“I’d like to know how,” said one of the junior girls. “They have so many good paddlers and girls with a good deal of endurance, too. Then they are having regular practice, too.”
“Not any too regular,” said Isabel. “If I didn’t have to work so on that debate, I could do more, but after all, I think we can manage to get enough practice in if we are only determined enough. It’s determination and management that we need, girls. Now listen. The senior girls are interested in a lot of other things. There is the senior play, you know, and practices for that, besides the glee club and other things.”
“We are in those, too.”
“Some of them,” Isabel admitted. “But if we practice regularly and often say nothing to the seniors about our extra practice, and make up our minds to learn to paddle as no juniors ever did before, we shall win that race, depend upon it.”
“Some of those girls are your very best friends, Isabel. Can you and Virgie stoop to such base deception?”
“‘Base deception’ is good,” laughed Isabel. “How about it, Virgie? Didn’t I tell the girls that we were going to beat them in the canoe race?”
“You did.”
“Did they hesitate to beat us in the field meet? The answer is ‘no’! Will they be just as good friends of mine if we beat ’em? Yes. If they notice how we are practicing, will they care? No.”
“I think that the main thing is to learn to do it together,” said Virgie. “Most of this crew are pretty good paddlers, but we need to learn to make the stroke exactly together and practice speed. Nobody can lose her head at that critical time.”
“I should think not!” exclaimed Beatrice Lee, the junior who had rallied Isabel on deceiving her friends. “The seniors have ever so much on their minds, too. Commencement doings soon, and friends coming and everything,—clothes and all. It may be mean to gloat over hindrances to your enemies, but one can’t help thinking of those things when considering the chances.”