The morning times., 1896-08-09
How Blizzard o
.Ih Won |
4 o the Race
BY CHARLES L. SHAW.

| A 10y III winnipeg, the Capitdl CITY ot
the province OF Manitoba, in Northwest
ern Canada, who doesn't own dog 8
| looked upon by his fellows With suspicion
| And a boy who owns a dog above the size
| or a pug or u fox-terrier, and doesn't train
him to go" as it is called, in sleigh in
the winter and Il small sulky in the summer,
| is considered as being little better than a
girl. Like the game OF lacrosse, the dog
driving has come TO Canadian boys from
tile Indians. In other days, before the
settlement OF the western prairies OF Can
ada, winter ts{3vel from Lake Superior to
the Rocky Mountains, and from Minnesota
Ito the Arctic Ocean was carried ON by
means of dugs. Even today in the western
parts of the Canadian west, the dogtrain
is the REGULAR means OF conveyance OF
ma lis and trav eIers by the Hudson Bay Com
pany and the fur traders OF the North.
Dog driving, then, comes naturally to the
boys OF Winnipeg, where twenty-five ye:-:s
ago winter journey with horses was ccia-
paratively unusual.
TOUeHE TUPPER.
And it came pirticulariy natural to little
Touche Upper .pewsbOy and general ronst-
about. For Toqche loved dogs, aud a boy
who didn't love al dog very seldom amounted
10 much as usrd6g- trainer. Touches pa
rents had died ana left him at ten years or
age TO run the race uf life alone. Having
no ki,h or kin of his own to lavish any af-
fection upon, and being human, and accord
ingIy finding II necessary TO have an outlet
for his affections, he became devoted To
q dog Aud such II dog. II was an ugly,
Ill conditioned looking cur, everybody
said, but that didn't make any difference
to Touchc.
He had found 1t as he crouched one
blizzardy night in the doorway OF the
posto..ice at the outset OF his newsboy
life, when he was in need OF sympathy az
much as the little pup that crawled up
10 him and licked his hand. Were travel
ing in hard luck tonight, puppy said
Touche, a he snuggled the shiverinG little
thing under his coat. This blizzard chased
the people from the streets, and I'm stuck
with IN papers and you're nearly froze to
death. Well, misery likes company, SO
come on" And Blizzard, as he there and
then christened 1t, shared Touches corner
In the half-breed shack, and the ups and
downs of street Arabs life, until he grew
to doghood.
As neither Blizzard nor Touche made any
pretenscs to pedigree, there was fellow
feeling between them. They were both
yagabonds And when Touche requested
Blizzard TO go in sleigh at very
early stage of his career, he didn't ex-
acYfy see the drift of it until Touchc point
ed out that every selfrcspecting dog in
+ NDupcE Wtht III Aoh ~ oho ehos - "e'
-nasswell to be "out of de push" Blizzard
then strove to excel at it. His long legs
and lean body placed him on equality In
the sled with the dogs which appeared
at bench shows and showed their aristo-
cratic teeth at him they passed Topche
and him on the street.
.Yer better dog than any of them,
Bliz,'' said Touche as he embarrassed him
one night after Blizzard had borne him
from the center OF the city to the little
shack on the prairie. "And we'll show
'em some day. Yer mayn't be much on
looks. but yer got the heart Those small
kids can laugh at yer, but if We git q
chance, well show EN- And the chance
came.
A GREAT RACE
In May 1894 the little prairie city of
Winnipeg was agog with excitement. The
meeting of the Manitoba Turf Association
was on. Westerners who are deprived
of amusement in the way of theaters. ex-
cursions. etc, common to the East, gen
orally take their vacation In strong doses.
Racing is in high favor. and business is
practically suspended during q race meet
ing Touche. who was ten thirteen years
old, while iaborfously reading the events
announced on the flaming big posters of the
turf association's spring meeting. placard
ed on Portage avenue, saw an item which
read, Dog race. one-half mi lie; purse,
81 90 to first. $50 to second: bestt wo out OF
three heats" He looked down at Biz
Zard, who seemed to have an eye on his
young master and the other on the poster
as il reading it-for Blizzard always tried
to do what Touche did-and said: What
dye say, Biz? Shall we try turn at
it?'' Blizzard locked as if running a race
before the people of city was Just what
he had been waiting for. "All right
then, Biz" said Toucbe; "we'n show
those dude dogs thing or two" And
he went off and made arrangements for
a sulky that cost him winters savings.
The making OF dog sleighs and dog SUI
kies is one OF the branches OF Winnipeg
carriage building establishment. and the
little sulky that finally met with Touches
approval was just suited to Blizzard
With a new collar guess We'll be fixed,
Bliz,' said Touche, as he took him for
trial spin over the course OF the turf as
sOciation one afternoon before he went for
his papers.
from yer nose the way the swells does.
If you don't understand me now yer never
will And Blizzard wagged mis- tail.
Twas the afternoon. The dog race had
just been called from the judges stand,
and the gayly-dressed ladies and their es-
corts in the grand stand returned to their
places and the crowds surging against the
IopeS SuITOuuuiuk tue COuISe gave NOlCt "
cheer. The interest in the horse racing had
been confined to the horse breeders, the
gambling element and that peculiar class
that are to be found on every race track
who love a race they know not why. But
in the dog race everybody was interested.
There were nineteen entries. There was
not a class or clique from the exclusive
lieutenant governors circle to the half
breed colony on the Hudson Bay flats that
was not represented in the contestants.
And as the boys in their queer little sui
kies paraded before the judges stand to
receive instructions the cheers that went
up were heartier than had been given for
the winner Of the Provincial cup. Every
body almost knew Touche by sight, and
as he and Blizzard trotted past the grand
stand there was half-satirical, half
friendly cheer at the taterdermalion news
boy and his mongrel-lo0king dog. But
Touche and Blizzard needed it not. Touches
attention was fixed on a dog. half stag
hound, half Esquimaux, called Tiger, driven
by the son OF the lieutenant governor
THE START.
A dog race has to be quickly started or
the dogs will fight, and when the nineteen
dogs with their boy drivers rushed In a
confused mass before the judges stand
there was a cry of go" and they were
off. Blizzard was in the center and had
got fair start. At the quarter mile he
was third and was going steadily, when
the one that was running second. hus
kig-that Is, a native dog-which showed
signs of tagging, turned as quick as
thought and seized Blizzard by the throat
There was confused heap Of dogs, boys
and sulkies and the others rushed on. But
Touche hauled Blizzard out of the melee
and they were Just saved from being dis
tanced. There were only six dogs in the
second heat. Touche spoke long and earn
evils OF fighting, especially in race,
and when two dogs rushed at him In the