when she began.

"Bully for you, Nancy Nelson!" many of the freshies cried. "Show 'em
what you can do! Don't give up, Nancy!"

But Nancy had no intention of giving up. She believed she could keep on
to the end, and without reducing speed. And on the ninth lap she passed
Carrie.

Only two were ahead of her now. As she swung down the home-stretch
behind the senior and junior, Nancy's mates began to shout like mad
girls:

"Come on! Come on! Don't let 'em freeze you out, Nancy Nelson!"

"You're going to beat, Nance!" cried Jennie Bruce, fairly jumping up
and down. "Show 'em what you can do!"

There was only one more lap--one-fifth of a mile. Nancy drew in a long
breath as she rounded the stake, and looked ahead. Corinne and her
nearest antagonist had spurted a little; but Nancy put her head down,
and darted up the course at a speed which equalled what the other girls
had done at their best.

It was really wonderful how swiftly the freshman overtook her older
rivals. Nancy skated more swiftly than she had in that first dash of the
evening.

There was nobody to shut her off now. Cora was not here to foil or trip
her. Corinne and the junior played fair.

[Illustration: NANCY FLASHED PAST THEM.]

Before the older girls reached the rounding stake, Nancy flashed past
them. The junior spurted, came even with Nancy for a moment at and turn,
and then dropped back, to become a bad third in the race. She could
never recover after that spurt.

But the French-Canadian girl held on grimly. Slowly she crept up on the
freshman. The seniors shouted for their champion; but the rest of the
school was calling Nancy home!

"Oh, Nancy! Oh, Nancy! Come on!"

Nancy heard Jennie Bruce's voice above all the turmoil ahead. Her eyes
had begun to water, and the white, badly cut-up ice of the straight
course seemed to waver before her.

At her ear she could hear Corinne's labored breathing. The ring of her
rival's skates rasped upon the younger girl's nerves, too.

She was under a great strain now. Another full lap would have been more
than she could have skated without a breakdown. It was being pressed so
close and hard that was wearing Nancy down. She was not used to such
contests.

But her roommate's cracked voice, shouting again and again for her, kept
Nancy to the mark. Corinne should _not_ pass her!

She flung herself forward against the wind and worked with teeth that
sank into her lip and drew the blood! On--on--on----