ubbish before she knew it. One
skate-runner got entangled in some pieces and down she went--first to
her knees and then full length upon her face!

Some of the other girls shrieked with laughter. But it might have been a
serious accident, Agnes was skating so fast.

Trix saved her breath to taunt her rival later, and, skating around the
bits of ice, won the heat before Agnes, much shaken and bruised, had
climbed to her feet.

"Oh, Aggie! you're not really hurt, are you?" cried Ruth, hurrying to
her sister.

"My goodness! I don't know," gasped Agnes. "I saw stars."

"You have a bump on your forehead," said one girl.

"I feel as though I had them all over me," groaned Agnes.

"I know that will turn black and blue," said Lucy, pointing to the lump
on Agnes' forehead.

"And yellow and green, too," admitted Agnes. Then she giggled and added
in a whisper to Ruth: "It will be as brilliant as Neale's hair was when
he dyed it!"

"Well, you showed us what you could do in the first heat, Aggie," said
Pearl, cheerfully. "I believe that you can easily beat Trix."

"Oh, yes!" snarled the latter girl, who over-heard this. "A poor excuse
for not racing is better than none."

"Well! I declare, Trix, if _you'd_ fallen down," began Eva; but Agnes
interrupted:

"I haven't said I wasn't going to skate the third heat."

"Oh! you can't, Aggie," Ruth said.

"I'd skate it if I'd broken both legs and all my promises!" declared
Agnes, sharply. "That girl isn't going to put it all over me without a
fight!"

"Great!" cried Eva. "Show her."

"I admire your pluck, but not your language, Aggie," said her older
sister. "And if you _can_ show her----"

Agnes did show them all. She had been badly shaken up by her fall, and
her head began to throb painfully, but the color had come back into her
cheeks and she took her place in the line of contestants again with a
bigger determination than ever to win.

She got off on the right foot this time! Only eighteen girls started and
all of them were grimly determined to do their best.

The boys had left off their hockey games and crowded along the starting
line and the upper end of the track, to watch the girls race. People had
come out from their houses to get a closer view of the excitement, and
some of the teachers--including Mr. Marks and the physical
instructors--were in the crowd. The boys began to root for their
favorites, and Agnes heard Neale leading the cheers for her.

Trix Se