The Neihart herald. [volume] (Neihart, Mont.) 1890-1901, 1897-08-14

racing technicalities, and finally
wendell my way home in a far bet
ter frame of mind than that with
which | had started the evening.
But in the early hours of the
morning the old horror of my posi-
ton dawned upon me in all its real
ity.
The false beacon of hope which
had buoyed up my spirits at the
close of the previous evening now
presented itself to me in the form
of an imbecile bet. l had for a short
period imagined that my fortunes
could be rebuilt by the caprice of a
race horse whose existence ! had
not dreamed of IL hours before, and
/ quickly realized that instead of
improving my position l had mere
ly placed a further e100 in jeopardy.
Yet it seemed strange that I should
thus meet the rogue who sold me
the paper which lr~ed me to my
folly. However, l reflected that,
being SO deeply in the mire, another
inch or two as represented by the
e100 would not make so much differ
ence.
But the game is not lost until it is
won, and l { determined to face mat
tiers boldly, and when my broker
called at my Office to sound me as
to my position ! assured him, with
all the self assurance l could mus
ter, that the aspect of affairs caused
me no uneasiness.
But the WEAKNESS of the day-the
feverish excitement that took pos
session of me as the hours rolled
onl
With my eyes fastened on the
clock l watched the hands slowly
creep to the hour fixed for the race.
And when the gong sounded the
first stroke of 3 l started in my
chair as if l had heard a thunder
clap.
Now they are off and my fortunes
hang upon a horse and jockey. In
my imagination l could hear the
thud of many hoofs as they spurned
the ground in that wild scramble
toward the winning post.
Then half an hour later / heard
the newsboys racing down the
street shouting with their brazen
lungs: "Speciall Winner of the In
ternationall" And a n~auseating sick
ness crept owe me-my head spun
round and round as l staggered out
and purchased a paper.
With trembling hands l laid it on
my desk, and for some minutes I
) sat there not daring to open it.
Then, composing myself with a great
effort, l opened the sheet and let my
eyes rest upon the fatal column.
Great heavensl Could l believe
my senses? There staring me in the
, face was:
!
, Songblrd. .
The paper dropped from my
3 nerveless hands and I fell back in
t my chair with a gasp.
My position was saved as if by a
miracle. -.
2 At So'clock l went to the Norfolk
< hotel to meet Dick Hampton, and
found him with a face as long al
the proverbial fiddle.
Y Jack, you lucky dog-but it'll
always the way-a man spends the
d best part of his days studying horses
and thinks he's found a good thing
when up comes a greenhorn tina
can't tell a horse from a hayseed
spots an outsider and wins a for
tune"
well, look here, Dick, yol
needn't grudge it to me. If Black
friar had lost, l would have been
Q bankrupt tomorrow. When can
get the money2"
Good heavens, man, you dom
Y mean to say that all your luck wa
ON that horse2 Well, some peopl
II ride a forlorn hope and get home
while others get thrown over tn
10 rails. AS to the money, I can Civ
n you my check tonight and settl
with the bookmaker tomorrow"
1t And as soon as the bank opene
in the morning l paid So, 400 int
/ my account, and forwarded a chez
T. to my broker to cover my week
losses.
to From that day the market ros
steadily, and a fortnight later
a cleared out with a snug little $40
900.
Some six months after / was lea,
ing my Office to go home to my Ii
- tie house at Richmond, where M
r. dear wife was awaiting me. Th
evening was raw and chill with
driving rain. Passing beneath IL
light of a street lamp, a man a
costed me and begged for aims.
1t was the man who had sold n
the post dated paper.
" Full of curiosity, I took him in
a public house near at hand, an
w having ordered some refreshment
-, turned to him.
liu do you remember" l aske
Il selling me, six months ago, a pc
dated paper giving the winner
al @ba Internationally