Chapter: THE RACE


The Cordyce Steel Mills stood a little aside from the city of
Greenfield, as if they were a little too good to associate with common
factories. James Henry Cordyce sat in a huge leather chair in his
private office. He was a man nearly sixty years of age whose dark brown
hair was still untouched by gray. He had rather hard lines around his
mouth, but softer ones around his eyes. Printed on the ground-glass top
of his door were these words in black and gold:

    J. H. CORDYCE--President
           _Private_

Once a year J. H. Cordyce allowed himself a holiday. If he had a
weakness, it was for healthy boys--boys running without their hats, boys
jumping, boys throwing rings, boys swimming, boys vaulting with a long
pole. And in company with three other extremely rich men he arranged,
once a year, a Field Day for the town of Intervale. The men attended it
in person, and supplied all the money. This was Field Day.

All through the spring and early summer months, boys were in training
for miles around, getting ready for Intervale's Field Day. And not only
boys, but men also, old and young, and girls of all ages into the
bargain. Prizes were offered for tennis, baseball, rowing, swimming,
running, and every imaginable type of athletic feat. But usually the
interest of the day centered on a free-for-all race of one mile, which
everyone enjoyed, and a great many people entered. A prize of
twenty-five dollars was offered to the winner of this race, and also a
silver trophy cup with little wings on its handles. Sometimes this cup
was won by a middle-aged man, sometimes by a girl, and sometimes by a
trained athlete. Mr. Cordyce smiled about his eyes as he closed his
desk, ordered his limousine, and went out and locked the door of his
office. The mill had been closed down for the day. Everyone attended
Field Day.

Henry was washing the concrete drives at Dr. McAllister's at this
moment. He heard the doctor call to him from the road, so he promptly
turned off the hose and ran out to see what was wanted.

"Hop in," commanded the doctor, not stopping his engine. "You ought to
go to see the stunts at the athletic meet. It's Field Day."

Henry did not wish to delay the doctor, so he "hopped in."

"Can't go myself," said Dr. McAllister. "I'll just drop you at the
grounds. There's no charge for admittance. You just watch all the events
and report to me who wins."

Henry tried to explain to his friend that he ought to be working, but
there was actually no time. And when he found himself seated on the
bleachers and the stunts began, he forgot everything in the world except
the exciting events before his eyes.

Henry had no pencil, but he had an excellent memory. He repeated over
and over, the name of each winner as it appeared on the huge signboard.

It was nearly eleven o'clock when the free-for-all running race was
announced.

"What do they mean--free-for-all?" asked Henry of a small boy at his
side.

"Why, just anybody," explained the boy, curiously. "Didn't you ever see
one? Didn't you see the one last year?"

"No," said Henry.

The boy laughed. "That was a funny one," he said. "There was a college
runner in it, and a couple of fat men, and some girls--lots of people.
And the little colored boy over there won it. You just ought to have
seen that boy run! He went so fast you couldn't see his legs. Beat the
college runner, you know."

Henry gazed at the winner of last year's race. He was smaller than
Henry, but apparently older. In a few minutes Henry had quietly left his
place on the bleachers. When the boy turned to speak to him again, he
was gone.

He had gone, in fact, to the dressing room, where boys of all sizes were
putting on sandals and running trunks.

A man stepped up to him quickly.

"Want to enter?" he asked. "No time to waste."

"Yes," replied Henry.

The man tossed him a pair of white shoes and some blue trunks. He liked
the look of Henry's face as he paused to ask in an undertone, "Where did
you train?"

"Never trained," replied Henry.

"I suppose you know these fellows have been training all the year?"
observed the man. "You don't expect to win?"

"Oh, no!" replied Henry, apparently shocked at the idea. "But it's lots
of fun to run, you know." He was dressed and ready by this time. How
light he felt! He felt as if he could almost fly. Presently the
contestants were all marshalled out to the running track. Henry was
Number 4.

Now, Henry had never been trained to run, but the boy possessed an
unusual quantity of common sense. "It's a mile race," he thought to
himself, "and it's the second half mile that counts." So it happened
that this was the main thought in his mind when the starter's gong
sounded and the racers shot away down the track. In almost no time,
Henry was far behind the first half of the runners. But strangely
enough, he did not seem to mind this greatly.

"It's fun to run, anyhow," he thought.

It was fun, certainly. He felt as if his limbs were strung together on
springs. He ran easily, without effort, each step bounding into the next
like an elastic.

After a few minutes of this, Henry had a new thought.

"Now you've tried how _easy_ you can run, let's see how _fast_ you can
run!"

