The conference between the judges did not last long and Greg got the decision.
"The freshman mile will come along later," announced Ben, through the megaphone. "The committee want to put in a freak race first."
The "freak" was a quarter mile, nearly go-as-you-please. In this race each contestant had on his left skate, but no skate on the right foot. The contestant who reached the finish line first won—-"even if he slides on his back," Ben announced, sagely.
Tom Reade hurried onto the ice as one of the entrants in this race. He had practiced it well, and won it easily, securing a silver medal. Greg's prize had been a gold medal, but over this fact Tom allowed himself to feel no envy or disappointment.
Several other events came along in quick succession. Everyone seemed to forget that the freshman mile had not yet been skated.
It was called last on the list. Just as the skaters were moving forward some one detected a figure hurrying down the slope over the snow.
"Here comes Dick Prescott!"
"Is he going into the race after all?"
A lively burst of cheers greeted the freshman as he reached the edge of the ice.
Dick looked as cheery and as rosy as ever. No onlooker could see that Prescott's late adventure had injured him in the least.