The crowd hung silently on the track . `` Lu-Lu '' and `` Mascot '' were neck and neck , getting in splendid work . Half-way round the course `` Lu-Lu '' forged half a neck ahead , and her backers went mad . But one woman dropped her head in her hands and dared look no more . One man with white face and set lips watched the track unswervingly . Again `` Mascot '' crawled up , inch by inch . They were on the home stretch , they were equal , the cheering broke out , then silence , then another terrific burst , shouts , yells and clappings -- `` Mascot '' had won the free-for-all . In the front row a woman stood up , swayed and shaken as a leaf in the wind . She straightened her scarlet hat and readjusted her veil unsteadily . There was a smile on her lips and tears in her eyes . No one noticed her . A man beside her drew her hand through his arm in a quiet proprietary fashion . They left the grand stand together . Lilian 's Business Venture Lilian Mitchell turned into the dry-goods store on Randall Street , just as Esther Miller and Ella Taylor came out . They responded coldly to her greeting and exchanged significant glances as they walked away . Lilian 's pale face crimsoned . She was a tall , slender girl of about seventeen , and dressed in mourning . These girls had been her close friends once . But that was before the Mitchells had lost their money . Since then Lilian had been cut by many of her old chums and she felt it keenly .
The clerks XXXXX the store were busy and Lilian sat down to wait her turn .
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