BEATING THE “STREAK O’ LIGHT”
The race Dan referred to was the actual trial of the big craft, and
those rigged with motors. The course was to Karnac Lake and return. If
the wind held light and fair it was anybody’s race; if it fell calm,
undoubtedly the motor iceboats would have an advantage. If the wind
increased to a gale there was no knowing who would be the successful
one.
Since the big snow nobody knew the course well. The river’s surface was
like a rolling plain—a prairie. There was known to be no open water; but
otherwise the course was uncertain.
There were five starters. Monroe Stevens would not race his _Redbird_,
nor did the _Curlew_ start. The Speedwells’, Barry Spink’s, Mr.
Darringford’s _Betty B._, an entry from Meadville, and one from
Barrington, made up the “card.”
It was a long course, and it called for very good handling to go
straight up the river, turn, and make the downward course in any sort of
time. The five boats drifted out of the cove under sail and got in some
sort of a line so that the referee could start them.
At once Spink’s mechanic started his engine; but the motors on the
_Betty B._ and on the Speedwell craft remained silent. The signal was
given and they all got off in some sort of time.
The Speedwells paid strict attention to their own work, and did not
watch their rivals. If one is going to race, the way to do so is to
attend strictly to one’s own business.
Dan and Billy knew that there was one bad obstacle—the Long Bridge.
Although the masts all cleared the under-timbers of the high structure,
the canvas was almost sure to lose the wind while going under.
Spink had gone at it just as he went at everything—with marvelous
confidence. With motor sputtering and his big sail, bellied full, he
shot ahead of the other four boats in the race and was quickly at the
Long Bridge.
Here he had to drop the sail, for it interfered with the _Streak o’
Light_ getting through. His motor coughed and the iceboat went ahead
jerkily enough.
Dan and Billy had taken a rather long shoot to windward; now the _Follow
Me_ came up to the bridge on the other tack, and Dan started the motor
just before his sail began to shake.
The momentum they had gathered carried the boat under the structure. At
once the sail filled on the upper side, and the _Follow Me_ proved her
name to be good. She led the five iceboats, and the crowd of spectators
that crowded the bridge cheered the Speedwell boys as their craft darted
up the river.
It was not until then that she began to really move.
The boys had sailed pretty fast in her before. But now the whole stretch
of the river lay before her. There was nothing in the way, and the wind
was fair. Under the pressure of both wind and claw-wheel under the main
beam, she hit only the high places, as Billy declared.
Dan tried to steer clear of the higher drifts; but sometimes she would
run up the long slope of a hummock and shoot right out into the air.
Those on shore could see the daylight between the runners of the _Follow
Me_ and the crust of ice.
At such times Dan was glad he had rigged his sprocket wheel so that he
could raise her. The motor raced, but the moment the runners connected
with the ice again, Dan drove the wheel down and the added impetus of
the whirling claws aided in the speed of the boat.
Billy hung to the end of the crossbeam and laughed back at the other
boats. He could afford to. Even Barry Spink’s wonderful craft was being
left behind. Before they passed the end of Island Number One, the
_Follow Me_ was a mile and more in the lead.
And the boys kept this lead for the entire distance to Karnac Lake. When
they turned the stake and started to beat back, the pace was more
moderate. But here was where Dan’s invention “made good.”
The wind was against them. To tack from side to side of the river as the
sailboats did was to lose precious time. They furled the sail, unstepped
the mast, and speeded up the engines of the _Follow Me_.
The machinery worked splendidly. Sometimes, when there was a catspaw of
good wind, one or another of the other contestants would get somewhere
near Dan and Billy; but the moment the wind shifted, or died down, the
motor iceboat scurried ahead.
They never saw Spink’s boat after passing her at Karnac Lake. Mr.
Darringford’s _Betty B._ clung to the _Follow Me_ for a long while; but
finally she fell back. The boys were far, far ahead when they came down
to the Long Bridge again.
In spite of the extreme cold, there was a goodly crowd to greet them.
The Academy boys and girls “rooted” loudly for the brothers and their
craft. The _Follow Me_ slid under the bridge and so down to the starting
point amid the plaudits of half of Riverdale and, as Billy said, “a good
sprinkling of the rest of the county.”
Mr. Darringford, when he came in, a poor second, wanted to make a
thorough examination of Dan’s invention, and the boys were glad to have
him do so. He at once advised Dan to cover his ingenious work with a
patent, and helped the boy do this at once.
“For people are bound to see and steal your idea,” said the gentleman,
convinced that young Speedwell was quite a genius in mechanics.
“Huh! they’ve done that already—but it didn’t help ’em much,” scoffed
Billy.
