She was puzzled for a moment.
“Can you run fast?” she asked.
“I’m the champion of Gosling Lake; I run so fast that out of pity fur these lumbering coal carts I save their feelings by refusing to run wid ’em. Would ye like to obsarve a fut race?”
“Yes,—oh yes; I’ll run with you all.”
The thought had come to the girl like an inspiration, as she showed by her favorite act of clapping her hands and laughing.
The whole party were filled with delight.
“I must tell you that I can run awful fast,” warned Sunbeam, as preparations were begun for the test of speed; “I beat my father and mother every time we race.”
“Ye don’t till me!” exclaimed Mike as if frightened; “we’ll hev to do our darnedst, and angels could do no more; but, Sunbeam,” he added impressively, “ye mustn’t let up, but show us no mercy.”
“I’ll try,” she said with a shake of her head.
The preparations were simple and soon completed. Scout Master Hall was requested to act as umpire and complied. The beach sloped gently with a varying width of a rod or more. In order to give play to legs and arms, Mike arranged the contestants in two lines, one behind the other. Then he gravely paced off a distance of about a hundred yards, drawing a deep line in the earth by a sweep of the toe of his shoe, to mark the terminus of the course. Umpire Hall stationed himself a short distance back of this, so as not to be in the way of the runners. Mike next placed Sunbeam in front of the two lines and gave his final orders.