have good toboggans, and they can steer splendidly. The fourth chap
I'll pick out through the week."
"Well, Theo, you must do your best to win, for I'll be there to watch
you."
"You may depend upon it I will, for your sake as much as for the honour
of Riverside," replied Theo, giving his mother a loving kiss before he
went off to his room for a wash.
It seemed an awfully long week to the excited boys, impatient for the
coming contest. Theo had many applicants for a position on his team,
and having, after careful deliberation, decided in favour of Fred
Fellows, the four boys had many an earnest consultation as to the best
way of securing success. On Friday evening the others brought their
toboggans over to Mrs. Ross's, and they spent an hour or two in seeing
that the bottoms were perfectly smooth, the gut lashings all taut, and
the cushions secured beyond the possibility of slipping. They were not
a little disturbed at some rumours that had reached them of Ralph
Masterton having sent off to the capital and got a new toboggan of a
kind just lately patented, which was made differently from the others
and reported to be much faster. If this was true, Ralph had done rather
a mean thing; for although not expressly stipulated, it was generally
understood that the toboggans to be used in the contest were such as
they already had, and not new ones imported for the purpose. But, as
Theo sensibly said, it was no use worrying until they knew for certain;
so, hoping for the best, they parted for the night.
Saturday proved as fine as could be wished, and early in the afternoon a
crowd began to gather on Bass River Bluff. Besides the honour of the
championship, Judge Masterton had offered a handsome prize to the winner
in the shape of a silver cup, and there was no end to the excitement.
The judge himself and all his family were present. So, too, were Theo's
mother and the parents of the other contestants. So, too, was Patsey
Kehoe, holding Katey with one hand and dragging his forlorn little
barrel-stave sled with the other. Everybody in Bridgetown and Riverside
that could come had come, and the flat top of the bluff was fairly black
with spectators.
By three o'clock all the competitors had arrived. When Ralph Masterton
appeared, Theo gave one sharp glance at his toboggan, then turned to his
companions with his face the picture of indignation.
"It's true, boys, after all; Ralph's got one of those new-fangled
affairs I read of in the papers. They say they can go like smoke. He
hasn't done the square thing. But we're not beaten yet, for all that!"
and Theo looked proudly down at his toboggan, which had won as high a
reputation for speed as the owner had for skill.
It took half-an-hour to draw lots for the heats, and then at last all
was ready, and Judge Masterton, acting as starter, called out the first
pair. Besides the steerer each toboggan was to carry another person for
ballast. Fred Fellows was the first of Theo's team to try his fortune.
Amid breathless silence and suspense he put his toboggan in position
beside his opponent's.
"Are you ready?" asked the judge. They both nodded. "Then--go!" and
with half-a-dozen quick steps they pushed their toboggans over the brow
of the hill, and flinging themselves on sideways with one leg extended
for a rudder, shot down the steep slope like arrows from a bow. For some
time they kept side by side. Then Fred was seen to swerve and slew, and
the Bridgetown boy to slip ahead. The advantage was not much, but he
kept it to the end, and the first heat went against Riverside. The
Bridgetown boys cheered lustily, and the Riversiders looked rather glum,
until the next heat was run and resulted in a win for the latter, thus
making things even. The Riverside entry took the third heat also, and
their hopes ran high, but cooled down again when the fourth heat went to
Bridgetown.
The result of the first round, accordingly, was that two of each side
had won their heats, Theo and Ralph being, of course, among the winners.
The excitement grew more and more intense as, after a little
breathing-space, the second round was called.
Curiously enough, Theo and Ralph did not come together in this round
either, having each another opponent, whom they vanquished easily. As
they stood on the hill together at the conclusion of the round, Ralph
turned to Theo with a smile which betokened perfect confidence in
himself, and pointing to his new toboggan, said,--
"She's a hummer; there's nothing on the bluff to touch her."
"Do you think it was just the square thing, Ralph, to get that toboggan
when it was understood we were to race with what we had already?" asked
Theo quietly.
"Pooh!" replied Ralph, tossing his head defiantly; "everything's fair in
love and war."
As he turned away and swung his toboggan round, it came in contact with
Patsey Kehoe's barrel-stave sled. With a muttered oath Ralph sprang
toward the obstruction, and kicking it high into the air, the clumsy
little thing fell to the ground shattered into useless fragments. Poor
Patsey gave a cry as he saw his plaything demolished, but Ralph's angry
face silenced him again, and with tears running down their cheeks he and
Katey proceeded to gather up the pieces.
"Get ready for the final heat," called out Judge Masterton.
Mrs. Ross pressed forward to Theo's side and whispered in his ear, "Good
luck to you, my boy."
With every eye upon them, Ralph and Theo drew their toboggans into
position. The difference between the two toboggans was very marked.
Theo's was a particularly fine one of the ordinary kind, but Ralph's was
made of narrow hard-wood strips secured by screws instead of thongs, and
had a sharp racing look that could not be mistaken. Just as the
contestants were ready to receive their ballast, Theo's glance fell upon
Patsey Kehoe pressing forward eagerly on the edge of the crowd, watching
him with his whole soul in his eyes. He knew well how intensely the
little fellow hoped for his success, and suddenly an idea flashed into
his mind which caused him to call out to Judge Masterton,--
"A minute's time, please, sir."
"All right, my lad," replied the judge.
Then, to the surprise of everybody, Theo, after whispering to Walter
Powell, whom he had first intended to be his companion on the toboggan,
and who now drew aside, beckoned to Patsey Kehoe. Patsy approached
bashfully.
"Jump on in front, Patsey," said Theo briskly. "You're to be my ballast
this time."
There was a murmur of astonishment from the crowd as the ragged little
chap awkwardly got into his place, and Theo did not miss the
contemptuous curl of his opponent's lip, but neither did he fail to
catch the pleased, approving look his mother sent him. A moment more
and everything was in readiness. The spectators held their breath as
the judge, lifting his right hand, asked,--
"Are you ready!" and then bringing it down with a crack into the other,
shouted, "Then--go!"
As if shot from a bow the two toboggans leaped over the bluff and went
rattling down the smooth slope side by side and head to head.
Down--down--they went; Theo and Ralph with iron grip and hard-pressed
toe keeping them straight in their course, and Patsey and the other
ballast clinging fast to the hand-rail. It was the proudest moment of
Patsey's life, and one that he would never forget. Just as the
toboggans, still perfectly even, approached the bottom of the declivity
where the track ran out on to the bosom of the river, Ralph's struck a
slight obstacle, which caused it to swerve and then to slew. With a
vicious dig of his toe he tried to bring it round straight again. In
his hot haste he overdid it, and the head swung round until the toboggan
went broadside to the track, scratching, bumping, cracking, until like a
flash it came bang against the side of the slide, pitching its
passengers out upon their heads and splitting one of the thin strips
clean in two. In the meanwhile Theo and Patsey, amid the cheers of the
crowd on the hill, were speeding smoothly over the level ice, winners by
nearly a hundred yards.
Great was the delight of the Riverside folk at their champion's victory,
and many of the Bridgetownians joined in congratulations too, for Ralph
Masterton was far from popular among them. When Theo reached the top of
the bluff his mother hastened to him, her face beaming with pleasure as
she said,--
"I am very proud of your victory, Theo, but I am prouder still of the
heart that prompted you to take Patsey Kehoe."
THE END