Las Vegas daily optic. [volume] (Las Vegas, N.M.) 1880-1908, 1906-03-07
HIGH STEPPER'S GREAT RACE
How q Big. Awkward Colt Won the Derby and Fooled
Lot Of the Wise Ones.

u me: Fob Gawd's sake, Mars Bed,
fahd, look AT old High ~Steppah!'"
The colonel paused 10 indulge IN 4
hearty laugh az he recalled the scene
! that had caused Nose such astonish
ment.
"Old Steppah. sub" he continued,
had been electrified by Dixie
nevah saw n boss Gu such capahs
In all my bawn days. He was dancin'
a tanhango-a bendin' of the Highland
ding, the hootchie-cootchie an two.
step, with an occasional summah.
sault, jes' TO relieve his pent-up buoy
ancy.
"'Mose,' ! cried. III entah him fob
the Dubby. an Ill hiah all the bands
! can get TO stand about the coase
an play 'Dixie.' An bv the Lawn
Hahy. sub, that's jes' what | did.
entahed High Steppah for the Dubby.
In a few days. sub, the mall was
fun OF josh lettahs rum all ovah the
country askin' me " old High Step.
pah was %sprontin' wings, an who
| would cahy old High Steppah's feet,
an II old High Stcppah wasn't too
beautiful for such a lowsdown bust.
ness as boss iacin'.
u said neyah a wo'd, sub. but kent
right on with my trainin' o old High
Steppah, and ! kept 1t up TIL the day
fob the race.
AN all the time. sub, | had been
gettin' hold Of all the money ! c0ull
find an placin' " on High S,eppah
at big odds, i felt IL IN my bones,
sub, that he couldn't lose--that moth
In on earth could touch him as long
as he could heah them bands a play
in Dixie An when the bookmak.
abs wouldn't give me any mon, ] went
undah the sheds an put a bundle in
the mutuals.
"Then. sub. I went up into the
gran stan az had a sobah moment
II looked-ou across the green fields
an realized that in my madness and
enthusiasm | had staked eve'thing
but my honah on a shamblin' pack q
bones, an II he lost l was ruined for
erah. had mortgaged The Beeches,
lev'ry animal ! had on the place an
almost the clothes on my wife's back.
| An as the teahs came into my eyes
at the thought Of what my family
| might have I enduah, | saw old High
Steppah lookin' up my way as II he
would confront me, Bless his deah
old haht. He was almost human IN
his understandin'.
Well, sub, old Steppah stumbled
and fell 10 his knees comm out OF
| the paddock an the big crowd In The
| gran stan howled and shouted. High
Steppah.' High Steppah.,' an then
| yelled. and laughed again. But tbs
band was pisyin' 'Swanee River then
an that wasn't Steppah's cue: be
didn't pay any attention to 1t. ! had
my bands ready at the propah places
The distance for the Dubby, yoh
know, is a mile an a half. Steppah
/ dfilpltQ III ~ tlC lOdEE loWetAb Xix
stahtah like a COW goin' to pastuh
| Compahred with the nimbIe young
| stahs beside him he looked like a cen
tenahian at Il comm ont pahtv,
Against him weah some OF the finest
young bosses on the TIM. Theah was
The Whnhling Dnvis by the Devils
Own, Cannonade by connoneeah, Fiah
Eatah bv Ffah Fightah. The vendet'
ia hv The Mountain Fend. an a Ioi
Of othans, all as fine an ft az evan
stepped onto d coarse.
Then, sub. In d moment ! saw the
s%tahtah's flag fall. an ! heah'd all the
bands bust into Dixie an then.
great Gawd!--T saw the greatest boss
race evan run In this void. saw
old Steppah spring into the allah an
shoot past them youngsters like q
shot past them youngsters like a can
non bail FUN a thuhteen inchah. On
he came. like FLYING Angels owl
baby--the greatest race boss In all
Kentucky!
at the half mile Steppah was Ave
lengths ahead OF The Whuhling Du.
wish, who was leadin' the field. An
every time the band would reach the
cho'us old Steppah seemed 10 gathah
himself into a bunch an make about
five ext'a humps and a Jump.
1T was all ovah too soon: like
the old song. 1t was TOO beautiful "a
last Well. sub, | cleaned up a nice
little fohtune on old High Steppali
that day, an | amt got done langbin
at the boys yet"
U. 5. Troops 10 MARCH