The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1883-07-10
the general guide, philosopher and friend Of

the general guide, philosopher and friend of.
good Bohemians.
At last came the eventful morning, and
Jimmy and l found ourselves in brake
with some dozen others, driving from our
"pab" down to EPSON. need not say that
l had put on the bulk of my $40. getting
forty TO one, aud eight to one tor ''shop."
A long price still; but the colt had not come
into general favor much, and indeed actu-
ally started at little below those odds.
All! l don't think / shall ever forget that
day. No, sir! The fearful agitation was
in has impressed every detail OF IL indellibly
| on my memory. Consider. l stood to win
$4,000, which meant to me a wife, home,
substance, comfort, responsibility, busi-
ness. On the other hand black abyss Of
| woe seemed to open to my Imagination.
We stood on the hill opposite the grand
stand and wached the preparations for the
race. Jimmy, the boisterous, had suddenly
quieted down into grim, white-faced,
eager-eyed, silent spectator. | was SO agi-
tated that had to lie on the turf. My head
swan round, my heart palpitated forcibly,
shook all over as If had palsy.
Among the mass of horses marshaling
into rank for the start we had eyes but for
| one. Among the many hues of their
Jockeys silks we sought out the colors that
signified oar particular choice Purple and
black--there they were; and we gazed at
4 WYNN iONCiiouiys lOT the nOUle animal bHtb
bore them carried also all our hopes and
fears.
They are off! The race has begun, ard
the declsonsof my fate is at hand. #I see
the brilliant bed of colors stream past and
| eway, l hear the intense murmer of the
ciold. and stand, as a gambler stands,
awaiting the cast of the die.
Oh, my Godl how it all comes back to
me, though ten eventful years have passed
fEnA hat n IT, II. IL.
tatlon of mind as shook me then is madness
| madness, neither more nor less.
| The field cones sweeping round "the
| Corner,' tailed off into extended line; and
| down the hill toward rome come the horses
In one last tremendous effort. A jockey,
whose colors are scarlet and yellow, bright
| and vivid leades TIE way, working with bit
| ard spur and whip, and seeming to carry his
steed on beneath him. Two others are
close behind; but their colors are strange to
my straining eyes.
Great Heavensp Where is the Makeshift
| Colt? Where is the racer to whom / have
| pinned my faith? AS the foremost horses
came in sight heard the tremendous, fren-
zied roar that burst up from the mighty con-
course of spectators. For moment my
teart seems to stop beating. 1t is death to
| me to hear that shout:
'Cremorne Cremorne! Chemorne winsr'
|
hind, just as they came down from Totem
ham Corner, one draws to the front-a dark
| horse, brown or black, ridden py a Jockey in
| colors that are heaven of hope to my sight
| Oil on, Black and Purple! On, Makeshift
| Colt.
The dark horse FORCES ahead, passes the
two behind the foremost, lies on the flank
OF Red and Yellow. Even in all my terrible
excitement noticed dropping in the roars
of the mighty crowd, a sort of falter or per-
| p'exity-for few know what horse Black
| ard purple rides. hear a man near me
hoarsely exclaim:
s'What the - horse is that?'
| know, and leap up in mad thrill of
delight As the striving racers flash before
us, see two far in front of all the rest. Red
and Yellow is doing all he knows, but on
his flank, drawing up to him closer and
closer, nearer and nearer, forging ahead till
they ride neck and neck, comes my noble
Black and Purple. He is coming upi he is
gaining foot in every yardl he wiDsl Black
and Purple foreyer
The race is over. The fierce turmoil of
shouting thousands boils up around us. The
two horses have passed the post so close to-
gether that no one knows which has won.
| We wait some moments in agonizing sus-
| pense, till the numbers go up upon the
board. At last they appear: /, Cremorne;
| 2, Makeshift Colt; 8, | know not what, for
sank almost faioting ON the ground.
Half a neck has done it. Had our horse
put on the squirt moment sooner he would
have won,< Had the course been ten yards
longer the decision would have been revers-
ed. Oh, if-if-if-and have lost
'ooligan is beside me- He stands
with his hands thrust down deep into his
pockets. his face is pale, and his lips set to-
gether; he gazes vacantly into the distance.
Shot in the back againp' he nlurmurs
hoarsely, with a oath. Come on, me boy!
| Rouse yerself! Come an let's liquor, any
| wayp'
crawl dejectedly after him to the tent,
for my mouth is as dry as a lime-burner's
wig.
Well, that event was the turning-point in
my life. That bad luck has been the max
ing of me. l will tell you how in as few
words as possible.
l awoke the next morning in the most ut
| terly depressed and dispirited condition.
had a raeking headache, of course, for,
equally of conrse, had got most consumed
ly drunk after the race. Perhaps that was
natural under the circumstances. Mind
and body were in torture. / felt gloomy
| enough to do something dreadful. l was
utterly ruined; had no prospects; every
thing possessed was mine no longer.
had not even the means left to earn my sub
sstence with. In day or two my very bed
wonld be seized and should be turned into
| the street.
My mind was little confused, you see. 1
| had totally forgotten one thing, and it was
lucky had, perhaps. Not until late in the
| day did remember that had backed the
Makeshift Colt for a place. So overwhelm-
ing was my misery at losing the $4,000 had
reckoned on and losing it by such narrow
squeak, that had clear forgotten the saving
bet.
| lad 81 ;,,t<& he ~
modify to seek what solace I might find
there. Suddenly some sovereigns were
thrust into my hand, and L was told the
money was the second prize in The sweep
stakes, wherein had drawn "the field" as
you may remember
All, it was a fine revulsion of feeling
then experienced! / cheered up wonderfully
when / recollected how / really stood.
Things were by no means so black as | had
thought As matter of fact, had actually
won over a hundred pounds.
That drove me back from the drink just
in time. More, it led me to reflect. / con-
ceived disgust at gambling and betting
from that time, and / resolved never to take
to the same course again.
believe 1t was the luckiest thing in the
world that the horse backed was beaten by
Cremorne. If had won, and had landed
that big prize, / should have been a con-
firmed gambler all my days. OF that am
certain. | should have come to eventual
smash, when there was no possibility of
recovering from it. And, likely as not, /
should have dragged my poor Lucy into the
mire with me.
That very day after the Derby, as / was
reading the accounts in the paper Of how
the great race had so nearly been carried off
by the rankest of rank outsiders, my eyes lit
upon an advertisement. 1t was a call for
emigrants to 90 out to New Zealand.
That decided me. / had a hundred
pounds in hand, and with 1t / resolved to
emigrate. / resolved to throw gentility TO
the winds, to quit the dangerous Bohemia
of London, to give up my foolish dreams of
an artistic profession, and to try what
manful industry might do for me at the
Antipodes. / resolved TO conquer my own
failings, TO concentrate my energies, and to
seek fortune In new land
Within month had hidden a hopeful
au revoir to Lucy, had been the recipient
of farewell supper at the Brush and
Palette, and was an assisted emigrant" in
the steerage of the good ship Rangltiki,
bound for Auckland.
OF course, / had hardish times at first
Who hasn't? Chopping fire-wood, mending