and still
miles remained to be covered ere the goal came in sight. And,
besides, they were sure to be in no condition for a hot final sprint,
in case of keen competition.

So Hugh, having registered as required at two booths on the way, and
thus learned the order in which the trio ahead of him seemed to be
running, finally arrived at the sunken quarry road. He recognized the
landmarks before he reached the spot; and losing not a second of time
darted among the trees.

"Just" Smith was still leading him, for here and there he could
distinguish the other's foot prints, where the ground chanced to be
a little moist. Hugh also had reason to believe that Nick Lang was
coming strong not a great distance behind him. He wondered whether
Nick meant to take advantage of the old quarry road as well as he
and "Just" Smith, and Horatio in the bargain. For that matter Hugh
did not care an iota; if Nick considered it would be to his advantage
he was at liberty to benefit by this scheme of Hugh's. It was all
for the glory of Scranton High; and far better that Nick won the
prize, than that it should be taken by an Allandale, or a Belleville
contestant---that is, if he won it honestly.

Apparently, on the face of the returns, when half of the fifteen-mile
course had been run, the victory was likely to be carried off by
Whipple, the fleet-winged Allandale chap who had played right, field
during the baseball matches; "Just" Smith; himself; or possibly Nick
Lang. There was always a dim and remote possibility, however, of a
dark horse forging to the front on the home stretch. This might be
Horatio Juggins, or Mc. Kee, or perhaps that Belleville runner, Conway,
who had looked so confident when Hugh surveyed the line of eager faces
at the start.

Hugh remembered every foot of the way along that quarry road. He had
a faculty for impressing features of the surrounding landscape on his
mind, so that he could recall it at pleasure, just as though he held
a photograph in his hand.

Now he was drawing near the quarry itself, the loneliest and most
gruesome stretch of the entire cut-off; with "Just" Smith still in
the lead. Hugh felt proud of his chum, and often chuckled as he
contemplated the other's supreme delight in case a fickle fortune
allowed him to come in ahead; for honors of this sort were a rare
thing in the past of the Smith boy; and certainly he had never before
been so close to reaping such a colossal prize as the winni