Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1916-11-12
walked away with tn. race. mebbe ",

b liES. uat lnc fastest skate III the
MOI .l--ba, none-and they Keeps hn,
locked up tight rs drum. 1 goes
down and looks over the place. and
'ccs that the window to the stall ain't
quite 81 foot square. Looks pretty hope
'"ss. don't t. pard?
''But II domt look so bad 10 sammy,
. knows that | can lift up the Midl:.t
3 and let AHA right through the hole ia
4 ;hc wall. II Benny. who's /, Sic!,
I iJl<er al! right. can get To- the stable
I boy ana put some Knockout drops il
/ 4 sociahlc glass. our game is easy.
Benny fails down on his end. but
| teaches the Midget how to handi"
! chioroform. and We goes about mid
night, when the stable boys sure to
. nc siecpin hard
We put the Midget through tho
hole and Ia" puts the boy IL sleep and
10 is to lead out White Stockings
Say. that's come purity horse: clean
ut black chap with four white leg
to the knee. His coats like satin.
Hes some horse. all riGht-ev"rybod;
i;nows that
so he's Your dark horse" laughed
Jimmy We'll. !; was smart tricE
all riEht--havc another cigarette ou
the. Sammy. /, was IL mieh, smart
idea. ana congratulate you for think
ing IL up
Sam took the cigarette and rrinucu
back at Jimmy.
Wished WAS going IL be out Their
TO see the fr,efor-ali. There's a.
| least a dozen horses entered. and TIL
odds liz agains; our horse. He'll vii
in Il walk away"
less clever amateur sleuth than
Jimmy might have suggested tina.
their dark horse was a figure -
world wide prominence. and that with
all the papers advertising the disap-
pearancc Of White Stockings. tho
chances OF getting odds against that
wonderful performer were few. Jimmy.
however. knew when to say nothing
lie smiled with a satisfied air of COM
pie;e Observation-Disclosures asked no in :
eliminating questions.
The free for-all would hc run in
half an hour Jimmy was in Jail with
important Information which II.
couldn't usc-and I was outside with
none.
When terrified the dwarf 10y asking
him a question regarding his where
abouts for the past few days. little
Charlie brushed by me and down to
the stables at the further end o. the
fair ground. lie hurried with de.-
peratc speed, and came at las; to III,
door OF stall bearing the nam.
BE,ck joe. At this door he tappeG
eagerly He was admitted at once To
the Interior Of the stall. In it was n
black horse. with coat like satin. and
u fiery blaze In restless eyes as well
as the twi,chinE, disteudcd red nos
triis or thoroughbred eager 10 run
his race.
Standing in earnest conversation
with his Jockey was Ben WiIdcrs. the
bookmakcr. Another man with n can
In his hand and n brush coated with
some dark substance was touching IN
the horses ankles. lie was going
over those slenaer pieces OF wonderful
1.-THE mechanism with intent care.
Throughout the stall there was an
air OF suppressed excitement and the
excitement fairly blazcd when the Mid
get burst into the group shouting
There's woman and Il detective af.
ter u.s.
Wildcrs stopped down to the dwarf
anNiously. Tell your story, Charlie
boy" he commanded. Ana n moment
later he and the man who had beer
doctorinE the horses ankles hurried;
out with the dwarf leaving only tn,
jockey TO mount guard over tho beauti.
iul cbony-coatcd animal called 'Blacl,
joe"
. After the Midget ran away from m.
with such desperate speed stood
waiting for Cutie TO come to the lat,
lunch which she had to take when y
luil In the days occupation permIttc,!
her.
related my failure to get the dwarf
10 tell me anything about his where
, abouts for the past few days and tried
flesh to display Il little common sense.
But she was AS sentimental as she was,
fat. And she refused to listen to me.
While we stood talking the Nudge:
came back to his long postponed mid
day repast. Poor Cutie drew herself
up with ridiculous assumption Of
dignity and cut him dead. The uSl,
little ~izened face OF the Midget twis;
ed into IA snccr--and then smoothett
Itself out again into II semblance o.
nmiability.
The tiny man hurried to my side an.
said with a smooth purrng like that e!
Il cat whose back is being stroked tn:
right way: Well. Miss. I've decided
to contide in you. I'm in trouble witt
my girl. at you sce--and guess bot
ter have friend ut court. Ii you
come with me I'll tell you
II was all SO silly-so absurd II
seemed like "a lark. had feeling
that was Alice in Wonderland. Once
upon time had eaten the cako
which instead Of making me very
big had made me grown up and old.
and no~ ] had eaten that other cake
which contracted Alice again ami
which in my ease transported me hack
to youth. was ''leven.' and this
whole absurd little adventure was 81
childs dream of excitement. II need
ed the contras; of just such bur
lesQuc romance to renew me for con
tact with the tragic affairs of life
again.
SO I followed the beckoniug dwarf
out of the tent. and I knew that poor
paipitating cutie hurried to the door
to watch us go.
Stll the lifting dwarf kept just
ahead OF me. motioning in excited
pantomime for me to follow him. III,
absurd feeling that we were fellow
conSpiratorS in some adventure OF
great moment deepened my amusement
At last arrived at the doorway
leading to the stalls where the horses
for the afternoons race were kept
Here the dwarf stopped.
IN have to ask you to stoop again.
lady. so can whisper. II auybod,
heard Inc I'd get into awful trouble,
said he.
Miss Fairfax is II very ohliEin.
young woman as you know. so she fell
to her knees waiting to hear the secret
which would solve Jimmy's mystery
and cure ridiculous Cutie OF her absurd
nfatuation.
felt so helpful. And then around