In thorough good humor on account of their winning the hockey game, Paul
and Jerry called Harry, and together they started up the river to where
a big pile of brush lay on the bank.
In full cry, a score or more of the other boys and girls, among whom
were Viola and Nettie, set after them, calling to them to wait. But the
three boys only checked their speed slightly.
"Come on. A race for the brush-pile," shouted Longback. "I'll wager hot
soda for the bunch of us that I'll be the first one to reach it."
"You're on! You're on!" shouted a dozen of the boys, among whom were
Harry and his recent team-mates.
And as the challenge was accepted, the boys dashed away.
No more than a few yards had he gone, than Elmer Craven shouted:
"Oh, you Paul and Jerry! You've got the start of the rest of us. Come
back and line up."
"No. This is as fair for one of us as it is for another," cried Pud,
whose inordinate love for soda caused him to exert himself to the
utmost, and during the checking of the speed as the result of Craven's
suggestion, he had taken the lead.
"Sure you think it's fair now, Pud," laughed Jerry, "so long as you're
ahead."
"You'll have to come back and line up as Elmer said or I won't make good
my offer," declared Longback.
At this ultimatum all the boys who had started ahead checked themselves
and then returned to where the offerer of the prize had scratched a mark
on the ice.
With great good nature, laughing and joking with one another, the boys
lined up, Harry and his two team-mates happening to be on the end where
Viola and Nettie were standing.
"Who's going to give the word to start?" demanded Snooks in a none too
pleasant tone, for he was disappointed at having had to give up the lead
which he had obtained over the others.
"I will," cried Viola.
"That means Elmer'll win," declared Nettie.
"Why not let Prof. Schmidt start it?" suggested some one.
Readily the genial professor consented; and taking his position at the
opposite end of the line from where the two girls stood, he cried:
"Eferybody get retty! You Schnooks, you get back onto the line. Don't
try to shteal a yard."
Grumbling to himself, the boy obeyed.
"Now, vonce again. Eferybody retty! Von, two, t'ree--_Go!_"
Eagerly the boys dashed forward and for a few minutes they were all
bunched together. Then Elmer, Snooks, Longback and Harry dashed ahead of
the others, and for a few moments raced neck and neck.
"Go it, Elmer!" "Go it Longback!" shouted their partisans, and as though
the good wishes of their friends gave them greater speed, the two boys
forged ahead.
"Oh, why doesn't somebody shout for Harry Watson!" exclaimed Viola,
stamping her foot.
"Going back on Elmer so soon," chided several of the girls who were with
her. She made them no reply, but instead, skating after the racers.
"Come on, we girls will have a race, and the one who wins we'll crown
queen of the ice at the bonfire to-night!" cried Nettie.
"Fine! Dandy!" chorused a dozen or so of the girls, and one of them
added:
"Let's have a regular carnival, and we'll make the boy who wins king."
"Will you start it, Prof. Schmidt?" asked Viola, and again the genial
old German complied, sending the girls off in short order.
During the preliminaries Viola had kept her eyes on the boys ahead, and
it seemed to her as if Harry cut down the lead of Elmer and Longback.
Instantly the thought occurred to her that if no one would introduce her
to the new student, by winning the girl's race, she would surely be able
to meet him at the mock coronation ceremony planned for the carnival.
And, gritting her teeth, she bent forward, skating with all the speed
she could summon.
After the start of the girls, the interest of the spectators had again
turned to the boys and, that they might the better see the finish,
everyone skated in the direction of the brush-pile.
When Snooks saw Harry taking the lead he grew furious.
"I'll get him! If I can't win, _he_ certainly shan't," he growled to
himself, and his anger at the boy who had so humiliated him on two
occasions giving him increased strength, he quickly cut down Watson's
lead, although in doing so, he swerved his course from the extreme
opposite end of the line of racers close over to that of the boy for
whom he had conceived such hatred.
"What's Pud up to?" exclaimed several of those who were following. But
not long was the bully's purpose in doubt. Tiring from his burst of
speed when he was almost abreast of Harry, realizing that if he were to
carry out his mean scheme he must act immediately, he lunged viciously
towards the new student.
"Watch out, Watson! Snooks is trying to foul you!" shouted Jerry.
The warning was unnecessary, because Harry had heard the sharp strokes
of the skates close to him, and, although he did not check his speed by
looking around, he intuitively seemed to realize that the approach of
the skater boded him no good; and, just as the bully sought to throw him
off his balance, he turned his skate out and shot rapidly to one side,
putting himself a scant foot beyond Snook's reach.
"Pretty work! Good boy!" shouted the spectators, as they realized the
bully's attempt and our hero's escape.
But his move had taken Harry several yards out of his course, and quick
were Elmer and Longback to improve the opportunity to wrest the lead
from him. Clenching his fists more tightly, Harry bent lower, and
exerted himself to the utmost to recover the lost ground. Less than one
hundred yards away was the brush-pile, and a stick held in front of the
racers would have touched each one, so even were they.
"Oh, you Elmer! Get a move on! They're going to have a carnival and
crown the winner king. The girls are racing to be queen, and Viola's
leading!" shouting one of the scholars.
Thus apprised for the first time of the additional plans which had been
made for the bonfire, the three boys bent themselves to still greater
efforts.
To Elmer, the thought that Harry might win and thus share the honor of
participating in the mock ceremony with Viola was bitter indeed.
"If there was no one else but Longback, I wouldn't care," he told
himself. "But I can't let that scrub play king when Viola is queen."
Nearer and nearer to the finish the three boys sped, amid the yells and
cheers of advice and encouragement their partisans hurled at them.
But though each of the trio was skating with might and main, not one of
them seemed able to gain on the others--and the brush-pile was a scant
fifty yards away.
"Shake 'em, Elmer! Shake 'em, Watson!" cried the spectators, according
to their preference.
But another ten yards were cut from the distance to go, and Elmer and
Harry were still abreast, having gained slightly on Longback.
With a sudden burst of speed Elmer forged ahead, amid the cheers of his
supporters, but even as the air was rent by their shouts of "Elmer
wins!" their hopes were dashed.
With no warning, the rich boy gave a sudden lurch towards Watson,
struggled desperately to recover himself, then fell to the ice, sliding
with terrific force toward Harry.
At the sight, the boys and girls who were following cried out in
surprise and disappointment, while Jerry and Paul shouted warnings to
their new friend.
"That'll finish Watson as well as Elmer," declared one student.
But his prophecy was not to be fulfilled.
When he heard the shouts of warning, Harry had turned his head to learn
their cause just in time to see Craven's body come sliding toward him
over the ice with amazing speed.
Realizing that, should it hit him, he, too, would be knocked down, and
the race go to the boy whom they had both outskated, Harry took a
desperate chance and jumped, clearing Elmer's shoulder by a few inches.