Evening star., 1902-09-13

tating to him as the blacksmith's oaths,
CALCULATED Crane, as he came back from the
hasty retreat he had beaten
ITS only play. Good horses Is Of two
kinds-when you're saddlin' 'em. The
Dutchman therell hang his head down. and
champ at the bit. even if you bury the girt
an inch deep in his belly; he's honest. and
knows It's all needed. That's one kind. and
they re generally the same at the postal
ways there or thereabouts. waitin for the
word go An they race pretty much the
same all the time. If you time 'em a mile
in lao at home. they'll do it when the colors
is up an the silk affappin' all about 'em in
the race.
Whoa Hold still, you brute. Steady.
steady, whoa" This to Diablo. for while
talking he had adjusted the weight cloth
M with the sentleness of a cavalier putting
SILK wrap about his lady-loves neck, and
had put fold of soft wooden cloth over
the high-boned wither
Stand out in front of him and hold his
head down Bit" this to the boy. Then as
he slipped the saddle into place and reached
underneath for the girths he continued his
address to Crane on the peculiarity Of
racers.
Now. this is a horse of another color.
this one; he amt takin things easy at no
stage of the game. He objects to every
| thing, an some day that'll land him a win
| ner, see? He'll get it into his head that the
other horses want to beat him out an he'll
show 'em clean pair of heels--eome home
on the bit pullin' double"
Whoa, boy. steady, old man. Then he
ceased talking, for he had taken the girth
strap between his teeth and was cinching
up the big black with the firm pull of a
grizzly. Diablo squirmed under the torture
OF the Tightening web on his sensitive skin.
ana crouched as though he would fall on
| the trainer.
Yes, SIR continued Langdon, as he ran
| the stirrups up under the saddle flap out of
| the way, and motioned 10 the boy to lead
| Diablo about. Yes, sir. this fellows diff
| ferent. He's too d sensitive At the
q a. mot fn nf h,n,, ,,ol,gN
| an get one blamed for havn' Juiced him
| but he don't need no dope; what he needs is
steadying. If he gets away in front. them
| long legs of his will take some catchin'
| He's the kind that wins when the books are
| layin' hundred to one against him. But
| the worst of 1t is with his sort, like as not
the owner hasn't penny on then; but the
publicll howl; they'll call Ii in-an-out run
min, an the scribbers II get their paper to
| print a notice that the stable ought to be
| ruled off, an all the time you're breakin'
| your heart trying to get him to give his true
Hello, there's Colley out on the Dutch
| man; mount your horse, Westley-wait you
don't need no spurs; yes, carry a whip, an
give the guys that is watchin' stage play
with it, but don't hit the black. Well just
see what he'll do himself, this trip" he
added. addressing Crane.
Taking Westley's small-booted foot in his
hand, he lifted the lad to Diablo's back,
and led the horse out through a gate to the
course.
The two boys cantered their mounts down
to the quarter post carelessly, as though
they were going around to the far side.
Look at EN-, - cried the trainer isn't he
a little gentleman?'
To the unnitiated this might have been
taken as a tribute to one of the boys. West
ley, perhaps; but the trainer was not even
thinking of them. They were of no mo-
ment. 1t was the wine-red bay, the Dutch
man, cantering with gentle, lazy grace that
had drawn forth this encomium. His head,
somewhat high-carried, was held straight
and true in front, and his big eyes searched
the course with gentle inquisitiveness, for
others of his kind, perhaps.
He's a lovely horse" commented Crane,
knowing quite well to what Langdon re-
ferred
He's all that, but just look at the other
devil"
Diablo throwing his nose fretfully up
and down, up and down; grabbing at the
bit, pirouetting from one side the course to
the other, nearly pulling Westley over his
neck one minute, as with lowered head he
sought to break away, and the next dash
ing forward for a few yards with it stuck
fcolishly high, like a bad-mouthed Indian
cayuse.
But Westley'll manage him." Lansdon
contided to Crane, after a period of silent
observation. Hell get his belly full of
runnin again he's gone a mile and quar-
ter with the Dutchman. Cad! that was
neat, here they come for the two boys
had whirled with sudden skill at the guar
ter post =, and broke d away way wit With ID Da6o
move" muttered Langdon, abstractedy,
and quite to himself. The man at his side
had fioated into oblivion. He saw only
great, striding black horse coming wide
mouthed up the stretch. At the blacks
heels with dogged lope, hung the bay.
Take him back, take him back, West
ley"' yelled Langdon, leaning far out over
the rail the horses raced by, Diablo well
in front.
The trainers admonition seemed like a
cry to a cyclone, as void of usefulness.
p1IS
hugged far up the straining black neck
have over the galloping f1end?
Yes that's the way" LanSdcn SAIL
nodding his head to Crane, and jerking a
course, where the two horses were hugging
close to the rail; that's the way he's
worked here"
(Which one?' asked his companion.
'.The black; an if he ever does that in a
race-God help the others--theyn never
catch him; they'll never "atch him-they'n
never catch him." he kept repeating, dwell
ling lovingly on the thought, as he saw the
conformation of 1t being enacted before his
eyes: for across the new green of the
grass-sprouted course he could see two
open lengths Of daylight between Diahlo
and the Dutchman.
"Fifty-one and half for the half-mile,
he impaired to Crane, looking at his watch.
Now the Dutchman is moving up; Colley
doesn't mean to get LETT if he can help 1t.
I'm afraid Diablon shut up when he's
pinched; his kind are apt to do that. The
Dutchman is game, an IL ever SetS W
the blacks throat-latch' he'll chuck it. But
it takes some ridin'-it takes some ridin'
sir" He was becoming enthusiastic, exu-
berant The silent man at his side no
ticed the childish repetition with inward
amusement. He had thought that Lang
don would have been overjoyed to see the
bay horse smother his opponent. Was not
the trainer to have $4,000 if the Dutchman
won the handicap? But here he was pin
ming his satisfaction to the good showing
of Diablo He didn't know Of the COM
pact between Langdon and the bookmaker,
Faust, but he strongly suspected from the
trainers demeanor that the galop he was
witnessing foretold some big coup the lat
ter scented.
He hasn't got him yet, he hasn't got
him yeti" cried Langdon joyfully, as the
horses swung around. the bottom turn,
closer locked, but with Diablo still a short
length in the lead.
Crane saw no great cause for eXhilara-
ton. The Dutchman was certainly giving
the black twenty pounds the best of 1t in
the weights, for one was three-year-oid
while the other was four, and they each
nd tUa