afternoon?" asked Marcia. "We could race out to the
lighthouse on the rock out there and back. That's not very far, but it's
far enough to make a good race, I should think."

"Splendid!" said Dolly. "What sort of a boat is yours?"

"Just the same as yours, I think. We can see when they come, and if one
is bigger than the other, we can arrange about a handicap. Miss Turner
said she thought she ought to be in one boat, and Miss Mercer in the
other."

"Yes, I think so, too. And I'll be skipper of our boat, and have Bessie
King and Margery Burton for a crew. Who is your skipper?"

"Gladys Cooper," answered Marcia, after a slight pause.

"Bully for her! Just you tell her I'm going to beat her so badly she
won't even know she's in a race."

Marcia laughed.

"All right," she said. "I'll let you know when we're ready."

"Now, then, Bessie," said Dolly, "just you come out with me to the sloop
in that skiff, and I'll show you just what you'll have to do. It won't
be hard--you'll only have to obey orders. But you'd better know the
names of the ropes, so that you'll understand my orders when I give
them."

So for an hour Bessie, delighted with the appearance of the trim little
sloop, took lessons from Dolly in the art of handling small sailing
craft.

"You'll get along all right," said Dolly, as they pulled back to the
beach. "Don't get excited. That's the only thing to remember. We'll wear
our bathing suits, of course, so that if we get spilled into the water,
there'll be no harm done."

"We've got a good chance of being spilled, too," said Margery. "I know
how Dolly likes to sail a boat. So if you don't want a ducking, you'd
better make her take someone else in your place."

"I wouldn't miss it for anything," said Bessie, happily. "I've never
even seen a yacht race. I bet it must be lots of fun."

"It won't be rough, anyhow," said Eleanor, after they had landed. She
looked out to sea. "It's pretty hazy out there, Dolly. Think there'll be
enough wind?"

"Oh, yes," said Dolly. "Plenty! It won't be stiff, of course, and we
won't make good time, but that doesn't make any difference. It's as good
for them as for us--and the other way round."

CHAPTER VIII

THE RACE

The sloop that was to represent the Halsted Camp Fire in the race
arrived in the cove late in the morning, and from the shore there seemed
to be no difference in size between the two little craft. They were
different, and one might prove swif