Even Elmer and Snooks could not but appreciate the magnanimity of this
offer, aware as they were of the straightened circumstances of the new
student.
"Good boy!" exclaimed the others. "We'll make it up to you just as soon
as we get back to Rivertown."
Such strong dislike, however, had he conceived for Harry, that Elmer
could not bear the thought of being under obligations to him to the
slightest extent, and with an angry movement he thrust his hand in his
pocket, pulling out a five dollar bill.
"Here! Take this," he snarled at Dawson. "I was saving it out to get
home on, but it doesn't amount to anything to me, and I suppose that
five dollars Watson has is his spending money for the year."
The wanton brutality of the remark brought an angry flush to Harry's
face, and clenching his hands, he started toward the rich youth. But
with no desire to have any trouble in the town across the river, Dawson,
Paul and Jerry quickly placed themselves between the two boys, while the
senior took the extra money from Elmer and wrapped it with that which he
had, giving back to Harry the bill which our hero's aunt had presented
to him.
At first, the new member of the Pi Eta society was disposed to resent
the act.
"Don't be foolish," exclaimed Dawson. "Craven and Snooks were the ones
who smashed the apparatus--I don't know exactly how--but you never would
find them willing to pay a cent unless they were guilty; and it is
perfectly right that Craven should pay all the money he can rake or
scrape together."
At this stinging comment, Elmer opened his mouth as though he intended
making a retort; but second thought showed him the futility of so doing,
and buttoning up his coat, he nodded towards Snooks and left the store
with the bully.
As soon as they were gone, the senior turned upon the janitor.
"Tony, I never thought to find you in such a mess as this."
With tears in his eyes, the Italian spoke to the boys:
"I didn't want to, but my little girl, she is sick, and I need some
money; and so when Elmer and Pud come to me and tell me they would give
me fifty dollars if I will say Watson broke the stuff, I talked it over
with my woman, and she say take it."
This confession of the janitor's, substantiating the idea which the boys
had formed of the incident, together with the thought that his
temptation had come from the fact that his child was ill, caused them to
forego any further cross-questioning of the janitor, and they took their
departure from the cigar store.
The return to Rivertown was much in the nature of an ovation for Harry,
for not long was it after the committee appointed by the Greek letter
societies started out than word of their purpose spread among the
scholars.
With the letting out of school for the noon recess, the girls who were
members of the Gamma Gammas and the Lambda Nus learned of the action of
the boys, and forthwith they decided to cut classes for the rest of the
day.
Particularly caustic in their comments upon the action of the principal
were Viola and Nettie; but as the older girls counseled a waiting
policy, the two freshmen were prevented from doing anything that would
further complicate the unfortunate case.
The action of the girls depleted the ranks of the school still further.
It was with difficulty the instructors could maintain any sort of
discipline during the afternoon, and when the last session was over for
the day, the boys and girls hastened down to the river, put on their
skates and started across to the town of Lumberport.
Before they had reached the other side of the river, however, they met
Dawson and the other boys returning, and as they saw the happy
expression on their faces, their curiosity was aroused to a high pitch.
But though they plied them with questions, they were unable to extract
any more satisfactory explanation from them than that the matter had
been settled.
Loud were the protests at this terse announcement and the various
friends of the boys who had gone across the river had drawn them aside
and were striving their utmost to learn the real facts, when there was a
loud shout from up the river.
Turning, the members of the Rivertown High beheld the red and white
banners which were the colors of the high school at Springtown, and
almost simultaneously with the recognition of the identity of the
approaching crowd, they heard the artillery like rattle of the school
cheer.
"What's the matter with Springtown? What's up now?" exclaimed several of
the boys.
"Give them the Rivertown cheer. All together now, everybody! Act as
though you were alive," shouted Dawson, and swinging his arms in lieu of
a baton he led the cheer, whose volume rolled up the river, breaking
with defiance in the ears of the down-coming horde of skaters.
"The quickest way to find out what's doing is to go up to meet them,"
announced Jerry.
And without more ado, he and a few of the other boys started off up the
river.
