The huge space of the Mechanics Building on Huntington Avenue was circled by deep fringes of spectators packed in double galleries and crowded close to the outer edge of the thirteen-lap track. Here were phalanxes of boys from Boston schools, straining their throats in crying up the courage of their schoolmates; college youths in rival camps, their emulous cheers varying through a wide range, from the staccato spelling of some college name to the "three long Harvards" of the Cambridge men; women and girls who brought to the contest tense interest and strong[Pg 114] sympathy, if not expert knowledge; men who loved athletics12 for their own sake, who, if they did not "delight in the strength of a horse," certainly "took pleasure in the legs of a man." It was like a dozen tournaments and a dozen audiences crowded into one.
Saturated13 with the feeling that the Seaton-Hillbury struggle was the event of the day, and new to the whole medley14 of many institutions contesting in ceaseless uproar15, Owen was at first both bewildered and discouraged. In the terrific din6 the crack of the starter's pistol and the bellowing16 of announcers were well-nigh drowned by the blare of band music, the cheers of untiring supporters, and the recurring17 waves of general applause. He watched the Harvard-Pennsylvania relay match, in which veterans ran like blooded race horses amid tremendous excitement, and felt still more disheartened. The place seemed so vast, the interests of contestants18 so diverse, the big college teams so all-important, that the Seaton-Hillbury race could hardly prove more than one of the minor19 details of the meet,—in fact, might be carelessly managed or neglected. And yet,[Pg 115] as he knew well, to the impatient waiters for a telegram at Seaton, there was but one contest in the day's programme; and no explanation that it was but a small part of a great performance would be accepted in palliation of defeat.
There seemed no end of contests and no beginning, but just one long series of overlapping20 performances. In the area belted by the big wooden track a cloud of contestants had been engaged in running off interminable heats in the forty-five yards dash. Jeffrey, the Seaton representative, did not reach the semi-finals. Meantime, giants of many medals and astonishing records, gathered by invitation from all points of the compass, were tossing the sixteen-pound shot in the space reserved for that amusement. The six hundred yards handicap men were strung out, according to the privileges they had received from the handicapper, a third of the way round the track; but near the starting-line they were herded21 like cattle and sent off in a drove. Rob's courage was at its lowest ebb22 as he witnessed the wild scramble23 at the first corner, where one unfortunate fell against the legs of another, and put three men[Pg 116] out of position. It was hard to obtain a fair chance under these conditions.
But Rhines of Seaton got a place at the finish, and the waiting relay man felt better. Immediately afterward24, he was pursuing with breathless attention a fiercely fought contest between two rival Boston schools, in which the leadership shifted with every lap, and the victor passed his competitor within ten feet of the finish line. The announcer shouted out the time, which proved to be but a trifle slower than the college men had made, the crowd roared, the camp of supporters of the victorious25 team just opposite yelled and threw their blue banners in the air,—oh, no, the big teams weren't the whole thing by any means!
"Good, wasn't it!" said a fat man, beaming at his friend in the corner of a seat near where Rob was standing26. "But if you want to see two teams fight for their lives, you just wait for the Seaton-Hillbury race. They're terribly scrappy fellows."
It may not have been a compliment, but Rob took it as such, and held up his head; yet how he longed to have the whole thing successfully over,[Pg 117] or at least for the return of the old sense of individual security which he had always felt on the ball field, even under the most untoward27 circumstances.
The Seaton-Hillbury men were called. Away over in the distant corner, a little knot of spectators became suddenly excited; a tall, broad-shouldered fellow stood forth28 and swung his arms. Before him were the boys who had had to visit their tailors, their dentists, their doctors, their guardians29, their dear relatives in city or suburbs. The familiar Seaton cheers rang out, feeble and far away, yet filled with a message of confidence and support. Rob felt the thrill of gratitude30 as he recognized Wolcott Lindsay leading the cheering, and saw the little group swelled31 by recruits from Seatonians in college, who pressed in about the nucleus32. The team was not friendless in the great hall.
