On came Picton Woodridge's black filly, the saffron jacket showing
boldly, Fred Erickson sitting motionless in the saddle. How still he
sat! No one knew he dared not move; had he done so he felt he must
fall off. With desperate efforts he retained his seat; he alone
knew what a great performance Tearaway was putting in, that she was
carrying more than a dead weight, that if anything he hampered instead
of assisting her.
Ripon got his head in front of Harriet and Bronze, and the shouting
was deafening.
"Ripon wins!" yelled Rupert Hansom.
Mrs. Elroy was looking at Tearaway. The black mare was gaining fast,
she would get up and win, she had no doubt about it. She was mortified
because William Rolfe had not told her the real strength of the mare
and her trial. He ought to have done so; they were friends. What was
his reason? Was he jealous of her being with Rupert Hansom? Perhaps he
was, and thought she would tell him about the mare. If this were so,
she did not mind losing her hundred. He had promised to meet her at
the station and journey to town with her; much might happen between
Doncaster and London--possibly he might propose. She intended to urge
him on in every possible way, and she possessed remarkable powers of
fascinating men and was aware of it. These thoughts were mixed up in
her mind as she watched the saffron jacket. The great mass of people
on the rails, and standing on forms behind, at last saw that Tearaway
was dangerous. Ripon held the lead, Bronze next, Harriet and Tearaway
level. The noise was terrific, the thousands of people surged to and
fro, hundreds of them could just see the red cap bobbing up in the
center of the course.
Tearaway settled Harriet's pretensions, and caught Bronze. Fletcher
Denyer turned pale with rage; he recognized that Rolfe had not given
him the strength of Tearaway. It was a shame, after the excellent
mining tips he had given him.
Bronze was beaten. He had lost a large sum, more than he cared to pay;
when he had settled on Monday there would be very little ready money
left, and he must settle or his reputation, such as it was, would be
gone. Rolfe evidently knew all about Tearaway; there was no doubt he
backed the mare to win many thousands of pounds. The commission agent
he worked for said Tearaway was one of the worst in his book, and the
bulk of the money had gone to William Rolfe. Denyer introduced Rolfe
to the man, who would not thank him for this client whose first wagers
were on a winner at thirty-three to one.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account