than ten minutes had elapsed since their entering the house.

"Thank goodness that business is over with," he remarked, "and now it's
up to the police to find the thief,---if they can."

"Huh! my opinion is that this same Corny is a heap too smart to be nabbed
by a country cop," asserted Colon, and Chief Sutton, who was a very
consequential little officer, would have felt terribly hurt could he have
heard the disdainful laugh that went around at these scornful words.

"But let's be making a start!" begged Colon, anxious to be up and doing,
for he had told the others he felt like a wild colt that morning, being
fairly crazy to get to running.

In five minutes they were far beyond the town limits, running two and two
along the road, and taking things fairly easily in the start.

A wise athlete never pushes a willing horse to begin with. After getting
well warmed up, it is safe to increase the pace, always holding in the
very best for the emergency that is apt to come in every race, some time
or other.

Several miles were soon put behind them. Fred and Colon led, with the
other two at their heels, and all running easily. Indeed, though it is
not considered the best thing to do when running, the two leaders
occasionally exchanged a few words, cutting their sentences down to as
brief a span as possible. As a rule they maintained silence, each having
his teeth set, and breathing through his nose as much as he possibly
could.

These lads had learned all the known rules affecting long distance
running, and they had also found more or less benefit from practicing
them. Time did not enter into their calculations on this occasion, to
any great extent at least. Of course they sprinted occasionally, and the
minutes were noted at such times in an effort to learn a little about the
probable period between certain points, where they figured on making
their gains.

Possibly of the four Bristles showed more signs of being pressed than any
of them. He had always been a short distance runner, like Felix Wagner
of Mechanicsburg, but this year both boys hoped to break into the long
distance class. Neither Bristles nor Sid happened to be built just right
for such a task. On the other hand, Colon was long and rangy, and
capable of tremendous speed, while Fred had the staying qualities so
necessary in Marathon runners.

As a rule it will be found that the best long distance runners are the
stocky, small men, like the wonderfu