176 LUTHER BURBANK 



Those Paradox racers took courage, surely, as the stu- 

 dent yells were sung by the breezes and echoed and re- 

 echoed from "Doxie" to "Doxie." 



The excitement and general interest became intense as 

 farmers, laborers, and merchants came and went along the 

 street between the two rows of trees. Burbank's walnut 

 pupils on one side of the street increased at an incredible 

 rate, being encouraged by the class yell: 



"Rah! Rah! Rah! 

 Who are we? 

 We are the l Doxies/ 

 The winning tree." 



The sturdy English walnuts across the street continued 

 the same slow pace that had been theirs for years. For 

 fourteen years the race continued, then the timekeepers 

 called the finish. It was evident that the trained athletes 

 had won the race, for the announcement was published far 

 and wide that the Paradox had grown in fourteen years 

 almost six times as much as the English had in thirty years, 

 and at the height of six feet from the ground some of the 

 winning trees were six feet in circumference, while their 

 branch spread was seventy-five feet. 



Of course there was great rejoicing in the school. Why 

 not? The race was fairly won; besides, the "Doxies" had 

 shown more "class" than their opponents. 



The judges, however, were tradesmen of different kinds. 



