“Harry? Yes, he’s in it, but I guess he isn’t very fast yet. I ran myself last year, but I didn’t finish; had a cramp. This year I went in for football instead. Guess I’d better have stayed with the Cross-Country Team; a cramp is better than a sprained knee.”
“If Pennimore doesn’t get the captaincy, who will?” asked Kendall.
“Holder, probably. He and Gerald are about the only Second Class fellows who have had any experience. Someone’s coming now, I guess. Climb up, Tooker, and take a squint.”
“Two of them,” announced Ned, “about a quarter of a mile up the road.”
Kendall sprang onto the seat beside him, and eventually Arthur too, forgetting his knee, got to his feet. Far up the road two figures in white shirts and trunks were trotting doggedly toward the finish. They appeared to be quite close together, but who they were was still uncertain. Finally the sunlight gleamed on a blue ribbon across the breast of the leader and the Yardley contingent sent up a shout of delight. Nearer and nearer they came, while three other runners appeared in sight in the distance. Finally,
“That’s Gerald!” exclaimed Arthur with relief. “And that’s Goodyear just behind him. First two for us! Whoopee!”
It was a gallant race to the line, but the younger boy had enough left in him to spurt just before the finish and win from his captain by a good ten or twelve yards. The two runners were surrounded by their shouting friends, and in a minute Gerald, weary but happy, was climbing into the car.
Crossett, of Broadwood, won third place from Hiltz and Sherwood, of Yardley, and then no more runners finished for several minutes. Finally two tired Broadwood youths trailed in, and Holder and Merrow fought for eighth place. Holder won, but young Merrow had run a plucky race and received such a hearty salvo of applause that he got embarrassed and quickly dodged into the crowd. A few minutes later Yardley’s eighth man had finished and the score was known. It was a decisive victory for the Blue, 51 to 85, and Yardley set off for home, passing the last stragglers on the way, two Yardley and six Broadwood fellows. Gerald and Arthur sat on the front seat of the car going back, with Ned, Kendall, Harry Merrow and Goodyear behind. On the way up the hill Arthur leaned over and whispered in Gerald’s ear:
“How does it sound, Gerald?”