Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1907-04-25
CHAPTER vII.-continued.
Blackjack GOES INTO TRAIN.
ING

detail or that d1nner-lt was q purely
Family" affair, only the Ellerslys and
I. l can feel now the oppressive at
mosphere, the look as of impending
sacrilege upon the faces of the old
servants; l al see Mrs. Ellersly try
ing to condescend to be gracious"
and treating me as If l were some sort
of museum freak or menagerie exhibit.
l can see Anita. She was like a statue
of snow; she spoke not a word; If she
lifted her eyes, l failed to note it. And
when l was leaving-I with my collar
wtlted from the fierce, nervous strain
I had been enduring-Mrs. Ellersly, in
that voice Of hers into which don't
believe any shade Of a real human
emotion ever penetrated, said: "You
must come to see us, Mr.. Blackjack.
We are always at home after five"
looked at Miss Ellersly. She was
white to the lips now, and the span
giles on her white dress seemed bits
of ice glittering there. She said moth
ing; but 1 knew she felt my look, and
that 1t froze the ice the more closely
in around her heart. THANK you," |
muttered.
/ stumbled in the hall; I almost fell
down the broad steps. I stopped at
the first bar and took three drinks in
quick succession. l went on down
the avenue, breathing like an exhaust
ed swimmer. "Ill give her up" l
cried aloud, so upset was I.
l am a man Of impulse; but have
trained myself not to be a creature OF
impulse, at least not in matters of i'm
portance. Without that patient and
painful schooling, l shouldn't have got
where I now am; probably I'd still be
backing boots, or sheet-writing for
some bookmaker, or clerking 1T for
some broker. Before l got my rooms,
the night air and my habit Of the
sober second thought" had cooled me
back to nationality.
81 want her, l need her." l was say
ing to myself. 81 am worthier of her
than are those mincing manikins she
has been bred to regard as men. She
is for me-she belongs to me. III
abandon her to no smirking puppet
who'd wear her as a donkey would a
diamond. Why should I do myself
and her an injury simply because she
has been too badly brought UP tc
know her own interest?",
When this was clear to me | sent
for my trainer. He was n of those
spare, wiry Englishmen, with skin like
tanned and painted hide-brown ex
cept where the bones e about tt
push their sharp angles through, ano
there a frosty, winter apple red. HI
dressed like a Deadwood gambler, he
talked like a stable boy; but for al
that, you couldn't fail to see he was
: a gentleman born and bred. Yes, he
was a gentleman, though he mixec
profanity into his ordinary flow O.
conversation more literally than die
I when in a rage.
I stood up before him, threw m!
coat back, thrust my thumbs into m.
trousers pockets and slowly turne'
about like a ready-made tailor's dun
my. "Monson," said l, what do yo'
think of me?"
He looked me over as IL I we're
horse he was about to buy. Sound
I'd say" was his verdict. "Goot
wind-uncommon good wind. A goer
and a slayer. Not a lump. Not a hal
out of place." He laughed. "Actiol
a bit high perhaps-for the track. Blu
a grand reach"
II know all that" said 1. "You mis-
my point. Suppose you wanted t
enter me for-say, the Society Sweer
stakes-what then?"
"Um-um," he muttered reflectively
''That's different"
Don't | look-sort of-new-as !
the varnish@was still sticky and Nigh
come off on the ladies' dresses and o,
the fine fu%rniture?"
"Oh-that!" said he obviously. "Bu
all those kinds Of things are matter
of TASTE"
"Out with It'll" | commanded. don
be afraid. I'm not one of those dam
fools that ask for criticism when the
want only flattery, as you ought t
know by this time. I'm aware of m
good points, know how good they ar
better than anybody else in the world
And / suspect my weak points-a
ways did. I've got on chiefly becaus
1 made people tell me to my face wha
they'd rather have grinned over bt
hind my back"
Whats your gamer" asked Monsor
.'I'm in the dark"
'Tll tell you, Monson. l hired 20
to train horses. Now | want to hir
you to train me, too. AS it's doubl
work, it's double pay"
SAY on" said he, land say !
slow"
Il want to marry" / explained. :
want to inspect all the offerings befor
I decide. You are to train me so ths
I can go among the herds that'd sh
off from me If | wasn't on to their II
tie ways"
He looked suspiciously at me, doub
less thinking this some new develol
ment of American humor."
Il mean it." l assured him. III
going to train, and train hard. Nv
got no time to lose. must be 0
my way down the aisle inside Of thre
months. I give you a free hand. I
do just what you say"
1.-THE jobs out Of my line" he pr
tested.
Il know better. said 1. i've q
ways seer the parlor under the stab
in you. Well begin right away. VIII
do you think of these clothes?'
"UaiI-thev're not exactly noisy