On Your Mark! A Story of College Life and Athletics

t for t

ing. Because of the fact that on Wednesday and Saturday afternoons the athletic field was required for the football contests it was necessary to hold the Fall Handicap Meeting on one of the other days of the week. This year it was on Friday, October 17th, and because the Erskine Colleg

away and the runway, enabling them to equal the Erskine record in two cases and break it in a third. It was Stearns, '04, the track-team captain and crack sprinter who, starting from scratch, had performed the latter feat. Until to-day the Erskine record for the 220-yards dash had been twenty-t

roy, '04, jogging over the line a good twenty yards ahead of the second man, and there was no reason to expect anything more exciting in the mile. Rindgely and Hooker were both on scratch and surely capable of beating out any of the ambitious freshmen, who, with a leavening of other class men, were sprinkled around the turn as far as the 200 yards. To be sure, Rindgely and Hooker might fight it out, but it wa

to do with his decision. At least it is safe to say that the mere fact of his being managing editor of the Erskine Purple was not accountable, for the Purple had a small but assiduous corps of report

many a student, seeking to ingratiate himself with the little Irishman, had had his head almost snapped off f

hem," he

rodigies for this event in

them may turn out fast, but I guess th

t by himself over there o

; he wanted more handicap, but I couldn't give it to him, n

gs aren't everything. Hello! you haven't given that little black-haired

ere!" crie

th the long legs was alone. He had been given a handicap of 120 yards, and was jogging back and forth across the track with the bottom of his drab dressing-gown flapping around his slender ankles. Ahead of him in the gathering twilight six other runners, in two groups, were fidgeting about in the cold. Across the field floated the command to get ready. He tossed his wrap aside, revealing a lithe figure of little above medium height with long legs in which the muscl

eshman's done for, I

Stearns followed the freshman runner with his gaze while he began the turn. Ker

ood; feet drag a g

hat he is. Look! he's trying to pass Long-legs. There he goes! Long-legs has sense, anyhow. Sophomore's taken the

sness of plenty of power in reserve. When the turn was begun they had gained slightly on the others near them and were about 120 yards behind the first bunch. The black-haired sophomore was still setting the pace when he crossed the mark again. Behind him at short intervals sped four others, and last in the group came the freshman with the long legs. The half-hundred spectators that remaine

m going back; better come along, Walt. You'll freeze here. If we're going to have this

his is going to end. There go Rindgely and Hooker now; watch 'em overhaul the bunc

'd better see this out; there's something i

rack-team captain, turning qu

autiously, "but the scratch-men aren't going to get

lace sped Hooker, an easy, confident smile on his face. On his heels was Rindgely. Then came the junior, Harris, and beside him, fighting for the pole, was a little plump senior. Behind this pair

Last lap!"

Harris?" shouted Stearns whe

shook h

en

s on Ware," sa

th mildly ironical injunctions to "move up head" or "cut across the field." Then all eyes were turned to the back-stretch, where the five leaders, survivors of a field of some fifteen, were racing along, dim whitish forms in the evening twilight. Hooker was sett

at means that Hooker's to sprint the last fifty yards or so a

shook h

e it's the long-legged chap. He

en the last lap was finished. Did you

ou speak to him now he'll jump down your throat. He

ainful pace for the finish of the mile," exclaime

said Clarke, decisi

was pulled back by Stearns. Clarke glared around in search of the cause of his ignominious performance, and saw him standing, a whole head above the crowd, a few paces away at the

an! Dig your spu

e mark. Stearns was shouting unintelligible things at his side and apparently trying to climb h

tride came an unknown, a youth with pale cheeks disked with crimson, a youth of medium height with lithe body and long legs that were working like parts of machinery. Back of him ran Hooker; beyond

an, it's all you

ile others applauded the unknown. And in a second it was all over, mile race and fall meeting. A white-clad form sped ac

form sped acr

ieked a small youth at Stearns's el

fellow that wo

e jubilant rep