The daily morning journal and courier., 1905-12-15
MAGPIE LICK.

%@%A5E%I%9 va @--N1 a S 1H-~~~N@S IVY do if you only try. but whether it is worth making the effort or not is an- other question; all the same, it's fact.
 The first shadow of coming events manifested itself by Jack breaking in upon me one morning while I was breakfasting and raying about the beauty of a girl with whom he had travelled up in the same compartment from Brighton few days before. As this was nothing new for Jack Sings by was of an amorous nature, scarce ly listened, but when he suddenly changed the subject, exclaiming:
 By love, I nearly forgot what l came to see you about. Do you know what price Blue Light is at for the big SandOw racer" I pricked up my ears. Not opened my papers yet, an swered. He was at sixes yesterday" !"
 He's a thirty-three now, offered. What the deuce is up?"
 Now Jack and I were partners in a very limited stud. and in Blue Light We thought we had a fairly good thing for the race in question, and had bac accordingly. This being the case, i to find him knocked out in the betting was a serious matter.
 l have said that had not as yet opened my paper, and I had been guilty of the same negligence with re- gard to my letters. Now I searched among them; I found one from our trainer, or. rather, head lad. who served under my own supervision, for I managed the stud and rode when l could do the weight, while Jack attend ed to the financial part of the business, the putting on of the money and such like business.
 The letter was laconic.
 "Sir-I am very sorry to have to tell you that Blue Light got loose at eX- ercise and cut himself a good deal. It was three hours before we caught him.
 Yours obediently, J. STYLES" I handed the letter to Jack.
 Tt does not seem so much, after all, '' he remarked. T feel inclined to back the horse at the present price. What do you say?"
 Not for me-" 1 replied. why, at the best, he will have to be stopped at his work, and it only wants twelve days to the race. However, I will down by the 11:15 train, and wire you what think when see the horse" l TO this Jack denurred, talking about equalizing the price by taking the long odds, but I remained firm as regarded myself, refusing to have another flyer on till had seen how serious the dam- age was.
 Half-past eleven saw me speeding through the country on my way to our training quarters, a run of something over an hour before me.
 Smoking my cigar I meditated over our bad luck. We had been having far from good time; our racing bank stood at but fifteen hundred pounds and neither of us was in sufficiently affiuent position to risk much more.
 The outlook seemed gloomy in the ex- | treme.
 | While thinking over these things and gazing absent-mindedly out of the window, I began to notice that there were an unusual number of magpies about. First saw one, a little farther on another, presently a third, all single birds.
 | Now, am not superstitious, at least I was not then, but could not help re. membering the old rhyme about one magpie sorrow, two rnirth, three wed. ding, and four a birth; so I began tc watch for more. Now, 1t is fact that for the next three-quarter of an hour saw nothing but single magpies, al least a score of them. Then the order of things changed. A pair rose out oi some bushes and fluttered across the hill., felt quite pleased, and after g while another brace, till just before reaching my station three got up to- gether.
 Then I laughed. What ridiculous rot it was. What possible connection could there be with a wedding and Jack: and my good or bad luck with regard ot horse?
 I had wired from London and traI awaited me, and as a climax to thu absurdity of the whole thing, just be fore I arrived at our modest cottage and stables, ain blessed if four mag pies did not fly across the road almos under the horses nose.
 Five minutes later I was in Blu Lights box, and had forgotten al about the wretched birds.
 At the first glance I made up m! , mind that all chance of winning thu , race was gone. Not only was the poo brute cut about by barbed wire, but h.
 was utterly leg weary and pumped ou stiff as a rush, and l was not sure h.
 was not lame besides.
 How did it happen, Jim?" I asked
 "It was a dog, sir, with a lady. wht Twas a-riding up on the down. The dol flew at the horse, barking and Blu Light, he chucked his head and bolte0 It was as wrote lou, sir, three morta hours before we caught him. "Who was the lady, do you know?"
 q think she is a Miss Etherridge sir. Her father-a CColonel he is-ha taken the Grove. They moved in abou 8 week ago, and Miss has been up ol the down every morning since you hay , been away"
 I learned that the local vet had bee to see the horse, and was expecte f again in an hour, so wired to Jack \ "A bad case; do nothing" Had som ; lunch and waited. I should hay scratched the horse then and there, bu } we had our money on; the stake wa f worth more than a thousand, wit
 something for the second and third, s 7 I determined to wait for the vets opin