The Worcester spy. [volume] (Worcester, Mass.) 1898-1904, 1898-12-25
III FAILED.
Charley Pratt's
Scheme
TO GET SQUARE.
He and Free Brown We're
Chased by a Cop.

Whether from reasons of law or OF
morals, the rule is lived up to remark
| ably well, and it is said, without the
slightest reflection upon the horsemen
the presence of officer I.egasey, mount
ed, upon the avenue, each Sunday, also
has something to do with cutting out
the speeding feature of Sabbath sleigh
ing.
Once in a great while, however, it
happens that the road drivers Unborn
desire for a brush-and every road dri-
yer who is a thoroughbred has that
| desire-for the time being gets the bet
ter of him. Then a race down the line
results.
But the horseman who INDUCES in
Sunday speeding is running chances.
He may be ostracised by the better ele-
ment Of his own fraternity He may
J find that he has aroused the ire of the
mounted officer on the snow path, thus
| laying himself liable to repr1mand, and
| perhaps case he talks bacl1-of a
! little trip to a house that is located on
| Waldo street.
| A week ago this afternoon, there was
the usual Sunday concourse on the
snow path. 1t was good sleighing then,
and everybody was out; those who had
good horses and those who did not; the
| rich and poor alike. Among the people
in the line were Charles T. Pratt and
City Almoner Freeman Brown.
| Now, both men are horSemen. But
unlike the usual run Of horsemen, they
don't speak as they pass by, as the
saying goes Neither have they for
years. Charles Il. Pratt drives bright
bay selding, named Judge Curtis. To
use Charley'S own words HE is bred
for speed; he can speed, and he is no
disgrace to the community" City AL
moner Brown, better known within the
city hall and without as plain Free"
Brown, also has a horse that's we'll
bred and has speed. She has a name,
too, but it does not come to mind just at
this moment
Charley and Free eyed each other
rather jeaiously once or twice, as if to
say to each other. I can beat you down
the avenue. and you know IT," But
never a word was spoken. That would
be going back on what is now almost
traditional Next Charley and Free
were sparring for wind and for an OPEN
| ing. BY chance-if chance you will call
| 1.-THE two turned together; or, rather
one saw the other coming down as he
was coming up, and turned to bring
matters to q. head.
! Free clucked to his mare, and Charley
pulled out one or two of his gold fill
/ ings in his endeavors to hustle the
| Judge over the ground d bit more
quickly In their anxiety 10 beat eacn
| other they wholly forgot that there
was a mounted officer doing patrol
duty on the avenue. At least they did
! not remember it until it was too late.
Officer Legasey, ever on the lookout
| for such things, heard the on-coming
! steeds and Joined the procession him
/ self Now John is something of a
| horseman and would enjoy brush
| himself if he had any speed in his
mare He went after Charley and
| Free, however, not as a horseman, but
! as a member of the Worcester police
force bent upon seeing that the ordi-
j nances regarding Sunday were en-
! forced.
1t was rather novel experience to
| Charley and Free to feel that they were
being chased by a copper" In fact,
| it was so novel that they forgot that
they We're racing each other. Free
Brown went in one direction and Char
! ley Pratt in another. officer Legasey,
| however, had his optics fixed upon
| Charley Pratt-possibly because he was
the bigger man.
The race between Pratt and Brown
now resolved itself into a contest be-
1 tween Pratt and Legasey. IL was a
runner against a trotter that some
times runs. And it was only q ques-
ton Of time when the runner would
overtake the trotter handicapped by
1 his load of avoirdupois. The crucial mo-
ment at last arrived. Charley was COR
\ nered and given q few words of ad-
vice--to use no stronger tern2-from
his captor
He took it all in good part. There
was nothing else for him to do, for
/ Charley has driven on the road too
I long to plead ignorance to the rules
of the road, and is too well posted on
municipal matters not to know what
| the ordinances are. But when the Of
ficer had concluded his little speech.
Pratt saw his chance. He could get
1 square with Free Brown if he could
4 not with the officer.
So he suggested in that polite, suave
manner of his. that perhaps it would
not be a bad idea if his friend Brown
| had the opportunity to listen tc a sim
| liar sermon adding, ny the way, that
he feared Free had not been to church
i that morning. Here was a point upon
which Pratt and Legasey agreed. And
| the officer drove away, promising that
4 he would see Free Brown a little later.
That evening Charley Pratt got to
thinking about the little incident of the
afternoon. And the more he thought
/ the more he became convinced that he
ihad acted contrary to precedent and
that he should be willing to stand be-
fore the world and have sentence melted
out to him in proportion to the magni-
tude Of his offence.
So bright and early Monday morning
| Charley Pratt journeyed down to the
Office of the chief of police. The chief
4 happened to be away from his desk,
but Capt. Matthews was there Walk
ing up to his old friend Charley started
in to tell what had happened on the
Iavenue the preceding afternoon.
! 1T has already been reported to the
office, said Capt. Matthews. I'VE know
the circumstances" and as il to fore
stall any intention Pratt might have
entertained about lodging a complaint
against the freshness of an officer. the
captain added, and you are 10
blame"
Yes said Charley. Il know I am,
and that's why l am here. have come
/ wish you would take me upstairs, put
me in the common dock and sentence
me for my violation"
] Capt. Matthews looked at Charley in
blank establishment. But ] want to
add just one little restriction" Charley
4 continued. IF / am arrested / want TO
have you go and get Free. Brown and
let him take his medicine also,
Captain Matthews thought this was
but a fair deal However he thought
also that the officers warning would
suffice for this time at least and Free.
Brown was not disturbed from his daily
labors at the city hall. But perhaps he
does not know his narrow escape.
And the opportunity for a good court
story for the afternoon newspapers was
lost And the county lost two fines. And
| Charley Pratt lost his fun.