blow.

On and on, neck and neck, the horses raced. Miss Prue's bonnet slipped
and hung rakishly above one ear. Her hair loosened and fell in
straggling wisps of gray to her shoulders. Her eyeglasses dropped from
her nose and swayed dizzily on their slender chain. Her gloves split
across the back and showed the white, tense knuckles. Her breath came in
gasps, and only a moaning "whoa--whoa" fell in jerky rhythm from her
white lips. Ashamed, frightened, and dismayed, Miss Prue clung to the
reins and kept her straining eyes on the road ahead.

On and on down the long straight road flew Jupiter Ann and the little
gray mare. At door and window of the scudding houses appeared men and
women with startled faces and upraised hands. Miss Prue knew that they
were there, and shuddered. The shame of it--she, in a horse-race, and
with Rupert Joyce! Hurriedly she threw a look at the young man's face to
catch its expression; and then she saw something else: the little gray
mare was a full half-head in the lead of Jupiter Ann!

It was then that a strange something awoke in Miss Prue--a fierce new
something that she had never felt before. Her lips set hard, and her
eyes flashed a sudden fire. Her moaning "whoa--whoa" fell silent, and
her hands loosened instinctively on the reins. She was leaning forward
now, eagerly, anxiously, her eyes on the head of the other horse.
Suddenly her tense muscles relaxed, and a look that was perilously near
to triumphant joy crossed her face--Jupiter Ann was ahead once more!

By the time the wide sweep of the driveway leading to Miss Prue's home
was reached, there was no question of the result, and well in the lead
of the little gray mare Jupiter Ann trotted proudly up the driveway and