ell aware. In a voice loud enough to reach every part of the house, she
addressed herself to Carter:

"Won't you tell ME?" she begged.

Carter, blushing unhappily, shrugged his shoulders in apology.

With a wave of her hand Miss Winter designated the audience. "Then," she
coaxed, reproachfully, "won't you tell THEM?"

Again, instantly, with a promptness and unanimity that sounded
suspiciously as though it came from ushers well rehearsed, several voice
echoed her petition: "Give us all a chance!" shouted one. "Don't keep
the good things to yourself!" reproached another. "I want to get rich,
TOO!" wailed a third. In his heart, Carter prayed they would choke. But
the audience, so far from resenting the interruptions, encouraged them,
and Carter's obvious discomfort added to its amusement. It proceeded to
assail him with applause, with appeals, with commands to "speak up."

The hand-clapping became general-insistent. The audience would not
be denied. Carter turned to Dolly. In the recesses of the box she
was enjoying his predicament. His friends also were laughing at him.
Indignant at their desertion, Carter grinned vindictively. "All right,"
he muttered over his shoulder. "Since you think it's funny, I'll show
you!" He pulled his pencil from his watch-chain and, spreading his
programme on the ledge of the box, began to write.

From the audience there rose a murmur of incredulity, of surprise, of
excited interest. In the rear of the house the press agent, after one
startled look, doubled up in an ecstasy of joy. "We've landed him!" he
gasped. "We've landed him He's going to fall for it!"

Dolly frantically clasped her husband by the coat-tail.

"Champ!" she implored, "what are you doing?"

Quite calmly, quite confidently, Carter rose. Leaning forward with a nod
and a smile, he presented the programme to the beautiful Miss Winter.
That lady all but snatched at it. The spot-light was full in her eyes.
Turning her back that she might the more easily read, she stood for a
moment, her pretty figure trembling with eagerness, her pretty eyes
bent upon the programme. The house had grown suddenly still, and with
an excited gesture, the leader of the orchestra commanded the music to
silence A man, bursting with impatience, broke the tense quiet. "Read
it!" he shouted.

In a frightened voice that in the sudden hush held none of its usual
confidence, Miss Winter read slowly: "The favorite cannot last the
distance. Will lead