The citizen. (Frederick City, Md.) 1895-1923, 1899-01-27

The Englishman had explained to the
American that the only way he could
| get Grey Wolf to put up his daughter
was TO bet the whisky. A Blood Indian
would sell his mother for firewater 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
| ii is the only chance of doing him
good turn before 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 Bood's
i eyes Pierre wants her. though and [
think she wants him, and, if win this
afternoon, I'll do the paternal bless
/ ye. my children act, and then try and
make my peace with the major
/ Everybody didn't know this. and
when the Englshman 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.
She was beauty as she Hoped past in
her slender litheness, An Indian pony?
Yes. But in her complex nature the old
/ Arab blood of her Spano- Moorish 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
be seen in the piebald spots on thz sleek
coat that had given her the name Pinto.
And the American felt that the ma ior's
horse would have to run to win
The course was half a mile straight
away and the two contestants moved off
to the starting point. The Englishman
avoided the crowd but, even in he dis
lance. riders, horses, and traEpings
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 shaganapp
thong about her lower jaw Anal then
il seemed to come. as il oftentimes did
on the prairies Of the west, that il was
race of races-whte and red And the
white men bet their hard cash against
the ponies and rifles and furs of he In:
dams, bet them to a finish-that is,
when the red man has nothing left on
earth to bet.
There was pistol shot, a fierce yell
from civilized and savage. and they
were off. The Pinto sprang easily to
the front and seemed for the fl Il few
h2ndred yards TO be increasing he lead
at every stride. The trooper was held
well in hand. and was going magnif-
Gently. The American knew that the
Engiishman was relying on the SUI
perior staying qualities of his half-bred
horse over the grass-fed pony But half
mile is short course, and at the quar-
ter the Englishman was four lengths
behind. The Pinto did not fa!ter at the
terrific pace, and the American felt that
the race would be wen or lost on the
home stretch. No pony can keel that
pace up on grass alone. he thought, but
she seemed 10 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 timer"
Gradually the Englshman drew up
until his horses nose was at the pony's
flank Only a hundred yards now The
game little pony seemed to realize that
II was now or never. The black horse
81 the whites was at her quarter and
the cheers OF anticipated victory were
already coming from the white mems
Threats. She gathered herself together
for last effort. and as she gained few
feet there was silence still as death in
the sWaying mass of onookers. Only
30 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 gallopng horses came up. No one
needed it except the Pinto. 1t was the
call the pony had never disobeyed, the
call it had known from the days when,
frolicsome tilly, it had been the COM
panion of Grey VOLTS daughter For
strange understanding grows up be-
tween the horse that dwells in the tents
oil 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