The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1895-09-29
THE SYCAMORE PURSE.
WEISS KILBUCI<'s EXPERIENCE AT
A MIDNIGHT HORSE RACE.

Made "A Mistake i'm the HOrse-It
Proved TO he Too Good as Pace
Maker and Took the RRce-A story
with Concealed Moral.
John Habberton, in the Pittsburg Dis
patch.
Wess Kilbuck was one Of the many
boys at Sycamore who never liked to
do wrong. but always found it dread
fully troublesome to do right. so on
great occasions he generally tumbled help
lessly between the two and wished ne
could tumble out Of sight.
One Of these occasions was a horse
race which had been appointed for
late hour one Saturday night. The town
of Sycamore was poor in money, and
almost everything else but horses, time
and public spirit, but of these there was
such abundance that there was on the
fats straightaway race course a mile
long besides horses and matches enough
TO keep the grass on the track very short.
Horses were the only local products that
could be sold at any time of the year,
but there was not much demand for them
unless they We're fast enough to attract
the attention Of the butchers for city
markets. so there was plenty of honest
tanning speed. All sorts of good things,
however. from churches to chickens,
are sometimes msused, so il came to
pass that at. times the Sycamore track
was visited by all the loafers and other
bad characters of the town and county,
and there was an exciting and rascally
racing for money as could be seen any
where. All this sort of thing was done
on the sly and generally at very late
hours of moonlight nights, for the state.
laws against gambling We're very Sc
we're, and all the local justices were menu.
bers Of the church.
Mess Kilbuck had been told that racing
for money was costly and wicked. He
believed it, too; for his fathers partner
in the general store business had once
bet the hrms entire cash surplus on q
horse race at New Orleans a thousand
miles away, and Wess' father had been
financially pinehed ever since.
When therefore. Ralf Tulligs, the big
gest boy in school-a school where some
of the boys We're big enough to wear chin
whiskers-came one day to Wess and Of
fered 10 help him with his ARITHMETIC les
sons throughout the fall term IL Wess
would sneak his fathers bay horse out of
the stable at II o'clock of certain Sat
urday night and run him on the track
against Ram's roam mare for $50 purse,
which some of the loafers and gamblers
had subscribed, Wess declined with me
show Of Virtuous indignation, saying
Horse racing IS mean, gambling, dis
honest business"
sBosht' snarled Raft Il don't want
you to race l only want your bay to
make the pace for my mare; they used
to be mates in harness, you know, and
are used to travelling side by side. and
the bay is pretty fast on run, and the
roam won't let herself fail behind him.
But you yourself Will be racing for
money"
Tisn't the money-the purse-that I
want so much as 10 show what the roam
can do because 1 want to sell her, and
there's a St Louis dealer with a pocket
full Of money going to be there, and he's
looking at the roam, and he'll buy her If
she shows good time 1 think you might
see me through, seeing I've got my moth
er's family TO support, and need TO make
all the money 1 can"
Well, If you only want me TO ride as
pace-maker, and father don't object,
IlF'-
What do you want to talk to your
father about 1t for?" demanded Raft.
You take the horse oct for a ride when
ever you like. even after dark, without
asking your father, don't you?"
Yes, but"
But what, Sissy?''
That settled II; Wess wasn't going to
DC called Sissy again, even by the big