Massed together as though they were defenders of a town repelling a
hostile attack, the other boys and girls assumed a compact mass,
watching the members of their own school as they sped toward the phalanx
of the neighboring town.
No sooner had they noted the movement of the leaders among the members
of Rivertown High, than the Springtownians checked their advance, and
after a few moment's hesitation, they sent part of their number to meet
the delegation from Rivertown.
The parley between the two groups was short; then the Rivertown members
turned on their skates and started back to their schoolmates at top
speed.
"Springtown's come down for a race," one of the boys announced. "Shall
we give it to them?"
For years the schools in the neighboring towns were rivals in all
branches of athletics, and though the percentage of victories had been
with the scholars at the head of the river, there never was a time when
they could propose any game that the boys and girls of Rivertown were
not eager to take up the challenge.
Accordingly when the member of the high school on the bluff asked if his
mates wished to accept the challenge of the Springtownians there was a
mighty shout of "Yes."
"But who'll represent us?" exclaimed three or four of the seniors.
"Craven isn't in the bunch, Longback has a grouch, and Snooks is missing
too," exclaimed Misery. "Why not call the boys' race off, and let
Annabel represent Rivertown?"
"Now don't get funny," admonished Dawson. "There are plenty of us here
who can uphold old Rivertown."
"Who?" demanded several voices.
"Jerry and Paul--and Watson," added another voice.
"How about it. You fellows want to make a try?"
"Who are we going up against?"
"The very best men in Springtown."
"Do they race fair?" asked Harry.
"Yes."
"Can't you get anyone else to go against them in my place?"
"It doesn't seem so. You heard what Misery said."
This parley was interrupted by the arrival of the advance guard of the
scholars who had come down to challenge their rivals at Rivertown.
"Are you going to let us win by default?" asked one of the boys from
Springtown.
"Not so you'd notice it. When it comes to count the winners, Springtown
won't have a look in!" returned Dawson.
His words brought a cheer of encouragement from his schoolmates.
"Then let's get busy and start the races right away," announced the
spokesman for the Springtownians.
"All right. Bring the men out. We have only three. How long is the race
going to be?"
In response to this question various were the exclamations of opinion;
some clamored for two miles, others asserting that one was enough. When
they could come to no definite conclusion, several of the leaders from
each of the schools got together to try to settle the distance.
Their attempt, however, was as unsuccessful as had been those of the
scholars en masse; and finally Socker Gales exclaimed:
"Let's toss a coin!"
The suggestion met with instant approval from both of the opposing
forces.
Quickly Dawson drew a coin from his pocket, balancing it on his thumb
and forefinger.
"I'll toss. Springtown, you call!" he exclaimed.
High in the air he spun the coin, and as it whirled over and over, the
leader of the Springtownians, shouted: "Tails!"
With a sharp click the bit of money struck the ice, and then as though
driven by perverseness, it rolled some twenty feet, finally striking a
depression, into which it fell.
The instant the coin had struck the ice and started on it's runaway
career, the boys who had been watching the tossing, set after it; but
fleet as they were, it managed to elude them and had settled in the ice
crevice before they had overtaken it.
"Which is it?" called the others, as two of the Rivertown boys reached
the spot.
"Heads," they replied.
"That means you lose, Springtown!" chorused the rest of the Rivertown
scholars.
But the challengers from up the river refused to accept the fall of the
coin as an omen.
"Which distance are you going to take?" demanded the leader of the
visitors.
"Wait until I talk with the boys who are going to race," announced
Dawson.
"We'll make it two miles!" he finally exclaimed, after a brief
consultation.
This announcement met with varied exclamations from the Rivertown
students.
"Paul and Jerry never can stand that distance in the world," shouted
several of their mates.
"Never mind, that's Watson's pet race, and all we want to do is win it,"
declared Misery. "This isn't a meet where we have to have points to
win."
But despite his confident announcement, there were many of the scholars
who scoffed at the thought that the boy who had so lately come to
Rivertown would be able to defeat the man who had twice won the race for
Springtown.
Realizing what was in their minds, several of the seniors skated about
among the Rivertown students.