“You mean that Spink and his foreigner?” asked Mr. Darringford, with a
queer little smile.
“Yes. He stole those plans from Dan.”
Mr. Darringford looked at the older Speedwell and smiled again. “I guess
you saw what he did?” he said. “_I_ can see that he tried to steal your
idea; but he seems to have got it hind-end foremost—eh?”
“That’s what I noticed,” laughed Dan. “So I wasn’t much afraid of his
beating us out.”
The story of what Barry Spink had done, and how he had overreached
himself, leaked out, and the boys and girls of Riverdale fairly laughed
the fellow out of town. Barry never entered the Riverdale Academy; but
Bert Biggin did.
And Bert proved himself to be a pretty smart fellow, despite the
nickname of “Dummy” that had clung to him for so many years.
That winter on the Colasha may never be repeated; but while the ice
lasted, Dan and Billy, with their friends, managed to enjoy every hour
they could get upon the frozen surface of the stream.
And none of those who bore a part in the incident will forget how they
were lost in the great blizzard.
THE END
------------------------------------------------------------------------
THE SADDLE BOYS SERIES
By CAPTAIN JAMES CARSON
12mo. Illustrated. Price per volume, 50 cents, postpaid.
-------
All lads who love life in the open air and a good steed, will want to
peruse these books. Captain Carson knows his subject thoroughly, and his
stories are as pleasing as they are healthful and instructive.
[Illustration]
THE SADDLE BOYS OF THE ROCKIES
_or Lost on Thunder Mountain_
Telling how the lads started out to solve the mystery of a great noise
in the mountains—how they got lost—and of the things they discovered.
THE SADDLE BOYS IN THE GRAND CANYON
_or The Hermit of the Cave_
A weird and wonderful story of the Grand Canyon of the Colorado, told in
a most absorbing manner. The Saddle Boys are to the front in a manner to
please all young readers.
THE SADDLE BOYS ON THE PLAINS
_or After a Treasure of Gold_
In this story the scene is shifted to the great plains of the southwest
and then to the Mexican border. There is a stirring struggle for gold,
told as only Captain Carson can tell it.
THE SADDLE BOYS AT CIRCLE RANCH
_or In at the Grand Round-up_
Here we have lively times at the ranch, and likewise the particulars of
a grand round-up of cattle and encounters with wild animals and also
cattle thieves. A story that breathes the very air of the plains.
THE SADDLE BOYS ON MEXICAN TRAILS
_or In the Hands of the Enemy_
The scene is shifted in this volume to Mexico. The boys go on an
important errand, and are caught between the lines of the Mexican
soldiers. They are captured and for a while things look black for them;
but all ends happily.
---------------------------------------------------------
CUPPLES & LEON CO., Publishers, NEW YORK
------------------------------------------------------------------------
THE WEBSTER SERIES
By FRANK V. WEBSTER
---------------------------------------------------------
[Illustration]
Mr. WEBSTER’S style is very much like
that of the boys’ favorite author, the late
lamented Horatio Alger, Jr., but his tales
are thoroughly up-to-date.
Cloth. 12mo. Over 200 pages each. Illustrated.
Stamped in various colors.
Price per volume, 50 cents, postpaid.
Only A Farm Boy
_or The Hardy’s Rise in Life_
The Boy From The Ranch
_or Roy Bradner’s City Experiences_
The Young Treasure Hunter
_or Fred Stanley’s Trip to Alaska_
The Boy Pilot of the Lakes
_or Nat Morton’s Perils_
Tom The Telephone Boy
_or The Mystery of a Message_
Bob The Castaway
_or The Wreck of the Eagle_
The Newsboy Partners
_or Who Was Dick Box?_
Two Boy Gold Miners
_or Lost in the Mountains_
The Young Firemen of Lakeville
_or Herbert Dare’s Pluck_
The Boys of Bellwood School
_or Frank Jordan’s Triumph_
Jack the Runaway
_or On the Road with a Circus_
Bob Chester’s Grit
_or From Ranch to Riches_
Airship Andy
_or The Luck of a Brave Boy_
High School Rivals
_or Fred Markham’s Struggles_
Derry The Life Saver
_or The Heroes of the Coast_
Dick The Bank Boy
_or A Missing Fortune_
Ben Hardy’s Flying Machine
_or Making a Record for Himself_
Harry Watson’s High School Days
_or The Rivals of Rivertown_
Comrades of the Saddle
_or The Young Rough Riders of the Plains_
Tom Taylor at West Point
_or The Old Army Officer’s Secret_
The Boy Scouts of Lennox
_or Hiking Over Big Bear Mountain_
The Boys of the Wireless
_or a Stirring Rescue from the Deep_
Cowboy Dave
_or The Round-up at Rolling River_
Jack of the Pony Express
_or The Young Rider of the Mountain Trail_
The Boys of the Battleship
_or For the Honor of Uncle Sam_
---------------------------------------------------------
CUPPLES & LEON CO., Publishers, NEW YORK
------------------------------------------------------------------------
THE KHAKI BOYS SERIES
BY CAPT. GORDON BATES
_12mo. Cloth. Illustrated. Jacket in full color._
_Price per volume, 50 cents, postpaid._
_All who love the experiences and adventures
of our American boys, fighting for the
freedom of democracy in the world, will be
delighted with these vivid and true-to-life
stories of the camp and field in the great
war._
[Illustration]
THE KHAKI BOYS AT CAMP STERLING
_or Training for the Big Fight in France_
Two zealous young patriots volunteer and begin their military training.
