The girls crossed the field at a trot. It was a good two miles to the village. They ran slowly, but steadily. At the end of a mile the guardian again ordered a halt, directing the girls to lie down in the field flat on their backs. A few moments later they were up and off again. They saw the boys a long distance to the rear, still trudging doggedly along. And half an hour later the girls stepped from the field out into the road. They heard the chug of a motor car. It swept on and overtook them. It was Jane. She was howling like a wild Indian.
“They’re coming! They’re coming. Run for it!” she yelled.
By this time the boys had discovered the girls. They, too, began to run. The race was on in earnest. Never had those girls run and stumbled and lurched along as they did that afternoon. The boys gained slowly. The girls were nearing home. Jane was leading the procession, standing up in her car, steering as she stood, setting the pace for the Meadow-Brook Girls. She was shouting and yelling to keep up their courage, but it was an almost killing pace that she was making for them.
The girls staggered over the line that marked the village limits.
“Home!” cried Miss Elting.
“We’ve won!” screamed Jane almost beside herself with joy.
The girls walked unsteadily to one side of the road and sat down gasping. They had won the race, but by a slender margin. The boys were still forging ahead, running at top speed. They had thrown away their packs and were racing into the village in light order. Five minutes later a crowd of weary, humiliated boys came hurrying up to where the girls sat. They were much more fatigued than were their opponents, besides which, they were chagrined beyond words.
“Did we win?” jeered Jane triumphantly.
“Yes. You won,” admitted Captain Baker sourly. “I take off my hat to you.” He suited the action to the word. “You beat us at our own game. I don’t know how you did it, but you did and that’s all there is about it, and we aren’t going to whine. We’ll take our medicine. We’re going to stay in town the rest of the day, and we’ll see you later on. Good-bye until to-night.”
The girls’ weariness left them almost magically. They hopped into Jane’s car and were swiftly whirled home. Later in the afternoon a box of marshmallows for each of the girls was delivered to Miss Elting. But the fun was not yet ended.