TACT that the hazard seemed so for
midable to Trask, for he was uncon-
scfously measuring things by a
stature Of that lady herself.
Yet he made 1t, and heard her de.