black
horse thundered by, the Hon. Sam shouted "Brave lance!" and jollied
his betting enemies, while Buck hugged himself triumphantly and Mollie
seemed temporarily to lose her chagrin and anger in pride of her lover,
Dave. On the third running the Knight of the Cumberland excited a
sensation by sitting upright, waving his lance up and down between the
posts and lowering it only when the ring was within a few feet of its
point. His recklessness cost him one ring, but as the Discarded had lost
one, they were still tied, with eight rings to the credit of each, for
the first prize. Only four others were left--the Knight of the Holston
and the Knight of the Green Valley tying with seven rings for second
prize, and the fat Maxwelton Braes and the Knight at Large tying with
six rings for the third. The crowd was eager now and the Hon. Sam
confident. On came the Knight at Large, his face a rainbow, his plume
wilted and one red base-ball stocking slipped from its moorings--two
rings! On followed the fat Maxwelton, his plaid streaming and his kilts
flapping about his fat legs--also two rings!

"Egad!" quoth the Hon. Sam. "Did yon lusty trencherman of Annie Laurie's
but put a few more layers of goodly flesh about his ribs, thereby
projecting more his frontal Falstaffian proportions, by my halidom, he
would have to joust tandem!"

On came Athelstane and the Knight of the Green Valley, both with but two
rings to their credit, and on followed the Discarded, riding easily, and
the Knight of the Cumberland again waving his lance between the posts,
each with three rings on his spear. At the end the Knight at Large
stood third, Athelstane second, and the Discarded and the Knight of the
Cumberland stood side by side at the head of the course, still even, and
now ready to end the joust, for neither on the second trial had missed a
ring.

The excitement was intense now. Many people seemed to know who the
Knight of the Cumberland was, for there were shouts of "Go it, Dave!"
from everywhere; the rivalry of class had entered the contest and now
it was a conflict between native and "furriner." The Hon. Sam was almost
beside himself with excitement; now and then some man with whom he had
made a bet would shout jeeringly at him and the Hon. Sam would shout
back defiance. But when the trumpet sounded he sat leaning forward with
his brow wrinkled and his big hands clinched tight. Marston sped up the
course first--three rings--and there was a ch