was a blur of flying trees, then came the grandstand, a mere
smudge of color, a sea of dimly seen faces and a roar that was like that
of a hundred waterfalls.

Down shot the _Golden Butterfly_ just inside the "pylon." It ran for
about a hundred yards and was then brought to a stop.

Peggy Prescott had won the great race.

CHAPTER XXII.

PEGGY'S GENEROSITY.

"Oh, Peggy, it's the proudest moment of my life!" cried Jimsy, as a
shouting, excited crowd surrounded the aeroplane in which Peggy still
sat, feeling dazed and a little dizzy.

"Oh, you wonderful girl!" cried out Bess, half laughing and half crying;
"gracious, what an exciting finish. I thought I'd go wild when it looked
as if you weren't going to win."

They helped her from the aeroplane while policemen pushed the crowd
back. Somebody brought a tray with steaming hot tea and crackers on it.
But Peggy could not eat. She felt faint and dreamy.

"Brace up!" urged Jimsy.

"I'll be all right in a minute. It's the strain of those last few
minutes. I never thought I'd win."

"And I never doubted it," declared Jess stoutly.

"I wonder where Roy is?" asked Peggy anxiously, as they entered a box in
the grandstand where they could be secluded from the shoving, curious,
staring crowd.

"Don't know; but he's all right, depend upon it," said Jimsy cheerfully;
"hello, what's that coming now?"

"It's a homing aeroplane."

Then, a minute later:

"It's Roy. Look at him come. I didn't think the _Red Dragon_ could go
as fast."

Roy it was, sure enough. He was coming at a pace that might have landed
him as winner of the race if he had not been delayed by his errand of
mercy.

Ten minutes later he had joined them. First he explained what had
happened to the judges of the course. Kelly, crest-fallen and
wretched-looking, thanked him half heartedly for what he had done and
said that he would care for Speedwell till he got better, which, by
the way, was a promise that he did not perform.

A sudden stir in the crowd caused the little party in the box to
look up.

A man was hastily chalking up some legend on the big black bulletin
board. It ran thus:

Long-distance Race for $500 prize.
Start of Flight--11:01:2.
Finish of Flight--12:02:0.
Maximum Height--1,500 feet.
Wind Velocity--10 miles from southeast.
Winner--_Golden Butterfly_.
Winning Aviator--Miss Margaret Prescott.

What a cheer went up then. It seemed as if the roof would be