“The ‘little ghost,’” said the Major eagerly, “keeps well up to the bunch, but she’s too small, though, too small.”
Around the turn they whirled, till now the “caller” cried out: “At the half; Rosalind, a neck; Empress, half length; Annabel, a length; Helen Orland—”
“Rosalind, it seems,” exclaimed the Major, “can’t shake them off. See, she’s falling back. Empress leads now and both Helen Orland and Annabel are coming up on her.”
“Look at the ‘little ghost,’” screamed a voice from the crowd as they were rounding into the stretch.
“Ah, but she’s swerved,” chimed in the stranger, “clear to the rail—too bad, too bad; she’s out of it now; but see the Empress, how determined she is. The fight is on now and Annabel and Helen Orland are running as a team. Look! they’re at her throat on either side.”
“Into the stretch: Empress a head; Annabel, a head; Helen Orland—”
“The Empress will win, sure!” said the Colonel.
“Hold!” shouted the stranger. “Look at that! Look at that! They’ve bumped into her. She’s off her stride.”
“Annabel wins easy!” now shouted a chorus of voices from below.
“But here! here! Look at the rail—at the rail!” yelled the stranger, as the crowd below took up the shout and roared: “The Ghost! The Ghost wins!” “No, it’s Annabel, Annabel!” shouted others, “it’s Annabel!”