ting in chairs, or walking up and down. Considering this the
best place to view the sport, they placed seats on the green turf and
sat down in the shade of the Club House.

"A capital course this," said Duncan to Marion, as he glanced across the
turf-covered enclosure filled with smartly dressed people to the track
beyond, where a half dozen racers were taking their preliminary gallop.
"I had no idea you had such a place as this in Chicago," he added, and
then Sedger suggested that they go to the betting ring and see how the
betting was.

"Wait till after this race," put in Wainwright. "There go the horses to
the post."

"Well, if we can't play this race, we must have a hat pool," answered
Sedger, who felt that not to have something on a race was to lose half
the sport. "Let's see, there are just seven horses and seven of our
party. Five dollars apiece for a flyer."

No one objected, so Sedger wrote the seven numbers on little pieces of
paper which he tore off his programme, and, shaking them up in his hat,
he passed them about among his party.

"What horse have you, Mrs. Sanderson?" asked Duncan as she drew her
number from the hat.

"Number seven," answered Marion, and Duncan looked at his card to see
what horse it was. "Orion," he said, "and his colors are purple and
white."

"My husband's university colors; that ought to bring me luck."

"Not on Orion, I am afraid," interrupted Sedger, who prided himself on
his knowledge of the turf. "He was a 'twenty-to-one shot' in town last
night, but I'll be generous and give you two dollars for him."

"No, I prefer to keep him. Orion may prove a lucky star after all."

"By Jove, they're off!" shouted Duncan, who had been watching the horses
at the post on the other side of the course. They were all well bunched,
the red flag dropped, and away they scampered on a five-furlong dash.

"Orion's last, Mrs. Sanderson," called Sedger, who was following the
race with a large pair of russet-leathered field-glasses. "Orion's last,
but I'll give you a dollar for your chance."

"Don't take it, Mrs. Sanderson, he's coming up," said Duncan, as the
horses dashed around the first turn, scattering a cloud of dust behind
them. Then the crowd in front of the Grand Stand began to surge and
sway, and the sea of ten thousand hats was lashed to excitement. A
murmur broke forth from the distant crowd as a mass of color and racers
emerged from the dust and rushed down the home stretch; the