“What say, let’s take this in a hurry and see how many miles we can cover this morning,” suggested Dick.
The others stopped short in their tracks.
“Listen, Phil, unstrap your canteen while I feel his pulse. There’s something the matter with Dick. He wants to hurry. If it was later in the day I would say that he had been a bit touched by the sun, but it is early and cool, and I think he is just sick,” said Garry solicitously.
“Lazy Dick wants to hurry!” ejaculated Phil in amazement. “What’s the big idea?”
Dick turned red and lunged at his chums. He was used to their ragging him on account of his willingness to take the easiest way of doing things. Of course they knew that he never shirked his duty when called upon, and they never questioned his bravery at any time, but he always got so fussed when they ragged him about his weight and his easy way of taking life, that they never let an opportunity pass to tease him about it. After a short scuffle, they stopped laughing and Garry said:
“Seriously, Dick, why do you want to hurry? We are well up on our schedule and you don’t need to rush like mad.”
“I just wanted to see what we could do if we had to,” said Dick; “and furthermore, I wanted to show you for once that I could walk as fast and as long as either of you chaps, that’s all. Let’s go.”
Dick set off at a swinging pace, and kept it up. The boys fell in and kept pace with him, thinking that he would soon tire of it; but when they had covered three miles, and Dick had not abated a whit his speed, Garry and Phil saw that he was in earnest. Not to be outdone by him, they bent to their walking and made excellent time. They were passing a barn, when suddenly Garry stopped dead short, gave a shout and then fell to laughter with all his might. This time it was Dick’s turn to assume a sarcastic attitude, and make side remarks to Phil. Finally when Garry had controlled his laughter so that he could speak, he said to Phil:
“What do you think of me for a regular little Sherlock Holmes? I’ve found out why Dick is trying to set a pedestrian record this morning. Just look at that barn!”
Phil took one look at the glaring posters pasted on the wall, then gave a shout.