The pistol cracked and the first pair were off, Rohrer of Seaton and Leyland of Hillbury. Neck and neck they ran to the first turn, where the Hillbury man got the inside and kept it for a whole lap, with Rohrer close at his heels and just out[Pg 118]side. As they flashed by, Rob counted excitedly one, and followed them with his eyes as they swung round on the second circle. On the back stretch Rohrer tried to pass, but was crowded out at the turn and for the second time the pair swept by. This time Rohrer reached the curve even with his man, clung to him as he rounded the end, and once more on the back stretch drove himself to gain the inside at the turn. In his intense interest in the contest Rob had forgotten that his own labor34 was just about to begin; but Collins, faithful, watchful35 Collins, put him on his guard; and as the exhausted36 pair came straining in, like horses lashed33 across the finish line, Rob stood ready with yearning37 muscles and quivering nerves to touch hands with Rohrer and speed away. Rohrer gave him a lead of three good yards.
Could he keep this lead? For the first hundred yards, yes, or for a long stretch in which endurance was of equal value with speed; but for the intermediate distance, for the three hundred ninety yards which was the length of course he had to run with Kurtz, he had no confidence in his powers. One thing, however, he was determined38 on.[Pg 119] Whether Kurtz was ahead or behind, whether he was gaining or losing, he would run his stretch to the limit of his powers.
Around the first curve he was safe. On the back stretch Kurtz was gaining,—he knew it from the roars of the crowd,—but he still kept the pole at the second curve and crossed the starting line still ahead. Then Kurtz appeared at his elbow, passed by, swung into the curve just before him, gained on the back stretch, and passed the starting line at the end of the second lap ten yards ahead. Strong panted and quivered as he saw the distance grow, and Collins set his lips together and clenched39 his hands; but neither had a word of blame for the runner as he passed them on his last lap. "After him!" cried Collins. "Run it out!" screamed Strong. And Rob, hopeless but game to the end, dug his spikes40 into the track and drove himself steadily41 forward.
Yes, Kurtz was faster, but—not stronger. At the turn they were still ten yards apart, on the straightaway beyond but seven separated the contestants. Around the last curve Rob steadily[Pg 120] plodding42 gained three more on his weakening antagonist43. When some seconds later, Strong, trembling with eagerness, touched his hand and darted44 away like a wild animal after its prey45, Hillbury was but three yards ahead.
"I lost it!" gasped46 Rob, on Collins' shoulder.
"Not a bit of it!" retorted Collins. "You've done all I meant you to do. Kurtz was their best man. Look at Strong beat the stuffing out of that Hapgood!"
It was even so. Strong was trying Kurtz's trick of rushing by his antagonist with a burst of high speed, and trusting then to discouragement to keep the Hillbury man behind. When he crossed the starting line for the first time he had a lead of five yards; at the end of the second lap his margin47 was twelve. When Benton took up the race for the final heat, he was indebted to his captain for a ten yards' start.
And here, to the joy of the crowd and the fright of the Seatonians, came an unexpected development. Royce of Hillbury went at his task with startling vigor48. On the first round he gained four yards, on the second three, on the back stretch[Pg 121] of the third he was close at Benton's elbow, but Benton still held the inside as they rounded the curve; and the yard lost on the outside run the plucky49 Hillburyite could not make up. He was still a yard in the rear when Benton breasted the tape at the finish line.
It was Rob's first and last race. Delighted yet regretful, trembling in every limb, and suddenly deprived of his strength like Samson under Delilah's shears50, he dragged himself into the dressing51 rooms for his bath and rub down. Here he was congratulated and thanked by Lindsay and Durand and others of the thin cheering line. Here they brought him his prize, which he received with joy tempered with humility52. If Strong and Rohrer had not done better than himself and Benton, the prizes would now be in other hands.
