The Putnam Hall Rivals

“Keep it up – don’t give in yet!” cried Roy Bock. “We’re almost done! Pull!”

Grimes tried to do so, and so did another fellow named Passmore. But they were “all in,” as it is called, and could not add an ounce of strength to their stroke. Roy Bock was also almost gone, and for the instant the stroke was broken.

It was a chance that Dale had been looking for, and he was quick to take advantage of it. He called on his crew in a sharp way that caused them to brace up, and the stroke was increased wonderfully. Up crawled the Putnam Hall crew, until the other boat was but a quarter of a length ahead.

“Now, boys, now, and the race is ours!” sang out Dale, and they gave a spurt. The line was about a hundred and fifty feet away, and over this they shot – the winners by a length and an eighth!

CHAPTER XV

TARGET PRACTICE

“Hurrah! Putnam Hall wins the race!”

“That was a dandy, wasn’t it?”

“Our boys rowed for all they were worth!”

Yells and cheers rent the air and there was a tooting of horns and whistles.

It was certainly a great victory for Putnam Hall, and Captain Putnam and George Strong were correspondingly proud. As usual Josiah Crabtree kept in the background, for he thought all such contests foolish.

“I congratulate you,” the captain said to Dale and the others. “You deserve a great deal of credit.”

“You won because you kept at it to the end,” said George Strong.

Dan Baxter and his cronies were not happy. The victory of our friends seemed to make their defeat worse.

“I suppose they’ll crow over us for keeps now,” said Coulter.

“Oh, these races don’t amount to much anyway,” put in Reff Ritter, with a yawn.

“If they crow over me I’ll shut ’em up,” said Dan Baxter, savagely.

That evening the cadets of Putnam Hall held a celebration on the campus, and Jack, Pepper, and their chums were in high spirits. Baxter and his crowd did not show themselves.

“Poor Baxter!” said Andy. “He must feel sore all over – after the way he blowed.”

“Maybe it will teach him a lesson not to do so much blowing in the future,” came from Stuffer.

A campus fire had been lit, and around this the boys danced and sang songs. The barrels were piled high, so that the illumination could be seen a long distance.

“I wish the Fords had been here to see the race,” said Pepper.

“And our folks,” returned Jack. “We’ll have to send a full account in the next letters we write.”

“Harry Blossom took some photos,” said Stuffer. “He said he would let us each have one.”

“Good for the first lieutenant of Company A!” cried Jack.

“Hullo, here comes Peleg Snuggers!” cried Andy. “Now for some fun.”

The cue was quickly taken up by the others, and in a trice the general-utility man was surrounded.

“Come, Peleg, we want you to make a speech!” cried Pepper.

“Don’t know nuthin’ about makin’ speeches,” grumbled the man.

“Oh, yes, you do,” put in Andy. “Come now, that’s a good man. Get upon the box!”

“Put him on this barrel!” said Stuffer, with a wink at his friends.

In a twinkling Peleg Snuggers was lifted up.

“Hi! hi! let me go!” he roared. “I don’t want to stand on no barrel.”

“It will be good for your health, Peleg,” said another cadet.

“Up he goes!”

The general-utility man was placed on the barrel, which stood on a box. The outfit was a decidedly shaky one, and poor Peleg trembled from head to foot.

“I’m a-goin’ over!” he groaned. “I know I’m a-goin’ over!”

“Steady, old boy!” sang out a cadet. “Think you’re in a circus, doing the great balancing act?”

“I ain’t no circus actur, I ain’t!”

“Now for the speech,” said Pepper. “I’ll begin it for you. Friends, debtors, and fellow-countrymen: On this sad and joyous occasion, it makes us smile in tears to see so many ugly but handsome faces looking towards and away from us. There you are. Now go ahead, proceed, start, and begin.”

“I can’t make no speech, I tell you!” roared the general-utility man.

“Oh, Peleg, you make me cry!” said Andy. “Please go on, that’s a dear good fellow!”

“Go ahead and we’ll present you with a bunch of rhubarb blossoms,” said Stuffer.

“An’ measure yer head fer a golden crown, so we will!” added Emerald.

“If he can’t talk we’ll have to warm him up!” said another student, and waved a torch towards Snuggers.

This was a signal for all the boys to get torches, and soon they formed a circle around the barrel, each with a torch extended towards poor Peleg.

“Don’t you burn me!” shrieked the unfortunate utility man.

“Speech! speech!” was the cry, and the boys came a little closer with their torches.

“I don’t know what to say!”

“Speech! speech!” And the boys came still closer.