Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1891-10-17

been decided, Skimpsey, in MIR. Mely,I,e,s
colors, With his saddle on his arm. made
his way to The weighing room to be
weighed in.
As he was leaving the place he felt a
hand lad upon his arm, and looking up he
recognized Csipps, the bookmaker.
Hello, Skimpseyp said that worthy
pleasantly, Il see you're goin to ride Maid
Marian
"Yes"
"To winf"
"Yes"
"Well, Skimpsey, keep dark on this
You like money, and you'll make some bv
winning but mind this, Skimpsey, it'll
hit me hard if you do. You'll make a cool
thousand If you lose, understand,
Yes, Skimpsey understood. He knew
too much about the race track and its
darker methods not to do so; but before he
could ind voice in which to reply, the
bookmaler had gone and the trumpet had
, sounded to call the horses to the post.
Hinton, the trainer, gave Skimpsey a leg
up, and taking Lady Marian by the head
led her out to the track. Remember.
Skimpsey," he said, ''let her out early and
| ride to WIN"
Sklmpsey knotted the reins and sat as
| proudly IN the saddle as any knight enter
| ing the Lists. His freckled face was glow
| ing as red as his hair, and his blue ewes
shone with excitement. Then for an in
slant he remembered the words of the
Dookmaker. A thousand dollars! More
than enough to make the coveted five thou
sand! He need not pull the mare, only
keep her from shooting her bolt at the
| right moment. 1t would be set down to a
misconception of his orders, and that
would be the end of it. Only for mo-
| ment, however, was he tempted, and then
he scorned the idea. Putting the Maid
Marian into canter, that sinuous, grace
full lope peculiar to thoroughbreds, he soon
ranged with the other horses at the start
| ing post.
After several unsuccessful attempts to
get the horses off, the flag fell to beauti-
| full start, Maid Marian running easily at
! third place. Down past the grand stand
they came, the favorite, big bay, still
leading and Maid Marian third as before.
At the third post the Maid had moved up
to second place, and it was almost time for
her to make her coup. Skimpsey knew
| this, but for an instant again Grips thou
| sand dollars came into his mind. For a
few seconds, that seemed hours to poor
his better nature. In that brief period he
thought OF his mother, the green coat, the
silver cha n and the beaver hat, and then
| suddenly. when he had fought down the
| temptation, he found it was too late to
send the Maid ahead according to orders.
For the favorite and another horse were
already two lengths ahead and contesting
almost neck and neck for the victory.
Then Skimpsey's conscience smote him
| with awful force, and he settled down into
| the saddle to ride-to ride as he never rode
before, as never jockey rode before. He
felt that all his honor, the honor of his
name, which, humble as it was, he had
worked so hard to recover, was at stake
And so tt at little ninety pound hero, who
had conquered his temptation, rode to win
the Seaside stakes of 1S9-. Hoping against
| hope he pushed his noble mount on; slow
| ly, oh, so very slowly! he crept up to the
leaders. They had passed the last furlong
post and were nearing the winning point,
and the Maid had only managed to get her
nose abreast of the favorite's saddle girth
| One more supreme effort of the noble brute.
One more endeavor and an unuttered
prayer from the lucky little rider, and they
had passed. the judges stand with Maid
Marian ahead by the barest of noses.
A mighty shout went up from the multi
| tude, which died, however, instantly. For
Maid Marian had fallen few strides from
the post. There was cloud of dust as
the other horses passed, and when it arose
Maid Marian had struggled to her feet and
galloped off, but Skimpsey-Skimpsey with
his little hand tightly clutching his whip,
and his face as white as death, lay still
and quiet ON the dusty track. He had rid
den his last racel
L L
cot in the boys quarters. His heart was
still beating, and presently he opened his
blue eyes and looked up at the doctor who
was looking after him.
| 81 won, didn't II" he said feebly.
"Yes, yes, my boyi but"-and the doctor
hesitated, dreading to tell him the truth.
| sob, lnow," said Skimpsey weakly,
Its inside of me; I'm dyin," then he
tainted away for a minute from pain.
| Opening his eyes again, he breathed the
| words:
Tell Mr.. Hinton to send the money to
mother, to say l was sorry l couldn't make
| S, 900, how sorry am to leave her And
tell Them" his voice sinking into whis-
per, 81 didn't pull the mare; 1 came near
it, but won"
A ghost Of a smile played about his lips
as he whist cred the words. Then the pain
again caused him to faint away.
Now, Maid" he whispered hoarsely,
when he came to again, Now, Maid, nowl
nowl ahf'
| From across the track where the grand
stand stood came the sound of distant
roar. The last race was over, and the peo-
pie hurried away from the track in the
trains, in carriages and on foot. all bound
for home. Standing about a humble cot
| in the rude wooden quarters stood half a
dozen men with heads uncovered, rough
fellows most of them, but subdued in the
awful presence of death. For Skimpsey,
! too, had left the track and gone Home
| Alfred Stoddart in Romance.
Colonel Inrersolrs Greatest Compliment.