Beadle's Pocket Library No. 118

This 1886 Beadle and Adams dime novel features "Will Wildfire, the Thoroughbred: The Winning Hand" by Charles Morris. The opening chapter depicts the fall regatta of the Schuylkill Navy in Philadelphia. A brash English sportsman offers high-stakes wagers on a single-shell race between champion oarsman Ben Huntly (Vesta boat) and Jack Boyle (Iris boat). When an unknown, well-dressed youth challenges the Englishman's bets, the sportsman accepts a five-hundred-dollar wager. After Boyle sustains a wrist injury, the youth reveals himself as the competitor—Will Wildfire, a Yale crew champion. Despite expectations of easy victory for Huntly, Wildfire rows with surprising skill and strength, gradually overtaking his opponent through disciplined technique and reserved energy. Wildfire wins decisively by a full boat-length, stunning spectators and claiming victory in what proves to be an exceptionally well-contested race.