" He looked his foes squarely in the eyes. "Has anybody
got objections to me?" The silence was nattering, and more loudly
now, so that Skinner might hear, he added: "If your man tries to
beat the gun, I'll have him wingin' his way to lands celestial
before he makes his second jump."
Gallagher acknowledged the fairness of this proposition. "This
race is goin' to be squar'," said he. "We're ready when y'all
are."
J. Wallingford Speed stepped out of his clothes and into his
silken running-suit. He was numb and cold. His hands performed
their duties to be sure, but his brain was idle. All he knew was
that he had been betrayed and all was lost. He heard Glass
panting instructions into his ear, but they made no impression
upon him. In a dull trance he followed his trainer back to the
track, his eyes staring, his bones like water. Not until he heard
the welcoming shout of the Flying Heart henchmen did he realize
that the worst was yet to come. He heard Larry still coaching
earnestly: "If you can't bite him, trip him up," and some one
said:
"Are we ready?"
Glass held out his hand.
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