The Caucasian. (Clinton, N.C.) 188?-1913, 1897-07-15

For several days Anne was in /
state OF quiet happiness. She did
not see Jim for . veek-she did not
want to. She did not know what
was going to happen. but she felt
IKE something was, and that all was
safe. She sang around the hou,s
like . bird. Il all flashed over her
one day when her father SAID At the
tea table:
"Thst boy Jim Weatherau is q
trump. He has got more horse sense
in . month than l have in q year!r
Anne looked up in astouishment.
The Colonel continued. "You know
Ole Mistis is entered in the Cumber-
land Futurity, worth $50, 900 to the
winner. l have never regarded her
as promising candidate. and of
late she has been going 80 badly in
her work under the new jockey that
l had abandoned the idea Of paying
the final entrance fee. But jim
you know how interested he has
always been in the horses, Anne!-
(but Anne was busy with her teacup,
while her cheeks were scarlet)-
seems to be more so Of late, and has
been over every day. He soon con-
vlnced me the mare was shod wrong
and that the boy Brutus knew moth
ing ABOUT his business. why, Col
onel,' he said, in his blunt way, he
shouldn't ride q speckled steer to
water for me-the mare is fast, very
fast-he doesn't understand her.
And what do You reckoni" Anne
could not imagine! "Why, he is act
ually working her himself, with
Jake as rider, and never saw such
improvement, Anne," he said as he
came around to her chair. "If I
could only win that stake it would
be the happiest day of my life.
Never more would I race q horse
never again would l gamble, feel
almost upset of late. l am weak,
peevish, Ivacillating and unnerved.
Last night,' he said slowly, and
with more seriousness than was his
custom, II dreamed of your dear
mother, child, and her sweet, dark
eyes seemed full of pity and SORROW"
and Col. Dinwiddie walk slowly over
to the POI trait which hung on the
wall and stood looking at it in silent
admiration, while his daughter came
up and put her arms around him
with, "Never mind, father; don't be
worried. Just let Jim take charge
he is clever and honest and will sur
prise you yet.
The morning of the greatest race
ever run on Tennessee soil came.
The city was crowded with visitors;
excitement was at fever heat.
There is nothing so we'll known
among horsemen rs the ordinary
chances of the various horses to win
a great race. It is not to be won
dered that the human mind, capable
of discovering and weighing, hereto
fore unknown and unseen stars,
should not be able, when properly
directed, to weigh the various
chances which in the aggregate will
determine which enc of several
horses will win q race. These chances
may be computed as accurately as
insurance companies compute risks
for the principle which is the same
as accurately as the skillful physi.
clan may determine the chances OF
life in fever stricken patient. Al
10 o clock, on the day of Waterloo
Napoleon is said to have remarked
that he had ninety chances out of q
hundred of gaining the battle; a
noon over seventy, he had said; at :
O'Clock forty; at 3 twenty, and wher
Blucher's fresh troops came thun
dering on the field, and later q sol
der stopped the Emperor as he wan
dered aimlessly toward Paris, hi
faithful horse following, his chance'
were gone forever!
! 1--WE haven't q chance in tn
world, Anne," said Col. Dinwiddi,
to his daughter as she sat in tn
grand stand. dazed and confuse,
with the mighty crowd around he
and a terrible weight on her heart
''It is not so bad at that, Anne,
said Jim, who had come up t
whisper few words of encourage
ment before the horses started
"there is always q chance in hors
, race. The best one may break hi
, leg in ten feet of the wire. So don
, be altogether wretched," and b
went off to look after the mare.
Two O'CLOCK! The crowd was i'm
!. mense. Never before was assemble
! such q galaxy of beauty and gallar
= try in the Volunteer state. Th
: drivers were weighed, horses hand
: capped and all sent up the stretch.
Jake was delighted wher told b
was to ride ole Mistis. He was il
t norant to the fact that the mare wa
thought to be no fix to win and tha
the betting was 20 to l against be-
"All enybody's got to do" he sal
to himself, ''is to set on her an
guide 'er. I'd like to see EN- bes
ole Mlstis!''
nj But when his master came to hi
y in the stretch to give him lnstru
y tions even the little darkey 50
y something was wrong. He had new
y seen the Colonel look that way b
y fore. His eyes were stern, but 9:
y pressionless; his voice husky Wit
y emotion, and the quick spirit
y command seemed to have given VI
y - to the evil genius Of despair. Qui
y and commanding as ever, but Jal
. saw he was in no mood to be CROSSE
and he all but guessed his mast
# had made up his mind for defe
q and ruin.
r "Jake!"
is "Yes, Master, said Jake.
ss "Lister to what I tell you, and
p j. rs tell you. Do you see that b'
- horse thare7'
Eyes, Marster,' and Jake cast /
keen eye eontemptuously on the os
RI "Well, Jake, they say he II gon
+ to beat my mare. II he does =
et clutched Jake arm tightly, 20 tie
>. the boy WINGED, and his naste
n. .tyeice sunk to . whisper IS he said
es .If they do, Jake, l am ruin'
! ruined, ruined!"-and the boy
wost nuailed before the stern