dear little goose!" exclaimed Belle, putting her arm
about the shrinking one. "We've raced lots of times--and won, too!"

"Against such appealing strangers?" asked Lottie, raising her eyebrows
in a rather affected way.

"Oh, it's all in the game!" laughed Bess. Certainly her nerves seemed
all right now.

The young man--he had refrained from giving his name, either by
accident or design--had been bending over his motor during the
whispered talk among the girls. Now he looked up again.

"Well," he asked, pleasantly, "is it to be a race?"

"If you like," answered Cora, calmly.

"I certainly do like. I'm going to enter some of the Bayhead races,
and I'd like to see how my boat will go."

"But it's a lighter boat than ours," returned Cora, who was not
willing to give nor take an unfair advantage. "And we have five
passengers."

"I've thought of that," the young man went on. "I'm willing to accept
a handicap. I'll drop back about five hundred feet and allow you that
much."

"That would be fair," assented Cora, who, from having taken part in
various races knew what would be about right.

"Then here goes!" cried the stranger, as he throttled down his motor.
"I'll give you a hail when I'm coming on."

The _Chelton_ at once began drawing away from the _Pickerel_, which
was the name of the stranger's boat.

This craft, it seemed, had a clutch arrangement, so that the motor
could be allowed to run without the propeller revolving. Cora's boat
was likewise equipped.

"Are you going to beat him?" asked Lottie, as she moved back where no
drop of spray could spot her blue dress.

"I am certainly going to try," said Cora with a smile. "What does a
race amount to if you don't try to win?"

"Oh, of course, but then I thought this was only in fun."

"It's a race for keeps," announced Cora. "And I think we'll win. That
last gasoline we got is the best we ever had. It gives us more power,
and the _Chelton_ is running like a sewing machine, as Jack says. I
think we're going to win!"

She opened the throttle a little wider and the _Chelton_ responded
instantly.

A moment later there came a hail from the rear.

"Distance enough! I'm coming!"

Cora glanced back.

"He certainly was generous," she said. "That's a good five hundred
feet."

"He looks like a generous chap," murmured Lottie. She was again
polishing her nails. Possibly she thought she might be introduced to
the stranger, later on.

There was the sound o