onger.

"That's a dooce of a way to run a race! Whin ye find ye can bate the
ither out of sight ye fall back and let her doot. That's the style I used
to run races wid the ither boys at school, but the raison was I couldn't
help it. If ye'll allow me to utter a few words of wisdom I'll do the
same."

Alvin nodded his head.

"It is that ye signal to that pirut ahead to wait and give us a tow,
being that's the only way we can howld our own wid 'em."

Now while it was trying to Alvin and Chester to engage in a race of the
nature described and voluntarily allow the contestant to beat them, when
they knew they had the power of winning, yet they believed it was the
true policy, since Detective Calvert had said so. They understood the
disgust of Mike and could not forbear having a little fun at his expense.

"You see," said Chester gravely, "those two young men who gave you and
Alvin such a warm time the other night are on the other boat, and if we
should come to close quarters with them they would be pretty sure to even
up matters with you."

Mike glared at the speaker, as if doubting the evidence of his ears.

"Phwat is that ye're saying?" he demanded. "Isn't that the dearest object
of yer heart? I shall niver die contint till I squar' matters wid 'em,
and ye knows the same."

"You forget," added Calvert, with the same seriousness, "that they have a
full-grown man to help them out."

"And haven't we a full-grown man wid us, as me dad said whin he
inthrodooced me to his friends at Donnybrook, I being 'liven years old?
Begorra, I'm thinking we haven't any such person on boord."

It was a pretty sharp retort, but the officer could not repress his
amusement at the angry words. Alvin looked over his shoulder and winked
at Calvert and Chester, making sure that Mike did not observe the signal.
In his impatience, he had turned his back upon them and was looking
gloomily over the stern at the foaming wake.

"I wonder if there isn't some tub along the shore that'll put out and run
us down. I hope, Captain, that whin we git back home ye'll kaap this a
secret from dad."

"And why?"

"He'll sure give me the greatest walloping of me life."

"For what reason?"

"For consoorting wid a party that run away from the finest chance in the
wurrld for a shindy. It's a sin that can be wiped out in no ither way."

"I'll explain to him," said Calvert, "that you couldn't help yourself."

"And it's mighty little difference that wil