“If Ruth really wants Joe Sedley she can have him,” answered Jack irritatedly. He was still thinking of the conversation down at the brook.
The boys were standing at a corner of the old farmhouse while speaking, and just as the last remark was made Ruth passed by one of the open windows. She heard Jack’s rather ill-advised words and her cheeks flushed deeply. She had been on the point of joining Martha in the sitting room, but now she came to a sudden standstill, bit her lip deeply, and then, looking straight ahead with her cheeks still flaming, marched up to her bedroom, closing the door behind her.
That same day, to add to his worries, Jack received a rather formal note from Joe Sedley in which the rich young man stated that he considered the race had been a tie and asked Jack to set a date for riding it over again. Jack immediately showed the letter to his cousins.
“I wouldn’t do it!” said Randy quickly. “Why, if you agreed to that it would tend to show that you were not willing to back up the judges of the contest. They gave the race to you.”
“Tell him to take a walk to the north pole and cool off,” was the way Andy expressed himself.
“I don’t think I’d notice the communication,” put in Fred.
“Oh, I’ll have to answer it,” said Jack, and a little later he addressed a note in reply to Joe Sedley’s stating that he would abide by the decision of the judges, and as a consequence that race could not be ridden again. However, if Sedley wanted another contest, Jack would be willing to arrange for it as soon as he returned from the outing he was going to take with his cousins and their visitors.
To this Sedley answered abruptly: “It is the first race or nothing. I shall always claim it was a tie.” And there the unfortunate incident rested.