Reed gave no answer. In truth, his heart was pounding like mad. He did not dare venture a comment for fear his voice would quaver. This thing of demonstrating before a crowd he felt to be hostile; schoolmates waiting to ridicule, and in a sport he had attempted to master within a short, concentrated period, had all tended to affect Reed’s nerves. Thousands had watched the glider contest and he had not cared. But never had he wanted so much to make good ... to give these swell-headed Northerners a Southern spanking—where it hurt the worst—in their own sport.
“Each contestant gets three qualifying jumps,” announced Director Turner. “And three chances to better the marks of his opponents. If he fails he, of course, drops out. Are you ready, Reed Markham?”
“Yes, sir!” said Reed, and wondered in a flashing thought, what his father would say if he could see him now.
“Course clear!” came the shout from below and the small figure of an official, looking up, waved a green flag at him.
Conscious that every eye was on him, the fellow from down South prepared to take-off. He surveyed the incline up which he must shoot and calculated the breeze which was blowing, taking these factors into account as though he were about to leave the ground in a glider.
“Well, here goes!” he said, and caught his breath as he whizzed down the slide.
A white ribbon of snow passed him with almost express train speed; he saw a kaleidoscopic sea of faces, crazily distorted as he shot downward; heard the excited murmur of the crowd which broke into a wild “Ah!” as he crouched and took the air. Below him a rough horseshoe of humanity, blurred trees, houses, the river ... and down, down, down ... swooping low ready for the landing ... he was wavering, losing his balance ... something wasn’t quite right....
“A great take-off!” breathed champion Sam Hartley, following the Southerner’s flight. “But he’s going to crash!... Too bad!...”
Striking on one ski, Reed desperately tried to keep his feet but was catapulted instead, landing head first in a mound of snow and narrowly missing a rim of spectators. Willing hands reached for him and pulled him out, shaken and gasping.
“You all right?” asked the official who had waved him down.