The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1903-08-15

Charles Newton Hood. in Lippincotrs Magazine.
They re off y
The flag had dropped almost before
Billy had expected it, and the race for the
La Rue stakes began.
1t did not seem possible that the first
rush of that flying field of thoroughbreds
could please the critical starter, but it did !;
Seltzer was well over on the outside, and
the little mite of Billy, the rider, was
clinging close over the slender neck of his
first mount, with his whole heart and mind
and soul bent on winning the race
Only once had he glanced up from the
course since he cantered Seltzer from the
saddhng paddock As they had passed
the grand stand Billy had looked up, al
most inyoluntarily, toward the private box
where Settler handsome young owner
sat, surrounded by fascinating group Of
ladies, who waved their handkerchiefs
frantically aS the graceful mare loped by.
Billy raised his whip in salute, aud re
ceiyed in response from the man he almost
wurshpped an encouraging smile aud
swim. Of the hand
The race meant 50 much to Billy Il
meant a good deal, of course, to Young
Burnett, for the purse was biz one aud
in his litile financial expressions Of conf
dcnce with various other men who had
opinions ou horses he had valued the mare
speed very highly But, after al, money
didn' matter 50 very much to man ike
Jean Burnett He would rather have
had the mare win honestly without the
money than loose with it But to Billy
70 seemed A. If the whole world and al
thai life held dear TO him hung on the
result
Il wa only few months since Billy
had had occasion to leel much p~pan
>ibsbty The elder B,lly Hodse has
other name wAs-had ireu 4, pre'l, "a,
cessful jockey oa The other ,,i., nothing
startling, no very great reputation. bat a
good, honest clever rider.
lie had never won the Derby IN fact
II the truth were todd he had never even
hai a mount oa that famou, ooar-e lie
had earned enough g. Keep Billy aad Bdly :
u,,thrr ia islcrsble comfort aud bas hE'le
" srs
Burnett hsi -..n han rlie ~,uls races
At a provincial town 10 which be chanos-i
Co h. ,arryln-. and though the maa
moau,- eere p-nr be had been struck
uith the c,-,lne-s and good Judgment wIth
vhlch they scrr handled Tie -trolle-l
iu~u o. the jg-ckey quarter after the
race sud had q lii,le talk with the man.
The cl,ler BiII, bad oaly succeeded "a
bringing bss rufrri.r mount in for second
rlaoe aud be was feeling = god deal dis
caurs-,.i Burnett soald s,-e well ihst
with such = horse Sy-rl uany Tlicr~
woaii have t,cn shut ga; altogether aud
De- wondered very logically e ghe man
could get ~ much ga, oi an inferior usg8nt,
uby BE- wnuliB bc likely 70 have psrIty
-..l ,uccyS with animal, such A. ~rse IN
the RurugtI stable, on the other side of
the AtlautIc
The ,oan. maa iid uol 6uj the elder
Bgils yrry reilcrut A. t. hIm-rli That
va a Peculiar thing about Barnett There
Wa a sincerity aui an hoa,-.,y about him
uh,sh -.laucho~ inspired e,nhdrncr The
elder E,lIg Va. blue pa-i middle a-v
aui alih ausbiuoB ,ach =. auly juskry
yau kaye be- saw himself grvwing old un
appreciated. wi'h na r~pu,all1a zaI ~
opportunities
II yc about made ap nv mind 10 give
u hup va ;ht. SIDE. be sAld Has
ne us, trstu Their d1n ,scm to bc ~
chancc Oa j.. you lhink j ert along
in lIauersca
Iouur Burnett shoughl-in iacs be
vas pretty ,arr, io tell the Truth be knev
-tha, she jovkry would ~, along 81 night
and hc -aii 49, lie iii not rasase him
au the .tsr. lie had opr tslt WIth the
ailro contract iai-ar law. aud he did NOT
care tr take aus more chances
tome anj s,c mr. when yoa get on
the aihcr ,lle be ,sld Il think can
b,. af service 10 yoa. And he gave him
his card
lie ilin even knoS then that there
wss Mrs- Billy. OF a Billy the younger
ia fact be- ,trai.htway forgot all about the
entire matter.
Ont morning, quite a good many months
later. yuung Burnett man came into his
employer library and stood quietly await
ine recognition. Burnett. in smoking
JACKIE, and slippers, bad Just settled down
at hi, desk 10 the task Of answering aud
figuring on the pile Of letters and invita-
I
days He scrowled visoEuusly ) a. he wres-
tied with the problem OF taking run on
lleytesbury's ; new yacht that afternoon
and dining At Mrs Droysen at six. He
deucedly wanted 10 be ON deck at the trial
trip of has friend Heytesburys new fier,
but he knew that he could not yet back
ia time 10 dress for dinner, and the prospect
ot losing an oportunity of dining at the
same table with Miss, Euniee Droysen was
far from being an argument IN favor Of the
water trip.
Il was while be was wrestling with this
problem and making numerous vain time
calculations on the backs Of handsomely
embossed envelopes that he glanced up
and discovered his man Well, Mae
Masters p
Pardon me for disturbing you, sir,
but there Is little fellow here who ;
called about dozen times To see you.
We We sent him away always but he keeps
coming back, sir. He won tell Us what
he wants. Says he must see you, because
it : very important He's little English
lad, think, and he has one of your cards,
the style you used when We were across
last fall. =
did you ask his name
II did not, sir. Shall 20 down and
ask it p
"Yes. | fancy you'd better And
young Burnett settled himself to figuring
whether he could start on the cruise and
be set ashore down the coast and catch a
train back to the city in time for the din
ner, when his man returned and said, ,'he
says his name is Hodge, sir
''Yes, sir, if you please, Billy Hodge. ~
And little Billy, who had followed the
man noiselessly up the stairway, struggled
! to the front
We'll, my little man, remarked Bur
nett, smiling down at him over his should