The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1905-01-15

$forglye her outburst, but 1t cut him.
5.'l,ve tried to sell him but they say
Ines no good, said Mary, forlornly b, !
can't get anything for him. Il Us
5.''yYell, II tell you what ! will do said
oxcnrord, Frightening. I'll take a half
Interest in him and run him that way
..Oh.Ino,"2 objected Mary. Il 3couldn't do
that."53s "a .jat s5!.
b. Oxenford misunderstood her and flushed
uncomforta bly,, IA FL
1.I forgot you wero so down \ on rae Y
ling, y, said he.5s"O course you wouldn't
want to DO dragged into IT, III 54
$E&"It Isn't That ! Mary explained are,
l5molsefully. Only II S want to ttt& square
y things, OXle,#and you may lose onsjithls
\ will never be anything but an old selling
l3plater.,,''' NJ 4 "a s..i n.
5"selIng- platter 5himself!" said Oxenford
lshotly. Cried to get the horse from you
for about three hundred, didn't he?
,'Yes.', Mary conf essed. NJ ], ,a " 3ii.
}s8"We,ll4 show Graves a thing or two"
|fOxenford said grimly@if you want TO
give me half Of Flittermousc. .s85i
* Mary snt lin thought for some minutes s
|s"I don't see any other wa y % Ut, n's! slle
said. VI s., n ~,
cbealfuly ylsns we pfF' puli enough s out 81
| our firstGraco to make us square. s
But Flittermouse lost his first race,
Mary, that sedate and dainty little lady:
| burst forth from her school room 5When
1.-THE last of the wicked small boys she
had been keeping in had dumped 20 out,
| Rosy and hatless she fell upon tho neW VS.
boy who was shrieking the sporting extra.
under Nher school-room window. She
| crushed the paper between her hands ana
1stosscd 1t aside after One glance down the
column. She and Oxcnford were heavy
| losers, 4 .s 3 iSfs Z. l3a &. s.ts53ii W
| sho dropped down on ono Of the tiny
| desks and sat{for an hour Or more blank
| " staring at the wall. Between her and
| her father Oxie had been well robbed,
Aud now she had forced him IN to run run
was still sitting there wnen the janitor
came In and began to raise the dust with
n huge brush. Mary rose, stiff and sick
ana cold She scribbled n little note to
Oxenrord but at the post-box withheld
| her, hand. TX
Hell be around tonight TO tell mol It's
/ all his fault, she told herself, with for
lorn numor. 81. &. III I, ,6
oxenford did turn up at s o'clock, big
! and grave and troubled. Hog knew pre-
] cisely how Mary was going to take tan
II
Mary kept him waiting some time. She
had taken u fiat with two girls she
i knew They were nice girls. One was
i big and brown and handsome q steno-
graphcr 10 some Important political man;
i the other Kindergarten. Wisp OF
i creature, cisl md humorous Ihey
A came in and entertained Oxenford, but
the good opinion. they haa previously
4 entertained of him died : 1t is not easy
to make small talk with " big man who
4 watches the door aud scowls Finally
| Mary made her appearance, ana they es-
| caped gladly. She took her scat by tho
table, with q buslness-like air and look
ed across " at Oxenford. VI.
"IIard luck, wasn'tit?" she said cheer
/ fully, though her small features were
distigured with much crying, I've been
trying to figure ont our losses, ana !
i think I've got 1t straight" She flattened
\ out her llttle account-boos preparatory
i to reading Items to Oxenford. But he
4 moved over to the table and rested his
arms upon It..
"You stop right there. Mary" lie said.
\ otis my loss, whatever 1t Is There
isn't anything to speak Of, ut was my
bad Judgment in pulling him In that race
when he wasn't Mt. ] tried to push him
when ought to have waited. and you
amt going to lose by my blunders"
Z
was unfortunate, as he might have learn
cd something to his advantage When nc
Hooked at her she was figuring stubborn
: ~ in the red-covered note book. A In
II "Dil you hear me?" he persisted.
Mary pushed the book from her ant
SAT zip very straight. @ IN
A "Oxlc." she said deliberately, Know
. your game, Partners II we win but y
+ we lose. you stand to pay, well.
Il don't play 1t that way" ial
!. Don't you believe what ! say?" de-
manded Oxenford with righteous heat.
, Mary studied him few minutes VIII
= curious smile, IL I.
7 ''Never mind what believe" said she
!, "Is that horse any good mt all2'
!, '-I.He's sura to win later on said oxen
ford with conviction.
? "Yell, then" said Mary, you've eithe
got In take my half OF him, or let M
nay Won that money"
aYou,re awfully afraid I'm going to q
: little for YOU" Oxenford said, with
l snlienness 80 foreign to him that Mar
Il stared in silence, She was looking yer
! ,,ttle and tired, hut Oxenford plunged O
: savageIy. Whats q few thou2 II yo
eared anything. you wouldn't mind.
4 ,xnow Won don't care for me or my horses
. | / never had the cheek to think you'd carr
!, though you always were such o bully ~
( lie nal But I've had enough OF this
!, En.,are with meg And he laughed