The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1877-08-16

the spirit of some driver gone before
They crowded closer together as each
one asked himself the question, and
they saw the unknown bend down,
gesture and act IS living judge would
have acted. Little Nell worked her
cara and stamped her feet as she stood
there. and the trainer whispered:
See how nervous she is-she smells
the dead!
The bell rang out sharp and clear,
and horse and driver dashed past to
the score. Every ear in the group
heard the sulky turn, and next instant
the little horse was down upon them.
Her ears were pointed forward, her
eyes blazing, and in that one Instant
all took notice that she had a free
head. The over check bit had been
taken oil, the checks were down, and
her feet were not weighted as ever be-
fore. Go! shrieked a strange, trem-
ulous voice as the horse reached the
wire, and the watchers had not time
to wink before the gloom had swal-
lowed up everything except the ghost
ly white-washed stand and the strange
judge; yet they could hear the pat, pat,
pat of the horses feet, as she flew
aronnd the turn and went down the
side-stretch. Then they were lost
for two or three seconds as the lone
horse thundered into the back-stretch.
God save US but never saw such
night as this! whispered the track
man. whose hair had grown gray in
the forty years he had put in on that
and other tracks.
Hist! He's coming! = replied one of
the stable boys. aud the pat, pat, pat,
of Little Nell's feet could be heard as
she came off the back-stretch.
There was chuckle of delight from
the judges stand. The being up
there was facing the home-stretch.
He could follow the flying horse
around the track at that midnight
hour, as we'll rs the men below could
have seen in the bright light OF noon
day.
Splendid - beautiful-not even a
skip! he chuckled, rubbing his hands
together. She won't quite make it
this time, but she will on the next
How she comes! What knee action !!
What reach! How she keeps the
bit'
In another second almost, the little
horse. reaching out as no one had
ever seen her reach before, passed un-
der the wire. The white face of the
driver seemed whittier to the men
around the track, but he was looking
straight ahead aud holding the lines
with firm grip.
Ding! ding! ding! rang the bell,
and the borse came back al q Jog. AS
she stopped at the stand the strange
time-keeper bent down and whis-
pered:
you made 2 :l41a. You'll beat that
by second next time!'
Honest Jack nodded his head, and
as his wheel almost brushed the old
trackman it was seen that his face
wore all exnltant smile. The stable
boys stretched out their hands If
they would stop him, but the old man
shook his head and whispered
Hist! It's a race agin death, and
the me-keeper is ghost!'
1t wasn't q minute before the bell
called the horse to the score, and the
watchers hardly dared to breathe. She
had hardly caught her breath, and yet
when she came down under the wire
and heard the hoarsely whispered
word, Cor she shot into the dark
ness like an arrow from the bow.
Don't move as much as finger
don't even breathe! warned the old
trackman, as he bent forward TO listen
Pat! pat pat came to his ear
regularly as the ticking of clock.
Down the ide.stretch, into the back
stretch, he followed the flying feet t,and
lost the sound for just a second-just
long enough to hear the time-keeper
saying:
She'll do it-she'll do it; she's COM
ing like bullet!'
So she was. Never skip, but pat!
pat pat! and she went under the wire
like a flash. The bell struck to recall
her, and the watchers looked into the
gloom and then up at the dark figure.
A minute crept by-another-then a
third, aud all at once the judges stano
was vacant. The man or ghost had
vanished as bird drops out of sight.
Something wrong here.' said the
old man, and he led tho way down the
track.
Down near the first quarter they
came upon the body of Honest Jack
lying across the track. He was dead.
Even III the midnight gloom they
could see the smile on his cold face.
A hundred feet further on they found
Little Nell and the broken sUlky.
BE tender with him!' said the old
trackmau, a. the men lifted mp tie
corpse of the driver. They bore it
past the deserted stand, and, looking
up, they saw the time-board hanging
on its hook. On It's black surface was
chalked in bold figures, Time,
2:l31s"
HATING PEOPLE.
H.te mt. II is not worth WHILE