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1
contrive
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| vt.谋划，策划；设法做到；设计，想出 | |
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mandatory
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| adj.命令的；强制的；义务的；n.受托者 | |
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peremptorily
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| adv.紧急地，不容分说地，专横地 | |
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guardian
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| n.监护人；守卫者，保护者 | |
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procured
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| v.（努力）取得， （设法）获得( procure的过去式和过去分词 )；拉皮条 | |
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6
din
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| n.喧闹声，嘈杂声 | |
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7
canvassed
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| v.（在政治方面）游说( canvass的过去式和过去分词 )；调查（如选举前选民的）意见；为讨论而提出（意见等）；详细检查 | |
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8
prospects
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| n.希望，前途(恒为复数) | |
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plausible
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| adj.似真实的，似乎有理的，似乎可信的 | |
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10
applied
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| adj.应用的；v.应用，适用 | |
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naught
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| n.无，零 [=nought] | |
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athletics
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| n.运动，体育，田径运动 | |
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13
saturated
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| a.饱和的，充满的 | |
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14
medley
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| n.混合 | |
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uproar
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| n.骚动，喧嚣，鼎沸 | |
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16
bellowing
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| v.发出吼叫声，咆哮（尤指因痛苦）( bellow的现在分词 )；（愤怒地）说出（某事），大叫 | |
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17
recurring
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| adj.往复的，再次发生的 | |
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18
contestants
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| n.竞争者，参赛者( contestant的名词复数 ) | |
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19
minor
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| adj.较小(少)的，较次要的；n.辅修学科；vi.辅修 | |
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overlapping
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| adj./n.交迭（的） | |
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herded
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| 群集，纠结( herd的过去式和过去分词 )； 放牧； （使）向…移动 | |
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22
ebb
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| vi.衰退，减退；n.处于低潮，处于衰退状态 | |
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23
scramble
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| v.爬行，攀爬，杂乱蔓延，碎片，片段，废料 | |
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24
afterward
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| adv.后来；以后 | |
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victorious
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| adj.胜利的，得胜的 | |
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standing
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| n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的 | |
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untoward
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| adj.不利的，不幸的，困难重重的 | |
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forth
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| adv.向前；向外，往外 | |
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guardians
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| 监护人( guardian的名词复数 )； 保护者，维护者 | |
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30
gratitude
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| adj.感激，感谢 | |
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31
swelled
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| 增强( swell的过去式和过去分词 )； 肿胀； （使）凸出； 充满（激情） | |
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32
nucleus
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| n.核，核心，原子核 | |
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33
lashed
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| adj.具睫毛的v.鞭打( lash的过去式和过去分词 )；煽动；紧系；怒斥 | |
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34
labor
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| n.劳动，努力，工作，劳工；分娩；vi.劳动，努力，苦干；vt.详细分析；麻烦 | |
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35
watchful
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| adj.注意的，警惕的 | |
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exhausted
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| adj.极其疲惫的，精疲力尽的 | |
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yearning
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| a.渴望的；向往的；怀念的 | |
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determined
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| adj.坚定的；有决心的 | |
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clenched
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| v.紧握，抓紧，咬紧( clench的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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40
spikes
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| n.穗( spike的名词复数 )；跑鞋；（防滑）鞋钉；尖状物v.加烈酒于( spike的第三人称单数 )；偷偷地给某人的饮料加入（更多）酒精（ 或药物）；把尖状物钉入；打乱某人的计划 | |
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41
steadily
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| adv.稳定地；不变地；持续地 | |
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42
plodding
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| a.proceeding in a slow or dull way | |
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43
antagonist
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| n.敌人，对抗者，对手 | |
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44
darted
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| v.投掷，投射( dart的过去式和过去分词 )；向前冲，飞奔 | |
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45
prey
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| n.被掠食者，牺牲者，掠食；v.捕食，掠夺，折磨 | |
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46
gasped
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| v.喘气( gasp的过去式和过去分词 )；喘息；倒抽气；很想要 | |
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47
margin
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| n.页边空白；差额；余地，余裕；边，边缘 | |
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48
vigor
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| n.活力，精力，元气 | |
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49
plucky
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| adj.勇敢的 | |
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50
shears
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| n.大剪刀 | |
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51
dressing
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| n.(食物)调料；包扎伤口的用品，敷料 | |
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52
humility
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| n.谦逊，谦恭 | |
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