SKATING FOR LIFE.
During the entire first half of the course there were four of the seven
contestants who made a good showing. These were Rains, Merriwell,
Hodge and one of the village boys.
Through it all Rains kept the lead, but the village lad was second
until the turning point was nearly reached. Then Merriwell settled
down to business and took second place, while Hodge pushed the village
boy hard.
Rains' heart was full of triumph. Over and over he told himself:
"At last I have found something at which I can defeat Merriwell fairly!"
Rains believed he was safely in advance, and this delusion was not
broken till the last half mile of the course was struck. Then he heard
somebody's skates ringing close behind, and, looking over his shoulder,
he saw Frank bearing down on him like the wind.
Paul's heart gave a great leap.
"By Jove!" he breathed. "That fellow means to press me! But he shall
not come in first--he shall not!"
Then he strained every muscle, and, for a few seconds, the distance
between them did not seem to diminish.
Frank, however, held steadily to that terrible speed, and Paul began to
fear he could not stand it to the finish, for his head was beginning to
grow unsteady, and there was a wild roaring in his ears. Through a
bluish mist he saw the great crowd on the shore near the starting
point, and he knew the eyes of hundreds were upon the contestants.
"I'll die before he shall pass me!" thought Rains.
And then, once more, he heard the skates of his rival ringing clear
close at his elbow. One wild look he cast over his shoulder, and there
was Merriwell, fearfully near--and gaining!
Paul's heart rose with a bursting sensation into his throat. He had
seen that Merriwell's face bore a look of determination--nay, more, a
look of confidence.
Oh, for the power to hold out to the end! Again he forced himself to
spurt; but, as that mad burst of energy slackened, he felt, rather than
saw, his rival reach his side.
Now a great cheer broke from the crowd of excited and delighted
spectators, for the two boys were fairly abreast, and neither seemed
able to gain another inch on the other.
Rains had shut his teeth, his nostrils were dilated, and his eyes wild
in their sockets. The finish line was near, and he must cross it in
advance--a yard, a foot, an inch!
But he little knew that Frank Merriwell had reserved for the last
supreme moment enough strength to make a final spurt.
Now--now is the time for one or the other to forge ahead!
Another shout goes up:
"Merriwell! Merriwell! He's the winner! Hurrah!"
Frank had forged to the front; but, even as the cheer came from the
crowd, he was seen to be flipped into the air, as if he had struck a
spring-board, and he came down heavily on the ice. There was no time
to recover.
Frank slid over the starting line, prostrate on the ice; but Paul Rains
crossed it upright, and at least three yards in advance.
Rains had won!
An accident had prevented Frank from winning, for his skate had struck
a flaw in the ice, and he had been thrown with stunning force.
Great was the excitement. Merriwell was picked up and carried to the
shore, where a dash of cold water brought him round.
Rains was quite used up for a while, but he soon recovered. His
friends crowded round him to offer congratulations.
"You beat Merriwell this time, Paul," they said.
"But he fell," said Paul, bitterly. "That makes the victory anything
but satisfactory. However, I will race him again at any time and any
place."
Little did he think how soon they would race again.
Within a short time after the finish of the race, a sudden cry of alarm
and terror went up from the throng.
"Look--look there! Two girls have broken through the ice! They will
be drowned!"
At a certain point in the pond there was a dangerous bit of ice, where
some springs deep down at the bottom continually bubbled up and kept
the water alive, so the ice did not form solidly. It was supposed that
every one knew where this dangerous spot was, so no sign had been
placed there.
Now, however, two girls had ventured upon it, and broken through.
"Who are they?"
"Inza Burrage and May Blossom!"
"Save them! save them!"
Several started toward the imperiled girls, but two forms darted out
ahead of the rest, and another race between Paul Rains and Frank
Merriwell had begun.
This time it was a race for life.
Shoulder to shoulder they started, and, for some seconds, they kept
thus.
Then Frank began to forge ahead, for all that Paul was straining every
muscle--was doing the very best that he could to save life.
The girls were seen clinging to the broken edge of the ice, which broke
beneath them once or twice, but they managed to keep up in some way.
Wider and wider grew the distance between Merriwell and Rains, showing
that the former was by far the faster skater in such a case as this.
As Frank drew near the girls, the ice broke again, and both went under.
He did not slacken speed, but, taking care to avoid them, skated
straight into the water.
Clinging to each other, the girls came up; but they would have sunk
again immediately if he had not been there to clutch them.
Treading water, he held them up, getting close to the ragged edge of
the ice.
The water was fearfully cold, but he managed to keep his head out,
knowing aid must come quickly.
Paul Rains slackened his speed as he came near the opening in the ice.
"Form a line--get hold of my feet!" he shouted.
Down upon his stomach he went, and he slid forward till he could reach
out and grasp one of the girls.
There he lay till another lad clutched his feet, and still others
grasped the feet of the one who had hold of Paul.
"Now, Merriwell," said Paul, "if you can break their clutch on each
other, we can take 'em out one at a time."
With some difficulty the grasp of the half-drowned girls was broken.
Paul held fast to one, and shouted:
"Pull away!"
He was drawn backward, and the girl was dragged from the water upon the
ice.
Quickly she was passed to some one who carried her away to a place of
warmth and safety, while Paul Rains crept back to the opening, and the
other girl was rescued in a similar manner. Then Frank, nearly
exhausted, was drawn out.
With Rains on one side, and Hodge on the other, Frank skated back to
the shore, where the great crowd of spectators had witnessed the
gallant rescue. How the crowd cheered and flung up their hats!
"Hurrah for Frank Merriwell!" was the roar that went up. "Hurrah!"
"Hurrah for Paul Rains! Hurrah!"
The man who had offered the badge of honor grasped the two lads by the
hands, crying:
"You shall both have a badge of honor! This is true heroism, and you
are both heroic lads!"
"Hurrah! hurrah! hurrah!" thundered the crowd.
Let us add here that neither Inza nor May suffered any particularly ill
results from their plunge through the ice.
Between Inza and Frank the slight misunderstanding was easily adjusted,
and May, in her innocent little heart, had never dreamed of "cutting
out" her friend. She and Paul Rains afterward became very friendly.
Between Frank and Paul a rivalry continued to exist; but, for the most
part, it was of a healthy, generous sort, and Merriwell retained his
position as leader, having become more popular than before among the
better class of boys at the academy.