Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1900-06-16

Il
whom breeding horses and running them
afterxa-d had seemed the only things real
IL worth while in a vacuous world Nhen
daath came s-knocking al the door he dld
NOT think SO much about the Jewett name.
IF WIS the Wynyard stable which weighed
,,non his nlind-so Jewett inherited his Tor
time cont!ngently upon keeping up the sta
bic.
Jewett did not complain He had no con-
Stunning desire to KEEP On Wurh-hs' tnouS'i
he had worked with fair success. ana nara
enough to give an exquisite reiiSn "
idling. now that idiing was. in manner d
du,v Moreover. he found himself mlShth9
entertained; the turf was wholly ne"
field of observation to him. Bud heatoh'
the trainer whom Jewett had hheritea
along with the stable, was continuing oe-
light Bud was a why fellow, six foot at
ir3sf given to discl0cating the common
wealth's English and set in his ways as the
everlasting Mills. He knew a morse "heh
he saw it. alive and having us being, ou'
nothing living ever moved him TO enthusi-
asIn That was the prerogative OF the deao.
He had a reverence amounting almost 10
awe for pedigree. Naturally. to MS MIND
il was Sacriiege of the worst sort TO name
a colt or filly except in such fashion as 70
at least suggest either sire, dam or the
bright particular star of the line
So. when Jewett said of a sleepy, droop-
- $500
mess: call her Sarsaparilia! Never saw
a more palpable case of that tired feeling!
the trainer protested:
II tell yer whut-no critter won't never
earn oats much less nothin' more, eff you
call il out o its name Hathaway. That
thar filly's bred to run-Hanover out o a
Great Tom mare-little as she looks IT,
You Jest as Well shoot her right now, as ter
go an name her Somethin that don't mean
nothin'. Now | had thought Tomhanner
would be just the size
IJoa-
ton. you are ungrateful, and short-sght-
ed he said The name strikes me as
positive Inspiration. You can shorten 1t
either way In the stable 1t may be Sassy,
or Rilly. just as you choose
Then he strolled off, laughing, with his
hands in his pockets. Heaton shook fist
after him. and slapped the filly on her quar-
ter. 1t quarter full of power-in fact
here was power everywhere although the
creature modelled on lines so ungainly.
She had been highly tried. and HeatOn had
had great hope of landing with her one OF
the big wo-year-old events Now he said
spitefully: Win the nursery! Nothin. You
couldn't win a quarter race, carryin' that
name.
sleeper than ever. But that afternoon she
picked up her name and her ninety-eight
pounds. and simply smothered a field that
had the best colts Of the season in it. Still
Hcaton was ugly Walt, Tho hoodoo
hadn't had no time ter work. he said.
Sure enough. the next week Sarsaparilla.
with her three-pound penalty. came in
bad last behind half the colts she had de-
feated with such ease.
HIN, Turn her out and let her grow
up to the NAME Jewett said sagely by way
OF answer to Heatons lamentations. Hea-
ton would not agree to that. He kept the
FLY going and she seemed to thrive on
hard work. she ate lu5tily. frolicked and
pranced in her exercise. n!pped her rubber
if he did not use her exactly to her liking.
and found ou- that she possessed a fine
nv DIV r..,ir Of he. ais haayt
fully the day before a race. Race days
Were her chosen seasons of elegant leisure
After three months of it Jewett sent her
forciby TO grass. He had been tempted
to sell her-but selling. except between sea
sons, WAS against Wynyard stable tradi-
tons. Besides. the fiily won out more than
a season expenses that lucky first time.
She came back to training in her three
year-old form, lanlxier, le3gier, ungainlicr
that ever. Specdier, too-when she chose
TO run The when was always an unknown
quantity. until after the race. Sometimes
she ran her race over night. after her old
habit. Az others she simply would not
work. but went away from the post like a
lamb. and was mover headed until she came
to the wire.
II her owner had not been lucky enough
to back her decently when she lost, and
let her run loose when she won, he would
have come through the season without
thread OF character. Heaton stuck logged
IL to his anLiDathy to the name. swearing
over and over that as Tomhanner the
brown would have turned out an
other Miss Woodford. or at least bigger
Firen1. Hea,ou believed in luck. you sec
So did jim. tho brown mares black rubber
So. most Of all did Extry, her rider who
WAS JimS siepSon, tho Wynyard stables
second jockey. and as near a bundle of
whipcord. steel wire and whaicbone a
black lad eighteen years old well could be.
Il done call dat dar boy ExIry case he
sholy wuz III owed IN ter de match l made
l nuver dreampt NJ riar had i'm Jim ex-
planned TO Jcwett. Jewctt liked Extry. SO
did ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS in stable mouths
10 Sassy. Jewett had foreto.d. She had
promoted Extry, indeed, from stable boy to
Jockey: and would run for him. when she
would run at all better than for anybody
else As n consequence Extry worshped
her. She reveled in long races. When Ex-
try hold her hard. knowing there was no,h-
ing ahead ana the winning post a good
mile away, he was in heaven. The wind
OF her mad rush might almost blind him,
his head might grow dizzy as the furions
posts flashed past. and the roar Of the
grand stand swell hoarse and angry as the
growl of stormy seas. but he did not mind
He had only ore conscious and vital pur-
pose-to get there first. If he caught the
thunder of hoofs behind he lay a little
further over her neck. and called almost in
her ear:
Cit dar. old CONAN, Git dar! Git dar,"
She got there often enough to make the
talent respect her. and the betting ring
nate her. Sne was the unknown quantity
and loss. She was wholly without form;
creature of within and tricky impulse of
whom her owner and trainer both said they
could say nothing except that the worse her
trial showed her the better her race was
apt 10 prove her.
SO there was rejoicing, keen and sincere,
when in her four-year-oldf form. Sarsaparila
proved consistent loser II appeared she
could not win, at any weights. nor IN any
company. The wise men scored Jewett for
keeping her in training. 1t was an insult
alike 20 the turf and the Wynyard stable.
they said. The sayings. each and several.
were precious in Heatons sight. He col
lected them reltg!ously-they were said In
print, you understand-and fired them at
Jewett In season and out. Jewett only
smiled. Somehow he had more faith in
Extry than in all the wise men. And Ex-
try said: No sire-ee, 'Taint muffin de
matter. 'cepun dat de ole CONAN don want
ter try-not er little bit. She savin' hersef
fer somp'n. No. sir, / dunno whut hit is.
But she know. Bet yo' last dollar on dat.
An when de time come, she gwine stretch
out her neck, and take her foot's under err
an make all de rest whars a-runnin' look
like er postage stamp side er hundred dol
lar BILL
Jewett walked around the mare, stroked
her glossy. sinewy neck felt her clean
legs, free of strain blenish. listened TO
the firm. equal beating of her heart and
the easy deep breathing after a bruising
galiop and agreed with his jockey. To all
Heatons circumstances he had one an