On the train going to camp they meet two rookies with whom they become
chums. Together they get into a baffling camp mystery that develops into
an extraordinary spy-plot. They defeat the enemies of their country and
incidentally help one another to promotion both in friendship and
service.
THE KHAKI BOYS ON THE WAY
_or Doing Their Bit on Sea and Land_
Our soldier boys having completed their training at Camp Sterling are
transferred to a Southern cantonment from which they are finally sent
aboard a troop-ship for France. On the trip their ship is sunk by a
U-boat and their adventures are realistic descriptions of the tragedies
of the sea.
THE KHAKI BOYS AT THE FRONT
_or Shoulder to Shoulder in the Trenches_
The Khaki Boys reach France, and, after some intensive training in sound
of the battle front, are sent into the trenches. In the raids across
No-Man’s land, they have numerous tragic adventures that show what great
work is being performed by our soldiers. It shows what makes heroes.
_Send For Our Free Illustrated Catalogue._
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CUPPLES & LEON COMPANY, Publishers, New York
------------------------------------------------------------------------
THE SPEEDWELL BOYS
SERIES
BY ROY ROCKWOOD
Author of “The Dave Dashaway Series,” “Great Marvel Series,” etc.
12mo. Illustrated. Price per volume, 50 cents, postpaid.
--------------
All boys who love to be on the go will welcome the Speedwell boys. They
are clean cut and loyal lads.
[Illustration]
THE SPEEDWELL BOYS ON MOTOR CYCLES
_or The Mystery of a Great Conflagration_
The lads were poor, but they did a rich man a great service and he
presented them with their motor cycles. What a great fire led to is
exceedingly well told.
THE SPEEDWELL BOYS AND THEIR RACING AUTO
_or A Run for the Golden Cup_
A tale of automobiling and of intense rivalry on the road. There was an
endurance run and the boys entered the contest. On the run they rounded
up some men who were wanted by the law.
THE SPEEDWELL BOYS AND THEIR POWER LAUNCH
_or To the Rescue of the Castaways_
Here is an unusual story. There was a wreck, and the lads, in their
power launch, set out to the rescue. A vivid picture of a great storm
adds to the interest of the tale.
THE SPEEDWELL BOYS IN A SUBMARINE
_or The Lost Treasure of Rocky Cave_
An old sailor knows of a treasure lost under water because of a cliff
falling into the sea. The boys get a chance to go out in a submarine and
they make a hunt for the treasure.
THE SPEEDWELL BOYS AND THEIR ICE RACER
_or The Perils of a Great Blizzard_
The boys had an idea for a new sort of iceboat, to be run by combined
wind and motor power. How they built the craft, and what fine times they
had on board of it, is well related.
---------------------------------------------------------
CUPPLES & LEON CO., Publishers, NEW YORK
------------------------------------------------------------------------
THE RUTH FIELDING SERIES
BY ALICE B. EMERSON
_12mo. Illustrated. Price per volume, 50 cents, postpaid._
[Illustration]
Ruth Fielding was an orphan and
came to live with her miserly uncle. Her
adventures and travels make stories that
will hold the interest of every reader.
