taking any cups before I win them, but when the time comes you
wait and see me run away from any boat that tries to keep up with
us. I have been on the St. Lawrence before and unless there is
something a good deal better than I have ever seen there, we
shall simply show our heels to any motor-boats on the river. And
they say there are more motor-boats between Clayton and
Ogdensburg than anywhere else in America."

"How many?" inquired John.

"I have been told that there are more than a thousand."

"Well," said George, "I'm deeply impressed by the modesty of
Peewee. He simply thinks this boat will outclass nine hundred and
ninety-nine others that will be madly chasing him all summer
long, trying to keep pace with him."

"But he hasn't won the cup yet," said Grant quietly.

"That's right. That's right," spoke up Fred, pretending to be
annoyed by the bantering of his friends. "There are always some
people that try to take the joy out of life. I heard of an old
man the other day who was so disgruntled that when he met a
friend on the street who saluted him with a hearty 'good morning'
this old man looked all over the sky to make sure he couldn't
find a cloud somewhere and say that it wasn't a 'good' morning."

"What did he do if he didn't find any?" laughed George.

"Why he put his hand on his stomach as if he had a pain and shook