Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1907-01-02
CHAPTER VIl.-Continued.
Blackjack GOES INTO TRAIN
ING.

FAMILY AFFAIR, only the EllerSIyS and
l. l can feel now the oppressive at
mosphere, the look as of impending
sacrilege upon the faces of the old
servants; l can see Mrs. Ellersly try
ing to condeScend to be gracious,
and treating me as if were some sort
l can see Anita. She was like statue
of snow; she spoke not word; if she
lifted her eyes, failed to note it. And
when l was leaving-I with my collar
wilted from the fierce, nervous strain
| had been enduring-Mrs. Ellersly, in
that voice of hers into which l don't
believe any shade of a real human
must come to see us, Mr.. Blackjack.
We are always at home after five
l 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 knew she felt my look, and
that it froze the ice the more closely
in around her heart Thank you,"
muttered.
1 stumbled in the hall; almost fell
down the broad steps. 1 stopped at
the first bar and took three drinks in
quick succession. 1 went on down
the avenue, breathing like an exhaust
ed swimmer. iii give her up!"
cried aloud, SO upset was l.
am a man of impulse; but I 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, 1 shouldn't have got
where l now am; probably I'd still be
backing boots, or sheet-writing for
some bookmaker, or clerking it 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.
Il want her, need her." l was say
ing to myself. Il 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. I'll
abandon her to no Sinking puppet
who'd wear her as a donkey would a
diamond. Why should l do myself
and her an injury simply because she
has been too badly brought up to
know her own INTEREST,""
When this was clear to me 1 sent
for my trainer. He was one of those
spare, wiry Englishmen, with skin like
tanned and painted hide-brown ex-
cept where the bones seem about to
push their sharp angles through, aud
there frosty, winter apple red. He
dressed like Deadwood gambler, he
talked like stable boy; but for all
that, you couldn't fail to see he was
a gentleman born and bred. Yes, he
was gentleman, though he mixed
profanity into his ordinary flow of
conversation more literally than did
] when in rage
stood up before him, threw my
coat back, thrust my thumbs into my
trousers pockets and slowly turned
about like ready-made tailor's dunn
my. "Monson," said l, what do you
think of me?"
He looked me over as if were a
horse he was about to buy. Sound,
I'd say" was his verdict. Good
wind-uncommon good wind. A goer,
and slayer. Not lump. Not hair
out of place" He laughed. Action
bit high perhaps-for the track. But
a grand reach"
"Rknow all that" said l. you miss
my point. Suppose you wanted tc
enter me for-say, the Society Sweep
stakes-what then?"
"Um-um," he muttered refectively
That's, different"
| Don't l look-sort of-new-as il
the varnish was still sticky and might
come off on the ladies' dresses and or
the fine furniture?'
"Oh-that," said he obviously But
all those kinds of things are matters
of taste"
"Out with it," l commanded. Dom
be afraid. I'm not one of those damn
fools that ask for criticism when they
want only flattery, as you ought tc
know by this time. I'm aware of my
| good points, know how good they are
better than anybody else in the world
And l suspect my weak points-al
| ways did. I've got on chiefly because
l made people tell me to my face wha
they'd rather have grinned over be
hind my back"
What's your gamer" asked Monsoon
Pm in the dark"
IN tell you, Monson. 1 hired 20,
to train horses. Now / want to hire
you to train me, too. AS it's doubl,
work, it's double pay"
Say on" said he, land say il
slow"
81 want to marry" l explained. :.
want to inspect all the offerings befor,
I decide. You are to train me so tina
can go among the herds that'd sh.
of from me if wasn't on to their Lit
tie ways"
He looked suspiciously at me, doubt
less thinking this some new develop
ment of American humor."
| 81 mean it." I assured him. I'm
going to train. and train hard. .Ty'