On Your Mark! A Story of College Life and Athletics

He stopped at his room long enough to leave his books and get his mail-the Sunday letter fr

e way, and a suggestion of Indian summer in the air. If he hadn't been so busy with his letter he could have found

t a meeting in December. Meanwhile, his mother explained, the work had stopped, and so had the dividends, and she didn't like to consider what would happen if this source of income was shut off for all time. Allan tried to feel regretful over the matter, since his mother was clearly worried-more worried than she was

presented the household with a litter of three lovely kittens. Edith Cinnamon was the cat, Allan's particular pet, and the news of the interesting event remained in his mind after the reprehensible conduct of the Gold Beetle mine had departed from it. Mines stand merely for money

roup at the finish of the hurdles he saw Stearns, the track-team captain, Rindgely, several fellows whose faces he knew but whose names were unknown to him, and Billy Kernahan. He drew aside to let a file of runners by and then approached the group

feeling to-da

nks!" answ

ers of a mile after a while. You'd better get

ng introduced to the track-team captain. Stearns was rather under than above medium height, with small features and alert eyes of a steel-gray shade that contrasted oddly with his black hair. Below his white trunks his legs wer

aid, as he shook hands. "Glad

I'll be much help

made. By the way, do you know Mr. Long? And this is Mr. Monroe. And Mr. Mason. Keep

s one of a half-dozen men whom he had seen about college and as to whose identity he had been curious. Mason was the sort of fellow that attracts attention: tall, broad-shouldered, with shrewd, kindly eyes behind glasses and a firm mouth under a straight and sensitive nose. He looked very much t

ondition to-day and held the spikes firmly. Allan jogged up and down the stretch a few times, trying his muscles, which on Saturday had f

he latter. "Nic

o went on together to the turn. Ther

" he asked. "Let's go

rouching start until Hooker explained as they returned from a bri

it, you won't get it from a stand, you see. But if you use the crouch and get away quick, you have a pretty goo

report to Kernahan. The football men had taken possession of the gridiron by this time, L

ow, and never mind about your time. I'll attend to that for you. Take turn abo

and Rindgely in the rear. All three hugged the rim of the track and settled down into their pace. On the back-stretch they had to slow down once to avoid a group of football substitutes who were crossing the cinders, and once Rindgely was forced to leap ove

interruptions, and they neared the end of the second lap fresh

d. "Get up there, Larr

e-shouldered and somewhat uncouth figure at the edge of the track. Strange to say, the figure nodded its head at him and wav

n, Freshman! G

at he could remember them, and he was quite sure that he had never met the big chap who had yelled. But at the same time there had been something familiar about the fellow's voice-too familiar, thought Allan with a grudging s

he same class with the other two. Rindgely, in spite of all Allan could do, lengthened the space between them. Hooker, seeing that Allan was out of it, passed him fifty yards from the mark and strove to overhaul the l

at, Larry?" he asked, disgus

a bit," answered Rindgely, grinn

red the trainer, shortly.

th the others, but B

er?" he asked. "Pa

I couldn't st

a moment, looking across to where the second eleven was trying vainly to keep the varsity fro

. "Not that I'm any good at the mile, either," he ad

st you ever di

inutes forty-

inside of fo

rprise. "Oh, but I ran a hun

ying after too long a stride. You make that shorter by six inches and you'll cut off another second after a while. And to-morrow I'll show you what I mean about the stride. There's plenty of time

swered Allan, doubtfully,

'll have you in shape for that, and you can go in for the mile and the two miles.

make the team?" Al

e new men on till after t

lan, a trifle

n it now. You make the most of the fall training, Ware, and keep fit d

can't skate

ise of some sort this winter; don'

the field a big figure was ambling toward the gate, hands in pockets. Allan turned quickly t

hman named Bur

ered who he was,

he muttered, irritably, as he

m consults our