RUTH FIELDING OF THE RED MILL
_or Jasper Parloe’s Secret_
RUTH FIELDING AT BRIARWOOD HALL
_or Solving the Campus Mystery_
RUTH FIELDING AT SNOW CAMP
_or Lost in the Backwoods_
RUTH FIELDING AT LIGHTHOUSE POINT
_or Nita, the Girl Castaway_
RUTH FIELDING AT SILVER RANCH
_or Schoolgirls Among the Cowboys_
RUTH FIELDING ON CLIFF ISLAND
_or The Old Hunter’s Treasure Box_
RUTH FIELDING AT SUNRISE FARM
_or What Became of the Raby Orphans_
RUTH FIELDING AND THE GYPSIES
_or The Missing Pearl Necklace_
RUTH FIELDING IN MOVING PICTURES
_or Helping the Dormitory Fund_
RUTH FIELDING DOWN IN DIXIE
_or Great Days in the Land of Cotton_
RUTH FIELDING AT COLLEGE
_or The Missing Examination Papers_
RUTH FIELDING IN THE SADDLE
_or College Girls in the Land of Gold_
RUTH FIELDING IN THE RED CROSS (_New_)
_or Doing Her Bit for Uncle Sam_
RUTH FIELDING AT THE WAR FRONT (_New_)
_or The Hunt for a Lost Soldier_
_Send For Our Free Illustrated Catalogue._
---------------------------------------------------------
CUPPLES & LEON COMPANY, Publishers, New York
------------------------------------------------------------------------
THE MOTOR BOYS SERIES
BY CLARENCE YOUNG
_12mo. Illustrated. Price per volume, 75c, postpaid._
[Illustration]
The Motor Boys
_or Chums Through Thick and Thin_
The Motor Boys Overland
_or A Long Trip for Fun and Fortune_
The Motor Boys In Mexico
_or The Secret of The Buried City_
The Motor Boys Across the Plains
_or The Hermit of Lost Lake_
The Motor Boys Afloat
_or The Cruise of the Dartaway_
The Motor Boys on the Atlantic
_or The Mystery of the Lighthouse_
The Motor Boys In Strange Waters
_or Lost in a Floating Forest_
The Motor Boys on the Pacific
_or The Young Derelict Hunters_
The Motor Boys In the Clouds
_or A Trip for Fame and Fortune_
The Motor Boys Over the Rockies
_or A Mystery of the Air_
The Motor Boys Over the Ocean
_or A Marvelous Rescue in Mid-Air_
The Motor Boys on the Wing
_or Seeking the Airship Treasure_
The Motor Boys After a Fortune
_or The Hut on Snake Island_
The Motor Boys on the Border
_or Sixty Nuggets of Gold_
The Motor Boys Under the Sea
_or From Airship to Submarine_
The Motor Boys on Road and River
_or Racing to Save a Life_
THE MOTOR BOYS SECOND SERIES
BY CLARENCE YOUNG
Ned, Bob and Jerry at Boxwood Hall
_or The Motor Boys as Freshmen_
Ned, Bob and Jerry on a Ranch
_or The Motor Boys Among the Cowboys_
Ned, Bob and Jerry at College (_New_)
_or The Motor Boys and Their Rivals_
---------------------------------------------------------
CUPPLES & LEON COMPANY, Publishers, New York
------------------------------------------------------------------------
THE BASEBALL JOE SERIES
BY LESTER CHADWICK
_12mo. Illustrated. Price per volume, 75 cents, postpaid._
[Illustration]
BASEBALL JOE OF THE SILVER STARS
_or The Rivals of Riverside_
Joe is an everyday country boy who loves to play baseball and
particularly to pitch.
BASEBALL JOE ON THE SCHOOL NINE
_or Pitching for the Blue Banner_
Joe’s great ambition was to go to boarding school and play on the school
team.
BASEBALL JOE AT YALE
_or Pitching for the College Championship_
Joe goes to Yale University. In his second year he becomes a varsity
pitcher and pitches in several big games.
BASEBALL JOE IN THE CENTRAL LEAGUE
_or Making Good as a Professional Pitcher_
In this volume the scene of action is shifted from Yale college to a
baseball league of our central states.
BASEBALL JOE IN THE BIG LEAGUE
_or A Young Pitcher’s Hardest Struggles_
From the Central League Joe is drafted into the St. Louis Nationals. A
corking baseball story all fans will enjoy.
BASEBALL JOE ON THE GIANTS
_or Making Good as a Twirler in the Metropolis_
How Joe was traded to the Giants and became their mainstay in the box
makes an interesting baseball story.
BASEBALL JOE IN THE WORLD SERIES
_or Pitching for the Championship_
The rivalry was of course of the keenest, and what Joe did to win the
series is told in a manner to thrill the most jaded reader.
BASEBALL JOE AROUND THE WORLD (_New_)
_or Pitching on a Grand Tour_
The Giants and the All-Americans tour the world, playing in many foreign
countries.
