The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1899-05-18
@ @@
SULPHUR MATCH AND |tIliIII. JtE i|TI AND :
~" ""'sO I'll uuuuhuh"' CD
q % @


stances that came under my personal
observation a few years ago, while /
had the charge OF a mare that was In
training for the City and Suburban.
The mare never ran In that race, for
reasons which viii appear later. Nor
do imagine that she would have done
much good IL she had run. For, al
though her pedigree was uBexception-
able, and although she inherited many
Of the qualities OF her dam and sire,
che was of such queer, nervous dis
position as strongly initiated against
her doing herself justice In any pub
lie event
For reasons into which need not en-
ter, / find II better To use fictitious
names Let me. therefore, designat.
the mare Sulphur Match and descrica
her as being by Fusse out or Wax
Nesta. giving imaginary names 10 her
parents, also. for the sake of convent
once, since | may have To allude 20
them specifically hereafter, and Ii viii
save much circumlocution then IL ask
my readers To recognize them under
this nomenclature now.
Sulphur Matchs owner was a GER
tain Mr.. Walker Smith. a gentleman
farmer. living I'm the Shires. Although
keen hunting man. who did his three
days a week regularly during the sea-
son. and having a thorough knowledge
of horses. he had never gone In for
racing; To which pastime. indeed, his
means were scarcely equal. But Sui
phur Match had come into his hands I'm
an unusual way having been given 20
him by a friend upon the turf. In dis
charge OF debt of fl0oo, which the
latter was unable to pay him i'm cash.
Mr.. Walker Smith had tried to sell
the mare. but. finding that having re-
gard TO her past performances on the
turf, no one would offer more than $500
for her, he decided TO run I'm her first
engagement for the coming season.
the City and Suburban Handicap--on
the chance OF her doing some good in
that event; i'm which case, OF course,
her value would be considerably en-
hanced whereas, even IL she cut up
badly (as was more probable) II would
scarcely be deprecated further That IL
how ! came 10 be associated with Sui
phur Match for Mr.. Walker Smith en-
gagged me TO train her.
l had six weeks i'm which To do IT,
Plenty of time, as far as that went for
the mare had been kept well exercised
and was not otherwise than fairly At
when she came into my hands. Shs
was a likely beast--a dark chestnut
with white socks. neat OF head, trim
OF barrel a trhe understood. perhaps
but beautifully compact and propor-
toned. That she was extremely ner-
NouS was easy TO see at "A glance: and
l soon discovered, also. that she was
subject TO sudden paroxysms OF ILL
temper. in which she was very danger
Gus TO any one that came near her,
though, eXcepl when these fits were
upon her, she was as gentle as lamb.
or the three grooms whom Mr.. Walk
cr Smith employed, two were very
much afraid of the mare, and. as far
as they could. shirked having any deal-
ings with her; but the third--a had
named Lewes, usually known I'm the
stables as Lively-took a great fancy
TO sulphur Match. and seemed actually
To Ike grooming or otherwise attending
TO her, which he did, without ever ex-
bibiting The slightest token OF fear.
Lively, l should add. was next door TO
what the countryfolks call natural.
and his companions ascribed his fear
lessness 20 his lack of intelligence.
However that may have been. the fact
remains that he was never I'm the least
afraid OF the mare, even when her
worst tantrums were upon her. Nay,
iittr-s-ett iti+tf so into her box while
she was in that state, I'm which che
would inevitably have sayaged any one
else, and pat her neck, ana whisper
soothing idiotics to her as cool as .
cucumber. Once, in the early days,
She gripped him by the shoulder with
a violence that must have caused him
the seVerest pain. Yet he never flinched
nor lost his temper, but went on rub
bing her doNn, as though nothing had
happened, The effect of his calm in
difference on the mare was wonderful
She quieted down in an instant. Nor
ever again did she so much as offer 10
hurt Lively. But he came out of the
hRX a Ch 1Ats on, httfa
that three weeks and four bottles of
embrocation hardly reduced TO normal
conditions. Natural or not, the lad
must have possessed "A splendid nerve
and a noble disregard OF physical pa n.
And then, as is often the way with
such rersOns-I mean those to whom
nature has denied the full enjoyment
Of human hrain-power-he appeared To
understand animals almost as though
he were one of themselves.
/ remember once remarkng to him In
n jocular way, on the mutual good un-
drrstanding which seemed TO exist be-
tween himself and Sulphur Match.
Aye. aye" he replied his vacant
face lighting up at the mere mention OF
the mare. Us understands each other
us does"
And then. falling on sudden into a
melancholy tone. he added:
THE Almghty's bin hard on us both
we lftiS loi bAt dAloAltl. uul y Mntlt
II is"
What do you mean. my good fell
low" / inquired. moved by the sad
ness Of his expression.
Mean. gaffer?' he replied. with n
sigh and shake of his head. What
should | mean? They calls me daft So
] am, God help me- They doesn't cali
the mare daft, COS they doesn't know
IL. But she is daft. gaffcr. Dafter een
nor me. God help us both sez!'
with that he turned mournfully away
and slouched Off 7 didn't think much
more OF IL at the time; MS who should
OF the cranky notions Of an idiot? But
n few days later Livcly's words were
recalled 10 me i'm the following way:
| had a friend who held the post OF
assistant medical officer at "A neighbor-
ing asylum. one day he came over to
see me while | was az Walker Smiths
and took him into the stables tu have
Irn-> ~