, and I can easy get out there on my wheel long before the
first runner heaves in sight. I'll coach Pete Dudley in his part,
just as you were saying. It's the greatest trick you ever hatched
up, Nick, the very greatest!' Now, you can judge for yourself, Hugh,
whether it's safe for you to try to cross by that same quarry road
when the big Marathon race is on."

Hugh seemed lost in thought for a brief interval. When he spoke
again there was a settled look of grim determination on his face that
Thad could easily understand, knowing the other as well as he did.

"It isn't my way to show the white feather when the first cold wind
starts to blowing, Thad, and no matter what Nick is planning to do
I'm not going to give him the first chance to profit by my discovery
of that short-cut route from road to road."

"That means you decline to be shoved off the path, does it, Hugh?"

"If I start in that race, as I expect to," Hugh told him, "I intend
to make use of that short-cut, no matter if a dozen Tip Slavins, and
Pete Dudleys are lying in wait to trip me up. But I'm much obliged
to you all the same, Thad, for your warning. I'll be on my guard
from this time on, and they're not going to trap me with my eyes
blinded, I tell you that."

Thad seemed to be lost in thought himself for a minute or so.
Possibly he was trying to figure out how he could best serve his
comrade in such an emergency. The gloomy woods surrounding the old
quarry did not possess any attraction in the eyes of Thad Stevens.
Though he had not shown the same degree of alarm as Horatio and
Julius at the time they heard those remarkable sounds, so like human
shrieks, nevertheless, Thad felt no hankering after another similar
experience.

Still he would brave much in order to help the chum whose interests
were so dear to his own heart. He did not say what was in his mind,
only looked a bit wise, as he once more turned to Hugh, as though his
mind had been finally made up.

"Just as you think best, Hugh," he went on to say quietly. "It may
be that one or more of the other fellows will be taking advantage of
that same old road, and there's safety in numbers, you know, they say.
Nick is likely to get his fingers burned if he attempts any of his
silly tricks. What do you suppose now he could plan to have those
chaps do? They wouldn't want to really hurt you, because that might
get them in bad with Captain Wambold, our police head. Can you think
of any f