Valentine, promptly.
"You are very kind, Val. How many days are there before the picnic?"
"Five. In five days you can accomplish a great deal."
"I should like to win the ten dollars. I want to go to the city and look for a place, and I don't want to ask father for the money."
"Ten dollars would carry you there nicely, and give you a day or two to look around."
"True; well, Val, I will accept your kind offer. Is Conrad practicing?"
"Yes; he is out every afternoon."
"I can't go till after supper."
"Then begin this evening. You know where I keep my boat. I will be at the boathouse at half-past six, and you can meet me there."
"All right. You are a good friend, Val."
"I try to be, but it isn't all friendship."
"What else, then?"
"I want Conrad defeated. He is insufferable now, and if he wins the prize he will be worse than ever."
Prospect Pond was a little distance out of the village. It was a beautiful sheet of water, and a favorite resort for picnic parties. Conrad Carter, Valentine Burns, and two or three other boys and young men had boats there, and a man named Serwin kept boats to hire.
But the best boats belonged to Valentine and Conrad. It was rather annoying to Conrad that any one should have a boat as good as his own, but this was something he could not help. He consoled himself, however, by reflecting that he was a better oarsman than Valentine.
He had been out practicing during the afternoon, accompanied by John
Larkin, a neighbor's son. John stood on the bank and timed him.
"Well, John, how do I row?" he asked, when he returned from his trial trip.
"You did very well," said John.
"There won't be any one else that can row against me, eh?"
"I don't think of any one. Valentine has as good a boat—"
"I don't admit that," said Conrad, jealously.
"I would just as soon have his as yours," said John, independently; "but he can't row with you."
"I should think not."
"Jimmy Morris is a pretty good rower, but he has no boat of his own, and would have to row in one of Serwin's boats. You know what they are."
"He couldn't come up to me, no matter in what boat he rowed," said
Conrad.
"Well, perhaps not; I don't know."
"Well, you ought to know, John Larkin."
"My opinion's my own, Conrad," said John, manfully.
"All the same, you are mistaken."
"If Valentine would lend his boat to Jimmy we could tell better."
"He won't do it. He will want it himself," said Conrad.
"As matters stand now, I think you will win the prize."
"I think so myself."
It may be thought surprising that nothing was said of Andy Grant and his chances, but, in truth, his boy friends in Arden had never seen him row during the last two years.
As a matter of fact, he had been the champion oarsman of Penhurst Academy, but this they did not know. During his vacations at home he had done very little rowing, his time being taken up in other ways.
"I wonder whether Andy Grant can row?" said John Larkin.
Conrad laughed.
"He can hoe corn and potatoes better than he can row, I fancy," he said.
"He's a first-rate fellow," said Larkin, warmly.
"He's poor and proud, that's what he is. I called at the farm this morning and he insulted me."
"Are you sure it wasn't the other way?"
"Look here, John Larkin, if you don't treat me with more respect I won't associate with you."
"Do as you like," said John, independently. "I'd just as soon associate with Valentine or Andy."
"My father can buy out both their fathers."
"That don't make you any the better fellow. Why are you so anxious to win this prize? Is it the money you are after?"
"No. If I want ten dollars my father will give it to me. It isn't the money, but the glory that I think of."
"If I had your practice I'd go in for it myself. I shouldn't mind pocketing ten dollars."
"No doubt it would be welcome to you."
"Let me try your boat for a few minutes."
"You can have it for ten minutes."
"I would like it long enough to row over the course."
"You can have it that long. I'm going over it again myself as soon as I have got rested from the last trial."
John Larkin got into the boat and rowed very creditably, but was soon called in by the owner of the craft.
John began to ask himself what benefit he got from associating with
Conrad, who showed his selfishness on all occasions.
"I wish he would get beaten, after all," thought John; "but I don't know who there is to do it. Valentine is only a passable rower, and Jimmy Morris has no boat of his own."
Conrad came back in good spirits. He had beaten his former record by three-quarters of a minute.
"I'm sure of the prize," he said, in exultation.
CHAPTER V.
THE BOAT RACE
As Andy rowed only in the evening, and Conrad practiced in the afternoon, it chanced that the coming rivals never met; nor was Conrad aware that Andy proposed to dispute the prize with him.
Even at first Valentine was surprised and pleased to observe how Andy handled the oars. Before the evening was over he demonstrated the fact that he was a first-class oarsman, much to the satisfaction of his friend.
"You must have had a good deal of practice at the gymnasium," said
Valentine.
"Yes; the director of the gymnasium, who is an all-around athlete, gave the boys special instruction, by which we all profited. He was a graduate of Harvard, and an old member of the University crew."
"That accounts for it. Your rowing has a style to it that Conrad cannot show."
"Probably he has never had any instructions."
"Whatever
