The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1904-05-01

"Why. go back Rocket advised
the captain. play to get even. Bacf
him for 1000 or enough to pay you:
losings over Amir l shouldn't &c
any more on this sort of race. if 3,
were you, and he Sauntered over t
the marquee, for all this talking
made him dry.
This is 10 end OF = fools game
| muttered the Babe. as he stalkad to-
ward the bookmakers to do as hi!
friend had advised 81 can't win anC
i am almost certain to lose n little
He wondered why in the world hc
wasn't clever enough to think o
some scheme to score over Gran
and the other fellows who were al.
ways putting him ON to dead things
! The only thing he could do wOuiC
| be to wiring some Of their necks: bu
that would be bad form. 1t mean
showing that he had lost his tempei
| because he got a bit the worst OF
it; that wouldn't be tolerated in the
tooth IIussars. Why the deuc,
wasn't he clever enough to score
| BY Jove. it was really aggraVatins,
| Then he backed Rocket for 1,0OU
and felt that he was pretty we'll back
at the beginning again. However, II
was peter than losing. He didn't
known fact Of his persstency in never
picking a winner.
He was in this irregular frame OF
mind when Larraby spotted him
Here's sport" nuttcred the latte,
20 himself; and he photographed =
friend, Dixon, to join him. What
have you backed, Tobyn?' asked
I4arraby solcitously.
Backed them both,' answered the
| Babe, laconicaily.
"Pegu, what else?" queried Lar
rabv.
"Pegu be hanged. I haven't touch
! ed that crock" he answered, with
| fine scorn in his voice. II got on
Amir, thanks to Grant; and then La
vel assured me that he had no chance
and I put a thousand on the Rocket,
to save the Amir money"
''Then you'll be just 1000 out"
| Larraby solemnly; 1000 of Her Maj
estys rupees-won't he, Dixon?'
Yes" assented the latter wonder
| ing why he should be forced into h12
| friends lie.
"How's that?" asked Tobyn. frown-
/ ing a look into the face Of the COM
placent Larraby.
"Well, neither owner is backing his
horse. | know for Il fact. because
! I've been watching; and that means
anything you like. Besides, Pegr
| can run like q streak Of blue light
ming. He's got a light weight on his
back, and he'll get away from them
so far they'll never catch him in this
/ heavy going"
You think he'll win, then?' que
lied Topyn.
''Win? OF course he will; he'll walk
| in. You'd better put 1000 on him and
make a haul; he's twenty to one.
! Have a plunge. At any rate you II
have backed the three Of them, ana
must get q winner
What did you do for hat?' asked
! Dixon as they turned away from To-
byn. you know Pegu was only put
| in to make up the race"
ooh, he's a fair game" answered
Larraby, lightly. 81 like to see him
dropping his sovs about. I'll tell
| this down at the mess to-nigl1t-how
| the Babe backed all the horses in a
race and expected to win
The more Tobyn thought it over
the more it occurred to him that he
| ought to back Pegu. If he didn't and
the latter won, by Jove. he'd have
! backed two losers out of three run
ners Great Rama, they would laugh
at him. he'd never hear the last OF
it. Also he'd lose 2,000-1,000 over
each of the horses. If he backed
Pegu now, he could only lose 1000
he must find the winner then, as Lar
RAINY had said. And, of course, ii
PeglI won. he'd win 10000. He'd 10
| it. SO he had 1000 on "the outsider
at 20 to 1.
The bookmaker chuckled softly to
himself when he booked the bet
That's 900 out of the fire. he said
/ ''The other two are running for each
| of fS my gods
would only send him a few more rich
young asses like the Babe, he'd soon
quit the game.
Then the true fun began; for it was
really more comedy than race. Jock
ey Blake rode Amir. and "Scotty
! Lewis was on Rocket. Now bear IT
mind that Amir's owner had backed
Rocket, and Rockets owner had
| backed Amir, and that jockeys gener-
/ ally receive explicit instructions from
! their owners, before they go out, as tC
how they are to ride the race-alWays
on the square, my masters. Blake
thought that a bad start would sui
him capitally: Scotty meant to get
away absolutely last, three or -four
! lengths the worst of the start Nou'C
be a good excuse for having beer
| beaten.
Abdul couldn't understand 1T. The
| few minutes at the starting post hat
| always been more or less OF a night
| mare to him. the Sahibs used .sucf
bad language and jostled So He hac
always started at the tail end OF the
! procession, leaving the front seats &c
the Jockey sahibs. Now they tolt
him to move up in front. and were
deuced polite to each other-moS
sacrificing in keeping their horses II
the background, out of the other Eel
lows way. The sahibs were a mlghtA
queer lot anyway. Abdul thought
quite mad, all of them.
When the flag fell Abdul cut on
the running With Pegu at tu,lou:
clip. He would stay in front of the
sahibs as long as he could. Blake
took a pull at Arlir's head. VIVA
are you waiting for, called out Scot
| ty on Rocket.
| 81 thought 1t was a false start an