Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1883-07-20

uuue up purse VI auOut ~ bONciSiSuS,
which really represented every stick or
'ag in my possession. except what l stood
Upright in.
Then my Irish monitor and myself pro-
,eeded to visit certain book-makers. y
remark that the first of them made to MS
was substantially repeated by the rest.
"Never heard of your fancy till this
Gave hundred against him
to one or two parties that came to bet on
him. Had to look up the "Guide" to see
if there was such horse at all. But
can't give quite the long price again.
Make it eighties to one for you"
put on $50 at these odds, and | also
'placed" the colt at fifteen to one, put
ting on CT in that way. Jimmy was en-
for if the colt carried of the
event should win G2,500-a mint Of
money in our eyes. He himself had put
on all he could raisc-how much exactly
do not know
"It's foine time we'll be havin' pres
entity" he said "Won't the boys open
their eyes whin you an me shows our
pile? An see what n base of operations
we'll have! BE the mother av Moses,
we'll be millionaires yit Good luck to
the coult |"
I confess had my misgivings, although
the gan bling fever had come over me and
impelled me to risk my little all upon
this horse. To me it was a grand coup
indeed. 1t meant 30 much, you see for
either | should come out an actual CAPT
talist, possessor of sum that to me SEEM
ed almost boundless wealth--"a base OF
operations" Jimmy called it--or
should be completely and utterly broken.
You may imagine the state of mind
was mat one moment seeing n simply
golden prospect before me, anon seized
with the dismalest doubts and fears. And
the following day my excitement grew
hotter yet, for in all the papers the Make.
shift Colt was now, for the fist time,
quoted in the betting, aud apparently he
had come into favor, as the price against
him had fallen to forties to one. Still
more reassuring was the fact that two
sporting papers gave the Makeshift Col,
MS one of their three probable winners.
The secret was secret no longer.
now got into wild, delirious ecstacy
of expectation. You can well imagine
how felt went SO far rs to telegraph
to that relative of mine, alleging that
was in want and had sore need of his
help. / also borrowed some 60 here and
there, and "cracked it on with the rest
My relative evidently smelled rat
however He was man Of the world, as
the phrase goes, and had low opinion O
me, which am now open to confess wal
not wholly unwdrranted. He wired il
reply:
"Believe you want to bet on Derby
Will send fl0, but not until Saturday
,,,,rn;,,, ,,-boy, oynopt II ~
However, on showing his telegram t.
the landlord of the Brush and Palette
that worthy publicou readily advanced m,
you will observe, through the instrument
ality of the general guide, philosophe
and friend Of good Bohemians
AT last came the eventful morning, ant
Jimmy and found ourselves in brak'
with some dozen others, driving from gu
pub" down to EPSON. / need not sa,
that 1 had put on the bulk Of my fl0
getting forty to one, and eight to one TO
a "shop." A long price still but tn
colt had not come into general favo
much, and indeed actually started at lit
tie below those odds.
All don't think / shall ever forge
that day. No, sir The fearful agita
ton I was in has impressed every detail
of it indelibly on my memory. Consider
1 stood to win f3, 900, which meant to m
n wife, home, substance, comfort, re
spectability, a business. On the othe
hand black abyss of woe seemed TO opel
to my imagination.
We stood on the hill opposite the gran,
stand and watched the preparations TO
the race. Jimmy, the Doisterous, Ina,
suddenly quoted down into grim
white-faced, eager-eyed, silent spectator
l was so agitated that l had to lie on tn,
turf. My head swan round, my hear
palpitated forcibly, L shook all over as
l had palsy.
Among the mass of horses marshalin,
into rank for the start we had eyes bu
for one. Among the many hues Of thei
Jockeys silks we sought out the color
that signified our particular choice. Pur
pie and black--there they were and W,
gazed at them feverishly for the nobl,
animal that bore them carried also all on
hopes and fears.
They are off The race has begun, ant
the decision of my fate is at hand. / sec
the brilliant bed of colors stream pas
and away, hear the intense murmnr o
the crowd, aud / stand, as gambler
stands, awaiting the cast of the die.
Oh, my God how it all comes back t.
me, though ten eveatful years have pass
ed since that day! Surely such terri
BILE agitation of mind as shook me thel
is madness madness, neither more mol
less.
The field comes sweeping round "tht
Corner" tailed off into extended line
and down the hill toward home come the
horses in one last tremendous effort. A
jockey, whose colors are scarlet and vel
low, bright and vivid leads the way, work
ing with bit and spur and whip, and seem
ing to carry his steed on beneath him
Two others are close behind him bu
their colors are strange to my strainine
eyes.
Great Heavens? Where is the Make
shift Colt? Where is the racer to whom
l have pinned my faith? As the foremos
horses came in sight heard the tremen.
dous, frenzied roar that burst up from
the mighty concourse of spectators. Fol
moment my heart seemed to stop beat
ing. 1t is death to me to hear that shout
"Cremc rne! Cremorne Cremorn,
wins |"
But no! Out of the ruck of horses be
hind, just as they came down from Tot
tenham Corner, one draws to the front
dark horse, brown or black, ridden by
jockey in colors that are heaven OF hop,
to my sight. Oh on, Black and Purple
On, Makeshift Colt.
The DIX horse FORCES ahead, passes tn
two behind the foremost, lies on the Hanl
of Red and Yellow. Even in all my ter
rible excitement l noticed dropping II
the roars of the mighty crowd, a sort o
falter or perplexity-for few know wha
horse Black and Purple rides. hear
man near me hoarsely exclaim:
"What the-horse is that 2"
l know, and leap up in mad thrill
of delight. As the striving racers hasl
before us, / see two far IN front of all tn
rest. Red and Yellow is doing all h
knows, but on his flank, drawing up t.
him closer and closer, nearer and nearer
forging ahead till thew ride neck nm,