events had the advantage of
novelty. A flower-gathering race, for instance, the object of which was
to see how many varieties of wild flowers each competitor could gather
in a given time, and a Roman water-carrier event, which consisted in
balancing the hot-water jug on one's head and seeing how far one could
walk without spilling its tepid contents over neck and shoulders. Plain
Hannah was the only one of the girls who took part in this event, and to
her joy succeeded in travelling a longer distance than any of the male
competitors. The final and most elaborate event was the obstacle race,
without which no competition of the kind is ever considered complete,
and the united wits of the company were put to work to devise traps for
their own undoing. Harry discovered two small trees whose trunks grew
so close together that it seemed impossible that any human creature
could squeeze between, and insisted upon it being done as a _sine qua
non_. Russell decreed that competitors should travel over a certain
route without touching the ground, swinging themselves from branch to
branch like so many monkeys, and as girls were plainly disqualified for
this feat an alternative test was invented which should score equally to
their credit. Hopping races, races complicated by arithmetical and
other such baffling problems, were also devised, and at the last moment
Darsie came forward with a thrilling novelty.

"Run to the hamper, turn round three times, seize a jam puff, eat it in
two bites, and hop back to the goal!"

"Good!" cried the judge approvingly, and after that the competitors
might storm and lament as they would; the event was fixed!

The two mothers had retired from the scene of the fray and with backs
resting against two friendly trees were peacefully discoursing on
household trials; there was no one to preach concerning indigestion, and
the perils of rapid eating; hot and gasping from their previous trials,
the competitors ran, twirled, hopped and gobbled, and finally subsided
in paroxysms of laughter on the mossy bank. The sports were over; the
prize had fallen to Russell, as every one had known from the start that
it must inevitably do; he sat snoring with pride, waving aside Dan's
inquiries as to the nature of his prize in a gentlemanly manner worthy
of his reputation, until the two mothers, becoming conscious that the
afternoon was passing away, rose heavily from their seats and announced
that it was time to st