Evening star., 1902-09-13

l
| thing
| AS they logged along Langdon kept up a
hohoIogue dissertation on the merits of the
| TWO norses. Its good day for gallop,"
and he ficked the driving beasts quarter
| with the whip; there's not much wind an
the airs bit sharp. They'll be on their
| ' Hs.ai' the both of EN-, more specially Dl-
aoio. l nad MS plate changed. Pears to me
ne hadn't been shod in three moons; III bet
tne smith took an inch off his toes" Then
ne broke off to chuckie awhile.
crane was not skilled in the anatomy of
a horse, beyond as 1t worked out in win
hihg races and money. That a horse had
loeS nad never quite come into his knoWl-
soge, ana Langdon's gurgle of mirth he put
| down to suspicion that the trainer was
taxing rise out of him in what he had
said
i was thinking of Paddy Garamagh when
ne shod Dlablo the other day. l think
| you've heard Pat swear-he holds the belt
for cussin in this part of the country
| wen, ne let it all out of him before he d
finished with the black. Ha. ha! ha. ha, |
can near MIN still, with the sweat running
| Off his face like oats spilling from a feed
| bag: l says to Paddy Rub his nose a bif'
| foa' could see it was more nervousness
wieh the horse than sheer divitry With
WhatE says Paddy, the hammer? Be gor,
| your right, though says he, and with
| that he tries to put a twister on Diablo's
nose. Holy Mother! Diablo reached for
MIN and lifted the shirt clean off his back
| say 'ieie was scared lr1Shman, if you
| ever saw one In your life. He threw down
| the plates, cussin' as only Paddy can, and
| sWore the brute could run till he'd wore his
| hoofs off for all of him.
| We'll, l takes hold of the blacks head
| an kids him a bit, only firm like and we
| shod him right enough"
He is bad-tempered, then?" asked Crane
mo, just wants fair deal, that's ALL
1ou make him believe you're on the square
| and he'll do what's right. But he hasn't
| got no use for any of the guys that gets a
cranky play in on him-he won't stand it.
| L m going to put Wesley up on him today
What about the Dutchman?'
Cooley II do-any kid ride him if
| they sit still. He's just the easiest-tempered
horse ever looked through a bride; he
knows what's doin' all the time. But
Colley amt no good Dablo, an if he
| can smell Shandy, that settles tits all
| over. III put Wesley up, it takes a man
| What about this gallop?" asked Crane;
"therell be spies about, trying to find out,
| won't there?"
BET yer life there'n be somebody, sir
| It's just like when 1 was out in Colorado,
you couldn't see vulture If you travelled
forty days, perhaps, but plant dead thing
anywhere, and in an hour the sky simply
rained 'em down. These touts is most like
vultures of anything 1 know; you've just
got to work your stunt to give 'em the 60
by, that's all
Crane took but apathetic interest in
the matters that held full sway over the
trainers mind; looking after these incidents
was Langdon's part of the contract. That
was why they were so strong together.
Langdon could do it. Just how the trial was
to benefit them alone with the inevitable
tout at hand, Crane knew not, neither did
| he investigate; that was up to the trainer.
They drove into the paddock WestIey
Colley and the two stable lads were there.
Shall We bring out the horsesY' asked
Westley, Langdon sat swinging a leg
loosely over the end of the buggy seat.
ANY of the talent about, Bill?''
quite likely, though | haven't seen
| none.
We'll, Wen slip 'em now. Just saddle up
careless like, and preliminary, mind
you. The sharks won't look for a brush till
you've gone around once. Take your
mounts down the stretch to the quarter
| post. an then come away the first break;
if there's any one toutin' you off they'll
think it just a pipe-opener, an won't catch
the time. Run out the mile-and-a-quarter,
make a race of it, but don't go to the bat.
Dablo an the Dutchman don't need no
whip to give us about the best they've got"
"All right, SIR answered Westley. IF
I'm a judge, when the blacks through
pullin he's done racin', cause he's keen
one there won't be no call to put the
bud to him.. If any of the rail birds is
lookin' they'll think were gon' under
strong rap, even when were all out"
Langdon nodded his head He was man
not given to exuberant appreciation. The
boys averred that when Dick Langdon
didn't curse at them they had done pretty
well, indeed.
"What's your weight?' he asked of
Wesley, abruptly.
"Pve just tipped the scales at 103 in my
sweater"
trainer, making mental calculation.
whats CoIley's weight?"
Hes as near a hundred as you can
make it,
':Did you bring over a saddle?"
"Yes, two of 'em; one apiece for the
horses
Tell Colley to take one, and some leads.
and weigh out at a hundred and twelve.
That'l be three pounds above the scale for
May, weight for age, for the three-year-
old, the Dutchman. l guess he won't need
moren seven pounds dead weight, for it's
five-pound saddle, think. Let me see, you
said a hundred and three, you were"
''Yes, sir; in the sweater. I can take that
OFF,
mo, never mind. Take this saddle" and
he lifted one from the buggy. It'll just
suit Diablo; he's got a herringbone of
wither, an this is high in the tree, an
won't cut him. Here's the cloth an some
leads; weigh out hundred and twelve, too.
Weight for age-Diablo's four-year- old
you ought to carry a hundred and twenty
six, but he's not the Dutchman's class, an
the youngsterd lose him before they'd gone
half the journey. Well run 'em at level
weights, an he'll get closer to the Dutch
man, an the sharks won't have such
fairy tale to tell about our horse"
"a hundred and twelve you said sir?'
quered- Wesley, as he put the saddle that
slipped the thin sheets of lead in his pocket
and stood dangling the linen weight-cloth in
his right hand.
Yes, level weights-a hundred an twelve
pounds"
"Westley,' the trainer called, as the little
man started off, ''just bring the saddle
back to me here when you're weighed. I'll
put it on Diablo myself; he's a touchy cuss.
and I don't want him ruff1ed by careless
handIn.''
You take considerable trouble over it,"
remarked Crane. "One would think it was
a big handicap you meant to capture this
morning.
Langdon started visibly. Was Crane
thinking of the Brooklyn? Did this quiet,
clever man sitting at his elbow already
know as much he hoped to discover in
his present gallop?
He answered: "Handicaps is usually won
pretty much like this; they're generally set
tied before the horse goes to the post for
the trip itself. When he goes through the
paddock gate the day of the big race he's
out Of his trainers hands; the mans got
no more to do with the race himself than
kid sittin' up in the grand stand. Here's
where / come in, if we mean to land the
Brooklyn and he looked searchingly at