Finally, when they were nearing the highest stretch of all, Florence exclaimed, “They’re dropping behind a little now! See, Peg!”
“Hot ziggity! They are, sure enough!” cried Peggy, vastly relieved. “I believe the worst’s over. But don’t slow down, Jo.”
“I won’t any more than I have to,” Jo Ann replied, cheered immensely by the girls’ assurance that the smugglers were dropping behind in the race.
“Good old Jo—and good old Jitters,” praised Florence. “They can’t be beaten.”
“Don’t brag too soon,” Jo Ann found time to say in short, clipped sentences.
She was determined to keep Jitters running at the greatest speed possible, and yet not be reckless in making the many sharp curves. With mind and eyes ever alert, she watched the road. She must be ready for any emergency.
Florence and Peggy kept turning every minute or two to watch the pursuing car.
“It’s losing ground right along,” Peggy kept saying, ending each time with, “isn’t it, Florence?”
Each time, to Jo Ann’s joy, Florence would reply with an emphatic “Yes.”
Still Jo Ann held to the maximum speed possible for safety. “Nothing like being on the safe side,” she told herself. “They might gain on us on the down grade.”