any
pretext could be invented to stop him.

Meantime, Francis Gray had looked at Jack's lithe legs with
apprehension. "I can never beat that boy," he had reflected. "My running
days are over." Finding among the deck passengers a young fellow who
looked as though he needed money, Gray approached him with this
question:

"Do you belong in Port William, young man?"

"I don't belong nowhere else, I reckon," answered the seedy fellow, with
shuffling impudence.

"Do you know where the county clerk's office is?" asked Mr. Gray.

"Yes, and the market-house. I can show you the way to the jail, too, if
you want to know; but I s'pose you've been there many a time," laughed
the "wharf rat."

Gray was irritated at this rudeness, but he swallowed his anger.

"Would you like to make five dollars?"

"Now you're talkin' interestin'. Why didn't you begin at that eend of
the subjick? I'd like to make five dollars as well as the next feller,
provided it isn't to be made by too much awful hard work."

"Can you run well?"

"If they's money at t'other eend of the race I can run like sixty _fer a
spell_. 'Tain't my common gait, howsumever."

"If you'll take this paper," said Gray, "and get it to the county
clerk's office before anybody else gets there from this boat, I'll give
you five dollars."

"Honor bright?" asked the chap, taking the paper, drawing a long breath,
and looking as though he had discovered a gold mine.

"Honor bright," answered Gray. "You must jump off first of all, for
there's a boy aboard that will beat you if he can. No pay if you don't
win."

"Which is the one that'll run ag'in' me?" asked the long-legged fellow.

Gray described Jack, and told the young man to go out forward and he
would see him. Gray was not willing to be seen with the "wharf-rat,"
lest suspicions should be awakened in Jack Dudley's mind. But after the
shabby young man had gone forward and looked at Jack, he came back with
a doubtful air.

"That's Hoosier Jack, as we used to call him," said the shabby young
man. "He an' two more used to row a boat acrost the river every day to
go to ole Niles's school. He's a hard one to beat,--they say he used to
lay the whole school out on prisoners' base, and that he could leave 'em
all behind on fox."

"You think you can't do it, then?" asked Gray.

"Gimme a little start and I reckon I'll fetch it. It's up-hill part of
the way and he may lose his wind, for it's a good half-mile. You must
make