Page 37 - A Little Bush Maid

"T’ll punch you, young Wally," retorted Harry. "Just you be civil. But isn’t it
a splendid place? Why, there’s a clear run for a mile, T should say."

"More than that," Jim answered. "We’ve often raced here."

"Oh!" Norah’s eyes fairly danced. "Let’s have a race now!"

"Noble idea!" exclaimed Wally.

"Well, it’ll have to be a handicap to make it fair," Jim said. "Tf we start
level, Norah’s pony can beat any of the others, and T think Mick can beat
the other two. At any rate we’ll give you fellows a start, and Norah must

give me one."

"T don’t care," Norah said gleefully, digging her heel into Bobs, with the
result that that animal suddenly executed a bound in mid-air. "Steady, you
duffer; T didn’t mean any offence, Bobsie dear," She patted his neck.

"T should think you wouldn’t care," Jim said. "Best pony and lightest

weight! You ought to be able to leave any of us miles behind, so we’ll give
you a beautiful handicap, young woman!"

"Where’s the winning post?" Harry asked.

"See that big black tree--the one just near the boundary fence, T mean? Tt’s a
few chains from the fence, really. We’ll finish there," Jim replied.

"Come on, then," said Norah, impatiently. "Get on ahead, Harry and Wally;
you’ll have to sing out ’Go!’ Jim, and sing it out loud, ’cause we’ll be ever so

far apart."

"Right oh!" Jim said. "Harry, clear on a good way; you’re the heaviest. Pull

up when T tell you; you too, Wal." He watched the two boys ride on slowly,
and sang out to them to stop when he considered they had received a fair

start. Then he rode on himself until he was midway between Wally and
Norah, Harry some distance ahead of the former. The ponies had an inkling