Amy made a face at him, settled her bathing cap more firmly, and looked at Jessie.
“Ready, Jess?” she asked.
“We’ll just beat them good,” declared her chum. “They always think they can do things so much better than us girls.”
“‘We’ girls,” corrected Amy, giggling.
“‘We’ or ‘us’—it doesn’t so much matter, as long as we win the race,” said Jessie.
“All ready out there?” demanded Darry.
“They’re edging out farther,” observed Burd Alling. “It wouldn’t matter if you gave them a mile start; they’d take more if they could. Give ’em an inch and they’ll take an ell,” he quoted.
“You don’t know what an ell is,” scoffed his friend.
“It’s something you put on a house after you think you’ve got all the rooms you’ll ever need. I know,” declared Burd, grinning.
“Come on out!” retorted Darry. “Cut the repartee. You have got to swim your little best, for those two girls are no slow-pokes.”