The Irish standard., 1904-10-15

| explained what that meant he
smiled and called me a limb of dark
ness.
Because went on, one of your
stable is going to hunt for the coin
day after tomorrow, and 1 want YOU
to call all dates off ON that afternoon
and come over to the track and watch
him cop
Had to get out the glossary to
straighten that out for the good old
man, too. Well, he was enormously
pleased to hear that l had taken
Bricky's horse up and got him keyed
up for race with his own class.
"'I thought some of running him in
your name, father 1 went on, just to
get rise out Of him, for I'd never had
such an idea. but
"'lm glad you didn't do that. my
son. he broke in. alarmed. 1T might
be misunderstood and
"'Well, when 1 was in Ireland a
few years ago. broke in on him, 1t
seemed to me as If half the steeple-
chase horses saw perform belonged
to men Of your faith and cloth. II
was Father This's Topper here and
Father That's chaser there
"'Oh, know that, my son. said the
old priest, twinkle in his eye. In
fact, when was a young man back
in the ould country, 1 meself knew
the leg of horse as well as the-but,
tush! It's been many the year since
allowed meself to participate in such
frivolity.'
"'Well,' said, we want you to be
on the stand, anyhow, day after to-
morrow. Coming. amt youY
Il could see the hankering in the
good old mans eyes to see race. 1t
had probably been forty years since
he'd seen bunch of 'em coming into
the stretch-'way back yonder in the
mist of the flown years when he was
young fellow in Ireland.
81 can't see any evil in it, he re-
piled, after long pause. 'As locker
| on, but no participant
Your horse is going to win,
father 1 said then, and 1 felt con-
fident of it at that. 'Er-uh-the boys
are kind O. talking of chipping in
each man just little bit, you under
Standard getting down bet for
YOU, Just for the sake of sentiment
"'That must not be- said the old
priest, earnestly. You must stop
that. If the horse earns anything by
his own effort, we'll and good, and may
he run and win for the glory of God.
But no gambling in my name. de-
pend upon you to stop that
''.All the same, about dozen of the
| trainers around the grounds quietly
Clipped in enough. to make up a $1OO
betting bundle and passing it over to
me. Id told EN- what hard fight the
old priest was having of it to keep
his flock together. and, besides that, !
passed them the straight word that
the badge maiden that had belonged to
tile dead Bricky was going to con-
meet.
''On the day of the race I escorted
the old priest over to the track. and
found him Il seat away up on the top
tier of the grandstand. Then 1 went
down and saddled the horse. for he
was to go in the first race.
II put the Jockey up and gave him
his instructions. and then 1 returned
to the grandstand to join the priest.
I had got the 500 down on his horse
| ut so to 1.
| at was a mile race and the field
started directly opposite the stand,
across the field. When the barrier
| flashed it stuck on one side, and nine
of the twelve horses went off on a
false break, the starter and the as.
sistant starter yelling at the boys
with all their lungs.
But the whole nine went the en-
tire route and fought the finish out tc
the wire, when they We're called bacl,
to the starting post. The old priests
horse wasn't among those nine, and
then l knew that he had only two
horses to beat, and these two. provi
dentially, the worst of the entire lot
"'Well,' 1 said to the kindly old
man then-and he looked tremendous
ly excited-'I'm mighty glad youl
horse didn't get away with that foo
bunch. I'd hate to have you lose
$1,000 on such Il fluke.'
| '"rhe old gentleman stared at me.
"'Why,' said land may be for.
! given for that bald lie-'tle amount
of the stakes in this race, YOU know
This is the Missouri Industrial stakes
that your horse is running in, and
the first horse home gets the five thou
sand as his share. 1 thought you
knew that all the time
Il got by with it all right. He
! never read the papers-didn't have
time-and he didn't know a 4-year-old
| maiden race for NUTS from drill
for mustangs.
II hadn't any sooner made the ex-
PLANTATION to him than the flag flashed
for a square start, and the three horses
that hadn't worn themselves out by