“A couple of fiddlesticks! It won’t cost them a cent. I’ll be glad to do it. We’ll talk it over this afternoon and I’ll make a sketch and you can show it to your friend. I’m only sorry I’m not doing it for you chaps.”
“Well, you will be, in a way,” replied Fudge very gravely. “You see, that pennant’s to go to the fellow making the most points in the Springdale meet, and it’s as good as mine right now!”
Two days later there was a new pianist at the moving picture theater, for Mr. Addicks was busy with level and pole on a piece of work that would occupy him at least a fortnight. And while there had been no promise of further employment, the surveyor was pretty certain that Mr. Brent meant to keep him at work for some time to come. In any case, he had made his start, and the false mustache reposed nowadays on the wall of his room surrounded by the penciled features of a villainous-looking individual whom he called “Edward Hurley, the Noted Train-Robber.” A card appeared in the Reporter announcing that Myron Addicks, Civil Engineer, was at the service of the public, and a neat black-and-gold sign was hung outside the entrance to the building. Later still Mr. Addicks rented the adjoining room and used it for an office and workshop. Gradually it assumed a most business-like appearance. A long table held fascinating drawing instruments and squares and protractors and strange black rubber triangles and curves and rolls of tracing cloth and printing-frames, to say nothing of paints and inks simply begging investigation! To Fudge that room was a never-failing source of delight, and, since he and Perry soon became fast friends with Mr. Addicks, he had frequent opportunities to test its pleasures. By summer both he and Perry had dedicated themselves to the profession of civil engineering and were doing remarkable things with compasses and ruling-pens and little black rubber squares. It was, I think, shortly after the close of school that Fudge commenced his ambitious task of mapping the City of Clearfield! But I am far ahead of my story.
The design for the Track Trophy was made, submitted and enthusiastically approved. The pennant itself was completed a week later and was placed on exhibition in a window of Cosgrove’s jewelry store. A placard neatly printed by Mr. Addicks reposed beside it and explained that it was to be awarded as a prize to that member of the Clearfield High School Track Team winning the greatest number of points at the annual meet with Springdale High School. It was really a very handsome trophy and Louise Brent and her aids had done themselves proud. The pennant was twenty-four inches in length and fourteen inches in height, of heavy purple silk. A wreath of green laurel leaves enclosed the letters “C. H. S.” in white. Purple satin ribbons held the pennant to a gilt staff, and altogether it formed a prize well worth striving for. And so most of the Track Team members thought.
Besides inciting the members of the team themselves to greater endeavors, the trophy aroused a new interest in and enthusiasm for track and field athletics throughout the school. Fellows who had never for an instant contemplated going out for the team were heard regretting the fact that they had allowed others to dissuade them and promising that next year they’d show something!
Meanwhile May hurried along with sunny skies—and some cloudy ones for variety—and the baseball players began to meet opponents worthy of their skill and the Track Team, imbued with a new enthusiasm, worked their hardest.
CHAPTER XXI
ON THE TRACK
By the middle of the month the Track Team comprised twenty members, several less than coach and captain had hoped for. By a good deal of intricate scheming those twenty were apportioned over the seven track and five field events so that in each Clearfield would be represented by not less than three wearers of the purple. In many cases a second was the best that Captain Felker dared hope for, in some cases a third would be all he expected. A number of the fellows were being coached in things they had never dreamed of undertaking. George Tupper, for instance, who had run fourth last spring in the 440-yards, had been prevailed on to drop that event and go in for the mile, since the four-forty was represented by three more promising performers and the mile run was left to Toll and Smith. In the same way, Thad Brimmer, whose specialty was the weights, was induced to make a third competitor in the high jump. Lanny White, who was entered for both dashes and the high hurdles, entered for the low hurdles also. Soper, a fair sprinter, developed remarkably as a broad-jumper.
Of course there were disappointments at first in what Arthur Beaton humorously called “intensive track athletics.” That is, several fellows selected for events that were new to them failed absolutely to show any ability and had to be switched to something else. Neither Coach Presser nor Captain Felker hoped to develop extraordinary talent in this way. What they desired to do was to be represented in each event by at least three contestants and so possibly gain here or there a point or two that would otherwise go to Springdale. When the final arrangement was completed there were four entries for the 100-yards dash, the 220-yards dash, the hammer-throw and the shot-put, and three for each of the other events on the program. Lanny White was to attempt more than any other member of the team, being down for four events, and several others were down for three. Naturally, Lanny did not expect to be placed in each of his races, but there was always the chance of crowding a Springdale fellow out in the trials. In the dashes Lanny was fairly certain of getting a first and a second, if not two firsts, and he hoped to get placed in the high hurdles. Perry Hull had attempted to show form as a broad-jumper, but after a week of it had convinced Skeet that that was not his forte. In the end he was slated for the sprints only.