St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1899-03-04
u Race H.aons Border FOLK

n GiHdiy iuuiaN dS ne Nouiu his cay :
Use or dog. That is mistake, The
woman sometimes asserts herself.
Then there is trouble.
1t was the first week in July. In the
broilfng hot sun of northwest sum-
mer there had come across the Battle
river the Blackfeet, the Sarcees, the
Piegans, and their cousins from Mon
tana. with the swiftest horses Of the
south, to try conclusions on the race
track with their hereditary enemies,
in other days in bloody foray ard fierce
~ fought battle before the white man
came. And the white man was there.
racirg, betting and haggling over con-
ditions in the Lingua Franco he had
picked up from the half breed. And the
half breed found. perhaps, on that race
track the only place where his dual ma
ture gave him an advantage over both.
For four or five days there had been
racing from daylight to dark, handi-
caps, private races, tribe races, races
according to the programme, races of
all kinds and at all times. Anyone
wanting race could be accommodated.
and many wanted. The fever of the
race possessed white. red and mixed.
1t was saturnalia of sport.
All night long, in the hundreds of
tepees throughout the bluffs which sur
rounded the beautifully level plain that
did duty as the course, the games of
skill and chance, from the legerdemain
OF the Cree stick game to draw poker.
went on to the accompaniment of the
tOm-toms.
Lying in shack. half mile away.
on the outskirts of the settlement. the
American could tell BY the time of the
m0notonous Indian drums whether the
stakes were high or the play was fast
and furious. The Englishman dropped
in after midnight. He had bought him
self out of the mounted police few
weeks before; said barracks were dull,
that the Canadian Pacific railway had
knocked all charm out of western life.
and that he was going east. He knew
the American and made him get up.
WautGQ " TAIN ~ NANh NhS
Englishman talked, which was seldom,
he was worth listening TO, ard the
American got up. Before the English
man had finished. he hal dressed him
self.
And then they went out and stole a
horse.
The fact that the horse was the pr2I-
crty of the ma jor commanding a troop
of the Northwest mounted police added
piquancy to the theft. The American,
who was a lawyer and had a legal con-
science. called it borrowing" The
Engl;shman said he didn't care n rap
what ii, was called. the majors horse
WAS the only thing in the district on
four legs that could beat Grey VOLTS
Pinto mare. and they had 10 have him.
Grey VOLTS Pinto was known far be-
wound the Blackfeet. and the American
suggested that even the majors troop
horse hadn't speed enough. grainfed
though he was, and he hinted some
thing about doping the mare under the
circumstances. The Engiishman
loved horse. ana IS they strode along
in the moonlight toward the gate of
the palisaded police fort. he said that
doping horse was worse than murder.
that he wouldn't be party TO it. and
that the girl wouldn't do it for so
Pierres. anyway; she had been brought
mp with the Pinto a aad he believed loved
the pony.
Then the Englishman went and lied
TO the sergeant of the guard. and hint
cd mysteriously about an InGian rising
and his secret mission. as an old police
man, from the major TO carry dis
patches to a fort so miles away. And
the sergeant felt flattered at being
taken into the confidence of his chief.
ana was duly impressed with the idea
of an Indian rising; the said hope be-
ing the something that keeps the red
coated riders of the plains alive: ard
he told the gate ard stable scntries not
TO say anything about the absence of
The majors horse or the major would
be mad.
The Englishman ard the American
then took the ma jor's horse away and
painted out beautiful white star i'm
his forehead and the three white stock
ings and the brand mark. The Amer
leans artistic temperament was
aroused, and he wanted to paint a
white star on his breast and throw in
few fiourishes on the hind quarters.
bit the Englishman said he Only want
ed him disguised enough to pass once
through crowd. and then if the ma
ior found out he didn't care-an cx-
ceedingly small amount. The major
wouldn't miss him until after the race,
as there was no parade in The morni, e,
and the sergeant MAS impressed with
the IEGian-rising idea.
Is was late in the afternoon when t;s
race between Grey VOLTS Pinto and
the EnglishmaE's unknown was called.
Every other event had been dwarfted
into insigniicance; for wasn't the
swiftest pony Of the south at last
matched: And there was strange
story being whispered around regard
ing the stakes. The Erylishman. SO j,
vas said, had wagered ten gallons OF
contraband whisky against Grey VOLTS
daughter, the beauty of the Blood Re
serve, that he would beat the Pinto or
! horse he refused to name. 1t was q
navel bet even in that western land
uhere everything went. Indians nigh,
bay their wives. and oftentime>
wayercd them when their stock o.
monies ran out. but a daughter was lit
lie bit different; and in the face OF .
rr0hibi.ory liquor Law 10 bet ten gal
Ions of whisky with q half-rebelliou.
fndian. altogether shocked the mora
sense OF the Saskatchewan. But the
Saskatchewan wanted 10 see The Pintt
pony run.