Cinder Path Tales

160 CINDER-PATH TALES trial of the " running broad." There is the narrow cinder-path, the whitewashed joist, and the soft earth, smoothed by repeated rakings ready to receive the prints of the spiked shoes. After that it is tedious until the weeding-out process is completed, and the three best men fight it out forthe places. I could have told within three inches of what Seever would do before he made his jump, for he was extremely steady, and had been at it for four years, and reached his limit. He came down the track awkwardly, but at a good speed, caughtthe joist firmly with his big foot, rose in the air with a grunt, and landed with a thud. The measurer announced twenty feet one-quarter inch with­ out hesitation, for Seever always jumped high, andkept his heels together. Two or three others tried, and then came Frost, our second man, a little fellowwith curly black hair. He was a bit better or worse than Seever, butinclined to be careless, and to­ day it cost him dear. He overstepped the joist so farthat hewrenched his ankle badly and was forced to retire, limpingoff to the dressing-room on a couple of the boys' shoulders. Dick was almost last, and when he was called, herose slowly,with a yawn, threw the gray wrap over Seever's head, and walked