RIVALS.

Waikato Times, Volume 113, Issue 18927, 22 April 1933, Page 15 (Supplement)

RIVALS.

•Before the end of that straight, she had passed three more; the fat Arab, the girl with the yellow pigtail, and the busy little cob; and the next bend, a bad downhill bend, she took on the heels of the brown racing pony and a hunter who were galloping almost abreast. She could not get by them on the bend, but she had passed them neatly on the inside before the first time round was done.

Now Jonquil was running fourth. First went the grey racer at longlegged, rhythmic pace; second, bold Hickory; third, well back from them, the lady bucketing on the big hunter; fourth, little fleet-foot, Jonquil, with his thin neck stretched out and Eve Crouching so still above his longreaching gallop. Eve kept steady on this straight, for it was slightly uphill and Jonquil preferred to hurry his. downs, so it was still in this order that they took t'h next corner. Very soon after the corner Jonquil slipped up alongside of it, galloped level for a while, and, leaving it behind, went on towards Hickory. He had lost his first freshness now, but he waa still going smooth and easily with pricked ears, and' Eve could feel the reserve of energy in him*. He was a wonderful-moving pony. Before the second time round was done, the grey racer had failed; it was Hickory first and Jonquil on his heels. A sod kicked up by Hickory got Eve in the eye and made her screw it up, but she never stirred her position. And so they went galloping on,’ and Eve thought about passing, and the thousands of spectators watched silently. • / -

Then suddenly Jonquil’s ears went back and he quickened. Eve, too, heard the sound of a horse coming up from behind very fast; and she knew' it must be Candy. For an instant Candy felt close behind her, then the corner camel* As 1 , steadying. Jonquil, she brought him round, close to the flags and close on Hickory's heels, she knoW* without' looking round that Candy had gone wide behind her. So far she had not asked Jonquil for all he had. Now she did; and Jonquil, that brave little horse, dropped lowed under her as he slid into his utmost pace. Slowly he crept up beside Hickory, and Hickory, feeling him coming, quickened too. For a minute they, raced, all out, side by side But Jonquil was the faster. He dropped bay Hickory behind him. And then, finding himself alone in front, he hesitated, checked a trifle, but Eve gripped with knees and wrists sternly and he went on. Perhaps he too had heard w r hat she had heard; the sound of another horse’s footsteps as well as Hickory’s coming up from behind. . Eve lay low along Jonquil’s neck with her hands up close to chin, and she was not sitting in the saddle at all but poised over it; and Jonquil Hew. But Candy drew closer and closer. Jonquil’s ears were right back now, and he was, breathing hard. Candy drew into sight on his outside, drew up level so that Eve could see Millicent out of the tail of her eye, and sped splendidly past at her glorious machine-like gallop. And now' Eve could see the flowing chesnut tail and Mllllcent’s crouched back. The distance between them grew. The last corner was ahead, the downhill corner, but Candy did not slacken. Eve weighed the risk of taking tt at their present pace— and let Jonquil go on. Candy was on the corner, running wide. Jonquil was on the corner. . With all her skill of wrists and legs she brought him round, clinging sideways on his neck to keep him on his ifeet. At sickening tilt he turned, hugging the flags; and

(By Constance Bickersteth.) (Concluded from last week.)

even at that moment she noticed where Candy was; seven lengths wide and leading wrong. Jonquil was round and ahead again.

Eve poised still urging him on, and Jonquil'quickened la the last uphill, though he was breathing distressingly and she could feel the weariness in him. Ahead was the green empty straight and the flag of the winning post; behind was Candy and Hickory and all the racing rest. Eve held her breath, and her mind w'as concentrated and still. She did not know that the great crolvd was roaring for her, that men were hooting, dancing, thumping each other. Candy was coming; her nose was up to Eve’s saddle; and they passed the winning post.

Eve slackened; the pace died out of Jonquil, and she pulled him up gently and slipped off. His eyes and nostrils vere round, his sides heaving painfully, and the sweat trickled down his sleek body. She loosened his girths.

“I say, well played I It was topping I What a* marvellous pony! What a racel That one for sale, miss?” Strangers were crowding round congratulating her. Eve, who was shaking and feeling queerly dazed and distant, smiled grave-eyed at the people, while she made her shoulder hard for Jonquil to rub his hot head on it.

A clerk of the course came up to take her name and address and to thank her for the fine sport she had shown.

" I think,” she said when the olerlc had gone, 11 I had better walk him Up and down a bit to cool him off." And so, rather gladly, she escaped from her admirers .and made her way dff the course to the edge of the field. She was amazed and so passionately happy that she wanted to sing. Little Jonquil had donetlt. At last Millicent knew from her what defeat felt like. And then, while she was walking; up and down with low-headed Jonquil, walking close to his shoulder and patting him softly, came Millicent on foot with a mud-bespattered white blouse and a pale' face. “I’m riot forgetting we are enemies,” she said abruptly, ’ "but 1 thought that since we had to be acquaintances too, I might as well come- and say congrats. Father says, and he does know a bit, that you rode a faultless race, and that' Jonquil’s a flrst-claSs pony. The colour grew slowly in Eve’s cheeks as she stared at her small, high-headed rival, and for a minute Millicent met her stare. Then misunderstanding it she turned to go away. Eve caught her breath; so this was how Millicent, the spoiled baby, took defeat, equably and with generous, sweet-tempered praise. Eve was ashamed.

"Millicent,” she called. . Millicent stopped and came back. “ I say," said Eve. " Oh, I don’t know. . k . i’m sorry.” “Do you mean we needn’t be enemies?” asked Millicent slowly, and her contralto voice was deeper even than usual. Eve shook her head. “ I don’t want to be. I’m sorry. I’ve been hopeless.”

Millicent’s face lit up. “ You’ve not. I don’t know why you say you have. But anyway, will you come' hapk and have tea with Mumma and Dad and me, and then we can talk?” Eve felt Jonquil’s ears; he w’as cooling down nicely. " I would love ■to,’ she said. (The End.)