AGREAT HO R S 



and Tim Murnen was trailing him with the pace- 

 maker, Mike The Tramp. 



At the first turn the running horse swung wide, and 

 Cresceus put several lengths of daylight between his 

 sulky wheel and the runner's nose. But the runner 

 was on his wheel again quicker than it takes to tell it, 

 and the two horses were speeding around the back 

 turn before the crowd had caught its breath. On the 

 back stretch the two animals were neck and neck; as 

 they passed the quarter pole the timers knew that 

 record-breaking time was being made. Cresceus 

 reached the quarter in 33 seconds, and was trotting like 

 a great machine. The horses traveled like a team ; 

 Cresceus trotting in an even, steady way that delight- 

 ed every horseman present, while the runner was run- 

 ning like a record-breaker. 



They reached the half in fine style, and the watches 

 caught them in i .-03! , the second quarter being in 30$ 

 seconds, remarkably fast time on a half-mile track. 

 Just as they were passing around the first turn in 

 the second half, Cresceus made a slight mistake, caused 

 by striking the sulky, and went off his feet. The 

 crowd, which was holding its breath in the presence of 

 such splendid trotting, moaned rather than said, "He's 

 broke." But the champion was on his stride again in 

 an instant, and the moan was changed into a great 

 chorus of cheering approval. 



Cresceus reached the three-quarter pole in 1 137^, 

 and then came the trip through the home stretch that 



100 



