Los Angeles herald., 1891-11-01
HOW HE WON HIS WIFE.

"See that couple going into the box
there-there, right back of the judges
stand-lady in red and the fellow with
the light hat-see?"
"Yes Who are theyP What about
emp
"Oh, they're staid married folks now.
but they had enough romance in their
courtship to supply one Of these female
sensationalists with plot for a dozen
quarto novels.
"Well, that fellow won his wife in a
race. first met him in England three
years ago at Newmarket, the great rae
ing heath. where nearly all their big
events come off. He is an American.
and just happened to drop into the place
few days earlier than | did. She is
English, and the daughter of man who
has long been known as one of the nerv-
lest bookmakers on the English turf.
When met him it lacked four weeks of
the date Of the great Doncaster cup, one
of the biggest stake races of the English
calendar. We became acquainted and
got to knocking around together. His
name is Shelby, Thomas Shelby, and, as
/ soon learned. he came from that state
where the grass grows blue, not green,
and where the ripping rills percolate
through fltering limestone to be caught
by man and distilled into the nectar Of
the gods-sour mash.
Furthermore, found out that he had
money, lots of it, knew all about horses
and had fallen desperately in love with
Miss Molly, daughter of William Mitch
ell, the beokmaker.
"As Shelby and got better acquaint-
ed he confided to me that he had paid
his addresses to the fair Molly ever since
the race meeting in Leicester, and that
while she had received them favorably
and said "Yes" to the all momentous
question her father had absolutely re-
fused to give any consideration to his
proposition for his daughters hand, and
that Miss Molly was sufficiently filial in
her duty to refuse his proposition to
elope. At that time Mitchell was rated
a wealthy man, and that his ambitions
lay away beyond bookmaking and racing
as professions was well known.
"Well, Shelby was the right sort. He
had as much nerve as old Mitchell. and
money too. There's only one way to
make that old fool come around, he said,
for he's as pig headed as the devil, and
I'm going to take that way.
"'What's thatY asked.
""To break him. replied my Kentucky
friend, and I'm going to do it,
81 intimated that there were two sides
to every proposition, that what Mitchell
didn't know about horse racing nobody
did, and that in his attempt to break the
old man young Mr.. Shelby, of Lexington,
was very likely to go broke himself.
'Elope with the GIRL said, but don't
try to break Mitchell. Remember the
bitter oft gets bitten.
"'She won't elope,' he answered. I
told you that, and as long as her respect
ed dad has nothing but money he won't
let her marry anybody while he has a
chance OF hooking some busted title for
her. He's ambitious and he thinks he's
smart, but have scheme to do him
which think will start his downfall all
right. Listen: Now, I've got colt over
here that, as soon as he's acclimated, is
going to show some of these crack 2-year-
olds the real Kentucky pace. Nobody
knows he's in the country, nobody knows
anything about him. and when enter
him in the Downesborough handicap the
Handicapped will let him go at feather
weight, and the odds will be 100 to
sure. Well, amt going to start him in
the Doncaster, but Pm going to get in on
old Mitchell's book for that bit first
and then swoop down on him at Downes-
borough and finish him up Then I'll
L. I. Al
girl. Seer
II didn't see exactly, at least about the
Doncaster business, till the next day,
when heard Of rank outsider, owned
by young fellow named Master, who
lived in the country down Leicester way.
being backed by 100000 against e1 200.
The colt hadn't appeared in the betting
at all previous to that, and nobody had
any idea of his being even possible
winner. saw Shelby that night, and
he grinred when mentioned the Incl
dent.
"Part of my scheme, dear boy he
said. Master is pal of mine, and that
colts been kept bottled up He's about
as near sure thing as ever had. No
body knows what he is or who he is.
Master let me in on my promise to give
him chance on my entry at Downes-
borough
1.-THE next days papers recorded an
other bet of $4,000 to $1,000 by old
Mitchell, and from that on, the talent
smelling rat, the Master colt jumed up
in the odds till only the favorite carried
as much money
"'The old man stands to lose e22, 1000
on that colt of Masters, said Shelby
gleefully the day before the race, and
I've got e15,000 Of it myself. It's sure
money too.
"Well, the race came off, and demon
strated that he was right. The unknown
won handily. and turf circles went crazy
in their wild excitement Of the unex-
pected
'Old Mitchell was wild, but he settled
in full and told his friends that he'd even
up at Downesborough. He didn't know
to whom he had lost all the money, as
Shelby had done all his betting through
his pal, Master 1t was only three days
after the Doncaster race that the Downes-
borough meeting came off, and the fa-
nous handicap was the first days star
race. Shelby had been putting big wads
of money quietly on his black colt. All.