The girl took a long breath, then said quietly:
“I will ride him!”
The others uttered exclamations of surprise.
“But you can’t, Shirley,” protested Mabel.
“But I will,” came the firm reply.
“Your father would never hear of such a thing.”
“He doesn’t need to know anything about it. But the rest of you must help me. I’ll dress here in Jimmy’s clothes. No one will know the difference. I have played Jimmy once and I can do it again. But you, Mabel, and you, Dick, must keep between me and father as much as possible.”
“What will your father say when he fails to see you at the track? He will want to know what has become of you.”
“Then you must tell him something that will satisfy him for the time.”
Shirley looked at her watch again.