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Show THE SLOOP CTP. Ily Baldwin tears. It ws only two day before Uj, nay bead regatta, and up to 3 o'clock Thursday afternoon, tbe one rival to Iare Usrrlaon'a PlMtwlag, thai (rry 3n wanted to seChad not yet rwutrr-! ed at the Yacht club. Naturally tho buneh of fellows lounging loung-ing on th pier head Friday nvarelag and lailly criticising tbe regatta teat a It swung at anchor, burst Into Inur eeted comment aa a long allm boat alld paat them down the harbor and now! out before the heavy wind undsr 11 eanvas. "Hello! that's Tliotne'a boat noi". Isn't It?" eiclalmed Joe Seott, dropping from his aest on the rail and barrylag ever to tbe other aide of the pier, with the boya at bis heels. "Yes, therfe name. Conqueror, ihe must have coot" In lost nlgbt. I didn't know her at first; look at the big topsail he's got on her." "She's been made over for this race I tell you, It'll take hot work for even th Flretirlng to beat her now." "I wondtr what Imre'll say whea he hear that hi beloved rival I here" "Here come Dave now." "Whoop! Hello! Heart! the newt" roared the half doseti roles that had been disputing aa a white bat rssie lowly down the wharf. "What'a tbe row!" aaked the newcomer, new-comer, calmly taking a real on the rail bealdo Joe. "Anything fatal happened In the lait ten minute!" "Thome's here with a new set of sail on tbe Conqueror," blurted eat Joe, whu never could keep anything long. "Thornel" Interrupted Dare, a black look on hla good-natured face, "So ha' come after nil." "llaan't he, though; It will take your prettiest sailing to ahow him your alern." "If I decide to race htm," anawcred Hare, slowly watrhlng the boat as It dwindled oecnnward. "Nonsense. Iivlel" "The lies, old fellow." "RoodneM sakn, man, you wouldn't drop out for that," argued ev ery on nt once whllo Joe, who was Dave'a particular chum, and darnl anything, any-thing, added: 'Then you'll let Thorn take tha cup? Your two are th fastest fast-est boala In the class." Dave said nothing, but hi mootn narrowed In th long, thin line th boyi knew so well. I'ttr sine tha two had been eld enough to have boat, there had been a rivalry growing up between thrm. slowly changing their friendship to enmity, en-mity, and ending the year before In Recusation and open distrust. "I'd rather have hint Uko the cup than think I wanted It bad etouih to rare him for It," said Dave, shortly. "Oh, fudge, then he'll think yoa're afraid of him," laughed Joe, throwtsg l i over Dates shoulder. "Waal jnt lu do la to go In nnd heat him lias out of hie boots; take ltle more Ullast If It' too windy anf show htm the way home." "Maybe," answered th other, a faraway far-away look In hi quiet blue eyea. "I auppose It Is the only fair thing to do." ho said to himself a he walked home. "Iletlsr rare and have It over I only hope this wind will shift before tomorrow" tomor-row" And he glanced toward th northwest, whence a merry ails piped along. J r.ir with all her virtues the fleet-wing fleet-wing could not make time In a stiff brrese. She could brat anjthlig In a light eouthwester with lie at the helm, for mi man could sail a boat as craftily as he. HMney Thorns knew Daves skill and the Pleetwlng's powers. u, and he hoped a earnratly for "reoflog gale" aa Dav praved for a eaUpaw breere, with better lurk, unhappily for Dave. "I'm nfrald we're going to get more I of thla." said Joe Scott, anilosaljr, aa I he rtcxHl mi tbe Kleetwlng'e deck Satur-j Satur-j day morning and felt the im(y north wind that rolled the little aloop heavily In I lie trough of the waves. "It will be dirty work gelling round j the 'pudding stoue reef In this elssppy am." "If w can make the first leg on this breese, I'll have the wind U lnud m on the nut. and It's only n . tjort beat horns fron the second bno a'tswercd Pars, with a suit or uurtoiM quietness. "Hurry up there, Joe, I net, r saw you take ao long " "Here, belay that and ntnp your fussing," fuss-ing," retorli'd Joe. thniin down a rope. "You can't rare ttil rue alone; I beard Thome aaylna i ii (Ms wind would hold there was t.o hurry about starting. The hard look on Dave's face deepened deep-ened a be went oh with liN work. So I busy were Ihe two hoy In tulkliut that they did not hear their nam. a called by childish voices, nor ee a skiff that wm paddled past them by unaktlifnt Utile bands. 'Thome lan't going to hare an easy time taking care of that topri f hla," remarked Joe looking up front the halyard hal-yard he waa hauling In "Bay, Joe, let Thome take OS re of himself: we've got all i - do to manage right here: Just mo torrtrd and keep her off the pier, will you!" aoawsred Dave In a ton tint awdebl matt lift hi eyebrow and wklctU 4-Iintly. 4-Iintly. "Funny how mad fighting will roako a mas." he aald to hlmaelf, as Dave snapped out ordera to the boyg a they tumbled on board from the plf where they had been waiting Dav was In a lighting mood, lie felt his boat tugging to get awny. and he saw ths Conqueror willing along behind blm as Thorn tried to gat windward wind-ward at the starting ltni "Joe," be ordireri quickly, "I'm going to gybe "n the windward of Thorna; bo ready i the sheet You Mlow ballast I tow. All ready. It tolng to be I soiling all ths wa," he said to 1 !, a one after another the boat slid over the tine. Conqueror and rieet wing aide by eld. Closer tailing than he thought even. In spite ot the Ileetwlng'a promising urt and the master hand on her wheel, the lee rail sank under water and the white sails, swelling like a swan's breaat, (trained In rain to keep ahead of the black-bulled boat that wa using all the wind lu sails could find. Joe looked st the long ripple of water wa-ter swirling continuously over the rsll and shook hla