"Ah," said the Colonel, smiling, "but here, like a good angel, comes in your dear Aunt 'Lethe!" He smiled at her. "Isn't it so, Miss 'Lethe?"
Frank spoke up quickly. "Surely," he exclaimed to her as she advanced toward him, with smiles, "you know I'd never take your money!"
"You must, Frank," she insisted. "The Colonel says it is the chance of a lifetime."
"Why, Auntie, it's your whole fortune. I wouldn't risk it."
"But you could pay it all back in a month."
"How?" he asked, not understanding in the least.
"By selling Queen Bess."
He flinched. The thought had not occurred to him. "Sell Queen Bess!" said he. "The prettiest, the fastest mare in all Kentucky! Never!"
"My boy," said the Colonel, "the odds are far too heavy—a million against the mare. You can't stand 'em."
"Oh, Frank," said his Aunt, impulsively, "if you'll only take the money and give up racing!"