_Send For Our Free Illustrated Catalogue._
---------------------------------------------------------
CUPPLES & LEON COMPANY, Publishers, New York
------------------------------------------------------------------------
THE CURLYTOPS SERIES
BY HOWARD R. GARIS
Author of the famous “Bedtime Animal Stories”
_12mo. Cloth. Beautifully Illustrated. Jacket in full color._
_Price per volume, 50 cents, net_
Splendid stories for the little girls and boys, told by one who is a
past master in the art of entertaining young people.
[Illustration]
THE CURLYTOPS AT CHERRY FARM
_or Vacation Days in the Country_
A tale of happy vacation days on a farm. The Curlytops have many
exciting adventures.
THE CURLYTOPS ON STAR ISLAND
_or Camping out with Grandpa_
The Curlytops were delighted when grandpa took them to camp on Star
Island. There they had great fun and also helped to solve a real
mystery.
THE CURLYTOPS SNOWED IN
_or Grand Fun with Skates and Sleds_
Winter was a jolly time for the Curlytops, with their skates and sleds,
but when later they were snowed in they found many new ways to enjoy
themselves.
THE CURLYTOPS AT UNCLE FRANK’S RANCH
_or Little Folks on Pony Back_
Out West on their uncle’s ranch they have a wonderful time among the
cowboys and on pony back.
_Send For Our Free Illustrated Catalogue._
---------------------------------------------------------
CUPPLES & LEON COMPANY, Publishers, New York
------------------------------------------------------------------------
THE PATSY CARROLL SERIES
BY GRACE GORDON
_12mo. Illustrated. Beautiful cloth binding, stamped in gold with_
_cover inlay and jacket in colors._
_Price Per Volume $1.25 Net._
_This fascinating series is permeated with the vibrant atmosphere of the
great outdoors. The vacations spent by Patsy Carroll and her chums, the
girl Wayfarers, in the north, east, south and west of the wonderland of
our country, comprise a succession of tales unsurpassed in plot and
action._
[Illustration]
PATSY CARROLL AT WILDERNESS LODGE
Patsy Carroll succeeds in coaxing her father to lease one of the
luxurious camps at Lake Placid, in the Adirondack Mountains, for the
summer. Once established at Wilderness Lodge, the Wayfarers, as they
have decided to call themselves, find they are the center of a mystery
which revolves about a missing will. How the girls solve the mystery
makes a splendid story.
PATSY CARROLL UNDER SOUTHERN SKIES (_New_)
Patsy Carroll and her three chums spend their Easter vacation in an old
mansion in Florida, where an exciting mystery develops, which is solved
by a very curious acrostic found by Patsy, and which leads to very
exciting and satisfactory results, making a capital story.
_Send For Our Free Illustrated Catalogue._
---------------------------------------------------------
CUPPLES & LEON COMPANY, Publishers, New York
------------------------------------------------------------------------
THE JANE ALLEN COLLEGE
SERIES
BY EDITH BANCROFT
_12mo. Illustrated. Beautiful cloth binding, stamped in gold with
cover inlay and jacket in colors._
_Price Per Volume $1.25 Net._
_This series is a decided departure from the stories usually written of
life in the modern college for young women. They contain a deep and
fascinating theme, which has to do with the inner struggle for growth.
An authoritative account of the life of the college girl as it is lived
to-day._
[Illustration]
JANE ALLEN OF THE SUB TEAM
When Jane Allen left her beautiful Western home in Montana, sorely
against her will, to go East, there to become a freshman at Wellington
College, she was sure that she could never learn to endure the
restrictions of college life. But she did and the account of Jane’s
first year at Wellington is well worth reading.
JANE ALLEN: RIGHT GUARD (_New_)
Jane Allen becomes a sophomore at Wellington College, but she has to
face a severe trial that requires all her courage and character. The
meaning of true soul-nobility is brought out in the development of the
trying experience. The result is a triumph for being faithful to an
ideal.
_Send For Our Free Illustrated Catalogue._
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CUPPLES & LEON COMPANY, Publishers, New York
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Transcriber’s Notes:
Italicized phrases are presented by surrounding the text with
_underscores_. Boldface phrases are presented by surrounding the
text with equal signs. Small capitals have been rendered in full
capitals.
Minor spelling, punctuation and typographic errors were corrected
silently, except as noted below.
On page 36, changed "Bromely" to "Bromley" to be consistent with
other instances of that name in the book.
On page 44, removed sentence break hyphenation from "star-lit",
based on usage frequency of "star-lit" and "starlit" during
1900-1920 period.
On page 102, "to" was inserted into the sentence, "“What’s happened
him now?” asked Dan."
In the ad pages, the publishers line at the bottom of each page has
been normalized with respect to the comma after the word
"Publishers".