Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1912-12-29

tered in race on this great and final day for Tnk Lynch
the tout. The track lightning fast, and the book
makers complaisanty chaked price of 500 to before
SheldbearerS name Ten minutes before SheldbearerS
field due to to the post of those sudden green
and black wind and rain clouds of the Middle West
romping down over the bed of the river. As it didn't
obscure the sum- only few people the track noticed it.
The bookmakers, Gagged they in the betting ng
didn't know anything about it. But select little group
of wise small players "plkers is the technical
term who were familiar with Shiedbearers ability
a mud runner kept their eyes the cloud and made
fine calculations to whether the rain would
break by the time the horses reached the post Seeing
that the cloud gathered momentum 1t SwOoped
toward the track, these pkers, about two minutes be-
fore the bugle sounded for the parade the barrier
skunk into the betting ring and clapped their and
twodoar notes Shiedbearer to win all of them get
ting the 500 to figure in addition to the laugh from
the bookmakers with whom they made their wagers.
Tink Lynch was of this select group of Shield
bearer hackers He got down twenty dollars, his entire
bankroll Shieldbearer the pure chance that it
would rain in time to give Shieldbearer opportunity
to prove his ability slush runner.
Before the horses had made half the distance to the
post the heavens opened 1t cloudburst 1t
seemed as if above the track and
ing down in Jumps The thunder roared and the light
ming flashed.
"Iey what did tell you Boz" | heard the freckled.
red haired Tink say somebody behind me. glanced
round and there he stood in the grandstand aisle with
a somewhat mbecile grin his hornely countenance.
"Y' can't even see the judges stand from here. Half
minute O this and the track'l be knee deep Shield
bearers numbers good hung out and the red
1
three O'Clock summers afternoon, that | could
scarcely the inconsequent, down-and-out, little
frecked tout as he talked.
1t was six-furlong sprint and the horses started
the far side of the track, opposite the grandstand OF
course not glimpse of the horses at the barrier could
be for the blackness and the solid sheets of peng
rain but the bell in the judges stand sounded ndicat
ing that the field had got away from the barrier and
then the people in the stand settled down almost IN
silence to await the outcome.
There roofing. The horses couldn't be seen,
and there nothing to root about Behind me
heard Tink the tout talking rapidly, if to himself IN
low key. 1t queer sort of mumblng.
"Ths is o my days, heard him say as he stood
in the aisle bit behind where sat- Il cop, all right
I've had bad break the last few years; but this is my
day. Nothin to it but Shiellbearer Shieldbearer all
bv hisself! He kin fall down and beat EN- the mud
I'll bet he's forty lengths in front tow ropin en-
es you wait Folks Sheldbearer all alone. All alone
He stopped mumbing to himself just as queer
sounding spashing the track down to the left of
the grandstand brought all hands to their feet The
splasng didn't sound like that which might have been
made by field of horses. 1t sounded like the splashing