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Favourites and outsiders, it mattered not; whatever he backed lost; and Esther dreaded the cry "Win-ner, all the win-ner!" He sat on the little balcony in the sunny evenings looking down the back street for the boy to appear with the "special." Then she had to go and fetch the paper. On the rare occasions when he won, the spectacle was even more painful.
Presently he said, "There's no use praying, I feel sure it is all right. Go into the next room, stand on the balcony so that you may see the boy coming along." A pale yellow sky rose behind the brick neighbourhood, and with agonised soul the woman viewed its plausive serenity. There seemed to be hope in its quietness. At that moment the cry came up, "Win-ner, Win-ner."
By this time the boy was far away, and fainter and fainter the terrible word, "Win-ner, win-ner, win-ner." "It's too late now," said Sarah; "some one'll come in presently and tell us about it.... I daresay it ain't the paper at all. Them boys cries out anything that will sell." "Win-ner, win-ner." The voice was coming towards them.
Every now and then expectation led her to mistake some ordinary cry for the terrible "Win-ner, all the win-ner," with which the whole town would echo in a few minutes. She hastened forward. No, it was not it. At last she heard the word shrieked behind her. She hastened after the boy, but failed to overtake him. Returning, she met another, gave him a half-penny and took a paper.
"If he has won, Bill and I is to marry.... Somehow I feel as if he hasn't." "Win-ner." "We shall soon know." Esther took a halfpenny from the till. "Don't you think we'd better wait? It can't be printed in the papers, not the true account, and if it was wrong " Esther didn't answer; she gave Charles the halfpenny; he went out, and in a few minutes came back with the paper in his hand.
It happened that it did, and Esther and William wondered who were the new people who were selling beer and whisky in the bar? All the while boys were crying, "Win-ner, all the win-ner!" "The was run to-day. Flat racing all over, all over for this year." Esther did not answer. The cab passed over a piece of asphalte, and he said "Is Jack waiting for us?" "Yes, he came home yesterday."
At that moment a voice coming rapidly towards them was heard calling, "Win-ner, win-ner!" "I'll send out for the paper," said Esther. "No, no... Suppose he shouldn't have won?" "Well, it won't make any difference." "Oh, Esther, no; some one will come in and tell us. The race can't be over yet; it is a long race, and takes some time to run."
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