e shore pandemonium reigned.
Shouts, yells, shrieks, bellows; entreaty, command; a vocal jumble that
no one even heard! For below there on the flashing river the two boats
were crossing the finish line, Hammond a half length to the good! Down
went the white signal flag.

"Let her run!" cried the Hammond coxswain.

Past the judge's boat floated the shells, victor and vanquished, while
on the shore and in the watching craft spectators drew long breaths and
turned homeward. In the Ferry Hill boat only Horace Burlen sat erect.
Whitcomb was leaning weakly on his oar, Gallup's head was in his hands
and Hadden was huddled limply while Maddox splashed water upon him.
Hammond was paddling slowly around in a circle, coming back. Abreast
of their defeated rivals they rested on their oars and cheered for Ferry
Hill. And Ferry Hill cheered weakly for Hammond. And the boat-race was a
thing of the past.

[Illustration: "Ten hard ones made a difference"]

"Another fifty yards and we'd have had them," said Chub disappointedly.

"Surely," answered Roy. "But we certainly rowed the pluckiest kind of a
race. Look at the way we overhauled them there at the last!"

"Fine!" said Thurlow.

"Swell!" said Sid.

And in this way they found surcease for their disappointment; which was
as it should have been. A race well rowed and won is something to be
proud of; a race well rowed and lost may be quite as creditable. Pluck
and sportsmanship is always the criterion, not merely victory. Many a
time has a defeated crew or eleven taken off the first honors. Ferry
Hill's game finish to a heart-breaking race--rowed, as the timers'
watches proved, twelve seconds under record time for the course--more
than atoned for her defeat.

"After all," said Thurlow, "it wasn't that our crew was poorer than we
thought it was, but that Hammond's was a blamed sight better. Why, we
must have finished six or seven seconds under the record!"

"Sure," answered Chub more cheerfully. "It was a dandy crew and Horace
deserved to win. If the fellows know their business they'll re-elect him
for next year. I don't like the chap a bit, but he certainly did row a
fine race!"

"That's right," responded the rest as they climbed the hill back to
school. And by the time the campus was reached they were all smiling as
though victory instead of defeat had fallen to their lot. All save Chub.
Chub was very unhappy, but not over the race.

"Lots of good you did," he said to Roy