“Speaking for myself,” said Dick modestly; “it sounds good to me.”

CHAPTER XXIII

CONCLUSION

“I hope I am not too late to congratulate you on your victory,” said a pleasant voice, and the boys looked up to see a young gentleman standing in the doorway of the room, where, having finished the repast the colonel had provided, they were sitting around talking over the details of the race.

“I have been looking for you for a couple of weeks,” he went on, coming into the room and offering his hand to Rand.  “It was a splendid race and pluckily rowed, and you deserved to win.”

“Thank you,” replied Rand.  “Did you say you were looking for me?”

“For all of you,” replied the gentleman.  “I see you don’t remember me.  I am Frank Whilden, whose sister you saved from drowning the other day.  Come in, Nellie,” he called to a young girl who was standing outside.  “These are the young men who came to our rescue.”

“I just want to thank you all—­” began Nellie.

“Oh, it was no anything,” returned Donald.

“It was very much to me,” began Nellie.

“I mean,” explained Donald confusedly “it’s no great thing to make a claver about.”

“But it was a great thing to have saved you,” interposed Rand, with an emphasis on the you.

“That’s very nice,” replied Nellie.  “Won’t you shake hands with me, all around?”

“Faith, you won’t be asking me twice to do myself the favor,” replied Gerald.  “Sure I wasn’t there to have the pleasure of saving you, but I would have been there if you had sent me word.”

“Don’t forget the most important part, Nellie,” her brother reminded her when she had finished shaking hands.

“Mother sends her regards to you all,” went on Nellie, “and hopes you will accept the little present she has sent you.”

“But we don’t want any reward for what we did,” protested Rand.  “It was reward enough to have helped you.”

“This isn’t a reward,” continued Nellie; “just a little token of her esteem.  We had it sent down to-day.  Frank and I thought if you didn’t win the race it might console you a little.  We do hope you will like it.”

Frank had gone from the room, but returned now with a handsome Dart motorcycle.

“Crickets!” cried Pepper.  “I-i-it’s a beauty, ain’t it?” while the boys gathered around it to examine it.  “S-s-say——­”

“Whistle it, Pepper,” said Jack.  “I don’t know what it is you want to say, but I guess we all agree with you.”

“We can take turns using it.”

“We can draw lots for the first ride on it.”

“Or toss up for it,” proposed Donald.

“I am glad you like it,” began Nellie.

“We most certainly do,” chorused the boys; “and we are ever so much obliged.  We couldn’t have had anything that would have suited us nearly so well.”