owing up his cap, and then jumping on it when it landed; a habit he
had of working off any excitement.

All eyes were turned on Brad as he tore off the end of the envelope.
They saw his eyebrows go up in a manner to indicate surprise; and there
also came a look of considerable satisfaction upon his honest face.

"Where'd you get this, Sandy?" he demanded, turning to the bicycle
rider.

"Why, you see, Felix Wagner brought it over; and they wouldn't think of
letting him come along up here, so I was sent with it," the boy
replied, promptly.

"Felix Wagner!" ejaculated Sid Wells; "say, has Buck had to go and
borrow a Mechanicsburg fellow to fill out his eight?"

"Hold on," interrupted Brad; "don't jump at things that way, Sid. This
isn't a challenge from Buck at all. It's from Mechanicsburg!"

"What's that?" shouted Colon; "are you telling me they've gone and got
a boat up at that town, and want to race us for the championship of the
Mohunk? That _would_ be the best news ever, fellows!"

"That's just what's happened," Brad went on. "This paper is signed by
Dub Jasper, who used to pitch for their baseball club, you remember
fellows. Well, he's the coxswain of the Mechanicsburg Boat Club crew.
He says they've got a shell on the way, and he hereby challenges us to
a match, to be rowed within a month from date, and according to regular
rules, the distance being marked off between their town and ours, in
just what happens to be the best water at the time. How about that?"

"Accept it, Brad!" several shouted, in great excitement.

"Say, things in the boating line are picking up ground here," Corney
Shays cried, laughingly. "Three shells on the river, to make things
lively. If this keeps on the Mohunk will become the most famous boat
course in this part of the country."

As a unanimous vote to accept the challenge followed, Brad retired to
his tent, where he wrote out a reply to the proposal made by
Mechanicsburg; details to be decided later on. Sandy was accordingly
dispatched with this missive, and requested to drop in again after he
had seen the rival young athletes of the neighboring town.

When Sandy returned, showing by the signs that he had made a swift
passage from Mechanicsburg, some miles down the river, all the boys
crowded around to ask him questions.

"Oh! they're all worked up over there about it," replied the panting
boy. "Seems like every feller in the old town is wild with the news
that they're a-goi