Crawford avalanche. (Grayling, Mich.) 1879-19??, 1897-06-24
A WOMAN In THE SADDLE.

sob, yes, there was good sport and
plenty of it in Australia in the early
sixties, and hard lines for impecunious
younger sons like myself, shipped off
with neither trade, craft nor commeps
cial knowledge. / think was born
with deep-rooted aversion to any
thing that resembled work. had
health and strength and light heart,
and / rubbed along for years, but
never did myself any good, until one
day took a girl to wooden church
and married her. She is my wife to-
day, thank God. On that suspicious
morning touched the very mint it
self. was poorer than pauper, for
/ had nothing, neither had she or her
father-though he put on all the side
of a millionaire lowering his daughter
and son -in-law with fortune
"'Jim Layman, he said, you've
married untold wealth to-day; you've
got my Carrie away from me, the
smartest girl of my bunch. She's
worth her weight in gold ingots; she'll
pull you through; she'll make a man
of you, she will
''He was right Carries father was
right. She wasn't 20, but she had the
head for business of a Chancellor of
the Exchequer, and perseverance and
self-contidence that were just amazing.
In less than no time we had place
that developed into general store, a
good trade and money in hand. 1 could
lean again the door-post, smoke cigar
and feel big, while Carrie bossed the
lot We were up Doctors Greek. L
left the digging severely alone, pre-
ferring to rely on Carrie, who sold
yellow soap and shirts at a startling
profit. There never was such an am
bilious girl as Carrie. She was Aus
tralian born; and it made me laugh to
hear the way she talked about the visit
we were to pay to Europe, and what a
dash we would cut in London when
we had secured our pile.
"One day roguish sort of old fell
low turned up at our saloon asking
for accommodation. He had with him
a thoroughbred chestnut horse, hood
ed and muzzled, and ragged black
boy as groom and jockey. The horse
was as fine type of the highest class
racer as ever stepped on Newmarket
Heath, and how old Charlie Cover
got hold of him is a mystery to this
day. Nightjar-that was his name
was the most savage brute L ever saw
or heard of. He would strike with his
forelegs, like puglist and he could
manipulate his heels with such pre-
cision that he was credited with the
feat of kicking the eye of gnat. He
would rush at any stranger open
mouthed, like wild beast; he was
dangerous man eater, and Cover own
ed to his having killed at least two
men. You can imagine no one cared
to go near MIN, let alone attempt to
mount him. With the lad only he
was as quiet as a sheep and as playful
boys woolly hair, rub his nose up and
down his back, and purr like cat.
Martin Thomas was Nightjar's one alb
solute and only master, and clever,
painstaking rider at eight stone.
Covers idea in visiting Doctors
Creek was to utilize our spacious turf
flats as training ground, with view
to capturing the Tookooboola Cup
two miles, value 20, 900, the greaest
racing event in our district.
"Nightjar was in at stone 8 pounds,
and he became the idol of Doctors
Creek. We had some bits of blood
among us that had the gift of going,
and they were jumped in one after the
other, to persuade the mighty Night
jar to gallop his best over our two
miles. With Martin Thomas in the
saddle he was docile and always did his
best, but would allow no other man or
woman to touch him at the peril of
their lives. Carrie, of course, manag-
ed everything. The boys got up a
huge sweep, first prize Il 1000, and it
did not surprise me in the least that
Carrie drew Nightjar.
GAS the eventful day approached,
the perturbation became painful in its
intensity, and the jewellers on Doctors
Creek decided to suspend their oper-
atoms entirely over the race week. II
was four days journey to Tookoo-
boola. Every hale and hearty man
turned out.
"Our own personal venture was a
desperate one. We stood to win
Il, 900 in betting, and another FL 600
on the sweep. 1 had EDO in my
pocket, representing all our ready
behind us was the store and its stock,
balanced against liabilities to the
merchants.
"What guileless children of the
desert we werel No sooner had our
party arrived at the scene of action,
than some of our boys began bluffing
about the bars, Boosting that Doc
tors Creek had the winner up its
sleeve. There were many astute rae
ing men about, interested in one or
other Of the twenty-eight probable
starters. They must have carefully
ascertained that Nightjar was a one
boy horse, and that by extinguishing
Martin Thomas they also extinguished
any danger threatened by his mount.
''It was only two hours before the
race that Martin Thomas developed
alarming symptoms of collie or lead
poisoning. To our agonized inquiries
Of the indispensable jockey, we learned