Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1914-02-15
LEGS


Perhaps. Jupiter was queer one. And
then, any horse, when trained down fine and
ready for race, is a delicate piece of mech
anisrn, ready to go to pieces at the slightest
provocation. He knew that smaller things
than that had killed the chances of high
strung horse: remembered, for instance,
how The Saber had gone stale strangely
three days before the Derby when his
regular boy had been hurt, only to return
almost instantly to form when the boy came
back. And as he turned away Mattern
smiled.
THE next morning sorrow and turmoil de-
scended on boxstall 10 in barn No. g.
sorrow when Legs was found to have disap-
peared, turmoil when Carrots proceeded to
punch the everlasting daylight out of a pair of
boys whom he suspected of having been re
sponSble for the loss Then turmoil likewise
disappeared with no results, and only sorrow
fingered. sorrow and searching. One by one
Carrots searched the barns: but without
success. The dog was gone. Left chained
in the stall during the morning workout,
when Carrots returned with Jupiter Legs
had as completely disappeared as if an in
visible hand had reached down from above
and carried him off into the empyrean
blue.
searched high and low, here, there, every
where; but to no avail. Inquiries, pleading,
tears, brought no results. Not even the men
seated about the stable door had seen him,
and the only conclusion to which Carrots
and the old swipe could come was that
someone had lured the dog to the little stall
window by offering him meat, and then un-
snapped the chain and carried him away I'M
observed down the little lane between the
stables. He was gone.
That night Carrots cried himself to sleep,
and Jupiter was uneasy. At every sound he
pricked up his ears and looked toward the
door of the stall; But there was no leaping
yellow rush and high, staccato barking to
greet him, and beside the sleeping boy there
was no Legs, no yellow, shaggy bundle of
rough hair curled up into knot and woofing
now and then as in his sleep Legs dreamed
wild dog dreams.
The next morning Jupiters temper was
dangerous. Without warning he tore the
shirt off the back of strange boy who in an
unguarded moment passed too close to the
stall door. Later, when Carrots took him
out for the all important last workout before
the race, he was ugly too, rearing and fight
ing viciously until, to the boys astonish-
ment, he had all that he could do to cling
to the saddle; while over by the rail Miss
i>tNN DloN NIDllQSNl dS q VIII ledI SlllOlG
her heart and the old swipe who stood be-
side her shook his head. There was some
thing wrong: not dope,-they had guarded
the horse too carefully for that.-but some
thing else, something he could not under
stand, bound up in the perverse nature of
the horse. The gray-haired man swore soft
ly under his breath.
There was no grin on Carrots face as he
slipped down from Jupiters back or as he
led the blanketed horse round the walking
ring t. be cooled off, while Miss Lucy
and the gray haired man stood silent, watch
ing them. Gloom. gloom-nothing but
gloom had taken the place of hope. Only
one more day remained before the race. In
(, little over twenty-four hours it would all
be over and-Jupiter was off form
MOT for a moment was the horse left
alone that night. Carrots slept in little
catnaps in a corner of the stall. The old
man slept outside the door. Yet Jupiter
in the pink of physical condition and on the
night before the race-did not sleep: but
fretted instead, stamping his hoofs, and
standing always with his head toward the
door as If waiting.
The next morning all was hustle and ex-
element in preparation. Jupiter was fed
and watered, then later walked in the ring
to loosen up his muscles. Still later came
the last look at the racing saddle, the bride,
the examination of every buckle, every strap,