The Superior times. [volume] (Superior, Wis.) 1870-1912, 1872-04-27

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his load, for just as long as l rode HIM,
no matter when took him out, he al
ways would commence by standing
on his hind legs and cavorting
around that way. First time
| tried to hang on by the reins, name,
| ANYTHING, but Job Haskins says he,
You tailor's prentice, don't go hug
ging on to that there bit, or you'll ave
him down hon you, and break both
your blessed necks." OF course hear
ing that, let go, and so just slid off
| easy. But somehow or other | got the
hang Of it after while, and got to love
| it. They said | was first rate seat
but that wasn't all that was necessary.
| must have, they say, Judgment about
| it. 1t amt SO hard to keep onto horse
| that's going fast-for after while you
get SO into his motion that horse and
you Is all one thing; the trouble is to
regulate his speed, TO be cunning about
| lt-be up to tricks and that sort of
thing, Now, running face-horse is
one thing, and stopping a race-horse is
another You go trying to bring him
too with steady pull, and you'll cut
your hands IN two for your pains You
have to give the bit see-saw kind of
motion, and the horse is taught to un-
deIstand that, slackens his gait, and
gradually comes to walk. But for all
that there is boilers that YOU couldn't
stop no more than you could flash of
lighting. To show you how much [
knew about it, after had been month
or two at 1t, he was put on the mile
track for race, and the instructions
was for each one to do his best. put
for it, got in the ruck for a while. then
gradually got clear of every other horse,
and won by three lengths. Twas might
ly proud of it, tell you, when Haskins
he says to me, making use of an obser-
walton that amt exactly pretty to hear,
6 You fool, you, that amt riding your
horse was running away with you"
[ was well-fed-plenty 10 eat RS they
wanted us strong and healthy. Wages
| was ten dollars a month OF course it
wasn't exactly the kind of place like II
Sunday school. Horse, horse, was the
only thug boys talked about, and the
only reading was sporting papers. The
| greatest ambition was to win a race,
| and once we all went to the station to
see boy. and niger at that, who
had won race somewhere down south.
Hasklns knew about every horse that
ever was born, ana how we used to lis
ten to him. You see, he had been in
| the business all his life, and he would
spin us yarns of how he had won this
| race, or that handicap, and how every
bone III his body had most been broken
with falling over hurdles, when he rode
horses for the Marquis of Hastings.
Yes, that was the name of the English
sport he used to work for. The BOYS
wasn't exactly bad, but goodness
sakes how they used TO gamble Yes,
l gambled, too 1t was bluff and
euchre, and guess every cent of my
wages went that way. I've seen boys of
twelve lose the shirt of their backs.
Sunday, save short spell in the morn
ing OF just walking the horses, used to
be our general gambling day. Some of
the Jockeys was Ill training to be foot
lsts-that's pedestrians and SUNDAYS
was their race days. One thing / did
not like was the sweating process.
They used to put me in a room, with
Stats III it, with the horses, two and
three at time and wasn't it hot 2 Not
only that but dangerous. The horses
got kind of mad about il, and WIS kick
ing and plunglng around promiscuous
like. Me and the horses were cooked
at the same time, like killing two ducks
with the same stone. That was bad
enough, but then again they would
make me bury myself up to the neck in
the manure pile; that was killing.
Howsoever, l kept lively all the time,
only there was one thing dead
against me. / would keep agrowino-
not tallerlike, but chunky
| got to be very fond of Sand boy.
and used to pet him. / any other boy
abused him, it was staud-up fight all
around. You hear them novel books
talk abont lover and his mistress
tina s Just the way | felt toward that
horse. Some part of the training wasn't
nice. On bad days, when it was too
muddy or sloppy to take the course or
the road, we used to ride in a ring like
at circus. Haskins would be in the
middle with an awful big whip, and if
any horse Jagged he's get it sometimes
1t would come 50 suddenly that Il fell
lows legs would be likely to be wrench
ed of by the hind horse a tearing past
you; but as Sand boy was might sprv
we didn't often catch it,
When Spring came most all the
horses was III good order; all of them
but Sand-boy Somehow he wouldn't
1atten; maybe he was all spirit-like and
no body. | seed the trainer watch him
and me steady. l kind of conceited
one day he wasn't quite up to his work;
he KIND OF labored, though going like |
the wind, but when he came to the sta
bic couldn't stop his blowing and that
night he only nosed his feed. Some
few days afterward a parcel of ladies
came on the training ground. They
was very fine ladies', AMI came in styie
with the man who owned the horses, in |
tour-horse carriage. They went |
right to betting on us. Says one to me.
pointing to Sand BOY with her little
umbrel, Boy, I'm going to bet doz
Ell pair of gloves on you; mind YOU win
and I'll make you present"
p" Yes, ma'am, says !; I'll do my
best.
Just then ! seed Haskins talking
to the boss. heard him say, "Sand
boy I'm sorry to say, amt in his stride:
IN feered there's something amiss
with him | amt been able vet to bring
him up to condition" Then turning
TO me. he says, "Boy try and win:
don't push the horse too hard; if YOU
teel him failing, ease him up ii ght off:
that horse OF yours wants saving.
1t wasn't a regular race, YOU know
only make believe but / made nm