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There was a Mephistophelean restitution in not striving to wrest the Eclipse from Lucretia with The Dutchman. And now, in this year, had come the entirely new experience of an affection his admiration for Allis Porter. It conflicted with every other emotion that governed his being.
Allis had occasion to go to a neighbouring town on business, and Mary was left at home alone with the baby. The children rode to school with their parents, and, when they got out of the wagon at the door of the log school-house, Annie said, "Will you get back before night, father?" "Probably not. If we do we will call and take you home."
"Yes, it'll give him a fair trial it's a mile, an' there ain't no good horses, that is, stake horses, in the race. I'll put Redpath up on him, an' you might have a talk with the boy, if you like. You're onto Lauzanne's notions better'n I am." Allis gave Jockey Redpath the benefit of her knowledge of Lauzanne's peculiarities.
He thought with some satisfaction how perfectly helpless Mortimer was in the present instance, for he was most undeniably poor. It was an opportunity to be grasped; and Crane never let the tide pass its flood in the waters of his life. So the banker spoke to Mrs. Porter of his strong love for Allis; so delicately, and with so much sincerity, that she was completely won over.
Then the girl told Mike all that Shandy and Langdon had said. It only confirmed Mike's opinion that between them they had poisoned Lucretia. He felt that with a little more evidence he would be able to prove both crimes the one with Diablo and the one with Lucretia. The Brooklyn Derby was to be run the next day. Allis was glad that it was so near; she dreaded discovery.
Allis allowed no word of reproach to escape her when Redpath spoke of Lauzanne's sulky temper. It would do no good it would be like crying over spilt milk. The boy was to ride Lucretia in the Derby; he was on good terms with the mare; and to chide him for the ride on Lauzanne would but destroy his confidence in himself for the other race.
They were chums; in all his trouble, in all his moments of wavering, buffeted by the waves of disaster, Allis was the one who cheered him, who regirt him in his armor: Allis, the slight olive-faced little woman, with the big, fearless Joan-of-Arc eyes. "You'll see what we'll do next summer, Dad," she said cheerily.
He had expected opposition from Allis, but had hoped to overcome the anticipated objections; he had failed in this, but it was only a check, not defeat. He smiled complacently over his power of self-control in having allowed no hint of his absorbing passion to escape him.
"Miss Allis is managin' the horses," he explained, very deliberately, "an' there's a new b'y up on Lauzanne's back, d'ye onderstand; an' if the Chestnut doesn't sulk, does his best fer the young misthress that'll be watchin' him here in the stand wit' tears in her eyes, he moight win d'ye onderstand?"
Dolman, you've left him out," added the father. They were both laughing. Just a tiny little ray of sunshine had dispelled all the gloom for a minute. "Now I must go back to my horses," declared Allis, with another kiss. "Good-bye, dad cheer up;" and as she went up to her room the smile of hope vanished from her lips, and in its place came one of firm, dogged resolve.
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