you'll be leavin' Barney too far behind. You tie
quicker than him, I hear."

"Oh, I don't know," said Dick modestly, though quite convinced in his
own mind that he could.

"Dick's a little quicker, ain't he?" said Alec, turning to Barney.

"Oh, he's quick enough."

"Did you never have a tussle?" inquired Alec, snatching up a couple of
sheaves in each arm and setting them in their places in the shock with a
quick swing, then stepping off briskly for others.

"No," said Barney shortly.

"I guess he didn't want you to hurt yourself," he suggested cunningly to
Dick. "When a fellow isn't very strong he's got to be careful." This
was Dick's sensitive point. He was not content to do a man's work in the
field, but he was miserable unless he took first place.

"Oh, he needn't be afraid of hurting me," he said, taking Alec's bait.
"I've worked with him all harvest and I'm alive yet." Unconsciously
Dick's pace quickened, and for the next few minutes Barney was left
several sheaves behind.

"He's just foolin' with you, Dick," jeered Alec. "He wouldn't hurt you
for the world."

Unconsciously by his hustling manner and by his sly suggestion of
superiority now to one and again to the other, he put both boys upon
their mettle, and before they were aware they were going at a racing
pace, though neither would acknowledge that to the other. Alec kept
following them close, almost running for his sheaves, flinging a word of
encouragement now to one, now to the other, shouting at Ben as he turned
the corners, and by every means possible keeping the excitement at
the highest point. But he was careful not to overdrive his men. By a
previous arrangement and without serious difficulty he had persuaded
Teenie Ross, who had come to assist the Morrison girls at the threshing,
to bring out a lunch to the field at ten o'clock. For half an hour they
sat in the long grass in the shade of a maple tree eating the lunch
which Dick at least was beginning to feel in need of. But not a minute
more did Alec allow.

"I'm going to catch you fellows," he said, "if I've to take off my shirt
to do it."

Dick was quick to respond and again set off at full speed. But the
grain was heavier than Alec had counted upon, and when the noon hour had
arrived he estimated that the grain was not more than one-third down. A
full hour and a half he allowed his men for rest, cunningly drawing them
off from the crowd of threshers to a quiet place in the orchard whe