"Otherwise I don't believe
anybody would have known which of you got there first. It was as near a
tie as anything I have ever seen."
As the four lagging participants in the race came up to them, rather
sore and disgruntled, the young folks delicately forbore to look in
their direction and Frank covered their coming with a remark. "I don't
know how you girls ever accomplished it--I thought you were done almost
at the beginning. Tell us the secret."
Mollie and Betty looked at each other significantly. "That's our
secret," said Betty. Then, springing to her feet, she cried: "Let's give
three cheers for the winner of the race, Miss Mollie Billette!"
The cheers were given with a will that awoke the answering echoes on the
island.
Mollie flushed gratefully. "Thank you," she said. "It was only luck
anyway that I happened to touch the tree a second before the rest of
you."
"Don't be modest, Mollie," Roy entreated. "You beat us all
fairly--especially me," he added ruefully. They laughed and Betty added
whimsically: "I thought I had you up to the last, Mollie. It wasn't fair
to lead me on like that.
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