Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1900-08-11

on the c6tlrseAHo's to fool you bookies
into laying big 6dds against him. know
ne can win as He pleases-if only L could
a-kept yod FROM KNOWN it. too. I might
a-had a Chance Harris wound up mis-
erably. Bascom' chewed the end OF his
cigar minute, hen thrust his hand deep
in his pocket. He drew it out full of $1,000
bills ,'Lafk's been fair this week Mark.
he said. 80 1 Gan spare this lot of pic
lures for a good, while. You take EN- and
aa5e and 5a All the
rest
When Bascomuo got home late that night
yellow envelope lay on his desk. Inside
there was "a single line: Brother In con-
clifton to be brought east-comlng via chi
caGo-" There vas neither date nor sig
nature, but BascOm understood, and smii-
ed He pulled forward calendar and
marked off fifteen days on it. Il don't
know whether the time is too long or too
Short he said to himself. Anyway
have got the cards in my hand, and am
certainly going to play the game through
Loris Park was at its best upon its last
day of summer racing. The howers on
the lawns had never been so brilliant the
turf so green and velvety, the throng in
stand and club house quite SO distinguish
ed. nor that in the free field quite SO over
flowing with pure jollity and delight In
sport The day had been clear ana white
hot, as BELTS Augusts farewell, Out TO-
ward ; O'Clock a delicate notified white
cloud dimmed without chilling the stream
ing sunshine There was barely wind
enough to tiutter the flags upon their stairs
and to rutf1e the dusty leaves upon the
trees around the course.
Here or there. in convenient forks and
crotcheS, adventurous lads sat snug. from
their elevation they had even sort of
pity for the folk in the stand and club
house. No doubt 1t was fine to sit there
but not to compare with this perch upon
SWay1nS boughS, where all the happenings
of the park Were in plain and proper sight.
np0nla
start and finish. The tree haunters watch
ed everything with avid eyes and heard
all the gossip of track and stables, with
eager ears.
1t was rctailed literally directly under
meath them. Trainers houses are centers
of inside turf knowledge Today there was
one overwhelming topic. common alike to
training quarters, club house, paddock,
stand and free tield-Bascom's foolish lay
ing against The Brave. Notwithstanding,
he was odds on, in all the other books.
Bascom wrote him . to T. AS conse-
quence he was nearly swamped by the rush
of layers He would have been quite
swamped but that he had taken the pre-
caution from the beginning to lay only on
the event of the Searchlight.
The fellows mad: quite mad. comment
cd the pursy man, as he pocketed a slip
made out for a thousand. Plenty of others
thought and said the same thing. but as
the supposed mailman had the name of
being shrewdly farsighted. and further. had
and did not make them small Bascom
smiled at them. as he gave out the slips
He was not writing himself. neither was
Driese. He had half a dozen clerks-and
even then there was waiting. He stood
little stopped and spoke now and then in
whispers to young Vaux.
No more bets after the call to post!
mean to see this race-if I never see an
other he shouted, as he heard the sad
ding bell. The mob OF bettors answered
with howl. fellow bookmaker shouted
across:
Say. Rascom: you're mighty good all
a. once. throwing away your money to
keep the rest of US from losing. But you
needn't expect us to pass round the hat for
you. If man goes broke with his eyes
open he deserves what he gets.
Sometimes. Bascom said. composedly.
Driese turned white. Get away at once.
Go outside. Your face tells tales" Bas-
com said. pushing the lad almost roughly
away. 'pr1ese went laggardly, hfe!ess and
with hanging heed. He was always pale.
Now the pallor was a sort of ivorine tint
more ghaSily than death. He crept TO the
lawns farthest edge. and flung himself at
length upon the grass. pressing both hands
hard over his eyes before he opened their
ia rk -fringed lids
He lay there. outwardly quiet. full of riot
Gus tremors until Bascom stopped and
touched him ON the shoulder stand up!
he said mpera lively. Watch them go by.
We must get out of this everything that IS
in It. 1t is something-to hear the crowd
will cheer for The Brave"
He spoke very low and ended with 4 faint
chuckle. 'Driese rose. staggering little.
clutched the lawn fence and hung a little
over 1t. Ripping huzzas heraided the adj
vancing racers. Up and down for a fun
quarter of a mile the course was thronged
either side You might have walked the
distance upon human heads-and every head
was set hard toward the dun earthen river.
Eleven horses came along 1t. Suleiman and
The Prave ought to have made the field
smaller Int there the glorious unCer
tatnty of the sport to save owners and
trainers from being frightened out. SO
black and bay and gray and chestnut, sor-
res in n variety and even a dapplet gray
came mincing and prancinS Tn. hecks
arched. coats shining gl:ddery smooth. with
Jockeys all in fire-new colors as gorgeous
as a tulip bed in April bloom
The cheering and fell irregularly
until Sueiman swept in view-then it rose
shrill and ear piercing. with an undernote
of defiance. Sueiman had gone back in the
books to threes. At that there We're big
bets on him-bets made by track commits
sioners for mysterious patrons out of town.
It the fancy who picked him winner.
said the popular voice. The talent to a man
pinned its hopes and risked its Searchlight
money on The Brave.
And how they cheered him when he came!
Last of all. locking finer than silk. filter
than ever he had looked, sweet-tempered as
a lamb, not even snatching the bit. but
Iaracolng along as though keeping time to
the wildly ringing shouts. Bascom even
drew hard breath as he listened. 'DrieSe
shut his eyes tight second and let his
head droop so, Basccm touched his hang
ing head and said. In a fierce whisper:
"D-n you. Brace up! Don't you. won't
you see. it's for you 1 am doing this?
want to quito make end. and a good
end. to this wretched masquerade of ours
'Driese stood up. a flicker of lambert red
in either cheek II have not com
planned" he said. Mo- That's the worst
of itr' Bascom retorted. still in a whisper.
You forget. though. | was a gentleman
once. 1t hasn't been pleasant for me-
sending my wife about to crush with the
ring
Hush, For heavens sake. hush"' 'Driese
said. gasping family. Bascom glued his
eye to his glass. watching the start. He
saw Mark Harris at The Braves head-saw
Nixon lean down. and mentally heard Har-
ris last orders: Keep in front the first
mile wait through the half, then come
home. leading all you can
There were three breakaways. In each
The Brave led. Bascom smiled as he saw
it. THE games working beautifully he
said in 'Drieses ear 'Driese had glass,
too and made believe to look. 1t is a aues-
ton, though. if the deep-set. dark fringed
eyes took any intelligent note of what they
saw.
AT lastr' Bascom said, dropping his