Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1883-11-30
THE THRILLS OF VICTORY,
A Veteran Hor>"man Recalls his first
Race i:cating the Winner.

| Race Ecating the Winner.
Il was just thirteen years old the ia.
| first put ny money on Il horse race,
said Il rortly man, with conspicuou
| brown beard strcakrd with gray, aS Ia
licked Il fly from the side oi the l"rs
he was driving along the road, -'ai,'
the amount WAS thirteen cents 1t VA
thirty years ago WAS living in th'
| blckw"uls ri Ohio, in Il little vilag,
called Van Vert. \ pleasant road raj
| through it east and west along low
lgc. To me the road and the ridg,
I minated at another village callct
Dclphos. twelve miles east The Toledo
! and Cincinnati Canal ran through Del
ph"s. Among other good farms alon.
the line of the road was one bclongin.
to an uncle of mine named Jake Parmly
One day in summer, after school va,
out he said 10 my father: Let the bo,
spend his vacation with me ON tn,
farm. I'll fetch him back with som,
color in his face and tie appetite of III
clm-pcclcr hog looked at my father
with my heart in my throat until ht
asscntcd. WAS Il slender boy, lust
the one To- learn Ia ride Il race horse
my uncle said. had often visited INV
uncles farm, but it was only for few
hours at a time, and had scarcely been
aStridc of Il horse before that day.
".iftcr I'd been there quite Il while
| heard him ask his wife one. morning
ii he should trust me To break Il colt
Ten minutes later | was seated on that
colt, stroking its manc before the kitchen
door and yelling like Il wild Indian.
'Iou'll do, said my uncle as he came
out. l'd been around that colt when
he didn't know it, The next day WAS
my birthday: Uncle Jake said hc
would 20 to pelphos. In the afternoon
there was To he Il horse race ON the
towpath OF thescanal. We would dror
around and see that too. 81 that might
see what il Was like. remember the
scene when reached the spo: us though
saw it Yesterday"
The two horses were soon brought
out one WAS Il hroad-chestcd iron-grav
mare, with n flowing tail and name.
Her competitor was Il roam gelding
rather lighter, and to my eye as awk-
ward as COW. The roam had the in-
side track, and took the lead from the
stait. There WAS Il tremendous cheer
ing as he came under the pole three
lengths ahead | was excited. | had
Il prejudice against the roam. Twtch-
ing my uncle's arm ] said "Our Bill
there can beat that gclding, can't he ?'
lie looked at me and grinned and then
excited by his victory and by liquor,
w;ls prancing around shaking Il handful
of money in the air, and offering to bet
800 To $50 that the roam could outrun
anything in two. counties. Uncle Jake
brought out $50 rs soon us he could get
Bills trace chains. Bill was Il clean
lined bay, with powers for running
which must have been plain to Il hon Sc
man, but the owner of the roam couldn't
see it. AS was getting the bride bit
into Rill's mouth, the roan's jockey
came along and said: Say, country,
want ter bet any thing on yer crowhait -
| wanted to light, but iishcd out all
the money had, thirteen cents.
'llumph: I'll 90 yer twenty-five cents
agin it, said the boy ON the roam.
After Il cantcr along the towi,ath to
warm Bill up, We were ready, and away
we went for the starter. We got off on
the second trial. My heart leaped up
and then stopped heating almost, rs |
heard the word, but leaned over and
Wi. 'spcred to Bill, and the animal lust
laid down to his work. The wind cut
by my face like gale. could feel
that my hair stood straight out behind
my head. | could see the long, dusty
towpath ahead, and the sparkling water
mt the left, and between me and it a
shadow that rose and fell regularly and
as rapidly as the motion of my own
horse. Neck and neck We reached the
bend in the canal, and | was on the
outside track. There the roar OF the
crowd began to swell above the clippity-
cut of the flying feet beneath us.
leaned over to speak to Bill again, but
| couldn't say Il word. ] could only
stroke and pat his mock. lie answered
it instantly. Then the tears came to
my eyes, for | could SEQ We were forging
ahead. The crowd around the stanf
saw it, too, and threw their hats into
the air, and swung their arms, and
lcaped, and danced, and shouted them
selves hOarse."
The old horseman stopped talking
for a while, and, after drawing his hands
across his face, stared ahead over the
animal he was driving Il have seen
hundreds OF races since, but | sigh in
vain for the thrill of delight that my
first race gave me. - New York sun.
y - =