Their objective point was Ashport, where a gentleman by the name of Robert Ashley had offered a magnificent trophy2 to be contested for by all legitimate3 amateurs who wished to enter a cross-country running contest. It was not that Frank, or any of his team, intended to enter the contest that had influenced Merry to take in Ashport on his journey to the East, but he had heard much about the man who was promoting the event, and what he had heard had been favorable.
Ashley was an Englishman, and shortly after graduating from Oxford4 he had found himself, at the death of his father, left with but a small portion of the fortune he had been led to believe he should inherit. Quickly realizing that the income of this reduced fortune would not support him in the style he desired, he put aside family and caste prejudice against “trade” and formed an unfortunate business alliance with a shrewd rascal5, who quickly succeeded by crooked6 methods in robbing him of what he had left, and then threw him over to face the world.
By the sale of personal effects, Ashley raised something like three hundred pounds, and with this in his pocket he bade farewell to England and turned his face toward America.
There is no need to recount his career in this country, but let it suffice to say that, after many hardships and severe struggles, he “struck it rich” in Colorado. For him “the mining game” was a successful one, and within five years after fortune turned, he retired7 from the struggle, many times a millionaire. His success in the face of disappointment and hard luck he attributed to his persistence8, endurance, and staying power; and many a time he averred9 that these qualities—to some extent hereditary—had been cultivated, developed, and brought to perfection by such school-day and college sports as cross-country running and hare and hounds.
Ashley had conceived a great admiration10 and love for the country in which he had retrieved11 his fallen fortunes. After a visit to his former home in the old country, he returned to the United States and finally settled near Ashport, on the Ohio River. Whether or not he was attracted by the name of the town it is impossible to say; but there he found precisely12 the sort of country he admired and his fortune permitted him to purchase a large estate.
He soon became actively13 concerned in many charitable works and he took a great interest in all sorts of healthy outdoor sports, participating in such as were adapted to his years and encouraging those in which he could not longer indulge. He founded the Ashport Amateur Athletic14 Association, which, although located in the country, was within easy range of many thriving towns and two large and prosperous cities; and, in the two years of its existence, it had made such rapid advancement15 in membership and achievement that it was regarded as one of the leading organizations of the sort in the country.
Among the members of the club were several former college men of note in athletics16, not the least of whom was Carl Prince, who became known as the “Georgetown Wonder” when he had twice broken the American college record in the quarter-mile run.
Other ex-college men who had accomplished17 things on the track and the cinder18 path and later joined Ashport were Clifford Clyde, of Yale, and Hugh Sheldon, Michigan’s remarkable19 hurdler and steeplechaser.
Mr. Ashley had a theory that distance running was neglected in America, and he sought to arouse interest in it. For this purpose he had offered a prize to be contested for at Ashport on a certain date, by any and all legitimate amateurs of America who wished to enter the cross-country running contest.
The sporting columns of the newspapers had thoroughly20 advertised the coming event, and had commented much on the beauty and costliness21 of the trophy. Having seen these articles in the papers, Frank Merriwell planned to reach Ashport on the trip East with his athletic team in time to witness the contest.
It happened, however, that Paul Proctor, the president of the Ashport A. A., a Harvard grad, knew Merry well and took pains to extend him an invitation to participate in the contest.
Although Frank had not given any thought to a participation22 in the events, he had gladly accepted Proctor’s invitation, and on the day of the tryouts he watched them from the observatory23 of the clubhouse which was located at the shoulder of an oval mile track that had been constructed for all sorts of foot races. From this observatory could be obtained a clear and complete view of the track and grounds of the Ashport Athletic Association.
Back of the clubhouse and to the east lay Ashport, a thriving, up-to-date village. The river swept in a horseshoe-like curve to the south. To the north was the estate of Robert Ashley, comprising hundreds of acres of green fields, broad meadows, hills, valleys, and wild woodland. On one of the hillsides, surrounded by splendid old trees, stood Ash Hall. In order to build a home to suit himself, Mr. Ashley had razed24 a house that formerly25 stood on the same spot.
“Who is the pacemaker?” asked Merry, as he watched the runners through a pair of field glasses.
“That is Carl Prince, of Batavia,” answered Paul Proctor.
“Not Prince, the Georgetown Wonder?”
“The same fellow. He’s just as fast to-day as he was at college, when he became known as the Georgetown Wonder.”
“He was a great quarter-miler,” nodded Frank, having lowered the glasses for a moment; “but I don’t recall that he ever made a reputation as a long-distance man.”
