Alpena argus. [volume] (Alpena, Mich.) 1893-1909, 1893-05-10
AN UNEXPECTED RACE.

used to live clergyman, whom we
will call Ridewell. He was of the
Baptist persuasion, and very rigid
in his ideas of moral propriety. He
had in his employ an old negro,
named Pompey, and if this latter
individual was not so strict in his
morals as his master, he was, at
least, a very cunning dog, and
passed in the reverend household
for a pattern of propriety. Pomp
was a useful servant, and the old
clergyman never hesitated to trust
him with the most important bus
mess.
Now, it so happened that there
were, dwelling in and about the
town, sundry individuals who had
not the fear of the dreadful penalties
which Mr.. Ridewell preached about
before their eyes, for it was wont of
these people to congregate on Sab
bath evenings upon level piece of
land OH the outskirts of the town,
and there race horses. This spot
was hidden from view by dense
piece of woods, and for a long while
the Sunday evening races were car
ried on there without detection by
the officers, or others who might
have stopped them.
1t also happened that the good
old clergyman owned one of the
best horses in the county. This
horse was of the old Morgan stock,
with a mixture of the Arabian
blood in his veins, and it was gen.
orally known that few beasts could
pass him on the road. Mr.. Ride
we'll, with dignity becoming his
calling, stoutly declared that the
feetness of his horse never afforded
him any qualification, and that, for
his own part, he would as lief have
any other. Yet money could not
buy his Morgan, nor could any
amount of argument persuade him
to swap.
The church was 80 near to the
good clergyman's dwelling that he
always walked to meeting, and his
horse was consequently allowed to
remain in the pasture.
Pompey discovered that these
races were on the tapis, and he re-
solved to enter his masters horse
on his own account, for he felt sure
that old Morgan could beat any
thing in the shape of horsehesh
that could be produced in that quar-
ter. So on the very next Sunday
evening, he hid the bride under his
jacket, went out into the pasture
and caught the horse, and then rode
off towards the spot where the
wicked ones were congregated.
Here he found some dozen horses
assembled, and the racing was about
to commence. Pomp mounted his
beast, and at the signal he started.
Old Morgan entered into the spirit
of the thing, and came out two
rods ahead Of everything. So Pomp
won quite pile, and before dark
he was we'll initiated in horse-rec-
ing.
Pomp succeeded in getting home
without exciting any suspicious, and
he now longed for the Sabbath af-
ternoon to come, for he determined
to try it again. He did 60 again,
and again he won; and this course
of wickedness he followed up for
two months, making his appearance
upon the background every Sunday
afternoon, as soon as he could after
meeting was out" And during
this time Pompey was not the only
one who had learned to love the
racing. No, for old Morgan HIM
self had come to love the excite
ment of the thing, too, and his
every motion when upon the track
showed how zealously he entered
into the spirit of the game.
But these things were not always
to remain secret. One Sunday a
pious deacon beheld this racing
from a distance, and straightway
went to the parson with the alarm
ing intelligence. The Rev. Mr..
Ridewell was utterly shocked. His
moral feelings were outraged, and
he resolved at once to put an stop
to the wickedness. During the
week he made many inquiries, and
he learned that this thing had been
practiced all summer on every Sab
bath afternoon. He babe his par