Omaha daily bee., 1902-07-20

Copyright. 1902, by Mcclure, Phillips & Coz
CHAPTER l.
Less than a hundred miles from the city
Of Gotham, across broad. green fields, dotted
into square and .obloDg valleys by full-
ieafed maple and elm and mulberry, was
the village Of Brookheld.
A hundred years Of expansion In the
surrounding land had acted inversely with
the little bamltt and had pinched it into
a hermetic isolation.
p. The Brookneldians had discovered a huge
beetle in the amber OF their serene ex-
istence: Il was really Rev. Dolman who
had unearthed the monster. The beetle
in Ihe amber was horse racing and the
prime offender, practically the sole culprlt,
was John Porter.
BY an inconsistent twist OF fate he was
known as honest John. His father before
him had raced In old Kentucky TO consid-
erable purpose and with the full Vigor oil
a man who races for sport, and SO TO the
son John in consequence had come little
beyond a not-to-be eradioated love OF
thorougbbreds. To race squarely, honestly
and to the glory Of high-couraged horses
was to him as much q matter Of religion
as the consistent guardianship OF parish
morals was to Rev. George Dolman. There
fore two men Of strong beliefs we're set
on opposite sides Of the fence.
Even in the Porter household, which
was at Ringwood farm, was divided al
iegiancs. Mrs. Porter was possessed OF
an abhorrent detestation Of horse racing,
also an assertive Christianity.
The daughter Allison had inherited the
horse faint. In the saddle was elysium;
in the swinging gallop of a striving horse
- a. zAlttnraklop Of ouorVthinR hut SUM-
shine and the mile Of fields and the blur
of swift gliding hedges and the driving
perfume Of elover-laden winds that pressed
strong into spread n%ostrils.
For Alan Porter, the son, there were
columns OF figures and musty-smelllns
bundles Of tattered paper money where
he cIerked in the bank. There had been
great unison In the Porter household over
the placing Of Alan.
In addition TO horse lore John Porter was
q fair Judge Of human nature and beyond
doubt there was a streak of velvet in Alan
which would have twisted easily in the
compressive grip of the race course.
AS II the evil one had meant to try
solely the reclusive dwellers OF Brook
held. Philip Crane, the banker, wandering
from the respectable highway Of finance,
had allowed himself to become interested
In race horses. But this fact was all but
unknown in Brookheld, so the full resent
ment OF the place was effusively rendered
to John Porter.
In his younger days som money had como
10 Philip Crane, with no EXTRAORDINARY
plethora Of circumspection. The gambler
spirit, that was his of inheritance, had an
Instructive truth as allied to finance. but
unfortunately for Philip Crane, chance and
A speculative restlessness led him amongst
men who commenced with the sport OF
kings. With acute precipitancy he was
separated from the currency that had come
"a him. The process was so rapid that his
racing experience was OF little avail as an
asset. 30 he committed the first great wise
act of his iife--turned his back upon the
race course and marched into finance so
strongly, so persistently, that at 40 he was
wealthy and the banker Of Brookheld
Twenty years Of deliberate "Reminiscences
convinced him that he could crafty the
desire that had been his in those immature
days and possibly work out a paying re-
venge. Thus 1t was that he had got to-
gether a small stable Of useful horses and
Of far greater moment, secured a clever
trainer. Dick Langdon.
Cranes latter-day racing had been sue
cessful-he made money at 1t. No man
was ever more naturally endowed to sue
coed on the turf than was Banker Philip
Crane. Cold, passionless. more given to
deep concentrated thought than expression,
holding silence as a golden gift-evep as a
glfe OF rare rubies-nothing drew from him
an unguarded word. no sudden turmoil
quivered his nerve. 1t was characteristic
Of the man that he had waited nearly
twenty years to resume racing, which really
came as near to being a passion with him
as was possible for anything to be.
There is a saying in England that It takes
two years Of preparation to win a big hand
leap; and these were the lines on which
Philip Crane. by instructive adaptation,
worked.
Quite by chance Dick Langdon had come
into his hands over q matter Of borrowed
nancy. 1t ended by the banker virtually
owning every horse that raced in the
trainers name. In addition two or three
horses ran in Philip Cranes own name,
II there had been any distinctive project
In the scheme Of creation that gave Dick
Langdon to the world 1t probably was that
be might serve as the useful tool OF a
subtle thinker. Now, 1t did seem tina
Langdon had come into his own-that he
had found his predestined master.
John Porter had not been successful; III
fortune had set in and there was always
something going wrong. Horses would
break down or get beaten by accident
there was always something. The steady
drain had progressed even to an eneum.
branee on Ringwood.
Ringwood was simply a training farm
located close to an old disused race course
for there had been no racing in Brook.
Aeld for years.
Inadvertently Rev. Dolman had intensi
Asd the strained relationship that existed
bstween the good people. who frownet