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 up and down, as usual, "Hurry, Skedaddle, oh, do hurry up!"

But it didn't do any good, for Skedaddle and the Hoosier were spinning along at the same old gait, neck and neck, and Hop-and-go-fetch-it was gaining on them at every jump;—still, they were pretty close to the top, and might make it, yet. Just as they were almost at the brow of the hill, still close together, and the lame one about five feet behind,—Whoosh—there came a sudden gust of wind, and he rose high in the air, over the heads of the other two, gave a comical twist as if kicking up his heels, as he cleared the summit, and disappeared upon the other side, just as the others reached the top.

I jumped up and down with the others, and cheered. "Hurrah for old Hop-and-go-fetch-it! He won by three lengths, and he had only one leg, and was lame in that! The Hoosier and Skedaddle weren't a circumstance to him. Whoop!"

"Well," said Twinny, "I'm glad he won; because he had such a handicap, and it was fine for him to come out ahead in spite of it. Come on, Chester, we tied for second place, we ought to try again."