West Side High School - Legenda Yearbook (Saginaw, MI)

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which grows blacker with each toast, to the man who has never been beaten. At length the time has arrived for Wandeman to reply and he rises to the occasion. Gentlemen he says, you do me an honor which I cannot re- pay. The occasion demands of me an explanation, the cause of which I thought was known. Two years ago when I was a Junior at Yale I became a con- testant in an automobile race. There was among the contestants, a sophomore, named Thomas Elberts. Gentlemen, Mr. Elberts was studying Mechanical Engineering ,and was a brilliant student. There was among the notable racers of the day, one named Jim Fowler, but Fowler, for some reason or other withdrew and lent his car to Mr. Elberts. Gentlemen, Mr. Elberts won that race, and won it fairly. That, gentlemen was the only time I have ever been beaten. Gentlemen, Mr. Elberts is entered for the twenty-five mile race tomorrow. He uses Mr. Fowler ' s new racing car, the Mer- cides. 3. A second scene in direct contrast to the preceding one deserves the attention of the reader. It is the picture of the sitting room in a quiet, modest, little home in the suburbs of the city; the homo of John Elberts. The room is decorated simply. The furniture and pictures are plain, but they are placed about the room with quiet taste. John Elberts is seated by the fireplace and as the red flames cast their wierd shadows upon his face we see the furrows on his brow, and his grey hair, but there is a kind look in the old man ' s eyes, a look of love and happiuess and pride, for he is thinking of his son. The mother is seated by the table. She has tried to sew. but al- ways as she starts to ply the luedle, she needs must stop, for there comes the thought of her son. But she is nervous tonight for tomor-

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r j THE RACE l. It is still early in the evening of the third day of July. A cool breeze is blowing in from the river, calming and soothing the hot and weary ' people in the city. It has been a day of festivity of car- nival, and of excessive pleasure, but tomorrow is to be the biggest Jay of all, the closing day of the State Fair. Tomorrow there will be a ball game — Philadelphia plays Chicago ; there will be the aeroplane flights and balloon ascensions ; and in the evening there will be fireworks ; but best of all, there will be automobile races on the Fairgrounds racetrack. The river is dotted with many moving green and red lights, the light of river steamers, of yachts, and of launches. Before us are the parks, plain by day, but brilliant at night, electricity has changed nature ' s simple garb to a scene of tawdry splendor and thousands of people view the scene with feelings quite different from the feeling and spirit of patriotism due to the occa- sion. Dinner is being served to a party of twelve young men. Tall, straight and muscular young men, they are, and celebrated person- ages in the world of wealth and fashion, too. The dinner is being served in one of the most beautiful man- sions in the city. The decoral ons in the rooms are sumptious, the pictures are beautiful. The young men are dressed in the height of fashion ; their behavior is elegant. The dinner is given in honor of a young millionaire sportsman, Hugh Wandeman, who is entered for the principal automobile race on the tomorrow. 2. One after another of the guests toast the man who has never been beaten , the hero of many a race, the young millionaire sports- man. But a frown has come upon the face of Wandeman, a frown

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low will bring a crisis in the placid life of her home. Tomorrow ' s events will decide whether or not her son can continue his college course. Tomorrow her son ' s life will be endangered, perhaps lost, but she must be brave for there is no other way. And the little mother resumes her sewing, only to be again interrupted by thots of her son. All huddle up in the big arm chair across the room is little Mary, and little Mary is silently weeping. She had pictured in her mind a great race track and an automobile race. There is a wreck and she sees her brother carried from the track. Then Mary weeps for fear. But again she pictures the end of the race. She sees her brother cross the line in the lead. She sees her brother the victor, and then little Mary weeps for joy. She sits all unnoticed in the big arm chair weeping for her brother. Presently the sounds of footsteps is heard and a young man en- ters the room. The cry of little Mary disturbs the thots of the father and mother, and the son is welcomed home. Well, father , he says, everything is ready for the morrow. Jim Fowler is ill and cannot race tomorrow and I am going to drive his car. It is such a splendid car mother, a Mercides racer. It runs just perfect. Thomas, my son, savs the father, we wish you success with all our hearts, but we wish there had been some other way for you to get the money for your last year in college. Yes , my boy, please do be careful pleads the mother. But Thomas is enthusiastic, he does not realize the danger, he is eager for the race. Father, says Thomas, Hugh Wandeman and the others are racing for honor, while I shall race for money. I have beaten Wandeman once, I must win again. It means five hundred dollars to me. 4. The afternoon of the fourth has come, and everywhere the peo- ple are going to the race track.