The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1900-08-14
hand and am certainly going TO play
the game through.

the CdAd1
1oris Park was at its best upon It's
,oe- dav of summer racing Inc mowers
on the lawns had never been SO oFi-
liant the turf so green and velyety' the
tbrong in stand and clubhouse quite ;,
distinguished. nor that in the Tree heia
quite so overlooking with pure Joi''S
and delight in sport. The day hau oee"
clear and white hot, as oentS AususI'
farewell but toward 3 O'Clock a delleate
notified white cloud dimmed without
chilling the streaming sunshine. lheIe
was barely wind enough 10 hutter the
aoqS unon their stats, and to rulile the
dusty leaves u.on the trees arouhu INC
curse.
Here or there. in convenient FORKS ana
crotches, adventurous lads sat snug On.
their elevation they had even a sort y
nitv for the folk in the stand ana oiuo-
house. No doubt IT was hne 10 81. ne
but not to compare with TINS peIch upoh
swaving boughs, where all the ndppe"
ings of the park were in plain ana proPei
sieh- The fine people could see no more
than the start and the hnlsh- me -
haunters watched everything with ava
eyes. and heard all the gossip Oh t"eh
and stables. with eager ears.
IL WIS Ictdiitl 49,
meath them. Trainers houses are cen
ters of inside turf knowledge. Today there
was one Overwhelming topic, common
alike to training quarters, cluohouse'
paddock, stand. and free 5
foolish having against the Brave. NOT
withstanding. he was OddS-On, IN all the
other books, Bascom wrote him . to 4.
AS a consequence he was nearly swanped
by the rush of layers. He would nave
been quite swamped, but that he had
taken the precaution from the beginning
to lay only on the event OF the Search
light.
THE fellows mad; quite mad COM
mented the pursy man, as he pockeleu
> sliD 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 far-slghted,
and further, had money to burn, they
also made their wagers. and dld not
make them small. Bascon smllea AZ
them. as he gave out the slips. He was
not writing himself, neither was Drlese.
He had half a dozen clerks-and even then
there was waiting. He stood a little
stopped, and spoke now and then IN
whispers to young Vaux.
M more bets after the call to post!
L Iutdl " StC CHlS oCC
another he shouted, as he heard the
saddling bell. The mob of bettors an
swered with a howl. A acknowledgements
er shouted across:
Say, Bascom, you're mighty good all
at 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 a nan goes broke with his
eyes open, he deserves what he gets.
sometimes BascCm said composedly.
Dries turned white. Get away at once.
Go outside. Your face tells tales" Bas-
com said, pushing the lad almost rough
" away. 'Driese went laggardly, life
less, and with hanging head. He was
always pale. Now the pallor was a sort
Of ivorine tint more CHASTITY 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 dark
fringed lids.
He lay there, outWardly quiet, full OF
riotous tremors, until Bascom stopped
and touched him on the shoulder.
'Stand uD!" he said imperatiVely.
watch them go by, We must get out
of this everything that is in it. 1t is
something-to hear how the crowd will
cheer for The Brave
He spoke very low, and ended with a
faint chuckle. 'Driese rose, staggering
a little, clutched the lawn fences, and
hung q little over it. Ripping huzzas
heralded the advancing racers. Up and
Down for a full 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 it. Suleiman
and The Brave ought to have made the
field smaller, but there was the glorious
uncertainty of the sport to save owners
and trainers from being frightened out.
So black and bay and gray and chest
nut, sorrels in a variety, and even a
lappled gray, came mincing and pranc-
ing on, necks arched, coats shining
gliddery smooth, with jockeys all in
lTe-neW colCrs as gorgeous as a tulip
bed in April bloom.
The cheering rose and fell ~irregularly
until Suleiman swept in view-then it
rose shrill, and ear-piercing, with an
uEdernote of defiance. Suleimbn had
gone back in the books to threes. At
that there were big bets on him-bets
made by track commissioners for mys-
terious patrons out of town. It was the
fancy who picked him winner said the
popular voice. The talent to a man
pinned its hopes and risked its Search
light money on The Brave.
And how they cheered him when the
came. Last of all, looking finer than
silk, filter than ever he had ever looked,
sWeet-tempered as a lamb, not even
snatchlnS on the bit, but caracoling
along as though keeping time to the
wildly ringing shouts, Bascom even drew
! hard breath as he listened. 'Driese
smut his eyes tight a second, and let
his head droop so, Bascom touched his
hanging hand and said in a fierce whis-
Der: 'D-n you. Brace up, Don't you,
won't you see, it's for you I an doing
This? l want TO Quit to make an end.
and a good end, to this wretched mas
2uerade of ours,
'Driese stood up, a flicker of lambent
red IN either cheek. I'll have not com
planned he said. 'No,-that,s tho
worst of it." Bascom retorted, still in a
Whisper: "You forget, thought was a
sentleman-once. 1t hasn't been pleas
ant for me-sending my wife about. ia