A 2:04 GAIT. 83 



The I-told-you-so fellows swelled with importance, while 

 the anxious friends of the great trotter felt as if they had 

 been called to a funeral. Bair pulled the mare up, and 

 came back with paler face, because he knew that one of 

 his three chances under the rule had been sacrificed. Go- 

 ing to the head of the stretch again, he came down a little 

 slower and nodded for the word. The plungers struck 

 and the hands of the watches re-commenced the steady, 

 remorseless journey around the dials. Splan was more 

 cautious with his runner, and the turn was safely 

 rounded, but the critics pronounced the pace too slow. 

 In the straight work it was more like flying than trotting, 

 and the hands split at the first quarter in 32^ seconds 

 — a 2:11 gait. Along the backstretch the old scythe- 

 bearer was tackled in awful earnestness, and exclama- 

 tions were heard, "See her go." The time at the half- 

 mile pole was 1 '.04^, which made the flight of the second 

 quarter 31% seconds — a 2:07 gait. The terrific contest 

 against the swaggering bully, Time, was kept up, and 

 fears were expressed that Bair would drive the mare to a 

 break. But she resolutely held her course, trotting the 

 third quarter in 31 seconds — a 2 -.04 gait, and making the 

 total time for the three quarters 1 135^2. Around the 

 upper turn Splan drew a little closer with Dart, and the 

 cloud of suspense deepened. When the stretch yawned 

 broad and straight before the peerless chestnut, she 

 seemed to falter and the cry was heard from excited 

 watch-holders, "Lift her. Come on!" With rare judg- 

 ment Dart was brought with clattering effort still closer 

 to her who was fighting so earnestly with the grim and 

 stalwart giant, and at the same instant the whip fell 

 sharply on her shoulders. The brave Boston blood in the 

 queen was aroused, and it quickened the action of lagging 



