CHAPTER XIX

THE RACES

The straightaway races came first. Corinne, in her cherry-colored sweater and black cap and black, short skirt, looked startlingly pretty.

And how she could skate--for a little way!

Between posts the Canadian senior carried off all honors--beating every other girl easily.

And she could do fancy "stunts" like a boy--whirling on one skate after a running start, cutting the double-eight, spinning like a top--oh, a whole lot of things that Nancy, or any other younger girl, had never attempted.

Yet when they lined up for the second race--one lap around the course--Nancy, who chanced to stand next to Corinne, knew that the captain of the West Side was breathing too heavily for a girl just entering a trial of speed.

"She's not going to win this time," thought Nancy, and looked down the line of contestants. Cora Rathmore was near the far end. "I hope _she_ won't be the lucky one," thought Nancy.

Nancy was scarcely ready at the start. She "got off" badly. But to her surprise she found herself keeping well up with the bigger girls. And she did not have to exert herself much, either.

Corinne began to laugh, and Nancy pa.s.sed her.

"Go on, Nancy, for the honor of our side!" gasped the Canadian. "I'm out of this race."

Spurred by her words Nancy "let out a link," as Jennie Bruce would have said. She found that there were other contestants that she could easily pa.s.s. When they turned the stake only Cora, Carrie Littlefield, Judy Craig, and one or two others were ahead.

To skate rapidly one should not use a "rolling" stroke; and Nancy saw that Carrie, the biggest girl ahead, was striking out too widely. She dashed from side to side of the course, taking up more than her just share, indeed, and covering more ice than was necessary.

Nancy took short, quick strokes. Her method was a bit jerky, perhaps, and lacked grace; but she was going straight down the stretch to the "home" stake, and before they had covered half the distance Nancy pa.s.sed Carrie, and then Judy Craig.

But there was Cora Rathmore, her oldtime roommate and enemy, right ahead. Cora seemed to deliberately block her way, for occasionally she threw a glance behind her, and changed her course as Nancy tried to slip by.

The race was not between Cora and Nancy. There were two older girls ahead and it would have been hardly possible, at this stage of the contest, for either of the freshmen to overtake the leaders.

But it was evident that the Rathmore girl did not intend to let Nancy pa.s.s her. Once again the latter tried to turn out; and then, seeing that Cora flung herself that way, Nancy struck into a wide curve that should have taken her completely around Cora.

But as Nancy struck her left skate upon the ice again, something clashed with it, checked her course abruptly and, if she had not flung herself sideways upon the ice, and slid, she might have wrenched her foot badly.

"Oh! oh!" shrieked Jennie. "Nancy's been thrown!"

But her friend picked herself up at once, and with a laugh skated on after the other contestants. One of the first-cla.s.s girls won.

"How did you come to fall?" demanded Jennie, with lively interest.

"Oh, it must have been a twig sticking up in the ice," declared Cora, before Nancy could reply. "You can't see them at night."

"Was that it, Nance?" demanded Jennie, suspiciously.

"It--it must have been," admitted Nancy. But in her heart of hearts Nancy knew that she had stumbled over the toe of Cora Rathmore's skate.

The girl had deliberately thrown her.

It made no difference in the result of the race. Nancy could not have won, she knew. But it warned her to look out for Cora Rathmore if she raced again with her.

Nancy rested after that, refusing to enter any of the minor contests until the long race--the _piece de resistance_ of the evening--was called.

This was the endurance test that Miss Etching was anxious to have go off well. The physical instructor of Pinewood Hall had an object in putting her girls against a two-mile skate. More than Jennie Bruce had noted the fact that many of the best skaters among the juniors and seniors lacked "wind."

It was hard for the instructor to watch all the girls closely enough to be sure that they dressed properly even in the gym work. She had warned them to dress loosely under their warm sweaters for the ice, too; for in skating every muscle in the body needs free play.

But certain girls, like Grace Montgomery among the freshmen, and the dressier girls of the older cla.s.ses, gabbled a deal more than was good for them about their "figures," and studied the fashion-plates too much.

But there were the warm dressing rooms in the boathouse for the girls to change in, and those who entered for the ten-lap race took advantage of these rooms to lay aside any garment that trammeled their movements.

They all realized that it was an endurance test.

Thirty-eight girls were called by Miss Etching to line up for the long race. Some of them, of course, didn't have a ghost of a show for honors in the trial of speed and endurance; but they wanted to show what they could do.

Jennie Bruce herself was one of the contestants; but, as she told Nancy, she didn't expect to go half the distance. Some of the seniors who were in earnest remarked that they didn't see the use in letting the "greenies" clutter up the ice. But Miss Etching had announced it as a free-for-all race and the big girls could not freeze out the contestants from the younger cla.s.ses.

Indeed, the cla.s.ses were each backing their own champions. The seniors were strongly for Corinne Pevay, who had recovered her breath and promised to bring home the prize. Carrie Littlefield was a favorite with the cla.s.s that would graduate the next June from Pinewood Hall, too.

The juniors had half a dozen girls who all believed they could bear off the palm. Judy Craig was being "rooted" for by the soph.o.m.ores. Of course, none of the three upper cla.s.ses believed that a freshman had a chance; but Grace Montgomery had reserved herself all the evening for this contest, and now her friends were noisily declaring that she could win "if she tried."

"She'd better try, then," observed Jennie, with a laugh. "And try mighty hard, too. Some of those big girls have raced before and they have trained several terms under Miss Etching."

"You're not loyal to the cla.s.s," declared Cora Rathmore, sharply.

"I should worry! I'd like to see a freshman win; but Grace hasn't a chance."

"She'll show you," cried Sally, Jennie's former roommate. "Grace Montgomery is a splendid skater. And you've never seen her really let herself out."

"Say! she 'lets herself out' every time she speaks," growled Jennie. "We all know what she is--bluff and bl.u.s.ter!"

"Is that so, Miss Smartie!" exclaimed Cora Rathmore, standing up for the girl she toadied to. "Let me tell you that Grace is the most popular girl in our cla.s.s. Wait till we have election for cla.s.s president."

"I'm waiting," remarked Jennie, calmly. "But what will _that_ have to do with Grace Montgomery?"

"You'll find out then how popular she is."

"I will, and so will she," chuckled Jennie, suddenly all a-smile.

"You don't believe she will have the most votes?"

"Not, unless she puts them all in herself," laughed Jennie. "Why! if Grace had a chance to be cla.s.s president I'd go into sackcloth and ashes during the rest of the year."

"You wait and see!" snapped Cora.

In her heart Jennie believed that the only girl among the freshmen entries who had the least chance to win the long race was Nancy. But she knew that this wasn't the time to begin "rooting" for her friend.

Indeed, the best way to do was to cheer for all the freshies entered until they showed--within the first few laps--what they could do. And to this method Jennie,--a leader among the younger girls,--clung.