“Not at college,” admitted Proctor. “He didn’t go in for long-distance work then. He has since becoming a member of the Ashport A. A.”
“I am inclined to fancy he has not changed his methods to any great extent, and you know long-distance work is much different from sprinting26 and dashes. True it is running, but runners are divided into three classes—the sprinters, the middle-distance men, and the long-distance or cross-country men. Those adapted for the second class named, or who have won records or events in that class, find it more easy to become cross-country men than do those of the first class.”
“What makes you think Prince has not changed his methods?”
“His stride, his carriage, and his tenseness. Sprinters are under strain from start to finish in a race, and their muscles are taut27. They are liable to tie up in long runs. They forget to relax, and their muscles become overstrained. When a man ties up in a long run he’s liable not to finish at all. He finds himself run out at a time and point when he should be at his very best.”
“Hollingsworth has considerable confidence in Prince.”
“Who is Hollingsworth?”
“Our trainer. He’s an Englishman, and he knows his business. He was formerly the champion of the Middlesex Cross Country Club, in England. We were lucky to get hold of him here.”
“Long-distance and cross-country running seems to be a fad28 with your club, Proctor.”
“Naturally,” smiled the president of the club. “Mr. Robert Ashley, who founded the club, gave us our field and track and built this handsome clubhouse for us, is a crank on that sort of sport. In his day, he was the greatest cross-country and hare-and-hounds man in Oxford.”
“He is an Englishman?”
“Yes. That is, he was. He’s a naturalized American now. Made a fortune in mining and settled here. That splendid house you can see on the hill yonder is where he lives. It is modeled after the old English country mansion29, and he calls it Ash Hall. Mr. Ashley claims that cross-country running is the finest sport in the world to develop staying power and endurance in a young man, and he says staying power is what the modern young man needs to make him successful in business. He thinks there are too many sprinters in business, who make a hot dash for a while, but are unable to keep up the pace until successful.”
Frank smiled and nodded.
“It is my opinion that Mr. Ashley is a man of wisdom and generosity,” he said. “The runners are coming down the straight course to the stand. We can get a better view of them now.”
He again lifted the glasses to his eyes, an example followed by several other persons.
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1
molested
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| v.骚扰( molest的过去式和过去分词 )；干扰；调戏；猥亵 | |
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2
trophy
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| n.优胜旗，奖品，奖杯，战胜品，纪念品 | |
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3
legitimate
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| adj.合法的，合理的，合乎逻辑的；v.使合法 | |
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4
Oxford
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| n.牛津（英国城市） | |
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rascal
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| n.流氓；不诚实的人 | |
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6
crooked
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| adj.弯曲的；不诚实的，狡猾的，不正当的 | |
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7
retired
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| adj.隐退的，退休的，退役的 | |
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8
persistence
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| n.坚持，持续，存留 | |
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9
averred
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| v.断言( aver的过去式和过去分词 )；证实；证明…属实；作为事实提出 | |
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10
admiration
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| n.钦佩，赞美，羡慕 | |
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11
retrieved
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| v.取回( retrieve的过去式和过去分词 )；恢复；寻回；检索（储存的信息） | |
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12
precisely
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| adv.恰好，正好，精确地，细致地 | |
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actively
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| adv.积极地，勤奋地 | |
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14
athletic
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| adj.擅长运动的，强健的；活跃的，体格健壮的 | |
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15
advancement
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| n.前进，促进，提升 | |
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16
athletics
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| n.运动，体育，田径运动 | |
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17
accomplished
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| adj.有才艺的；有造诣的；达到了的 | |
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18
cinder
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| n.余烬，矿渣 | |
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19
remarkable
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| adj.显著的，异常的，非凡的，值得注意的 | |
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20
thoroughly
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| adv.完全地，彻底地，十足地 | |
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21
costliness
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| 昂贵的 | |
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participation
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| n.参与，参加，分享 | |
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23
observatory
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| n.天文台，气象台，瞭望台，观测台 | |
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24
razed
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| v.彻底摧毁，将…夷为平地( raze的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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25
formerly
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| adv.从前，以前 | |
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26
sprinting
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| v.短距离疾跑( sprint的现在分词 ) | |
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taut
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| adj.拉紧的，绷紧的，紧张的 | |
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28
fad
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| n.时尚；一时流行的狂热；一时的爱好 | |
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29
mansion
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| n.大厦，大楼；宅第 | |
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