r. "I'm in to make the running; this
crock's got no license to win. Don't you bother about him--he'll come
back to the others fast enough when he's done. When you want an opening
to get through just come bang into me--I'll be next the rail; yell
'Lauzanne,' an' I'll pull out. I'll give them blasted crooks something
to stare at. Don't gallop your mount's head off chasing this sprinter;
he'll be beat when we swing into the stretch. Don't go wide at the turn;
you can have my place; I'll make it wide for something else though."

They were at the post. Allis had not spoken; she had listened gratefully
to Redpath's string of kindly directions. The presence of a friend
in the race cheered her; the discovery she had dreaded had come as a
blessing.

XXXVI

Crane's words had started a train of thought in Langdon's mind. All at
once he remembered that the face of Lauzanne's rider had a dream-like
familiarity. He had not given it much thought before; but his owner's
suggestion that the boy was like Alan Porter echoed in his ears. He had
wondered where Dixon had got this new boy; why he was putting him up on
Lauzanne instead of Redpath; it seemed a foolish thing to give the mount
to an apprentice when a good jockey was to be had. Could it be that it
really was Alan. The whole family were natural-born jockeys, father and
son, even the girl, Allis.

Langdon knew nothing of Alan Porter's movements--had not been interested
enough to know. He had heard derogatory remarks about Redpath's
riding of Lucretia in the Brooklyn Handicap; the Porters, no doubt
dissatisfied--suspicious of the jockey--had put up Alan to insure an
honest ride.

Langdon had thought these thoughts as he passed swiftly from the paddock
to the stand inclosure, where he stood not far from the rail, trying
to get a good look at the lad on Lauzanne. Allis's persistently averted
face thwarted this. The boy was inscribed on the jockey board "Al
Mayne;" the permit to ride must be under that name. If it were really
Alan Porter, why had he been called Mayne? But the boy had retained the
name "Al"--that was a contraction of Alan, no doubt.

While Langdon labored over the problem of Mayne's Identity he had
watched the horses at the post through his glasses. The Dutchman was
behaving well, his trifle of eagerness to break away was even better
than Lauzanne's indolent indifference. The other five were acting as
three-year-olds are wont to act--with erratic indecisio