The Savannah morning news., 1901-08-14


this. I've got $1,000 here-and he pull
ed out the bundle and skinned it over
SOS / could see that ii was all there
and / came out here to-day to get II
all on Pocahontas. She'll be the rank
outsider in a fourhor race. and she'll
win at Is or 20 to /. When she walks
home and l collect. I'll have enough to
go back TO New York and dig up in
full to the firm and begin over again
right, with a package of 1t in hand.
Pocahontas goes in the third race, and
they's ready to go in the second now.
viii you let me have the hour?
Just as he got through talking the
field went away from the post in the
second race and / soon saw that the
hundred I'd put on Black Hawk was
as good as burnt up. This didn't inn
prove my amiability much.
" Nope said l, nor any part of it.
It's you for Cincinnati inside of ten
minutes at most. And I'm being good
to you, at that. You'll need the two
thousand to hire a lawyer when you
get back. let alone to send out for gin
ger snaps and cigarettes and things
while you're awaiting trial. Let's get
out of this
THE young fellow went a shade or
so paler when l handed him this, but
he gave me a clutch on the arm and
said with singular earnestness:
Don't get sore. But I'll make you
proposition. and you'll be sorry II you
don't take II. I'll put a thousand of
this on Pocahontas for you, or let you
put it on yourself once more drawing
out his roll I tell you that it's going
through It's my one chance to win
out of his scrape that I've got myself
in and to be able TO look the world in
the eye again. It's not a gamble. It's
certainty
HE leaned a bit closer to me and
told me the name of a man who in
tended to play Pocahontas that day in
all the poolrooms of America. The man
he mentioned was then famous for his
coups. Yet l had my crouch along still.
That hundred that I'd whistled away
on Black Hawk, thatd been given to
me as a moral was helping the crouch
along. and l couldn't even stand for
the mention of a good thing.
"'We'll just cut the conversation,
said I. I want to get back to the hotel
in Cincinnati to wash up and write
few kilograms before making the train.
So here we go
THE boy, seeing that it was all off
so far as l was concerned, pushed to-
gether a wan smile, let out a sigh that
seemed to come from his low-cut shoes,
and followed along at my side.
Dry?' said he when we passed by
the bar on the way to the gate.
1T happened that I was. So he made
it a quart. While we were drinking
the betting out the third race opened,
and a lot of fellows at the bar were
remarking upon the fact that the good
mare Pocahontas was 20 to /, even, in
a four horse lope in which the other
three were so good as st. Maxim.
Selika and Simon W., the last the IA
vorite. There was an expression of
acute misery in my captive-s lamps
when he heard of the big price around
the mare that he'd intended to stand
to win out or go broke, but l coould' mt
help that.
I'VE were putting away the last
glass when the proprietor of the bar
came up from behind and spoke to the
young fellow, calling him by name, at
the same time gripping him cordially
by the hand. They got their heads to-
gether and talked in low tone for
about half minute, and then they had
another handshake, and the boss of the
bar went away.
I'VE had to pass out on the lawn In
order to make for the gate, and lust
as we struck the walk a handsome
mare, the number on the arm of whose
rider announced her. as Pocahontas,
dashed by on the track in her prelimi-
and her stride was so smooth and
CLASSY, that l was a bit sorry I'd been
quite so sudden in my refusal to per-
NIT the young fellow at my side to see
her performance in the race. reflect
ed that he wasn't liable to see any
other race aside from the race of the
lags for the grub table for quite a FEW
years to come. and that 1t wouldn't
have hurt me any If I'd consented to
let him look at the event.
Moreover, Pocahontas looked so
near to the coin to me that 1 was a
bit sore that l hadn't scattered a
couple of sawbucks around on her to
get hunk for my hundred to the bad
on the Black Hawk good thing thatd
been given to me. But / had passed
him the ultimatum, and 1 didn't intend
to crawfish. He watched Pocahontas
wheeling around the track like swal-
low until we reached the go-out gate
and then, giving me look that clear
ly indicated his nom belief in my pos
session of as much as a nickle's worth
of sporting blood, he followed on after
me.
About four hours later we were hav-
ing a feed in the dining car on our
way to New York.
Well, it's your buy said the young
fellow, coolly, as he ordered the waiter
to fetch along a quart. Anyhow, I'm
broke.
Il gave him the gauze. but he looked
square back at me.
Yes said he. the bundle got away
from me somehow or another on the
walk out of the paddock, and there
was a sort of a cute look among the
fine lines beneath his eyes that meant
a lot. / didn't tumble exactly to what
1t was. nor did bother: / was too
busy with my dinner.
AT Wheeling that night while we
were sitting in the smoking compart
ment of the sleeper eating up cigars
to keep awake---that was my end of II,
anyhow. for 1 needed the thousand
thatd be forthcoming when / produced
the boy safe and sound in New York
a news butcher came through the car
with a bunch of evening papers.
"'All the baseball and racing re-
suits he was bawling, when my young
quarry reached him at a bound and
grabbed a paper out Of his bundle.
His hands were shaking as with
palsy as he held the paper to the light
to run his eyes up and down the rae
ing results. When he struck the thing
he wanted he flushed the color of a
backyard hollyhock, and / could hear
his heart humping against his ribs
as ne tottered back into his seat. But
there was an almost idiotic smile on
his face.
"'well;' said I, beginning to suspect
a lot of things.
"'Oh, nothing said he. except that
you don't need to stay UP tonight on