"Go back," said Daddy Blake, smiling. Finally they were both evenly on the line. The other skaters came up to watch.
"Go!" suddenly cried Daddy Blake.
CHAPTER IX
A WINTER PIC-NIC
Hal and Mab started off on their race so evenly that neither one was ahead of the other. The two children had learned to skate farily well by this time, though of course they could not go very far, nor very fast. And they could not cut any "fancy figures" on the ice such as doing the "grape-vine twist," or others like that.
"I—I—I think I'm going to win," said Mab as she skated along beside her brother.
"You'd better—better not talk," Hal panted. "That takes your breath, and it's hard enough to breathe anyhow, when you're skating fast, without talking."
"You're talking," said Mab.
"But I'm not going to talk any more," Hal answered, and he closed his lips tightly.
On and on they skated, side by side.