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Updated: June 3, 2025
Yet the Trentville canoe crept steadily up, then led by a quarter length, a half length. It looked as though the Trentville crew would soon be a length ahead of the Gridley boys. Everyone of Dick's chums was desperate. So was Dick himself, but he kept as cool as possible. "Bring our prow up!" he called steadily. "No matter what happens, bring our prow up flush with Trentville!"
Right noble was the response, though flesh and blood could not stand this new and savage grilling for long. "Wake up, Trentville!" shouted Ted Pascal, when he saw the "Scalp-hunter" gaining. "Wake up! Let out all of your steam! Push!" Dick Prescott said no more. His straining gaze was now fixed on the finish line. Not one of his chums even glanced at the imaginary line.
"Wouldn't Dick and Dave and the rest of their crowd enjoy this lake if they were here with their canoe?" asked Laura Bentley. "Yes," agreed Belle Meade. "And very likely they'd win some more laurels for Gridley High School, too. Preston High School has a six-paddle canoe here now, and Trentville High School will send a canoe crew here in a few days.
Presently Ted Pascal passed the word quietly over the heads of his perspiring but confident crew. "Tighten up a little bit, now -a little bit at a time," was the message Pascal gave his followers. By the time that the home course had been half covered it was noted that the "Slip-over," as the Trentville craft was named, was creeping up fast on its rival. Dick, too, quickly became aware of this.
As the "Scalp-hunter" swung around the upper buoy and headed down the course she had a lead of a clean two lengths over the Trentville High School canoe. There was a larger crowd on the lake to-day and more steam and gasoline craft were out. As Dick & Co. shot down the line, still leading, steam and pneumatic whistles broke forth into a noisy din.
However, some hundreds of people who looked on were eager only to see the best crew win, as they had no ties binding them either to Gridley or to Trentville. But the unexpected had happened. In the first place, when the Trentville canoe and crew arrived at the lake Dick Prescott had insisted that Preston High School and Trentville High School race together first.
"If you can do that," proclaimed Hazelton ungrudgingly, "then you're a wonder, Dick." "We shall see," smiled the big chief. "And if we don't see straight," mumbled Reade, "then Preston will hand us such a wallop that we won't even have the nerve to take up a challenge from Trentville High School." For the rest of the morning Dick & Co. were much more thoughtful than usual.
All their thoughts, like all their glances, were on their paddles. "A final dash, now!" called Dick. "Slam up the pace for Gridley!" But Trentville was showing its boasted reserve steam. Close as they now were to the finish, Pascal had no thought of permitting defeat to come to his crew. No dinning of whistles was there now.
Thus he had opportunity to watch the Trentville work. Moreover, by delaying his own race against Trentville, Dick had had more time to train and drill his crew into form, both as to paddling and endurance. He had profited well by these opportunities. To-day, from the outset, he had handled his crew so that a slight lead over Trentville had been maintained.
We hope they will arrange for races with the Preston and Trentville High School Canoe Clubs." "I am most glad to meet your friends," said the manager, shaking hands with Dick and Dave. "Two of the Preston High School young men are stopping here in the house, and the others are over at the Lakeview House. I hope, Mr. Prescott, that we shall be able to have some fine high school races.
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