Omaha daily bee., 1902-08-10

? NA-ND WAR ~ NhAtnfA0A G1sAANOs
Crane thought for a moment. Eyes,
that's right; coming up wind the leaves
hide them"
Gust So" commented Porter: a n when
q mans got o trainer he's nearly always
working up wind with him.
Crane. 81
Some do. But the outsiders walking
down wind see the berries"
Again the banker pondered for a minute.
then he said. Whose garden are the berries
in. Mr.. Porter. yours or mine?'
II see.' said the other. meditatively. 81
understand. I'm much Obliged. II /
thought for an instant that any trainer
wasn't dealing perfectly straight forward
with me, I'd have nothing more to do with
him-nothing whatever"
Crane sat looking through the open win
dow at John Porter, as the latter went
down the street. About his thin-lippsd.
square-framed mouth lowered an express
sion that might have been a smile or au
intense look OF interest, OF a touch OF
avaricious f~erocity. The gray eyes peeped
over the wall Of their lower lids. and in
them. too. was the unfathonable some
thing.
YES he repeated. as though Porter still
stood beside him. IF Langdon tried TO de-
ceive me. ia crush him. Poor old Porter.
with his story Of the strawberriesi II he
we're as clever as he is honest. he wouldn't
have been stuck with a horse like Lausanne.
l told Langdon to get rid Of that gutter,
but 1 almost wish he'd found another buyer
for him. The horse faint is pretty strong
in that Porter blood. How the girl said
that line:
And a hush came over the cIamOrOus
mob.
Like a babe on his neck I was sobblng."
"She's c~leversr thar her father"
Crane sat for an hour. Porter had van
lshed nom the landscape. but still the
bankers thoughts chung to his" personality
as though the peeping eyes saw nothing
else.
Frosa the time Of the first lean obtained
upon Rlngwood, Crane had coveted the
place. It appealed to him. with It's elm
bordered, sweeping driveway. leading from
gate to old colonial residence. It's thick
grassed fields aud running water made It
just the place for a man who tempered his
passion for racing with common sense
Apd It would pass from Porter's hands
right enough-crane knew that. Porter
might call II m-iuck. but he. Crane. the
banker. knew it was the lack Of something.
the inability 10 make money,
Made music TO me on Crusader" yss,
that was Il. With the Porters Il was
jingle Of spurs and stride Of the horse. All
very nne In theory. but racing, IS he looked
upon Il, was a question Of proper odds and
many other things connected With the bet
ting ring.
Why aid the girl. Allis. with her iinsiing
verse. creep into his mind Perhaps II
was because she was 50 different who was
always stepped In stephanotis. OF the ons
there Was only the memory Of an unm0d-
ulated voice and oppressive perfume; In
truth. Of the other there was not much
more-just a pair Of big. blue-gAy. honest
eyes. that somehow stared at him fear
lessly, and. withal. with a great sweetness.
Crane suddenly ehuckled ia dry disappro-
baton OF himself. Grostesquely enough.
all at once he remembered hat he was 10
that very day. 40. He ran his hand over
his waist coat and. finding something.
dipped two Singers into his pocket and drew
out a cigar.
Ordinarily, the face OF an alabaster Bud
dha was mobile and full OF expression COM
pared with Cranes. His mind worked be-
hind a mask. but II worked with the clear
cut precision Of clockwork. When HIS
thoughts had erystaliEed into : form Of ex-
preston. Crane vas very apt 70 be exactly
right In his deductions.
Save for the curling smoke that strsamed
Lastly upward from bis cigar one might
have thought the banker fast asleep IN his
chair. 80 SIN he sat- while HE mind
labored with the Quieaoent velocity Of .
spinning tor,
He had won a big stake over Lauzanne'l
victory. The race had helped bsGsar Portel
and brought Rinswood nearer his covetoul
grasp. II Porter failed to win the Eclipse
HE dnances would be IN q pitiable state
be might even have % ssn hil 5000 Nil,