an explosion of laughter from those about her. They explained.

"Oh, what cheats men are!" she exclaimed with conviction.

"Come, I 'll let you off if you ask quarter," laughed Mr. Newby. "No
horse can jump with knees as big as that."

"Never! I 'll back him to the end," she declared. "Oh, there he is now!
There is his yellow jacket," she added, as the buzz grew louder about
them, and glasses were levelled at the horses as they filed by spirited
and springy on their way to the starting-point some furlongs down the
course. No one else appeared to be looking at the big brown. But his
rider was scanning the boxes till his eye rested on a big hat with a
white feather; then he sat up very straight.

Two of the gentlemen came up from the paddock. Colonel Snowden had the
horse that was next to the favorite. They were now talking over the
chances.

"Well, what are you going to do? How do you stand?" his friends asked.

"A good chance to win. I don't know what that new horse can do, of
course; but I should not think he could beat Hurricane."

"Of course he cannot," said Mr. Newby. "Ridden by a green country boy!"

"He has some good points and has a fine pedigree."

Mr. Newby raised his eyebrows. "So has his rider; but pedigrees don't
count in rides."

"I never could understand why blood should count in horses and not
in men," said Miss Ashland, placidly. "Oh, I hope he 'll win!" she
exclaimed, turning her eager face and glancing back at the gentlemen
over her shoulder.

"Well, I like that!" laughed Colonel Snowden. "With all that money on
the race! I thought you were backing Hurricane?"

"Oh, but he hasn't anybody to back him," she protested. "No; I sha 'nt
back Hurricane. I shall back him."

"Which? The horse or the rider?"

"The horse--no, both!" she declared, firmly. "And oh, papa," she
exclaimed, glancing back at him over her shoulder, "they say he wants to
win to send his sister to school and to go to college himself."

"Well, I must say you seem to have learned a good deal about him for the
time you had."

She nodded brightly. "That 's what the old colored man told a friend of
mine."

"If he does n't go to college till he wins with that horse," said Mr.
Newby, "he is likely to find his education abbreviated."

"I shall back him, anyhow." She settled herself in her seat.

"Here, I 'll tell you what I will do. I will bet you he don't get a
place," said Mr. Newby.

"How much? What is a 'place'?" she a