on
between the three rival schools, since each of them was represented
there.

About this time Fred picked up, and pressed Ackers hard. He was
following out the plan that had been arranged between himself and his
chums, whereby the one who was reckoned the most dangerous of all
outsiders might be harried. Fred had never really run in a race against
this so-called "Wonder," and he was anxious to discover just what he had
in the way of speed.

Of course he knew at the same time that it was endurance that would be
apt to win this race. Speed is all very well, and in part quite
necessary, but with twenty-five miles to be covered the main thing is
always staying qualities.

So he and Ackers had a merry little sprint, in which Fred gained until he
passed the other. Upon that, Ackers, realizing that this sort of thing
if persisted in would utterly ruin his chances, even though Fred dropped
out also, fell back to his old style of plodding steadily along in a
regular grid, just content to keep ahead of the other two.

Fred kept on increasing his lead until he had some little ground between
himself and the Wonder. One of his reasons for doing this was to be able
to register at the road station just short of where the cut-off came in.
He hoped to be able to vanish under the marked birch trees before Ackers
could sight him, and in this way make the other choose his own place for
leaving the road.

If Ackers went in below, he would strike the marsh, and in this way block
his own progress but no doubt Ackers knew this, since he and his friends
had been down to examine the course, and must have done considerable
prowling around here.

Upon arriving at the station, Fred lost not a second in seizing the
pencil offered to him by the waiting keeper, and jotting down his name,
as well as the time indicated upon the face of the little clock that was
placed in plain view.

He did not say half a dozen words to the other, because he felt that he
needed every bit of his breath. There was a runner just turning the bend
below, and from his number being One he knew that it was the "terrible"
Ackers.

So off Fred bounded, and the keeper, looking after him smiled with
satisfaction, he being a Riverport gentleman, and reckoned very fair and
square.

"In splendid shape after running more than ten miles, I should say," he
told himself, "and this other fellow coming on like a whirlwind seems to
be just as well off. There's a third cl