The High School Boys Training Hike | Page 4

car slowed down Dick swung himself on nimbly, remarking to
the conductor:
"Don't make a real stop for me. Drive on!"
As Prescott passed inside the car he was greeted by a pleasant-faced,
well-dressed young man. It was Mr. Luce, one of the sub-masters of
Gridley High School. Dick dropped into a seat beside him.
"Been tramping a bit, Prescott?" inquired the sub-master.
"No, sir; I've been over here on a little matter of business, but I expect
to start, in a day or two, on a few weeks of tramping."
Thereupon young Prescott fell to describing the trip that he, Dave
Darrin, Greg Holmes, Dan Dalzell, Tom Reade and Harry Hazelton had
mapped out for themselves.
"Just for pleasure?" asked Mr. Luce.
"No, sir; for training. We all hope to make the football team this fall.
We're all of us in pretty good shape, too, I think, sir; but we're going
out on this training hike to see if we can't work ourselves down as hard
as nails."
"I'd like to go with you," nodded the sub-master.
"Can't you do it, sir?" asked Dick eagerly, for Mr. Luce was a favorite
with all the boys.
"Unfortunately, I can't," replied the submaster. "I'm expected at home.
My mother and sister claim me for this month. But I wish I could go,
just the same."
"You would be most welcome I assure you, sir," replied Dick warmly.
"Thank you, Prescott," returned Mr. Luce with a smile. "I appreciate
your invitation and regret that I cannot accept it."

The conversation again turned to the subject of the coming football
season, and an animated discussion ensued, as Sub-master Luce was an
enthusiastic advocate of football.
Suddenly, Dick, glancing ahead out of the window, turned pale.
Without a word of explanation he sprang from his seat and made a
bound for the nearer car door, the rear one.
"Everyone off! Stop the car! Hustle!" shouted the high school boy. "Mr.
Luce! Come on. Quick!"
By the time the last words were uttered Dick had made a flying leap
from the car platform.
By good luck, rather more than by expert work, he landed on his feet.
Not an instant did he lose, but dashed along at full speed.
John Luce, though he had no inkling of what had caused the excitement,
sprang after Dick.
Dick, however, had not waited to see if the sub-master had followed
him. His horror-filled eyes, as he ran, were turned straight ahead.
It needed but a few steps to carry him across the road. He bounded into
a field where a loaded hay wagon stood near an apple tree.
The horses had been led away to be fed. Seated on the top of the hay
were a boy of barely six and a girl not more than four years old. They
were awaiting the return of the farmer.
Down below a six-year-old boy, barefooted and brown as a gipsy, had
appeared on the scene during the farmer's absence.
"For fun" this youngster had been lighting match after match, making
believe to set the hay afire. As he held the matches as close to the dried
hay as he dared, this urchin on the ground called to the two babies
above that he would "burn 'em up."
Not all of this did Dick Prescott know, but his glance through the car

window had shown him the boy on the ground just as that tiny fellow
had lighted another match, shouting tantalizingly to the two children on
top of the load of hay.
Just as he called up to them the mischievous youngster tripped slightly.
Throwing out his right hand to save himself the boy accidentally
touched the bottom of the load at one side with the lighted match.
At this fateful instant it was out of the question to think of putting out
the flame that leaped from wisp to wisp of the dried grass.
"Jump!" shouted the young match-burner, but the children above did
not hear, or else did not realize their plight.
"Fire! Fire!" screamed the little incendiary, as he ran panic-stricken
toward the farm house.
And now Dick was racing as he had never done before, even over the
football gridiron. On his speed depended the lives of the two children.
CHAPTER II
THE DEED OF A HERO
At the moment of Dick's leap from the car, Sub-master Luce did not
know what had happened. He realized in an instant what was the matter,
and made frantic efforts to reach the scene at the same moment with
Prescott.
Dick, however, kept the lead.
As the flames shot up through the hay the children on top of the hay
began to gather a sense of their awful danger.
Seconds---fractions of seconds---were of priceless value now---if lives
were to be saved.