"I don"t want to be either proud or poor," returned Andy, smiling.
"That fellow provokes me," thought Conrad. "However, he"ll repent it some time."
In five minutes his place was taken by Valentine Burns, an intimate friend of Andy"s. His father kept the village store, and was one of the leading citizens of Arden.
"Hard at work, I see, Andy," he said.
"Don"t you want to help me?"
"No, I"m too lazy. I have to work in the store out of school hours, you know. Are you going to the picnic?"
"What picnic?"
"There"s a Sunday-school picnic next Thursday afternoon. Both churches unite in it. All the young people will be there. You would have heard of it if you hadn"t been absent at school."
"I will certainly go. There are so few amus.e.m.e.nts in Arden that I can"t afford to miss any. I suppose there will be the usual attractions?"
"Yes, and an extra one besides. There"s a gentleman from the city staying at the hotel, who has offered a prize of ten dollars to the boy who will row across the pond in the shortest time."
"The distance is about half a mile, isn"t it?"
"Yes; a little more."
"I suppose you will go in for the prize, Val. You have a nice boat to practice in."
"No amount of practice would give me the prize. I don"t excel as a rower."
"Who is expected to win?"
"Conrad Carter confidently counts on securing the prize. There is no boy in Arden that can compete with him, except--"
"Well, except whom?"
"Andy Grant."
"I don"t know," said Andy, thoughtfully. "I can row pretty well--that is, I used to; but I am out of practice."
"Why don"t you get back your practice?"
"I have no boat."
"Then use mine," said 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."