And then not only Henry himself, but the enormous crowd as well, began
to see how fast he could run. Slowly he gained on the fellow ahead of
him, and passed him. With the next fellow as a goal, he gradually crept
alongside, and passed him with a spurt. The crowd shouted itself hoarse.
The field all along the course was black with people. Henry could hear
them cheering for Number 4, as he pounded by. Six runners remained ahead
of him. Here was the kind of race the crowd loved; not an easily won
affair between two runners, but a gradual victory between the best
runner and overpowering odds. Henry could see the finish-flag now in the
distance. He began to spurt. He passed Numbers 14 and 3. He passed 25,
6, and 1 almost in a bunch. Number 16 remained ahead. Then Henry began
to think of winning. How much the twenty-five dollar prize would mean to
Jess and the rest! Number 16 _must_ be passed.

"I'm going to win this race!" he said quietly in his own mind. "I'll
bet you I am!" The thought lent him speed.

"Number 4! Number 4!" yelled the crowd. Henry did not know that the
fellow ahead had been ahead all the way, and just because he--Henry--had
slowly gained over them all, the crowd loved him best.

Henry waited until he could have touched him. He was within three yards
of the wire. He bent double, and put all his energy into the last
elastic bound. He passed Number 16, and shot under the wire.

Then the crowd went wild. It scrambled over and under the fence,
cheering and blowing its horns. Henry felt himself lifted on many
shoulders and carried panting up to the reviewing stand. He bowed
laughing at the sea of faces, and took the silver cup with its little
wings in a sort of dream. It is a wonder he did not lose the envelope
containing the prize, for he hardly realized when he took it what it
was.

Then someone said, "What's your name, boy?"

[Illustration: _Henry felt himself lifted on many shoulders_]

That called him to earth. He had to think quickly under cover of getting
his breath.

"Henry James," he replied. This was perfectly true, as far as it went.
In a moment the enormous signboard flashed out the name:

    HENRY JAMES No. 4. AGE 13
    WINNER OF FREE-FOR-ALL

Meanwhile the man of the dressing room was busy locating Mr. Cordyce of
the Cordyce Mills. He knew that was exactly the kind of story that old
James Henry would like.

"Yes, sir," he said smiling. "I says to him, 'You don't expect to win,
of course.' And he says to me, 'Oh, no, but it's lots of fun to run, you
know.'"

"Thank you, sir," returned Mr. Cordyce. "That's a good story. Bring the
youngster over here, if you don't mind."

When Henry appeared, a trifle shaken out of his daze and anxious only to
get away, Mr. Cordyce stretched out his hand. "I like your spirit, my
boy," he said. "I like your running, too. But it's your spirit that I
like best. Don't ever lose it."

"Thank you," said Henry, shaking hands. And there was only one in the
whole crowd that knew who was shaking hands with whom, least of all
James Henry and Henry James.

 A little more on James Henry Alden: He's very rich. Just in case you didn't catch that from his offer of a $5,000 reward. Also, he's really supportive of young boys and sports, so he sponsors an annual Field Day. It's a very popular event. Field Day involves lots of different kinds of races, but the most popular event is a run called the free-for-all. Anyone can participate, and the prize is $25. So, it's Field Day, and Henry is mowing the lawn. Dr. Moore tells him that he can take the day off to watch the races; Dr. Moore can't stay to watch, so he wants Henry to give him the full report later. Henry decides he doesn't just want to watch, though--he wants to run in the free-for-all. As he changes into his track clothes, a man asks Henry how long he's been training. Most of the people in the race have been training all year. Henry says he didn't train; he's just running for the fun of it. And, they're off. Henry starts off slow because he knows it's going to be a long race. This means he's behind almost everyone else at the beginning. After a while, though, Henry decides to run faster. The crowd begins to pay attention--everyone loves an underdog. Henry passes, like, a million people, until in the end, it comes down to him and one other boy. Henry pulls out the win. Mr. Alden asks Henry for his name. Henry tells a lie of omission: He gives his name as Henry James, which is only his first and middle names. Without Henry realizing, Dr. Moore has watched this happen from the bleachers. He's amused to see Henry shake hands with Mr. Alden. Henry returns to Dr. Moore's and mows the lawn. When the doctor arrives, he lets Henry tell him all about Field Day, never telling the boy that he was there in the bleachers. Back at the boxcar, Jessie has prepared a vegetable dinner. Henry tells them all about Field Day and his big win. Another surprise: Henry brought home some potatoes. Jessie knows how to cook them. Apropos of nothing, Jessie decides that Benny needs to learn how to read. They have some paper and a makeshift pencil made from a charred stick, so the girls try to teach Benny the words "see" and "me." This seems ambitious given that Benny hasn't even learned the alphabet. Benny has trouble at first. But, after he thinks Watch is beating him at reading, he tries harder and learns the two words. Then, he learns a few more words. Jessie cooks the potatoes by wrapping them in wet paper and putting them directly in the fire. When she finally rolls them out of the fire, Henry thinks they're burned. They're not burned, though, and the children add some toppings and dinner is served. Benny shows off his new reading skills, then everyone goes to bed.

