Bert Wilson, Marathon Winner

adly R

ng slowly." But every day saw its quota of work mapped out and performed, and before long his persistent effort began to tell. The little group of athletes un

al combination of brain and brawn. Nature had given him the material to work with and it depe

uld "take too much out of him." From fifteen miles he gradually increased the distance, until on one occasion he let

. The last few miles will be run on your nerve anyway, and I want you to save up every b

ut the carefully restricted diet, the cutting out of the many things his appetite craved and had been accustomed to, the hard and un

walking toward their rooms, "I don't see how you stand it, Bert. A slave i

l forget all this slavery, as you call it, if I can only flash past the line a winner. And even if I don'

nless you sprain an ankle or break a leg. The only question with the boys here is not

be compared with another. If it were simply a matter of padding around on a flat track, you could get at the time easily. But the roads, the hil

going at the rate of two hours and twenty-five minutes for t

ver cared much about records anyhow. It's men that I have to beat. Time is a thing you don't see or hear and you can't work up much enthusiasm over it. But when another fellow i

nt Dick ran up, w

Bert, "what's up? You look as t

t had a wire from Mr. Hollis that he's on his way

Bully," echoed Tom. "When

ng happens. Say we won't be g

ssed some of the happiest hours of their lives in the summer camp of which he was the ruling spirit. His help and advice had always been so sound and kind that they had come to look upon him almost as an older brother. While never indulging in the "familiarity that breeds contempt," and firm

ir plunder. They recalled the glorious outing that his thoughtfulness had planned for the orphaned youngsters of the county town. They heard again the crack of his pistol as he started

d saw the Red Scout slipping swiftly up the drive under the elms, Mr. Holli

and blood and not Bessemer steel," he lau

ere over, he came straight

o my lodge in the Adirondacks to get it ready for my family who expect to stay there this summer. I shan't be gone more than a week, and as your mid-term vacation starts to-morrow it won't interfere with your studies. It's a wild place there-no neighbors, no telephones, no anything that looks like civilization. The nearest

em from going? But after the first wi

know how strict he is about training. He may kick like the mischief

, and that autocrat prompt

he snapped. "I wonde

rt's disappointm

"till I think." And he

ine woods won't hurt you any. I've been thinking of letting up on you a bit so that you wouldn't go stale. Just at present you're right on edge and fit to run for a man's life. Go easy on the eats and do just enough training each day to keep in condition. I don't mind if you tak

back to his rooms with the good n

n," cried Tom. "Let's get our

eir traps and outing togs were thrown into the capacious ton

t seemed to recognize its driver and flew along like a thing alive. The roofs and towers of

demonstrated its speed, and under Bert's skilful handling it fairly ate up the miles that intervened between them and their journey's end. Of course they had to slow up a little when they passed through towns, but when the road stretched far ahead like a white ri

ered that awful moment when they had been caught on the tracks and onl

t bumped over the ties at the rate of a mile a minut

perspiration. Once it actually seemed to strike and throw me up in the air, and when I landed I almost jumped

bent over the wheel. Of course we knew that the engineer was working desperately to stop, but the question wa

Dick, patting the side of the car, "like tha

t knew the t

away at its u

e to 'put it over,' and after this I don't need to have any ra

the rainbow. A happier, more carefree group it would have been hard to find in all the broad spaces between the Atlantic and the Pacific. Had any one told them of the awful hazard, t

in one of the mountain buckboards that could bump its way along over spots and around stumps that might have wrecked a machine. So after arranging for the care of the auto, they shouldered their few bundles and set out on foot. It was an ideal day for walking

high mountain altitude and it was hard to realiz

u say to building a roaring camp fire right out here in the open? It'll be a reminder o

whole evening. Then while the flames crackled and mounted high in the air they threw themselves around it in all sorts of carele

rom pitch and toss to manslaughter." A plunge in a nearby stream whetted their appetites for the hearty breakfast that followed, and th

er the stones. Partridges drummed in the tangled thickets, chipmunks flitted like shadows across the mountain paths, squirrels chattered noisily in the branches. Everywhere wa

snapped the stem it slipped through his fingers and fell in the bushes beneath. He stooped over to pick it up. There was a whirring sound, a rattle that struck terror to their