"If only he doesn't begin to worry, after the fun, we expect to have Saturday, is over," put in Ned, a little doubtful of his own experiment.
There were scores entered in the race, and that insured a good attendance at the event. In spite of many questions the chums refused to tell any details of the contest, and it was much of a mystery as ever Saturday afternoon, when all the boys, and quite a crowd of girls, were gathered on the campus. Ned got up on a box to make an announcement, and to tell the conditions of the race.
"Entries are not limited," he said. "We'll admit boys, girls, dogs, puppies or any animal that walks, flies or crawls."
There was laughter at what they all took to be a joke.
"I mean it," Ned went on. "If any of you have a dog or a goat you want to see race, put him in. We'll make the conditions and the prizes fit any person or animal," and there was more laughter.
"What's the distance?" inquired several of the boys who had donned racing trunks and spiked shoes.
"Five times around the campus," Ned answered. "That's about a mile."
"Where are the prizes?"
"They will be shown and awarded after the race. Now are you all ready?"
"Aren't you going to run this off in heats?" asked Lem Gordon. "There are too many to start at once."