beat his own high water mark," he called out; "and
neither of the others is in the same class, just what I said would
happen. Another point for us. But the next lot look dangerous, I'm
afraid."

They proved to be more than that, for two points went to the up-river
town as the wrestling match, and the three-standing jump contest were
decided in their favor by the impartial judges. As yet there had not
been heard the least criticism of the way these gentlemen conducted
their part of the affair. While in several close decisions there may
have been many disappointed lads, still it was fully believed that the
judges were working squarely to give each contestant a fair deal, and
favor no one at the expense of others.

A comical potato race next sent the crowds into convulsions of laughter.
And of course Paulding had to win that. How the others did rub it into
the advocates of the down-river school; but they only grinned, and
accepted the gibes with becoming modesty.

"Oh! we're strong on all the games that go to make up the real thing,"
one of the baseball squad remarked, grinning amiably at the chaff of his
friends. "You see, potatoes go to make up life for a big part of the
human race; and we're after 'em, good and hard. And our girls are
helping us out handsomely. We take off our hats to the fair sex.
Paulding is all right, if a little slow sometimes."

In that spirit the various contests were being carried out. Small danger
of any serious trouble arising between the three schools when their
young people showed such true sportsmanlike qualities in their
competitions, keen-set though they were to win a victory.

The afternoon was wearing on, and the enthusiasm did not seem to wane in
the slightest degree. True, a lot of the boys were getting quite hoarse
from constant shouting; but others took up the refrain, while they
contented themselves with making frantic gestures, and throwing up
cushions, hats, and canes whenever they felt the spirit to create a
disturbance rioting within them.

Brad Morton kept hovering near Fred as the contest went on, and it
began to look more and more like a tie between the two schools, when the
great and concluding five mile road race was called.

He asked many times how Fred felt, and if there was anything like
rubbing down he needed, in order to limber up some muscle that might not
feel just right.

"Not a thing, Brad," the other remarked, waving his hand toward the
grandstand as he