"Don't sulk!" they exclaimed. "Show some life! We chose the two miles,
and it's up to you people to give some support to the boys who are going
to race! Don't act as though you thought we were beaten already. Come on
now, rip out a cheer!"
Under the lash of the words, the boys and girls of Rivertown let out
cheer after cheer, winding up the various school cries with the names of
the boys who were to represent it's honor.
Valiantly, Springtown came back, but not enough scholars had come down
the river to produce a volume as great as that of the home town, and
they finally abandoned their efforts to out-cheer their rivals.
The preliminaries having been arranged while the battle of voices was
being fought out, the student leaders had drawn a line on the ice from
one of the old landmarks which had been used on the river for the races
between the two schools for generations, while three or four others
started up the ice to stand the stakes at the finish line, which was
also indicated by long established posts.
As soon as the latter had taken their position, the contestants were
lined up.
Having lost the choice of distance, according to the traditions of the
races between the two schools, the task of starting the race fell to
Springtown, and Dick Wenzel, the captain of the baseball team, was
proclaimed the man to give the word.
Separating into groups which lined up, each about their representatives,
the scholars again gave vent to cheers, and when they finally subsided,
Wenzel warned the racers to be ready, then sent them away.
During the time that they were waiting, Paul and Jerry had posted Harry
as well as they could on the tricks of their opponents; and the three
boys had come to the conclusion that inasmuch as the race was to be for
two miles, it would be best to let the visitors set the pace.
The boys from the head of the river, however, quickly fell to the game
and slackened their speed.
"Wake up! Put some ginger into it. This isn't a walking match!" shouted
the boys and girls who were following the contestants, irrespective of
the schools to which they belonged.
During the first few hundred yards, Harry had sized up his opponents
closely, noting from the short strokes they took, that while they could
maintain a high rate of speed for a short distance, they were more than
likely to exhaust themselves before they could go the two miles; and
when he heard the taunts of his schoolmates, he decided to take a chance
of being outskated by the rivals of Rivertown.
All six of the boys were skating along leisurely, when of a sudden Harry
put on a burst of speed, shooting to the front; and before the others
had realized what had happened he had opened a space of fifty feet
between him and his competitors.
"After him! After him! Don't let him get too much of a lead on you,"
warned the Springtown students, dismayed to think anyone could make such
a gain on their representatives.
The glee of the Rivertown scholars was in proportion to the anxiety of
their rivals.
But though the representatives of Springtown responded to the demands of
their mates, Harry had a flying lead and, exert themselves as they
would, the boys from up the river could not gain on him.
His arms and feet swinging in perfect rhythm, Harry sped over the smooth
ice, the shouts of his schoolmates ringing in his ears.
"You've got a good lead, slow up!" shouted those of his mates who were
nearest to him, while others cautioned him to take it easy, in the fear
that he could not last the full distance. But the boy knew himself
better than they, and kept on at his top speed, unmindful of their
advice.
Hard behind him came a Springtown skater, but could not cut down his
lead appreciably.
Barely able to hold their own with the others, Paul and Jerry struggled
along, and as they saw that their chum had so great an advantage they
devoted their energies to coaching him.
"You've got them all puffing, and there's only a quarter more to go!
There isn't one of them who can spurt! Just take care of yourself and
don't fall!" they shouted from time to time.
As the cries reached his ears, Harry raised his head, looked for the
finish line, and to his delight saw it even nearer than he supposed.
The sight made him feel so happy that he determined to give a still
greater exhibition of his speed; and striking out as though he were
perfectly fresh, instead of having skated more than a mile and
three-quarters, he raced over the ice, opening farther and farther the
distance that separated him from his Springtown rivals.
His spurt had been greeted with gasps of surprise from his schoolmates,
and many were the shouts hurled at him to be careful lest he exhaust
himself and get beaten out at the finish. When they saw he was skating
strong and steadily, however, the Rivertown boys and girls gave vent to
the wildest glee, and howled and cheered, breaking their schools yells
with rhythmic chants of:
"Watson! Watson! Watson!"
[Illustration: "WATSON! WATSON! WATSON!"]