The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1895-10-23

bluff good.
''To Mr.. Carter, who was out for
the dust and meant business all the
time, that proposition seemed a pc
culiarly juicy piece of pie. He knew
well enough that his mare could beat
Nabob any day and at any distance,
and the idea of any fool matching a
common livery roadster against her
made him happy, especially for a one
mile heat, which was the surest thing
she had. The upshot of their wrangle
was that they actually made a match
for $500 a side, one mile heat, be-
tween Sultana and my roadster, to
be trotted the next morning at an
hour when the track would be free
if they could set the managers per
mission, and the money was Tat up
in good hands, safe to go to the Win
ncr. To get the managers permls-
sion the trot had to be represented to
them as bit Of fun for a basket OF
wine, lust to teach a lesson to the
churn man, who was too brash for
his own good, and they thought it
would be quite joke.
"a few minutes after the match
was made, Sutherland's partner in
the churn business wobbled into the
saloon where the horse talk was 60
ing on, and he was full as a goat. He
seemed fabbergasted when he heard
and succeeded in understanding what
had been going on, and the two part
ners had quite row, Hutchinson
calling his fat friend all kinds of a
fool for what he had done. But when
some outsiders interfered in the in
terest of the public peace, which
seemed liable to be broken, little
Hutchinson turned on them savage
asa mink, and swerving right around,
as drunken man will, he swore he
would stand by his partner, whatever
his partner did was right, and he
would back his partner with every
dollar he had. Then he flashed up a
roll'of money, like the other chaps,
except that it seemed to have grown
up to maturity. There must have
been at least $4,000 up on each side
outside the stakes before the blufing
and calling down came to an end,
and drunk as the churn men were
they: took;good care the money was
in solid, responsible hands.
when the story of the match got
around the next morning. there was
a feeling of sadness in the commu-
nifty on account of all the churn
mems money being up with Mr.. Car
ter and his friends, for it was felt
that those who had not gotta piece of
SO good thing had actually lost just
so much. But that cloud had sl.
yer lining: Two innocent looking
young chaps-students from Ann Ar
Dor they said they were-strolled in
to the town to see the fair, and being
at the track when the trot was about
coming off simple mindedly put
few dollars on my roadster.
"Well, people literally climbed over
each other to get at them, offering
all sorts of odds to grab a share Of
their pelf. They got three to one,
then five to one, and when the horses
were:scoring as high as ten to one.
1t might have seemed strange, if any
body had thought about it at the
time, how much money they had
being only students-and how ably
they. caught everybody's bet and
worked up the odds, but all said it
was just youthful pigheadedness that
made them act so and quoted wise
sayings about a fool and his money
and more money than brains and
so on.
II didn't have a cent up. When
Sutherland brought the horse home
after the match was on, he didn't
seem to me even a little bit drunk.
He told me what was up, offered to
deposit the value Of the horse as Sc
curity he would not be harmed and
said he would give me 500 if hewon
and $50 anyway, so told him it was
all right so far as was concerned,
but was sorry he was going to lose
his money. He sort of smiled, but
then seemed to recollect himself and
sighed, remarhng that it couldn't
be helped now, but he wished would
let Hutchinson stay in the stable that
night with the watchman, to seethat
no harm came to the horse, because
he didn't trust those racing men.
81 knew Of course that Carter and
his gang had too sure thing for it
to be worth their while to drug the
horse, even if they had the chance,
but humored him, and Hutchinson
staid. For a man who didn't know
much about horses, the way he
rubbed that roadster down and
bathed his legs, fed him, tested bis
shoes and so OF was really surpris-
ing. A queer sort of feeling foated
into my mind, not exactly suspicion,
but the biggest uncertainty I ever
felt, and 7 concluded wouldn't bet.
And the next morning, when l saw
it was Hutchinson and not Suther-
land who took the reins, and that he
suddenly looked like driver from
way back, was quite satisfied that I
hadn't, bet any, though I could not
say why. LUST nothing to any
body.
"Well, the trot came off. My iv-
cry plug went away from Sultana at
the quarter; was two good lengths
ahead at the half; at the three-quar
ter the pace was so hot for her that
she broke and went up into the air,
and by the time her driver got her
down again to a square gait she was