head. "It'a not our fault, Davie, we can't run agalnat the weather weath-er old fellow," he aald. gently, know. log hi captain' thought. They were all silent- ss the bigger boat tor along bmld then, the m snoring heavily under her prow like the deep laugh of a sea creature It would mean ao much to win that race. Doth boya felt that more depended on It thuu they had thought whoever won tbe cup won something else with It. And somehow Dave couldn't help feeling feel-ing that Thorns would do anything rather than be defeated. "Just see It he doesn't tlo something queer before thla la over." be thought, aa they swept on over the rolling, windy eoa. "Just wait, though, until I get around that drat buoy with the wind behind me I've a chance yet, and It'a changing to the east already." I'oor Dave, not a great chance. liven after they bad atarted on that long second sec-ond leg, where he had trusted to do so muih, luck was agalnat blm. The northeast wind wna na fierce ns ever, and still the Conqueror Ruined, Dave would not look nt her. He stared fiercely fierce-ly at tho great curving sails above him, swollen nnd stiff with wind, the mail creaking nnd atralnlng aa tho little re set staggered bravely on tinder her heavy load Dave's nails wero white with the grip of hi hand on the wheel. And the Conqueror's tiller never wavered In Thome's bard grasp. Ills eye on the luff of tho sail, his breath coming short and hard, every thought hurled forward with hla flying boat, he was making up for tho failure ot last year he would win title time beyond doubt or dlabellef. Already the tide In the "pudding stones" was shouting victory vic-tory In his ears. He laughed to It, nnd a rolre came crying back. Thorna looked around. Ho wondered It any of the othei toys had heard It. The wind bad reered Into the east and waa piling up the waea so that the "crew" who lay for ballast along the starboard rail caught n glimpse now and then of tho I'leetwlng staggering on behind. They saw and heard nothing noth-ing els. Again that faint call came lo Thorne like the olce hi tho ripple of water He bent and looked tinder the boom Something wo dancing toward the fatal fa-tal current round the "pudding stone " Dancing Uko a thoughtless child. A wavo lifted It nearer It was a skiff and a bit ot white stuff fluttered from A TAINT CHY CMi: TO TIIOIINK tbe bow Well, many boate came out to sea. why should Thorne notice this. Ye, many hoata eaine but not so far not klff-not with sttmethlng while flying from th prow In terrified signal of dlatrese aurely not with frightened erlM for help for "mamma" and "papa." "pa-pa." Hut why should Thorno stop to tilp. Dave was close behind him, so dose that If he changed hut course naw enough to rescue the little (ilfT, he would lie too late by the time he bad some book and rounded the "pudding stone" buoy on the starboard aid. Dave would have passed mm. A wae tossed the little craft on Us crest another, and another, each war nearer to th whirl of natr over th rocks. Thorn could see tbe splndl ou th erag standing Ilk a warning finger. It waa time to tack out around It and start on th last leg home. Again come that frightened sobbing cry. o hopeless and so lost Thorne looked at hie crew. "I say. Thorn, the Kleetwlng seems to be gaining," called little llarley. "We can't tie losing now, eh!" Thome' hand trembled on tbe wheel. The rudder ewayed. Slowly the shadow shad-ow of lb sail swung round over lu captain. With a cry of amasmnt tbe boya Buug thmslve Into th lockplt. "What on earth, Thorne; there's lbs butty on th port hand " Thorne nodded to the drifting boat, already circling In the edge ot th whirlpool, "(let the boat hook, llarley, quick. Mas her off. Hob; thre ahe oomes, now then, that' It. There' no hurry. Ilar-ly, Ilar-ly, we can't win. Thank fiod. we saw them lit time." "Never mind. then, they'll And out who's won," h addad. quietly, a a long faint about from th banted Kleetwlng Kleet-wlng warned them that their course wa eeu. Tor Jo aed th sheet to go about be saw the Conqueror headed home, but with th pudding stoue eplndle on tho wrong aide, and he aald In a puuled way: "Do look at Thorne, will you; 10 1 be Inside tbe mark!" "By Jove, ao bs Is," shoutsd Jo angrily. an-grily. "Call blm, boys, let him know we've seen him cheating." "Neter mind, never mind," orled Dave, "wait until w gt home, the cheat. We'll settle with blm then." Dave' heart swUd a h saw the hat-ed hat-ed black hull It but cves taut, ripping rip-ping through Ihe rough sua aa though It cared not n stroke for honor. "Coward "Cow-ard I" groaned Dare. What a long hour that was. "nut the rare I mine," said Dave. "Mine, mine, mine!" He repeated It over and over aa be heard the far-off clamor of whlattes and bells snd horns when the Conqueror crossed the line. The angry blood flooded hi eheeka and a hook hi voice a he touched the pier. For even hi fathtr and mother were there holding Thorne'a hnnda and laughing ecalatlrally. And hi two little lit-tle slaters all wt and tumbled laughing In hi mother' arm. Dave could hardly wait to touch the dock, but sprang nsbore. " Father, mother, do you know what he did " "Oh, Dove, did you ee It. too; how can we ever thank him. If It had not been for him. If he had not been there Just at that moment. Dick says thnt he and Mary would have been drowned Ob. I can't think of It. such a narrow escape And Mr. Thorne lot the rac. too. It wa too lte to go hack then." A Dare understood he held out his hand. "Vou'ie won the cup." he said, ewlftly. "Thorne. I'm mighty glad, old fellow" i "Not I." laughed Thorne; "It'a your. of course." So that la why there are two name on tho sloop eitp. Instead ot one, and why It stands on the w"tcl In the club house: It's proudest trophy. |
