Year: 1874

hours the comfort ana security oi HS S"'"o' -"
the other was tree-lined shore, in rift IN when
the COlumbias house. dash OF color IN the
line of shadow, might be seen from where we stood
at the finish. Over across from the wesleyan
float a little down the lake q square bit
of color and between that and Colum-
lnmbia another a little larger, neither OF
them giving any signs of life. broke the dark fringe
of trees and showed when Yale and Dartmouth
kopt their boats and launched their fortunes
Directly across from Wesleyan the low lying VIII
lows which for the past two nights we had seen
brighten and glow under the parting KISS of sunset,
frnged the Shore and leaning the biood
of shadows under them while they toyed win Hex
lie fingers IN the lake. The low lying eiilpso oI
water with banks that ran down swift upon H. ana
all its grdlc of trees and fields, the hiRh nii
thaC steps out into it from the shore and eVerhoro
looks down upon the enchanting view, the heldS anu
farms that slope away from the further slde' tho
whole scene indeed was one of uncommon beauty
Had not nine boats crews been sitting in leash III
the white nook yondcr, waiting the word TO DurSt
across this unvexcd water, at least ten thonSlhu
tongues would have testified their adInlralloh anu
delight at the scene OF w0ndr0us Dedu'y WIN"
Nature. SO generous in her gifts had unfolded here
for all men and and all time. But no one had l'ihc
to think of this The boats were III line. Two guns





of starting, where the little steamers were Hitting
back and forth; and through the glass the nine
boats and the ffty-four bare-backed men could just
be seen IN line A little puff of smoke from some
where along the low starting line was followed by
larger volume from the shore near Co!umbias quar-
ters and the crack Of the pistol at which the ntty
four oars dipped, and the ityfOur backs straight
ened up was followed up the lake by the boom OF
the gun which announced the end of one long agony
of suspense and the beginning OF another shorter
but more intense.


TIE CREWS ARE OFF.


Al the first puff there was a loud shout all along
the banks and at the grand stand; at the second
it swelled aud rolled along the banks, then fell to
confused murmur of voices the dull reports FOL
lowed on, and then-yOu could almost feel the thrll
of expectancy that went through the crowd ana
almost hear the beating of their hearts as they set
tied into the seventeen minutes OF waiting thaI
tugred away with such desperate endcavor and slow
coming at the dial From the banks around the
grand stand you could see only line of battle OF
flashing oars and bending backs without plash OF
water in the line. Lift and dip, rise and fall
flash and fade, across the lake: no more
than that but the line grew distinct, the forms
moro papable the long arrows more pronounced
and substantial and their flight from out the bended
bow between Snake Hill and the other shore grew
to mean for each separate impulse and independent
yotion The hyphens grew TO dashes-to arrows
to rows of men rising and falling In perfect tlihe
and then the long line wayered, broke from tho
WINGS fell together in the center-there were
three or four boats, confused in the middle OF
the lake two boats. as near as | can remember
were sliding down by the farther shore-whhe
nearer to US, two or three moro were puIiiilg on
deliberately as though they were alone upon the
lake. There was no telling which or who was
ahead or who or where anybody was, except that
SO far as we could separate our impressions OF
think of anything besides that central hurly burly
when we knew Yale, Harvard, Wesleyan and CO.
hmbia were doing the winners work. we believed
that on the side next us Trinity, Princeton and
Cornell, and near the other shore Dartmouth
and Williams. were making desperate efforts not
to be last. But we gave them little thought.


INTERLOPERs IN THE COURSE.


A pleasure boat with two as stupid people as ever
wore a Stoyepipe hat in the parquette or ran before
a gun or were troddcn on by an elephant, stood out
in the middle of the course mile away, after the
boats had started. Several thousand people con-
sidered it mistake that they were not drowned
nearer the shore; but after while without know
ing how much profanity they had caused, they
pulled away out of the line and left
the course open. A mile away then as the
boats came up we could see that one was leading
I'm another long dragging minute we made out that
their ca3s were blue or partly blue and the wonder
was who trey were. We did not know that Yale
had fallen out and so we said it was Yale. In a
moment they shot by the Wesleyan float, pulling a
stroke that even to 40 pntechnical eye luxury
to look at 1t was cool and passonless machinery
as ythmc verse, and graceful and strong as the
stroke of an eagles wing. They say these men


a. al.
tainted whom he touched the shore. Possibly. But
when they passed the Wesleyan float they seemed,
TO an impractical eye at least. to be swinging
silly at their oars rs though the boat moved them,
not they the boat OF the techncalities of boating
and the merits of strokes and styles l know
nothing, but as n thing of beauty l do know
tdat the Columbia boat and crew as they
shot through the water hundred yards
before the finish could hardly be surpassed.


THE vICroRs BECOME DIsTINGUIsHABLE.


We had heard the Yale shouts from the Grand
Stand when the signal showed her ahead. and
could hardly believe our eyes when the blue and
white showed up in front, and there were no signs
anywhere of tho blue caps of Bob Cooks crew.
But plainly this was Columbia, and behind her the
Magenta, and the Lavender Harvard and Wesleyan
held each other by the throat for the second place.
the lavender ahead and gaining by the inch. These
three we watched through that long throbbing mo-
ment while the Grand Stand held its breath
with great cheer in its throat and then-the Grand
Stand tumbled into wild and bowling mob and we
that the other boats were pulling up, and that
behind them all one came lazily, though she had
onterest in the race. There were the blue caps of
Yale, with disabled boat and angry crew, pulling up
with great deliberation and giving their whole
minds to the preparation of profane history to be
recited on their arrival.


THE FRENZY OF SUCCESS.