no brother of mine!" shouted Gil, beside himself with
rage. "You are a changeling,--half fish, half sea-monster. You were
helped in this race by the sea-people; you cannot deny it. I saw one
push you to the shore. You could not have beaten me else. Every one
knows that I am the better swimmer, though I am no fish."

"Nonsense!" cried Boise, clapping Gil on the shoulder with a laugh. "You
talk foolishness, Gil. There are no sea-folk in these waters; those are
old women's tales. It was a fair race, I say, and Jan is our champion."

But Jan heeded only the cruel words which his brother had spoken. "Gil,
what do you mean?" he asked again, trembling with a new fear. "I was not
helped by any one."

"Ha!" cried Gil, pointing at him fiercely, "see him tremble, see his
guilty looks! He knows that I speak true. The Mermaid helped him. He is
half fish. He came out of the sea and was no real brother of mine, but a
Merbaby. A Mermaid was his mother!"

At these words a whirring sound was heard in the air overhead, and a
second time the Stork appeared, flapping across the scene out to sea,
where he alighted upon the Round Rock. But Gil was too angry even to
notice him.

"Gil, Gil, tell me how this can be?" begged Jan, going up to his brother
and laying a pleading hand upon his arm.

But Gil shook him off, crying, "It is true! He is half fish and the
sea-folk helped him. It was not a fair race. Let us try it again."

"Nonsense!" cried the other boys indignantly. "It was a fair race. Jan
need not try again, for he is our champion. We will have it so."

But Jan was looking at Gil strangely, and the light was gone out of his
eyes. His face was very white. "I did not know that you cared so much to
win," he said to Gil in a low voice. Then he turned to the others. "If
my brother thinks it was not a fair race let us two try again. Let us
swim once more to the Round Rock and back; and the winner shall be
declared the village champion." For Jan meant this time to let his
brother beat. What did he care about anything now, since Gil hated him
so much that he could tell that story?

"Well, let them try the race again, since Jan will have it so," cried
the boys, grumbling and casting scornful looks at Gil, who had never
been so unpopular with them as at this moment.

Once more the two sprang into the waves and started for the Round Rock,
where the spray was dashing merrily over the plumage of the Stork as he
stood there upon one leg, tr