ke us
for cheats?"

Madge smiled. "No, I don't take you for cheats. I am afraid that you
are going to behave like knights of chivalry, and that you will not try
to win the boat race, which you are to row against Miss Harris, Miss
Paine, Phil and me. So you must vow that you will row fairly and
squarely and that you will not hold back or give us any unfair
advantage."

The young men hesitated, looking sheepishly at one another. How had
Madge guessed their plan?

"We won't row with you unless you make us this promise," threatened
Phyllis.

Flora Harris and Alice Paine also insisted that this promise be given,
and after a good-natured protest on their part, the young men finally
agreed to Madge's demand.

The five sculls were waiting out on the water. There was a sixth boat
for the umpire, Professor Gordon, to follow the race. Professor Gamage
was to act as judge at the finish.

The girls got into their boats first, taking their station a hundred
yards ahead of the three sculls to be pulled by the men.

Madge and Phyllis, who were on the inside course, remembered every word
of Jimmy Lawton's coaching. They had won the spring regatta at Miss
Tolliver's school. But then they had rowed only against other girls.
Now, they were to enter into a different kind of contest. They did not
even know how skilful their feminine competitors were. The boys, of
course, had superior strength and training.

Lieutenant Lawton had declared that the one chance for Phyllis and
Madge lay in the start. If they could get away in good style, and make
a spurt toward the goal, the fact of their hundred yards advantage and
the shortness of the course would give them considerable chance of
winning the race.

The disadvantage under which Madge and Phil labored was that they had
not been accustomed to rowing in anything but quiet waters. Flora and
Alice were accustomed to rowing in the surf. The few days' practice on
the bay under Lieutenant Jimmy's direction had helped the two girls.
They had learned the advantage of the long stroke with the high
"feather." Phil was acting as stroke oar in their boat, Madge as
bowman; Alice Paine was stroke and Flora bowman in the rival skiff.

The four girls pulled gloriously. It was a lovely September day, and no
time or strength was wasted in false starts. None of the girls dared to
look back at the men when the signal to get away rang out. No cry of
false start rang after them, and they saw that their m