bout, anyway? What was it that he offered to
run in?"

Sandy then proceeded to explain all that had occurred that morning, and
when he had finished both Tom and Dick gave a long whistle.

"So that's how the land lies, is it?" exclaimed Dick; "the old sinner's
never satisfied unless he's winning something or other, is he?"

"You said something that time," acquiesced Tom, a note of pride in his
voice; "if excitement won't come to him, he goes looking for it. That's
his style, every time."

The two cowboys did not stop to hear any more, but hurried off excitedly
to take the news to their companions. They burst into the bunkhouse,
where the men had already sat down to supper.

"Boys, we're all a bunch o' locoed Piutes," yelled Sandy. "Do you know
who this boy Wilson is, eh? He's the feller that won the Marathon fer
Uncle Sam at the Olympic games, an' we never knew it. Somebody kindly
make the remarks fer me thet 're approp'rite on sech an occasion."

For a few seconds, astonished exclamations of a very forceful character
filled the air, but soon the cowboys quieted down somewhat, and began to
discuss the surprising news in every detail. Everybody was jubilant, and
already they could picture the chagrin of the townspeople when their
favorite was beaten.

"But we don't want to be too certain of winnin', at that," cautioned Bud;
"arter all, that Helena runner is a professional, an' Wilson is only an
amateur, no matter how good he may be. A feller thet makes a livin' out
of a thing is likely to do it better than the sport thet does it fer fun,
leastwise, thet's the way I figger it out."

"Thet's all right," spoke up Reddy, "but ef yuh can remember that far
back, you'll rec-lect that his pals told us he held a world's record fer
five miles. Waal, now, they must 'a' been lots o' professionals runnin'
thet distance, and in spite of everythin' they never did no better'n
thet. What've yuh got to say t' that, eh?"

Thus the discussion raged, and the cowboys stayed up much later than
usual that night arguing every phase of the forthcoming race pro and
con. As is usually the case in such discussions, they reached no
decision, beyond unanimously agreeing that the best man would win,
a proposition that few people would care to argue.

In the meantime the three comrades had met at Mr. Melton's hospitable
board, and Dick and Tom recounted with great mirth the surprise of
the cowboys on hearing of Bert's athletic prowess.

"It