The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1900-08-12

toward the middle of thecourse. Fresh
shouts went up as The Br4e shot ahead,
opening a gap between hmself and all
contenders, running strongand free, and
closer than ever to his mther earth.
He is the Antaeus of rcing," a PEI
dant said to his elbow neihbor watch
ing the golden head flash further and
further forward. The neighor grunted,
He was not used to mix mythology with
his sport. He had come for good time
which meant he was there or the de-
licious thrill born of seeing lorse come
first and knowing that it melnt money
in the pocket. But Bascom, Who over
heard the pedant, smiled comprehension,
and said over his shoulder: "lou ought
not to say that, if you have be on The
Brave. Remember Antaeus had his Her-
cules!"
A cry made him look at 'Driese whose
eyes now did not leave the racer. TIE
first mile was won, and still The Brave
was in front, going like a whi1wind,
and two lengths to the good. Nixon
held him hard, but still he RAJ, his
matchless stealing strides defying Wis
ion. Bascom's heart gave a great bund
at the sight God! Suppose after all,
he is not coward" he Whispered
holloway in Dresses ear.
He looked again. Still The Brave nm.
He was half through the outstretch uTon
this, the excess distance. He had hit
to run on for five furlongs more, aid
Bascom would be ruined beyond all hole
| Could Nixon be playing false? Coul
the Kentuckian but no! No man IL
his senses would have parted with such
beast except for indubitable cause.
The man thought he spoke truth. II
Bascom had believed him to his own
undoing the fault lay wholly with him.
| SELF.
Only half a mile now, and still The
| Brave led CALAMITY. He had never
| stridden so strongly so swiftly, with
such easy might and grace. The hushed
| throng watched with bated breath as
he swept the half-milE post, swung
and squared for the last quarter before
| the run home.
Sulieman lay we'll back. There were
three horses betwixt him and The Brave.
At the pole his jockey stood up, shook
his reins, drew his whip, and drove home
| the spurs Then began a horse race to
stir the blood. Like lance we'll hurled
| Suleman went forward, collared his
horses and leaped after The Brave. A
| little quavering cry, the rattle of sus-
pended breath told that the cour.4e
noted 1t swelled to a roar, hoarse and
wild as the rush Of icy seas, in the next
| half minute. For as he caught the
| thunder of Suleiman's hoofs behind The
Brave slackened, shortened stride, shut
| up like a jacknife. Suleiman locked him,
! rassed him., ran clear by two lengths.
| Nixon piled steel and catgut, but all in
vain. The Brave belied name and fame.
! There upon what had promised to be his
| field Of triumph he showed himself a
gutter of the worst.
! Nobody believed even their own eyes
until Suleiman dashed over the line,
| with the best of the ruck in second
place and The Brave absolutely last.
| Then, indeed, pandemonium relgned.
Yells, cries, curses, Kisses rent the air.
Sharp, 10 yards away from Bascom, was
dazed, his face white and drawn and
aged. 81 have no excuse to Offer he
| said to those about him. 1.-THE horse
was fit to run for mans life. 1t is
only that he will not stay"
''That is what l thought. He is too
handsome to have anything of the bull
dog in him. l laid accordingly" Bascom
said, with the accent of respectful SYM
J pathy, as he moved away.
J Bascom went to Paris on the strength
of that thrice lucky stroke. He lives
there in quiet elegance-only his name
rs not Bascom now. His wife is slim,
with no beauty but a pair of big dark
eyes. Occasionally a look Of frightened
melancholy creeps into them, and then
her husband kisses her and says:
Don't be frightened, 'Driese. l prom
ised you never to go inside a course
gate again, and l shall keep my word :"
Loris park, of course, has forgotten
Bascom and most of his works, but if
you happen to- lounge there about train
ing quarters, through an off day or a
dull one, the chances are that some
veteran will tell you the other side of
this story, and finish with, 'And sure
as you live, the very next morning they
found The Brave, poor fellow, dead in
STALL The vet said heart disease, but
we all had our opinion. Sharp he's a
hard man, mighty hard, and he wanted
to win that Searchlight, the very worst
way. Funny thing. though, is The
Brave has got a brother somewhere out
west, and some of the gamest young
sters in training are his sons and
daughters, though folks say he was a
gutter, too