The Winslow mail., 1899-02-18
pony run.

The EngllShman naQ expld!lreu W lho
American that the only way he could
get Grey Wolf to put up his daughter
was 10 bet the whisky. A Blood Indian
would sell his mother for firewattr. and
he knew Grey Wolf The only thing
would be the bother of getting the
whisky if he lost. but Pierre stuck to
me the time had the ruction with
those StonieS in the Peace hills year
ago." the Englishman had said, ''ani
it is the only chance of doing him a
good turn before 1 go down east. Grey
Wolf will never give his daughter to a
half-breed Cree interpreter of the
mounted police if he were offered q
thousand ponies. The Cree dash in
Pierre spoils him in the old Blood 5
| eyes. Pierre wants her, though and J
think she wants him. and, if l win this
afternoon, I'll do the paternaI bless
ye, my children act, and then try and
make my peace with the major"
Every rybody didn't know this. and
when the Englishman went up to the
majors party. the ladies were cool. and
the major became interested in his con-
versation with the Hudson Bay factor.
and he slipped away under cover of the
| yells and sounding tom-toms that an
nounced the appearance of the Pinto
| the Indian horse.
Che was beauty as she loped PAST in
| her slender litheness. An Indian pony?
Yes. But in her complex nature the old
! Arab blood of her Spano-Moorlsh an
| cestry had asserted itself and slowed
| in the brightness of her eye, the poise
| of her head, and the grace of her slim
| legs. The marks of the Arab could even
coat that had given her the name Pinto.
And the American felt that the majors
horse would have to run to win.
The course was half mile straight
away, and the two contestants moved off
to the starting point. The Englishman
avoided the crowd, but, even in the dis
tance, riders, horses, and trarpings
showed the characteristics of the races
| they belonged to. The coal-black horse
of the Englishman looked heavy and
strong contrasted with the almost cat
like amble of the pony. His rider sat
erect in the cavalry saddle like the
trained soldier he was, while the In
dian almost crouched on the bare back
of the mare that he controlled with his
gripping knees and the shaganapps
thong about her lower jaw. AMI then
it seemed to come, as it oftentmes did
on the prairies of the west, that it was
a race of races-white and red. And the
white men bet their hard cash against
the ponies and rifles and furs of The IN
dams, bet them to fnish-that is,
when the red man has nothing left on
earth to bet.
There was a pistol shot, fierce yell
from civilized and savage, and they
were off. The Pinto sprang easily to
the front and seemed for the fiji 1t few
hundred yards to be increasing the lead
at every stride. The trooper was held
well in hand, and was going magniff-
Gently The American knew that the
perior ata1ine oua1ities of biH Hn baifebred ie H
W ID u "
horse over the grass-fed pony. Bnt half
mile is a short course, and a the quar-
ter the Englishman was four lengths
behind. The Pinto did not faiter at the
terrific pace, and the American felt that.
the race would be won or lost Cn the
home stretch. No pony can keeI. that
pace up on grass alone, he thought, but
she seemed to be doing it. The troop
horse was letting himself out now, and
the space between the two was dimin-
ishing. "Oats will tell" muttered the
American, "but will he have time 2"
Gradually the Englishman drew up
until his horses nose was at the rony's
flank. Only hundred yards now! The
game little pony seemed to realize that
it was now or never. The black horse
of the whites was at her quartet. and
the cheers of anticipated victory were
already coming from the white mems
throats. She gathered herself together
for last effort, and as she gained few
| feet there was silence still as death in
| the swaying mass of onlookers. Only
| so yards, when the stiffness was broken
by shrill call from the lips of young
squaw, who thrust herself little be-
| yond the crowd that lined the course as
| the galloping horses came up. No one
| needed it except the Pinto. 1t was the
SdIi tAC pQbJ Aou uN'Cl oloODCS GU INC
call it had known from the days when,
frolicsome filly, it had been the COM
panion of Grey VOLTS daughter. For
strange understanding grows up be-
| tween the horse that dwells in the tents
| of men and its master or mistress. And
| the Pinto needed not the desire of VIC
| tory or the urging or voice of its rider,
| but Swerved whence the voice had come.
What caused the pony to bolt was a
subject of animated discussion at
prairie stopping places, around tepee
| fires, and in mounted police messrooms
for half year. People did not stop to
discuss the affair, as the Englishman
| rode in a winner, for there was con-
siderable interest taken in half a dozen
Indians and squaws that had been rid
| den down by the Pinto in her bolt.
While the majors daughter was
asked to be witness of the marriage of
Pierre and Grey VOLTS daughter that
evening she felt kindly toward the
| Englishman, and asked him 10 dinner
| which is considerable condescension
on the part of a daughter of jor of
the Northwest mounted police. And
| when the ladies had left, the major
wanted TO know what the Englishman
would take for that very decent-looking
black horse he rode.--Field and Stream.
Weapon and Lantern Combined.