Stadium High School - Tahoma Yearbook (Tacoma, WA)

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i T I-I E T A I-I O M A 9 insignia of the Canadian school. He knew Nan would be there to cheer for him. Suddenly he saw her, seated very near the slight wall which bounded the arena, and with her was Billy Knox-Knox that was to pass him! He watched them until he had attracted Billy's attention. Knox stared, looked away, then, excusing himself to Nan, he lifted his hat, leapt the rail, and came over to Bert. Nan had not seen him. Didn't know you for a second, remarked Billy gaily, as they shook hands. Then, without any preliminaries, he plunged straight into the thing Bert wished to avoid. I don't like this stunt, Bert, it looks crooked to me: but if itis for Jaxon'it's got to go. But the dog-gone part of the whole business is, I'll get all the glory and dope, and, great heavens! I'm only a second-rate pawn in the game. And Billy scowled. Aw, cut it out, you're getting sentimental, Billy, grinned' Grat- ton. But cheer up. You'l1 have to go some,'though. I don't intend to 'fluke until I show'em what I can do. And he sauntered off to the dressing rooms to get rid' of Billy, who in turn went over to the jaxon quarters in the opposite side. Bert had not seen Trent yet -and hoped not to. The fellows in the dressing rooms were in high spirits. They joked each other, lost their shoes, found them, then lost some one else's in their hurry. The hurdles were to be the second of the events. the sprint trials to be first. The other boys hustled out that they might miss nothing, leaving Bert with Brown, who had never been on time in his slow, deliberate life. But Bert liked him, and as he watched him carefully lacing his track shoes, he contrasted him with jerky little Trent with his small tight face and laconic speeches. Brown was straightening his sweater so that the maple leaf might be more i.n evidence, and smiling at Bert, said, Hard lines, Bert, running against your old school, but- All out for the hurdles -and Brown's condolences were cut short, to Bert's great relief. Together they hurried out and across the field to the Iaxon side for the line-up. The tension of weeks was relaxing, and Gratton became strangely excited. I-Ie set his teeth hard to keep them from chattering, and a nerve in his eyelid twitched unceasingly. As he knelt in line, some one remarked, Gratton means business 5-look at that face. Knox, who heard, did look at the keen prohle in line with him, and noted the set muscles and the pallor of the skin g' but he also saw that the' eyes looked not ahead but slightly to the left, and straight across the arena

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8 TI-IE TAHOMA authority had forced him after a year's rebellion, to follow the family into Canada. His father, he thought bitterlyjsat in a big sepulchre of a bank all day and had no respect for the foolish patriotism that kept his son at Iaxon, but I'll never win for Harmon-never, he determined. I These thoughts were disturbing enough, but there was Nan, too. He had said good-bye to her that morning, but she had not looked really sorry. She was like that-never let anyone know what she felt -always bantering. And yet Bert was very sure that she cared, perhaps not a little, and he had a hazy idea that this was not the last of their friendship. Indeed, Bert was a trifle confident, as best he- comes idols. . It was sort of decent, after all, to see the folks, and the gray old banker was pleased to see Bert. He had gone up to Harmon with a perfectly well-defined line of procedure. He would be rather scorn- iul, acquire no friends, and surprise them all with his hurdling, make the team, and go to the meet for Harmon. Then he would fluke, sacrifice honors and reputation in a splendid martyrdom, and only Trent would know, though all .Taxon might suspect the truth. As the first week passed, his scorn was wearing through, and he discovered that he was enjoying life against his sentimental will. The fellows were princes, and marvelled at his hurdling skill. n Two weeks before the great track meet the Harmon captain, a grave, slow-spoken fellow, announced that Bert would enter as the' only hurdler from Harmon. He accepted it gravely. You see, we're pretty sure of you, Grattonf' drawled Brown. Yes, Bert answered, but generous old Brown did not note the ironic inliection of the reply, and everything went on enthusiastically at the big Canadian school. The boys left for the States early in the morning the day of the meet. They were escorted from the train bv a delegation of Taxon students in automobiles. on which the Canadian red and gold pen- nants flapped side bv side with the Taxon blue and white. Gratton knew most of the fellows who had met them. and they were glad and surprised to see him. It will be funny to see old Bert hurdling for the Canucks, he overheard. and he smiled wrvly. A full half hour before the first events Bert, in his track suit. watched the familiar crowds fill in the old favorite places. He recog- nized manv, though few knew him. Thev onlv saw a striking fellow lounging against a pile of hurdles. watching themiwith interest over arms folded across his red and gold maple leaf on his sweater, the

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I0 THE. TAI-IOMA at Nan. And it seemed to Bert that she too looked back at him across railing, and Bert knew he must pass her. I A The shot, and they were off-allieven for the first hurdles, Knox and Gratton ahead and even, for the second, Gratton ahead for the third. The Canadians in the stand went crazy, the-hopes of three years materializing below them. The old exhiliration was upon Bert, and he ran for the sheer joy of it, but Knox could not keep up with him, and so he had to slacken impercetptibly. Billy felt it, and just as they neared the place where Nan stood, he passed Bert. The Jaxon pennants waved frantically and their yells now drowned out the minority of the Harmonites. Gratton glanced up at Nan, but she was looking at Billy with something in her eyes that he had never seen, and he distinctly heard her voice above all the howling-her voice unsteady with anxiety., Oh, Billy, Billy ! she cried. Instantly Bert's purpose changed. He saw things differently. His school love vanished like mist before the sun. Knox was a half dis- tance ahead of him--Knox whose pace was ridiculous, Whose record had never been penciled, and whom girls cheered-he, Bert Gratton. to lose all to him. It was idiocy. So he reasoned as he ran. Angry, jealous, outraged, he leapt ahead. Not because he honored the gold maple leaf over his heart, but that same spirit which had pushed him to sacrifice the honors due him for his school's sake, now rushed him on to wing to save something of himself-his own that was receding from him to nothingness. They were nearing the last hurdles, and with the dash of his old record he passed Knox, who, astonished, tried in vain to catch up. Five yards more, and the tape thrilled across Bert's outstretched hands and he had won. Iaxon had lost the hurdles for the first time. The Canadians were frantically delighted. He was pounded and hammered by enthusiasts. The other stragglers slunk off without a cheer. The race was played by two. Bert went to the shower room, wholly indifferent to the results of the other events. Huhl no wonder Billy was squeamishf' he mused, as he dressed. And cold and smileless, he came out again into the sunlight. Though he watched the broad jumpers with apparent interest, he still thought of Nan's words. But Trent-he had forgotten Trent until that instant. Xvhen the dragging afternoon was over and the crowd began to scatter, he started to followpthe Harmon men to their dressing rooms: