CIVESCEUS, 2:02»/4 



for the first heat. Cresceus was a wild horse on the 

 instant. The moment he wheeled it w^as as if he had 

 been touched with electricity, and while Geers made 

 no great elTort, it was plain that The Abbot could not 

 foot with him to the wire. It was the same on the 

 second attempt. • 



The third time down Tlie Abbot broke loose, and 

 Starting Judge Frank Walker, his face flushed with 

 excitement, caught them head and head and shouted 

 "Go." The pace was terrific, and Cresceus was fight- 

 ing for his head so that Ketcham had to give him his 

 win. 



He rushed around the bend like a wild locomotive, 

 and was an open length in front already at the eighth 

 pole. "Why, he'll make a runaway race of it," yelled a 

 man in the stand. It looked that way. At the quar- 

 ter, which he trotted in 30J seconds, he was four 

 lengths ahead and moving like a hurricane. ]\Ir. 

 Geers had dropped in next to the pole and was trail- 

 ing with the gelding ; but once safely around the turn, 

 The Abbot, too, began to show what was in him. 

 With his flying frictionless stride he was fairly burning 

 up the track, and the efifort gained him two lengths, 

 but there was an open length of daylight l^etween them 

 as Cresceus thundered past the half in i :oi:J. As the 

 timers flashed these figures there was a general sup- 

 pressed shout of "They'll break the record, sure." As 

 the flying pair swept round the ui)per turn The Abbot 

 continued, slowly but surely and fairly, by mere inches 



131 



