Harry's action was greeted with shouts of approval by all the scholars,
but just when it seemed that he was going to win without further mishap,
he fell and Longback flashed across the line a winner!
In landing after his jump, Harry had leaned too far forward, with the
result that, though he strove desperately to keep his balance, his
centre of equilibrium was too far forward, and he pitched onto his face.
Little time did the fellows have to discuss the eventful race, when
there sounded a cry: "Get out of the way! Give the girls a chance to
finish!"
Quickly the crowd that had surrounded the fallen skaters, moved out of
the way, as the girls bore down upon the imaginary line that marked the
end of the race. Bent far down, her arms swinging like well regulated
pistons, Viola was in the lead, a good three yards separating her from
her nearest antagonist, Mildred Evans, while almost an equal distance
behind Mildred, the rest of the girls were bunched.
His disappointment over his fall forgotten in the thought that Longback
had snatched victory from the boy to whom he had taken such a dislike,
Elmer cried:
"Look out for that crack in the ice, Viola, or you'll get tripped just
as I did."
Although the girl heard the warning, she gave no evidence, either by
thanks or by action, and could the richest boy of Rivertown High School
have known what was passing in her mind, he would have worn anything but
the pleased smile that enveloped his face.
So long as Harry had been in the lead, Viola had exerted herself to the
utmost to leave the girls with whom she was racing as far behind as she
could. With a little gasp of dismay, she had seen Snooks' desperate but
futile attempt to foul Harry, and when the boy had jumped over Elmer,
she had been one of those who had shouted their delight, and
corresponding was her disappointment when Harry himself fell, and
Longback won.
"I'll not be queen to Longback's king!" exclaimed the proud girl,
indignantly, yet, aware as she was of the lead she had over the others
in the race, she was puzzled to know how she could manage to lose it
without her purpose being too evident.
When she heard Elmer's warning, however, she realized that there was a
crack in the ice which would throw her. Quickly she formed her plans,
and, with almost imperceptible slackening in her speed, she began to
search the ice for the crevice.
For several seconds she was unable to discern it; then of a sudden her
glance fell upon a zigzag depression, and she changed her course, though
ever so slightly, that she might be the more sure to strike it.
"Look out! Look out! Keep away from that edge of the bank!" shouted
Elmer and several of his companions. But as unheeding as before, the
girl kept on, appeared to stagger a moment as she struck the depression,
and then sank to the ice.
First, in blank dismay, and then in anger, the rich boy who had seemed
to be the favored one among Viola's friends stared at her, and finally,
with a mumbled exclamation, skated toward her.
"You did that on purpose!" he snarled, as, stooping over, he took hold
of Viola's arm to assist her to her feet.
At the words, the blood flushed hotly to the girl's cheeks and
indignantly she wrenched her arm from Elmer's grasp.
"How dare you say such a thing to me, Elmer Craven!" she exclaimed
angrily. "Even if I have sprained my ankle, I am quite capable of
getting up by myself," and forthwith she proceeded so to do.
In the excitement caused by Viola's fall, coming as it did after the two
leaders in the boys' race had been put out of the running by similar
accidents, those who had been watching the girls' race were too absorbed
in their efforts to urge on their favorites, now that all had
practically an even chance of winning, for, in her endeavor not to meet
a similar mishap to Viola, Mildred had skated so far to one side that
she had lost the lead, so that none of them had seen the trick save
Nettie and Harry.
Both of them, however, were too far away to hear what passed between the
boy and girl, but as Nettie saw her chum limp when she tried to skate
after picking herself up, she gave up the race and went to her
assistance.
"What is it? Have you hurt yourself?" she asked, solicitously.
"It's my ankle. I'm afraid I've sprained it."
"Really?"
"Don't be a goose."
A moment the girl gazed at her chum and then the light of understanding
coming to her, she exclaimed, significantly:
"Oh!" And the better to give the semblance of truth to the supposed
injury, she put her arm around Viola to support her, and led her to the
bank, where she sat down on a tree stump.
In the meantime, the race had been won by Annabel Hutchins, who was
known among her classmates as the infant prodigy, because being
precociously bright, she had entered the freshman class when she was
only thirteen years old.
For a moment after the tall, awkward girl skated across the line in the
lead of the others, there was a silence. And then, as the humor of the
situation dawned upon the others, for Longback, a member of the senior
class, had the proper contempt for the under classmen, the boys and
girls yelled and cheered frantically.
"This will be some coronation!" cried Socker, with a grin. But some of
the girl's, noting Annabel's embarrassment, prevented any more such
remarks by surrounding her and skating her to the brush-pile. Then
quickly seizing some of the dried branches, they started down the river
with them toward the spot where the bonfire was to be built.
The boys, however, especially the freshmen, found it too great an
opportunity to tease the haughty senior, and they made his life so
miserable with their comment that in a rage he skated away by himself.