A GREAT HORSE 



chiefs, the dresses of many hues, the ribbons and 

 laces on the hats of the ladies, contrasting- richly with 

 the darker shades of the clothin,q- of their male es- 

 corts, were part of the scene from fairy-land, beauti- 

 ful to behold. The lawn in front of the stand was 

 inhabited by the citizens of Cosmopolis, representing 

 all the quarters of the globe by birth, and every trade 

 or profession to which man has turned his hand ; 

 doctors were next to gamblers, lawyers crushed 

 against butchers, merchants were sandwiched in be- 

 tween the clerks of their employ. It was a jovial con- 

 glomeration of sport-loving people intent upon en- 

 joyment. Shortly after two o'clock the stallions were 

 on the track in full viev/ of the excited multitude. 

 They had scored a number of times and both horses 

 and drivers were ready for the serious task of the 

 day. 



"Go !" said Starter Wlieeler. The cry had no more 

 than left his lips v/hen there was a stir of peculiar 

 sound among the twenty thousand spectators, male and 

 female, who occupied the lofty bank of seats, rising 

 tier above tier, until the topmost seem to touch the 

 lowest blue of the heavens. It was like the rustle of 

 leaves in a wind-swept forest, and was the unspoken 

 language of suppressed emotion, a frenzy that must 

 burst into hurrahs. 



They are off ! Those mighty kings of the turf, seven 

 of them, swung down the stretch. The race was full 

 of surprises. Victory went just where it was expected, 



88 



