White to the lips, Sally Pendleton sits and watches, her hands clasped tightly in her lap.
The babble of voices is so deafening that she can not hear.
Again the gallant steeds are specks in the distance. Now they pa.s.s the curve, and are on the home-stretch, dashing swiftly to the finish.
Nearer and nearer sounds the thunder of their oncoming hoofs. Ten thousand people grow mad with excitement as they dash on.
To the great surprise of the spectators, Queen Bess is gaining steadily inch by inch, until she pa.s.ses those before her, even the General, and there is but a ribbon of daylight between herself and the great Robin Adair.
The crowd goes wild with intense excitement. Nerves are thrilling as down the stretch dashes the racers almost with the rapidity of lightning.
The grand stand seems to rock with the excited shouts. One great cry rises from ten thousand throats. Queen Bess has reached the great Robin Adair"s flanks, and inch by inch she is gaining on him. And the excited spectators fairly hold their breath to see which horse wins.
CHAPTER IV.
WHICH WON?
Never in the history of the Lee races had there been such an exciting scene as this. Jay Gardiner"s face is as white as death, as, with bated breath, he watches the two thorough-breds. Every one rises to his feet in the hope of catching a full view of the flyers.
Which will win the race--the great Robin Adair or the gallant little Queen Bess?
The mad shouts are deafening.
Suddenly they notice that Robin Adair, who has been victor in a dozen such races, begins to show signs of distress. The foam covers his dark chest, and his eyes flash uneasily. It is all that his rider can do to urge him on with whip and spur.
There is only one more furlong to cover. Robin Adair and little Queen Bess are side by side, neck to neck, both increasing their speed with every stride.
Suddenly Robin, the great Robin Adair, falters ever so slightly. The seething ma.s.s of men and women hold their breath. Then, quick as a flash, as if shot from a bow, gallant little Queen Bess pa.s.ses him. A great cry breaks from the vast mult.i.tude of spectators. One instant later, and the cry has deepened into a mighty yell. Little Queen Bess, with every muscle strained, pa.s.ses under the wire--a winner!
The next instant she is hidden from sight by the eager thousands who are crowding and pushing one another to catch a glimpse of the winner. Jay Gardiner stands for a moment as if dumbfounded. He is hardly able to credit the evidence of his own senses.
"Queen Bess had won!" cried the golden-haired girl by his side, and he answers a hoa.r.s.e--"Yes."
The girl laughs, and the sound of that laugh lingers in his memory all the long years of his after-life.
"And I have won!" she adds, shrilly.
Again he answers, in that same hoa.r.s.e monotone--"Yes!"
Before he has time even to think, Sally Pendleton turns around to her father and mother, crying triumphantly:
"Mamma--papa, Mr. Gardiner wants me to marry him. My hand is pledged to him; that is, if you are willing!"
The young man"s face turned as white as it would ever be in death.
The effect of her words can better be imagined than described. Mr.
Pendleton stared at his daughter as though he had not heard aright.
Mrs. Pendleton was dumbfounded. And Louise--poor Louise!--to her it seemed as if life had ended for her.
Mr. Pendleton recovered himself in an instant. He had been quite sure that Mr. Gardiner preferred his elder daughter Louise to his younger daughter, merry, rollicking Sally.
"I am sure, I am very well pleased," he said, heartily extending his hand to Mr. Gardiner. "Certainly I give my consent, in which my wife joins me."
Jay Gardiner"s face flushed. He could not make a scene by refusing to accept the situation. He took the proffered hand. Mrs. Pendleton rose to the occasion.
"If he prefers Sally, that is the end of it as far as Louise is concerned. Sally had better have him than for the family to lose him and all his millions," she thought, philosophically.
Jay Gardiner"s friends congratulated the supposedly happy lovers. Louise spoke no word; it seemed to her as though the whole world had suddenly changed; her golden day-dreams had suddenly and without warning been dispelled.
During that homeward ride, Jay Gardiner was unusually quiet. His brain seemed in a whirl--the strange event of the afternoon seemed like a troubled dream whose spell he could not shake off, do what he would.
He looked keenly at the girl by his side. Surely she did not realize the extent of the mischief she had done by announcing their betrothal.
It was not until he had seen his party home and found himself alone at last in his boarding-house that he gave full rein to his agitated thoughts.
It was the first time in the life of this debonair young millionaire that he had come face to face with a disagreeable problem.
Gay, jolly Sally Pendleton, with her flashing get-up--a combination of strangely unnatural canary-yellow hair, pink cheeks and lips, and floating, rainbow-hued ribbons--jarred upon his artistic tastes.
He did not admire a girl who went into convulsions of laughter, as Sally did, at everything that was said and done. In fact, he liked her less each time he saw her. But she was young--only eighteen--and she might, in time, have a little more sense, he reflected.
What should he do? He looked at the matter in every light; but, whichever way he turned, he found no comfort, no way out of the dilemma.
If he were to explain to the world that the engagement was only the outcome of a thoughtless wager, his friends would surely censure him for trying to back out; they would accuse him of acting the part of a coward. He could not endure the thought of their taking that view of it.
All his friends knew his ideas concerning honor, particularly where a lady was concerned.
And now he was in honor bound to fulfill his part of the wager--marry Sally Pendleton, whom he was beginning to hate with a hatred that startled even himself.
Such a marriage would spoil his future, shipwreck his whole life, blast his every hope. But he himself was to blame. When that hoidenish, hair-brained girl had made such a daring wager, he should have declined to accept it; then this harvest of woe would not have to be reaped.
Suddenly a thought, an inspiration, came to him. He would go to Sally, point out to her the terrible mistake of this hasty betrothal, and she might release him from it.
CHAPTER V.
"SHALL WE BREAK THIS BETROTHAL, THAT WAS MADE ONLY IN FUN?"
The thought was like an inspiration to Jay Gardiner. He would go to Sally and ask her to break this hateful engagement; and surely she would be too proud to hold him to a betrothal from which he so ardently desired to be set free.
The following day he put his plan into execution. It was early in the afternoon when he entered the hotel, and going at once to the reception-room, he sent up his card. He had not long to wait for Miss Sally. He had scarcely taken two or three turns across the floor ere she floated into the room with both hands outstretched, an eager smile on her red lips.