The Washington times., 1901-10-13
"YARKSHIRE LADDIE"


- u
They stood In the station yard at Char
ing Cross. 'Yarkshire Lad,lie e" his cab
and Jack Meadows, the driver-to mention
them in descending order Of Importance.
The heat-wave had enveloped London.
and the hot. moist iafrsseemed to suck the
life out of all kinds of animaIs-men.
women, and quadrIpeds 1t was in the
middle of the afternoon, and, by univer-
sal consent, traffic was suspended as
much as possible and white-faced girls
and haggard, misunderstanding men
dragged themselves about the world
| with obvious difficulty.
| "Yarkshire Laddie" champed his bit and
paved the ground nervously. He was
restless and impatient. His glossy skin
twitched whenever a fly settled on him,
and every time he tossed his thorough
! bred head in the air a great splash of
| foam fell to the ground.
| If it hadn't been so outrageousIy hot
perhaps someone would have noticed that
| his slender limbs trembled, that his eyes
were streaked with faint lines of blood,
and that his ears were constantly on the
move-now cooked, now laid back, but
| never at rest
|
able-also somewhat sleepy and ''Yark-
shire Laddie," not being endowed with
the art of speech, was not able to de-
scribe his feelings. Consequently he had
| to make the best of it, which he did with
! all the firm self-control Of a gentleman
| born.
Poor "Laddie!"-for in the hurry of Lon
don life his name had been cut down to
that Who knows? Perhaps, like human
beings. horses sometimes think Of "old
days" and, when the world has gone
awry, it isn't always cheerful occupa-
tion. especially in a heat-wave.
If ever YOU saw the "Ladde"-and al
most every Londoner must have seen him
at some time or other-you couldn't have
passed him without second glance. He
was so clean built and outstanding with
the prettiest little head that ever slipped
through collar, and the grandest shoul-
ders that ever drew hanson cab.
Think of it: "Yarkshire Laddie" drawing
a hanson" 1t was unnatural a
Cabinet Minister backing boots.
And there had been great day in the
Ladies' life; one great and glorious
day, when he was the admired Of all ad-
mirers when Doncaster racecourse lifted
up it's voice in one mighty roar of "Yaris-
shire winst' and the ''Laddie' sailed past
the post half a length to the good.
1t was only a minor race-the London
papers hardly noticed it-and the whole
affair was hugh mistake.
People had said that the ''Laddie' was
the finest colt of his year, and talked of
his winning Derbys. and cups. and ''gui-
meas" But it Eeyer came to pass
through no fault of the Ladies'" you
may be sure--for his owner was greedy
and impatient. and entered him as a
two-year old for 9. petty race, when the
poor beast was not well set, and not even
in perfect condition.
Unfortunately. too. 1T happened that
year that local feeling ran high. An
American colt was entered. which was
said to be a ''hier," and Doncaster felt
properly indignant at the bare suggestion
Of a Yankee-bred horse daring to think it
could compete with a true-bred "Tyze''
You see that was years before the Yam
KEGS had taken to absorbing British ship
ping and British Derbys.
So "Yarkshire Laddie,'' with stable
boy. commonly called the "Nipper. on
his back, did his best.
People who understand racing. and know
a good performance when they see it, de-
scribed it as the grandest sight they had
ever witnessed.
They had gone a little more than half
way 'Yarkshire Laddie" was leading,
with Boston Belle" close on his heels.
the rest nowhere in particular.
But every racing man there saw that
the home-bred horse was in difficulties.
II would be an easy win for Boston
Befle''-so they thought-who would romp
home and put Yarkshire to shame.
The crowd had its money on the Lad
die and howled encouragement, and the
''Nipper." between whom and the horse
there was a complete understanding,
screamed profane Establishments into his
ear. and ''Yarkshire Laddie" responded.
The colt had heart that doesn't know
anything about being beaten, and when
Boston Belle" tried to overhaul him, the
''Laddie'' galloped better than ever-and
got there,
And that finished his racing career. He
had won a small race-for which he
should mover have been entered-and
shown extraordinary pluck and endurance
and saved the credit of Yarkshire But
the .'I-sddie'' was never fit for racing
again. and the "Nippcr'' was blamed for
forcing the pace-and they had both gone
downhnl ever since, the 'i-addie' TO the
cab ranks, the "Nipper' to-nobody knew
where.
1t may be that the 'T.addie'' was think
ing about all this as he stood in the sta
tion yard, with the heat wave bewildering
his old brain and turning his good honest
blood to fire.
At last the afternoon train from Follle-
stone arrived. There were not many pas
seugers. as few people cared to return to
London in such weather, and but one re-
quired a cab.
He hailed Jack Meadows. who woke
himself from doze with difficulty.
Bank" growled the stranger.
'Bankr' repeated the driver to his
horse. for the ''Laddie" had learned his
London well. and knew all the ordinary
routes by heart.
The ''Laddie' tossed his head. and
swished his tail with pleasure. Anything
was better than standing still, hour after
hour, with the flies playing follow-my-
leader round your ears.
He wheeled out of the station, and
swung into the Strand at round trot.
Steady, boy" said Jack; you amt in
a race, 50 you needn't 'urt yourself