A GREAT HORSE 



Day, and for all its immensity, it was a good-natured 

 crowd. People stepped on one another's toes, soiled 

 each other's coats and gowns, pushed, crowded and 

 jammed, but they didn't lose their tempers, and every- 

 body cheered Cresceus and Ketcham. Cresceus Day 

 was signalized by the establishment of two world's 

 records by the champion. He trotted a mile to sulky in 

 2 :oo,J, the fastest mile ever trotted over a half-mile 

 track, and also trotted a mile to wagon in 2:12, another 

 world's record. It was at 3 140 o'clock when Cresceus 

 appeared for the trial against the world's half-mile 

 track record of 2:09!. As the champion came down 

 the stretch the band played "Hail to the Chief," and 

 the crowd, catching the spirit of the occasion, dem- 

 onstrated its enthusiasm by cheering. Tim Murnen, 

 with Mike The Tramp, also appeared, and Ketcham 

 announced that he was ready. 



The track was in first-class condition, but a stiff 

 breeze blowing up the home-stretch it was feared 

 would handicap the champion. More like a great ma- 

 chine than flesh and blood, Cresceus rushed forward 

 for the start. There was not a skip, his knees moving 

 up and down like the piston rods of a locomotive. 

 "Go," shouted Starting Judge Wheeler, and the cham- 

 pion was once more doing battle with old Father Time. 

 The pace-maker had the pole as the horses flashed by 

 the stand, but going around the first turn, Murnen 

 pulled out and Cresceus quickly took the place. He 

 did not look like the same horse that had jogged slowly 



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