The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1906-04-03

I'VE ARE ABOUT TO INSPECT THE RACING
STUD"
dow watching ~ the return Of the
fOur-in-hand.
Look, lookp' was all that Mrs. Sed-
den could say.
The brake was in sight, Sedden driv.
ing 1t. His face told them the truth,
and in a minute they head his voice
confirming the news.
Il tell you the horse had been got
atr' he was shouting. "Wipgfoot fail?
No, sirr'
'Oh, Connie, CONNER Mrs. Sedden
cried.
Miss Winthrop gathered her into her
strong young arms.
''Pu have to go down and superiD,
tend the supper for you. Now, you
stay right here I'll lock you in safe, so
that you shall not be disturbed. I'll go
down. I'm not afraid. / hope Mr.. Brin.
ton will be sober"
Gorton BrInton was sober, but his
host was not Miss Winthrop witness
ed the arrival Of the four-in-hand from
the stairs through the open hall door
and retired.
She did not return to Mrs. Sedden,
because she thought that if his wife
discovered that Sedden was being left
to the mercy of the servants she would
want to go down, headache and all,
and wait upon him. Mrs. Sedden would
not have done anything of the kind,
but Miss Winthrop was ignorant OF
that and sat down on the top stair to
watch. She could not bring herself to
enter the presence Of her drunken host.
Miss Winthrop sat clasping her
knees. She heard talk. and laughter;
then a song tFilled out in the tenor
voice Of Houghton Stanford, an ingenu-
Gus youth who lost his money with ex-
cellent grace Suddenly the song was
broken in upon by the voice of Sedden,
loud, harsh, menacing.
She got up and stole down the stairs.
Risky though it was, she felt that she
must hear. She turned the handle OF
the dining room door softly. She
caught the end Of Soldiers speech.
"And so 1 say the horse was poison
ed! Poisoned! He would have won
right enough but for that Grange, the
trainer, and Jack Billings, the jockey,
say IT. / say it! And who did it?''
Nonsense, mani You're dreaming!
Come and sit down." said Stanford,
pulling the orators coat tail. Sedden
recovered his equilibrium by a miracle
and hammered on the table.
'Who did ii, 1 say? I'll tell you.
Who was the man that bet on the horse
and hedged afterward?" He launched
the question as if it were a physical
blow.
who was It." he went on, 'sat the
stable at II last night with all of us
and who never came in until this
mOrning-climbing in by the window,
so that no one should know he'd been
out?''
There was q pause, during which the
men looked at one another and Won
dered who was to be denounced and
whether Sedden's i'll luck or the whis-
ky he had drunk had turned his brain.
Would you like to know the man
who did itI'' he sneered.
"Oh, do shut up began Stanford,
but his voice was drowned. The
dramatic forefnger was pointed at
Gorton Brinton.
There he sitsr'
Brinton calmly examined his finger
nails.
This is all rot, Sedden!' cried Stan
ford. We're all sold now that Wing
foot didn't win, but it's crazy to sup
pose he's been poisoned"
Grange says it."
Grange be dashed! He isn't a vet"
He's nearly as good, though" inter
posed another man, who was reputed
to know something about horsefesh.
IF he says it, it's likely to be true, and
the thing must be gone into between
Us. But we needn't drag in personall-
ties" he added, with a glance at Brin.
ton, who still continued TO look bored
Sedden was less delicate in his refer.
ences.
ASK himg' he cried. Did you or
did You not hedge, Brinton?"
Brinton pulled his mustache.
Il hedged"
$50 that you stood to win If Wing
foot lostT'
so that 1 stood to win if wingfOOt
laat"