Strange dhcp behavior?

Hello to all.

I've configured Mandrake 9.1 box to be a dhcp server. My dhcpd.conf
file looks like this:

ddns-update-style none;
ddns-updates off;
authoritative;
ignore client-updates;
allow unknown-clients;

option subnet-mask 255.255.252.0;
option broadcast-address 192.168.103.255;
option routers 192.168.100.1;
option domain-name "mydomain.com";
option domain-name-servers 192.168.100.3, 65.x.1.x,
65.x.7.x;
option time-servers 192.168.100.2;
option time-offset -18000; # Eastern Standard
Time
option netbios-name-servers 192.168.100.2; # Samba WINS
server
option netbios-dd-server 192.168.100.2;
option netbios-node-type 8;
default-lease-time 259200;
max-lease-time 259200;

subnet 192.168.100.0 netmask 255.255.252.0 {
range 192.168.100.51 192.168.103.254;
}

This server does dispense ip addresses in the range I've specified.
However, it dispenses them beginning with 192.168.103.254, then
192.168.102.254, etc. Shouldn't it handle them out in ascending order
beginning with the first address in my range?

Worse, when my Win XP Pro (I know, ugh) client machines try to
authenticate to a Windows 2003 (bigger ugh) server, they can't, even
though and ipconfig on these clients shows that they've picked up an
address from dhcp.

I've tried a few different dhcpd.conf configs on a couple of different
boxes running different distros, but keep getting the same results.

Any ideas.

Many thanks.

Diggy