Cab and Caboose | Page 4

in the place. He was a
slightly-built chap; but with muscles like steel wires, and possessed of
wonderful agility and powers of endurance. He excelled in all athletic
sports, was a capital boxer, and at the same time found little difficulty
in maintaining a good rank in his classes. He had taken to bicycling
from the very first, and quickly became an expert rider, though he had
never gone in for racing. It was therefore a great surprise, even to his
friends, when, on the very day before the race meeting, he entered his
name for the event that was to result in the winning or losing of the
Railroad Cup. It would not have been so much of a surprise had
anybody known of his conversation, a few weeks before, with Eltje
Vanderveer, the railroad president's only daughter. She was a few
months younger than Rod, and ever since he had jumped into the river
to save her pet kitten from drowning, they had been fast friends.
So, when in talking of the approaching meeting, Eltje had said, "How I
wish you were a racer, and could win our cup, Rod," the boy instantly
made up his mind to try for it. He only answered, "Do you? Well,
perhaps I may go in for that sort of thing some time."

Then he began training, so secretly that nobody but Dan, a stable boy
on his uncle's place and Rod's most ardent admirer, was aware of it; but
with such steady determination that on the eventful day of the great
race his physical condition was very nearly perfect.
He was on hand at the race track bright and early; for, as captain of the
club, Rod had a great deal to do in seeing that everything went
smoothly, and in starting on time the dozen events that preceded the
race for the Railroad Cup, which came last on the programme.
While these earlier events were being run off Snyder Appleby,
faultlessly attired, sat in the grand stand beside his adopted father, and
directly behind President Vanderveer and his pretty daughter, to whom
he tried to render himself especially agreeable. He listened respectfully
to the Major's stories, made amusing comments on the racers for Eltje's
benefit, and laughed heartily at the puns that her father was given to
making.
"But how about your own race, Mr. Appleby?" asked Eltje. "Don't you
feel any anxiety concerning it? It is to be the hardest one of all, isn't it?"
Immensely flattered at being addressed as Mister Appleby, Snyder
replied carelessly, "Oh, yes! of course I am most anxious to win it,
especially as you are here to see it run; but I don't anticipate much
difficulty. Bliss is a hard man to beat; but I have done it before, and I
guess I can do it again."
"Then you don't think Rodman has any chance of winning?"
"Well, hardly. You see this is his first race, and experience goes a long
way in such affairs. Still, he rides well, and it wouldn't surprise me to
see him make a good third at the finish."
Eltje smiled as she answered, "Perhaps he will finish third; but it would
surprise me greatly to see him do so."
This pretty girl, with the Dutch name, had such faith in her friend Rod,
that she did not believe he would ever be third, or even second, where

he had once made up his mind to be first.
Failing to catch her real meaning, Snyder replied: "Of course he may
not do as well as that; but he ought to. As captain of the club he ought
to sustain the honor of his position, you know. If he doesn't feel able to
take at least third place in a five-starter race, he should either resign, or
keep out of the racing field altogether. Now I must leave you; for I see I
am wanted. You'll wish me good luck, won't you?"
"Yes," answered Eltje mischievously, "I wish you all the luck you
deserve."
Forced to be content with this answer, but wondering if there was any
hidden meaning in it, Snyder left the grand stand, and strolled leisurely
around to the dressing-room, lighting a cigarette as he went.
"Hurry up!" shouted Rod, who was the soul of punctuality and was
particularly anxious that all the events of this, his first race meeting,
should be started on time. "Hurry up. Our race will be called in five
minutes, and you've barely time to dress for it."
"Where's my wheel?" asked Snyder, glancing over the dozen or more
machines stacked at one side of the room, but without seeing his own.
"I haven't seen it," answered Rod, "but I supposed you had left it in
some safe place."
"So I did. I