“Three to one that the record is broken!”
“Foah to one dat Jerry Upton wins dis race!” cried Blumpo Brown, waving a big college flag over his head. “Dat boy don’t know what it is to lose!”
“Dat’s all right, it’s Jerry Upton’s muscle dat’s talkin’, not me!” growled Blumpo.
Down the straight course came the single-shell oarsmen, each back bending to a long and powerful stroke.
The quarter stretch was past with Hosmer still in the lead.
Behind him came Pinkney and Jerry, side by side.
Then came the half stretch. The leaders still held the same positions.
It was true. Pinkney had increased his stroke and was crawling up slowly but surely to the leader.
“You dun got to win dat race, suah!” screamed Blumpo.
Jerry heard them, but paid no heed. He was rowing the race of the year—the race that would make his college chums shout with joy or look glum for the balance of the season.
And now the three-quarter mark was past. A quarter of a mile more and the race would be over.
“Pinkney leads! Hosmer has dropped away behind!”
And so the shouting went on. The end of the course was in sight. How the oarsmen were pulling! But now look at Jerry.
How like a flash his back bends! How powerful is that broad stroke! How quick his recovery!
In vain Pinkney tried to hold his lead. Jerry means to win and nothing can hold him back.
He fairly flies past Pinkney and comes in a winner by a length and a half. His friends go wild.
And the cheers echo and re-echo along the water and back to the distant hills.
“I told you he could do it,” he cries. “Da can’t beat our Jerry nohow!”
“That’s right, they can’t!” adds Harry. “Hurrah! hurrah! hurrah!”
Jerry leaves his shell, and is hoisted up upon the shoulders of his friends and marched around the town.
That night he is given a big reception by his fellow students. It is the happiest moment of his life.
And here we will leave him and Harry and Blumpo, and all of the rest, shouting as do our hero’s many friends:
“Hurrah for the Young Oarsman of Lakeview!”
In this .txt file, all words in italics are preceded and end with a _ tag while all words in mixed or small capital letters are displayed in all capital letters.
Misspelled words and printer errors have been corrected. The original spelling has been retained, except in case of obvious inconsistencies. Where differences occur, the majority occurence prevails, e.g. Dick Lanning to Dick Lenning, Islin to Islen, and Rockport to Rockpoint.