Omaha daily bee., 1896-06-21

interest, unless it was-I know Sir Lothian
Hume to be a desperate man. | know that
he has had heavy card losses at Walters
and Whites. / know also that he has much
at stake upon this event, and that he has
plunged upon it with a rashness which made
his friends think that he had some private
reason for being satisfied as to the result.
By heaven. 1t all hangs together! II it
should be So He relapsed into silence,
but | saw the same look of cold fierceness
settle upon his features which | had re-
marked there when he and Sir John Lade
had raced wheel to wheel down the Godstone
road.
The sun sank slowly toward the low Sur
rey hills. and the shadows crept steadily
eastward, but the whirr of the wheels and
the roar of the hoofs never slaCkened. A
fresh wind blew upon our faces, whi'H the
young leaves dropped motionless fro m the
wayside branches. The golden edge OF the
sun was just sinking behind the oaks of
Reigate hill when the dripping mares drew
up before the Crown at Red Hill. The land
lord, an old sportsman and ringsider, ran
out to greet so well known a Corinthian as
Sir Charles Tregellis.
you know Berks, the bruiser?" asked
my uncle.
Yes, Sir Charles"
Has he passed.
yes, Sir Charles. 1t may have been
about 4 o'clock. though with this crowd of
l folk and carriages it's hard to swear to it.
There was him and Red Ike and Fighting
Yussef, the Jew. and another, with a good
bit of blood betwiXt the shafts. They'd been
driving her hard, too, for she was all in a
lather."
That's ugly, nephew" said my uncle,
when we were flying onward toward Reigate
III they drove so hard it looks as though
they wished to get early to work"
Jim and Belcher would surely be a
match for the four of them" | suggested.
II BelCher were with him 7 should have
no fear. But you cannot tell what diablerie
they may be up to. Let us only find him
safe and sound and I'll never lose sight of
him till l see him in the ring. Wen sit I'D
on guard with our pistols. nephew, and l
only trust that these villains may be in
discreet enough to attempt it. But they
must nave been very sure OF success before
they put the odds up to such a figure, and
II is that which alarms me-"
But surely they have nothing to win by
such villainy, sir? If they were to hurt Jim
Harrison the battle could not be fought
and bets would not be decided"
so it would be in an ordinary prize
battle, nephew, and it is fortunate that ii
should be so, or the rascals who infest the
ring would soon make all sport impossible.
But here II is different. On the terms OF
the wager l lose unless | can produce a
man within the prescribed ages who can
beat Crab Wilson. You must remember
that ! have never named my man. C'est
dommage, but so it is. We know who it is
and so do our opponents, but the referees
and Stockholders would take no notice OF
that. If we complain that Jim Harrison
has been crippled they would answer that
they have no official knowledge that Jim
Harrison was our nominee. It's play or pay
and the villains are taking advantage of it,"
My uncle's fears as to our being blocked
upon the road were only too well founded,
for after we passed Reigate there was such
a procession of every sort of vehicle that |
believe for the whole eight miles there was
not a horse whose nose was further than a
few feet from the back of the curricle or
barouche in front. Every road leading from
London, as well as those from Guildford
in the west and Tunbridge in the east, had
contributed its stream OF fOur-in-hand gigs.
and mounted sportsmen, until the whole
broad Brighton highway was chOked from
ditch to ditch with a laughing, singing,
shouting throng, all flowing in the same
direction. No man who looked upon that
motley crowd could deny that for good or
evil the love of the ring was confined TO no
class, but was a national popularity, deeply
seated in the English nature and a common.
heritage OF the young aristocrat in his drag,
and of the rough costers sitting six deep in
their pony cart.
There / saw statesmen and soldiers, noble
men and lawyers. farmers and 'squires,
with roughs of the East End and yokels OF
the shires, all toiling along with the pros
pect OF a night OF discomfort before them,
on the chance Of seeing a fight, which
miSH'' ii an that bheS knew, De decided
in a single round, A more CHEEKY and
hearty set OF people could not be Imagined,
and the chan flew about as thick as the
dust clouds, while at every wayside inn the
landlord and the drawers would be out
with trays Of foam-headed tankards to
moisten those importunate threats. The
ale drinking, the rude good fellowship, the
heartiness, the laughter at diseomforts. the
craving TO see the night. all these may be
set down as vulgar and trivial by those TO
whom they are distasteful, but 10 me, lis
tening TO the far of and uncertain echoes
OF our distant past, they seem 10 have been
the very bones upon which much that is
most solid and yirile in this ancient race
was nodded.
But. alas for our chance OF fastening on
ward. even my uncle's skill could not pick
Q passage through that moving mRsa. We