Witch Winnie's Mystery, or The Old Oak Cabinet Part 23

"Darn the games," muttered Stacey, switching his bath-robe about savagely.

When we reached the piazza and Jim had been stretched on a bench, his eyes opened feebly. He recognized Adelaide fanning him and smiled.

"They are calling the mile run," said the trainer. "You entered for that, Mr. Fitz Simmons. They say you are sure of winning the race, and if you do you'll gain the cup for the school."

"Confound the race!" e.j.a.c.u.l.a.t.ed Stacey. "Do you suppose I am going to leave Jim in this condition?"

"I cannot ask it, my boy," said the Colonel. But Jim's forehead furrowed slightly, and he said very feebly: "Go, Stacey; don't--let the school--lose the cup."

"Go!" cried Adelaide. "He wishes it." And Stacey strode out to the track.

Milly told me afterward that she was greatly surprised, and not a little indignant, to see him take his place with the runners, who were mustering just in front of us.

"How's Armstrong?" Mr. Van Silver called to him.

Stacey came nearer. "Badly hurt, I'm afraid," he replied.

"Then I think it is very heartless in you to run," Milly exclaimed. It was the only thing she had said to him that day. He flushed violently.

"Jim begged me to do so," he said, "or else you may be sure that I would not be here."

The race was called, and Stacey threw himself into the "set," his chin protruding with bull-dog determination, but Milly's thoughtless remark had taken all of the spirit out of him. "He was the very last to get off," said the trainer. "He's running in awful bad form, too. Fifth from the front. What's he thinking of to let Harrison pa.s.s him?"

Around they came, and Stacey looked appealingly to Milly, but with nose turned in the air, she was waving the Morse colours, s.n.a.t.c.hed from a girl sitting near her, and applauding the Morse champion, Emerson.

The sight stung him. He would show her that he was a better runner than the boy she had selected as her favorite, and he put forth every energy, and gained rapidly.

"I told 'em," said the trainer oracularly, "that Fitz Simmons would wake up, and sprint further on. _He_ wasn't running this first lap. He ain't a-running now, he's just taking it easy, to show us some tall running toward the finish, when he'll have it all to himself."

The cadets evidently thought so too, and Stacey's own drum corps, who had brought out their drums on the top of a stage in expectation of this event, beat an encouraging charge as he came around for the second time.

Stacey smiled as he recognized the familiar:

Boom a tid-e-ra-da Boom a diddle dee, Boom a tid-e-ra-da Boom!

He turned for an instant, waved his hand to the boys, and then buckled down to his very best effort.

"It's one in a million If any civilian His figure and form can surpa.s.s,"

hummed Mr. Van Silver.

"How's that for the cup?" shouted b.u.t.tertub, who forgot personal animosities in the school triumph. He flapped his arms like a rooster about to crow, and yelled across to the drum corps, "Who's Fitz Simmons?"

It was a well-known school cry and the boys on the stage responded l.u.s.tily:

"First in peace, first in war; He'll be there again, he's been there before; _First in the hearts of his own drum corps_; That's Fitz Simmons!"

Stacey was leading--only a little way now to the finish. He said to himself, "Now's the time to sprint." How strange that his muscles would _not_ obey the command telegraphed to them by his brain. Strain every nerve as he did, he could not increase the pace. Emerson, the Morse flyer, shot by him with his magnificent stride, as fresh and unwearied in this final burst of speed as Milton's conception of a young archangel. Stacey staggered on, but the drum corps was suddenly silent, and there was no shout as he pa.s.sed the cadet contingent. They and he knew that the contest was now hopeless. He did not look up at Milly. He knew, without looking, that she was applauding his rival, who had won the race and was now being borne off the field on the shoulders of his rejoicing comrades, amidst their delirious cheers. Stacey finished the course, then stalked moodily a little distance and sat down upon the gra.s.s, with his forehead resting on his knees. His disappointment was very bitter. The Woodp.e.c.k.e.r, who had not run in this race, came up to Stacey with his bath-gown, which he threw thoughtfully about the exhausted runner.

"Played out, are you, Stacey?" he asked kindly. "Well, I don't wonder; you tired yourself out keeping up with Armstrong in the bicycle race.

You made staving good time then, but you'd ought to have saved yourself and put in the licks now, old chap. Never mind, we all know what your record has been."

"I don't care beans for my own record," groaned Stacey, "but I've lost the school the cup, and I can never look the fellows in the face again."

CHAPTER XIII.

POLO IS SHADOWED.

[Ill.u.s.tration]

Polo ran up and with her was her brother, and Mrs. Roseveldt left her seat on the stand, as soon as the mile run was decided, and joined us as we stood around Jim. She was a woman of kindly impulses in spite of her fondness for fas.h.i.+onable life.

"You must let me have the boy conveyed to my house," she said to Colonel Grey. "His father and mother are abroad, and you have no conveniences at the 'Barracks' for sickness."

"Oh, thank you, Mrs. Roseveldt," Adelaide murmured, "and will you let me come too and nurse him?"

"You had better not sacrifice your studies," Mrs. Roseveldt replied kindly. "We will have a trained nurse and you shall come and sit with him for a time every afternoon. The hospitalities of my house are just now taxed by company. I shall have to give Jim Milly's old room and put a cot in my dressing-room for the nurse."

"But my studies are of no consequence whatever in comparison with Jim,"

Adelaide pleaded; "and the cot in the dressing-room will do finely for me. Please let me be the nurse, Mrs. Roseveldt."

Mrs. Roseveldt, seeing how much in earnest Adelaide was, turned to the physician and asked, "Doctor, do you think that an untrained girl like Miss Adelaide, with all the good intentions in the world, is capable of nursing your patient?"

"Perfectly," the physician replied. "I am a.s.sured now that the boy will recover. The artery cut was an unimportant one, but the gash just missed the tibialis; he has had a very fortunate escape. All he needs now is rest, and careful attendance, to recuperate. I have no doubt that his sister's society would enliven and benefit him far more than that of a stranger."

"How shall I get him to my home?" Mrs. Roseveldt asked. "He is hardly able to ride on the coach."

"Some one must go to the station and telegraph for an ambulance," said the physician.

"I will undertake that service. I have a good horse here," volunteered Professor Waite, who had hurried to the pavilion as soon as he saw that Adelaide was in trouble. No one had noticed him up to this time, but Adelaide now accepted his offer very gratefully.

"Anything that I can do for you, Miss Armstrong----" Professor Waite replied; but Adelaide was not listening to him, and he left his remark unfinished.

"If we can do nothing further here," said Mrs. Roseveldt, "I will ask Mr. Van Silver to take us home at once. I would like to order some preparations for the reception of my little guest."

"If you please, Mrs. Roseveldt," said Adelaide. "I would rather wait for the ambulance and ride down with Jim."

"I will take charge of Miss Armstrong and her brother until the arrival of the ambulance," said Colonel Grey. And so Adelaide was left.

Mrs. Roseveldt collected her party and Mr. Van Silver gathered up the reins; but before we started Milly noticed that Miss Noakes was fanning Rosario Ricos, who had only partially recovered from her fainting fit, and that the poor woman looked dejected and puzzled. "Oh, Mr. Van Silver," said Milly, "won't you invite Rosario to take Adelaide's place?

She doesn't look able to go back in the cars."

"Anything you please, Miss Milly," Mr. Van Silver replied; and Milly was down from her seat in a moment, Miss Noakes accepting the offer most joyfully.

Stacey came up just as we were leaving. He made no attempt to speak to Milly, but asked Mrs. Roseveldt if he might call on Jim occasionally.