Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1877-12-04
NUMBER AZ.

time !" whispered the tTncKman, but they
dared not step foot upon the track 10 stop
him. In the judges stand was a-wbai?
Was it human being or the spirit OF
some driver gone beforeP They crowded
closer together rs each one asked himself
the question. and they saw the unknown
bend down, gesture, and act as living
judge would have acted. Little Nell
worked her ears and stamped her feet as
she stood there, and the trainer wbisE
cred:
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, aud the 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 free head. The oveT-check bit had
been taken of, the check was down and
her feet were not weighted as ever be-
tore. "Go!" shTieked strange, tremu-
lous voice, as the horse reached the wire,
and the watchers had no time 10 wink
before he gloom had swallowed up
everything except the gbostIy white
washed stand and the strange judge yet
they could hear the pat, pat, pat. OF the
horses feet as she flew around the turn
and went down the sidestretch. Then
they were lest Tor two or three seconds
as the .one horse Numbered into the back
stretch.
God save US but never saw such
night as this" !" whispered the trackman.
whose hair had grown gray in the long
forty years he had put in on that and
other tracks.
Hist He's comingm replied one OF
the stable boys. and the pat, pat, pat, of
Little Nell's feet could be heard a5 she
came of the backslretch.
There was chLckle Of delight from
the lud es' stand. The being up there
was facing the homestretch. He could
follow The flying horse around the track
at that midnight hour as we'll as the men
below could have seen in the bright light
Of MONDAY.
splendid - beautiful - not even q
skip !" he chucked, rubbing his hands
together. "She won't quite make it this
time. but will on the next! How she
comes What knee action What Il
reach How she keeps the bit!
In another second, almost, the little
horse, reaching out as no one had ever
seen her before, passed under the wire.
Ding !-ding Lding rang the bell, and
the horse came back at iog. As sho
stopped at the stand, tho strange time
keeper bent down and whispered.
You made 2 IA l-2. You'll beat that
by q second next time.n
Honest Jack nodded his head and as
his wheel almost brushed the old track
man it was seen that his iace wore al
exullant smile. The stable boys stretched
out their hands as il they would stop
| him, but the old man shook his head and
whispered:
'llist It's q race ag'in death, and the
tlme-keeper is ghost !"
f. wasn't minute before the bell CAL
| led the horse to the score, and the watch
eIs hardly dared to breathe. She had
scarcely caught her breath, and yet when
| she came down under the wire and heard
The hoarsely- whispered word "Go y she
shot into the darkness like an arrow from
a bow.
Don't move a tinger-don't you even
breathe = warned the old trackman, rs
he bent forward to listen.
Pat! pat! pat!" came to his ear as
regularly as the ticking OF clock. Down
the sidestretch. into the backstretch, he
followed the flying ieet, and lost the
sound Tor ilst a second-just long enough
to near the timekeeper saying:
.She'U do it-she'll do it-cOminp like
q bulletm
So she was. Never skip, but pat
pat-pat, and she went under the ware
! ike flash. The bell struck 10 recall
her, and the watchers looked into the
gloom and then up at tho dark figure.
A minute crept by-another-then q
third, and all at once the judges stand
was vacatt. The man or ghost had van
ished as bird drops out Of sight.
Something wrong here" said the old
man, and he led the 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
in 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
trackman, as the plen lifted up the corpse
OF the driver. They bore it past the
deserted stand, and looking up they saw
the time-board hanging on the hook
On its black surface was chalked IN bold
figures, Time, 2 :l3 1-2.n