hey did recover sufficient breath, they fairly
overwhelmed her with praises. As Roy had said, "they were nothing if not
sports."

"It was lucky you did have a judge, or, I should say judges." Conway
glanced apologetically toward his sister. "Otherwise I don't believe
anybody would have known which of you got there first. It was as near a
tie as anything I have ever seen."

As the four lagging participants in the race came up to them, rather
sore and disgruntled, the young folks delicately forbore to look in
their direction and Frank covered their coming with a remark. "I don't
know how you girls ever accomplished it--I thought you were done almost
at the beginning. Tell us the secret."

Mollie and Betty looked at each other significantly. "That's our
secret," said Betty. Then, springing to her feet, she cried: "Let's give
three cheers for the winner of the race, Miss Mollie Billette!"

The cheers were given with a will that awoke the answering echoes on the
island.

Mollie flushed gratefully. "Thank you," she said. "It was only luck
anyway that I happened to touch the tree a second before the rest of
you."

"Don't be modest, Mollie," Roy entreated. "You beat us all
fairly--especially me," he added ruefully. They laughed and Betty added
whimsically: "I thought I had you up to the last, Mollie. It wasn't fair
to lead me on like that."

"Well, you sure know how to swim--all of you," Conway commented
admiringly. "You must do a lot of it."

"Oh, we are at it a good deal of the time," Frank agreed carelessly.
"And the girls--well, they have formed a club for all sorts of outdoor
stunts. You see the results."

"Oh, isn't that great!" exclaimed Anita with genuine enthusiasm. "I
love all those things, too. I wish I could belong to such a club."

"If you lived anywhere near Deepdale," said Betty warmly, "we should be
very glad to have you join us."

Only too soon--for Anita and the Outdoor Girls had taken a great liking
to one another--the former declared that it was time she and her big
brother must be starting for home. "Dad and mother worry whenever I am
out of their sight nowadays--even though Con is with me," she explained.

"Come again soon," Betty called after them.

"Will you have another race?" asked Anita.

"Yes, especially for your entertainment," laughed the Little Captain.
"And we won't let Mollie win it either."

"All right, then, I'll come," Anita promised.

"Humph, we'll see about that," said