Page:The purple pennant (IA purplepennant00barb).pdf/34

Rh "I made it twelve seconds," he responded dubiously.

"Twelve! And you said I'd ought to do it under eleven!" Perry viewed him discouragedly.

"Well, maybe I didn't snap it just when I should have," said the timer. "It's hard to see unless you're right at the line."

"You must have! I'll bet anything I did it better than twelve. Don't you think I did?"

"Well, it looked to me as if you were going pretty fast," answered Fudge cautiously. "But those trousers, and not having any spikes, and the track being so wet—Gee, but you did get splashed, didn't you?"

"I should say so," replied Perry, observing his trousers disgustedly. "The water even went into my face! Say, let's try it again, Fudge, and you stand here at the finish."

"All right, but how'll I start you?"

"Wave a handkerchief or something?"

"I've got it. I'll clap a couple of sticks together." So Fudge set out to find his sticks while Perry, rather winded, seated himself on the stand. Fudge finally came back with the required articles and Perry declared himself rested and ready for another trial. "I'll clap the sticks together first for you to get set and then for the start. Like this." Fudge illustrated. "Suppose you can hear it?"