“Fred Fearnot’s War Canoe”

Work and Win’s April 22,1910 issue features the story “Fred Fearnot’s War Canoe.” Fred Fearnot, the heroic main character is most Work and Win publications, and Yale chum Terry Olcott visit St. Denis on what they thought would be a vacation. As they approach the hotel in the woods, they have a scuffle with some locals, and agree to participate in a rowing race that was to take place in a few days. Fred, being the stereotypical All-American athlete, is voted captain of the team, and knows he has his work cut out for him due to his club’s lack of experience. The team trains hard under the instruction of the Fearnot, and to the surprise of the locals, it begins to look like the boys have a chance against the strong team of Indians. After a practice one day, Pete Gurnee, a fellow guest at the hotel, gives Fred a very shady offer. Pete tells Fred that he has put serious money on the Indians, and if Fearnot took precautions to make sure his team lost, he would be rewarded. This offer appalls Fred, as this compromises everything he believes against competitive athletics. Fred refuses, and Pete realizes that he must take matters into his own hands. Pete sends a phony mail notice to Fearnot, and when Fred arrives in town, he is jumped by a group of young tricksters. Fred manages to get out of the fight without drastic injury, and with the race approaching and Pete continuing to scheme, Fred knows that he must lead his team to victory. The night before the race, two of Fearnot’s teammates, Carter and Appleby, both flirt with a girl, causing personal problems within the team. The race starts rough for Fearnot’s boys, and the debate from the night before causes problems during the race.

Finally, Appleby punches Carter off the boat, leaving the team at a disadvantage. Despite being short on paddles, the team uses the fact that they are lighter to their advantage. The Indians lead the whole race, but they begin to get gassed, and Fred pushes his team to a narrow victory. When the teams get back to the dock, Pete Gurnee begins to protest the victory, as Fred’s team was short men. At this point, the Indian captain stands up and says that they had lost fair and square, and Pete is taken away. That night, the people at the hotel invite the Indians over to celebrate the great race and they have a great party. The owner of the hotel, Ed Norcott, asks Pete to leave, and when Pete refuses, it becomes apparent to Fred, Terry, and Ed that Pete is scheming again.
With Ed in fear that his belongings were in danger, Fred and Terry take control by emptying the safe of anything significant, and locking Ed in their room with his money from the safe. As expected, two crooks came into the hotel, steal everything that was left in the safe, and escape. The next morning, Terry and Fred go searching for the crooks, and successfully catch them. Dawney and Rebern, the crooks, admit that Pete Gurnee had tipped them about the safe, and they all make their way back to the hotel. It is exposed that Pete’s true name is Nathan Buckley, or Nifty Nate, and that he was a wanted man. With everything taken care of and normalcy restored, Fearnot and Olcott decide to take their leave from the hotel. They are given a hero’s exit, and the story ends with their desire to continue their vacation, but this time in a more relaxing way!