AND OTHER SKETCHES 45 



on even terms, whip and spur were being used and every 

 art of jockeyship brought into play. Foot by foot, inch 

 by inch, the stubborn struggle was fought out. Staid 

 members of the church yelled like street hawkers in their 

 excitement and even old turfmen were shouting, all a joy 

 under the excitement. Twenty yards from the judges' 

 stand the leaders were locked as if yoked together, shoul- 

 der to shoulder, head to head, the two gallant thorough- 

 breds were straining every muscle to gain the advantage. 

 Within two lengths of the wire Pilot's jockey, by a last 

 supreme effort found out a hidden link and again the 

 verdict was ''won by a nose," but this time it was Pilot 

 that was credited with the honors. 



So intensely did the two favorites usurp attention that 

 scarce anybody seemed to give a thought that there were 

 any other horses in the race. The betting again became 

 fast and furious between the two heat winners. Mr. 

 Parish, the owner of the Colonel, had over five thousand 

 dollars up on his horse and his friends kept betting until 

 nearly their last dollar was in the stakeholder's hands. 

 When the bell sounded for the third heat all four horses 

 again faced the flag, though the few who had been able 

 during the exciting struggle to note the whereabouts of 

 Phoebe Dodds and Country Maid, declared that they 

 were both lengths out beyond the distance flag and should 

 have been declared so by the judges. But both were so 

 little thought of that even the judges paid no attention 

 to them. When the piece of bunting went down for the 

 start in the third heat, the rider of Pilot, not thinking it 

 a go on account of his being some five or six lengths be- 

 hind, pulled up his horse and, before he discovered his 

 mistake, the horses were a hundred yards away and 

 Pilot 's owner refused to allow his boy to follow. Terrific 

 was the excitement over the untoward circumstance and 

 great was the groaning meted out to the unfortunate 

 holder of the flag for his miserable bungling. The race 

 was now shorn of its interest, for, in the opinion of nine- 

 tenths of those present, it was a foregone conclusion that 

 the Colonel would win hands down. So it looked for two 



