es were thrust aside as he called; "down here; I
see you;" and then a human head was thrust into view. And Fred felt a
chill that was not induced by the dampness of the lime pit, when he
made out that face in the light of the setting sun. For he found himself
staring at the grinning countenance of the last person in all the world
he would have hoped to see--Buck Lemington!

CHAPTER XVI

A GLOOMY PROSPECT

"So, it's you yelping for help, eh?"

Buck was looking more or less surprised even when making this remark.
Fred had an idea he could see something like growing satisfaction,
almost glee, creeping over the face of the other. The prospect evidently
began to please Buck.

"Yes, it's me," the boy below replied, trying hard to appear to look at
it all in the light of a huge joke, just as he might, had it been Sid
Wells or Bristles Carpenter who had discovered his ridiculous plight.

"Huh! and however did you come in this old limestone pit?" demanded
Buck.

"Well, to tell you the truth, Buck," he said, in a conciliatory tone;
"Brad Morton, as track captain, ordered me to slip out of the bunch he
sent over the regular roads laid out for the race. He wanted me to take
the last five mile run in secret, you see; and long ago I had this
little course mapped out, when I used to practice without anybody
knowing I could run fairly well."

"Oh! you don't say?" sneered Buck. "And what was his reason, d'ye know?"

Fred knew that it was best to be frank with the other, who really had
him so absolutely in his power. He would confide wholly in Buck, come
what might.

"Well, I didn't take much stock in the thing myself, but Brad insisted,
and as he was the captain of the team, I had to do what he said, you
see, Buck. He had been told that Mechanicsburg had spies posted all
along the course, to time the runners, and get points on their weak
places. And somehow Brad got the idea in his head that they were more
anxious to watch me run than any of the others. So he thought he'd
surprise them by having me disappear, and get my practice alone."

Buck laughed at that, and it was a very disagreeable laugh, too.

"My! what an important person you've become, Fred Fenton," he observed,
with the sneer more marked in his voice than ever. "Have to have a
private course of your own because your running is attracting so much
attention! No wonder your head has begun to swell. No wonder you look
down on small worms, who only run up a