“An' therefore,” the announcer became audible again, “the judges have decided to put up another purse of twenty-five dollars an' run the race over again!”
“An' Tim?” bellowed scores of throats. “What about Tim?” “He's been robbed!” “The judges is rotten!”
Again the announcer stilled the tumult with his arm appeal.
“The judges have decided, for the sake of good feelin', that Timothy McManus will also run. If he wins, the money's his.”
“Now wouldn't that jar you?” Billy grumbled disgustedly. “If Tim's eligible now, he was eligible the first time. An' if he was eligible the first time, then the money was his.”
“Red-head'll bust himself wide open this time,” Bert jubilated.
“An' so will Tim,” Billy rejoined. “You can bet he's mad clean through, and he'll let out the links he was holdin' in last time.”
Another quarter of an hour was spent in clearing the track of the excited crowd, and this time only Tim and Red-head toed the mark. The other three young men had abandoned the contest.
The leap of Tim, at the report of the revolver, put him a clean yard in the lead.
“I guess he's professional, all right, all right,” Billy remarked. “An' just look at him go!”