The herald., 1895-09-15

| or more of the good fathers had sounded
him as to his incllnations and adaptable
| ity Tor the future. oung Griiiil was
willing to listen to advice and willing tC
| take it. but beyond cherished ambition
to support his orphaned sisters he seemed
! to have no particular trend of thought.
| It.was at this time of his life that the
| great change took place. One day there
| came into the playground with Father
| Leaton "a big, red-faced man who wore
checked clothes and pink shirt and who
! talked hoarsely and expectorated scatter
ingly like street sprinkler. The boys
| eyed him askance and kept on playing.
The red-faced man watched them sharply
and talked in low tones to the priest.
Finally the latter called young Griffin.
Come here, Henry" said he, II want
you to talk to Mr.. Shields. He is Look
ing for boy to work in his stable
Would you like the position?"
The boy hung back bashfully. II don
know. said he.
DO you know ANYTHING about horses
asked the red faced man.
mo, sir, was the reply.
''Do you think you could learn to ride. y
81 don't know. sir.
would you like to learn
Eyes, SIR
Then it was settled that Henry Griffin
and his brother were to go into the rae
ing stable of James Shields al a salary per
month far less than that which the jockey
now earns in one days riding. He,
with his brother and the red faced man,
took his departure from the Protectory
the next day. 1t was not until evening
that they arrived at the stable. Griffin
was awed with his surroundings. Two
or three little negro stable boys eyed the
slim whitefacen lad contem ptuousy;
others became friendly and proffered
advice. Griffin was given a horse to feed
as1d for 10 oh u as
he does everything. Then he was put
up on one of the gentlest horses for an
exercise canter around the track. lie
was decidedly awkward. His time was
pretty we'll occupied with maintaining his
equilibrium. One day the red-faced man
came down to the stables ana announc-
ed his intention OF breaking several
yearlings. Griffin was selected to do the
work. He went about 1t without any ex
hibition Of fear or nervousness. He was
lifted into the saddle, only to be pitched
out again like QUOT. Time after time.
without word, lie came back again, cool
and collected, and each time he did bet
ter than the last. Then it was that the
fed-faced man made up his mind that the
boy would in time make great Jockey.
BY this time the new stable BOY had be-
come used to the uproar and nervous
delirium of the race tracks. Even at this
time he had apparently made up his
OF the Jockeys then riding. and he was
inwardly longing for the opportunity.
Much of the little money he was earning
was sent to his sisters, and when he saw
boys no older than himself with rolls OF
bills amounting to hundreds of dollars
his am bition suddenly shaped itself into
resolution to follow his opportunity
and become a jockey. Both he and his
brother had been apprenticed to James
| Shields until they should be q years OF
age. 1t was in the hands of Shields to
| make or mar their future.
| In 1890 the Shields stable opened its
| fall and winter campaign at the famous
Guttenburg track and here Griffin had
his first mount. He rode we'll, but did
not win.' Nevertheless his work was SO
promising that he soon became the regu-
| lar stable jockey. Purse after purse rolled
| into the Golfers of his employer. The
I jockey was sought for by other stables.
went to Shields but Griffin was glad oi
it. TO Shields he owed everything.
Since those days tn e history of Griffin
has been familiar to evey frequenter oi
.iace track and the pool room. Keep
to yourself and don't talk stable secrets
| to anybody" This was the first in juno
| tion of the red.faced man, and it has
been followed to the letter. Times have
| changed greatly since Grifn's debut at
| Gutten burg. Luck has gone hard with
the red-faced man, anu he does not own
a stable now. Griffin gets a salary o.
$l7. 500 from David Gideon, and Shield
gets part Of it, as the jockey is still al
apprentice. Griffin's brother is also
careful, conscientious Jockey, but some
| time ago had the misfortune to break his
| leg, since which time he has been laio
up. Gritfin's latest notab BILE achievement
was the winning of the Futurity on Re-
| qultal. Last year he won the same racs
| for Mr.. Gideon with The Butterflies. -
| New York Herald