San Antonio light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1911-1993, 1923-04-17
Begin Here Today.

i loudt.
John Harmon, wealthy ranch owner
his blind wife, Belle, and their beauti
full daughter, Val. live happily together
in lannon's wonderful ranch hJme
Paradise. Redstar is the king of tn,
Red Brood Of horses owned by thu
master of the ranch. In game al
Hunnewells store. Velantrie from thu
border wins Lola Sanchez, who offe-,
| herself as stake for Brakeman. man Of
| mystery. Velantrie sends Lola home
to her father.
Father Hillaire. in charge of the
mission. is friendly with Velantrie and
with Val. The cowboys from Para.
! disc ranch act as escort for Val to the
Fourth of July celebration at Santa
Leandra where they watch the Red
Brood win honors in the races. In the
evening they proudly escort Val TO the
dance.
Go on With the Story.
And almost on the word Dawnlight
threw up her head. broke and pitched
off to one side, wild and ugly as a de-
mon.
Damn :" cried the cowboy frankly.
The big brown gelding came run
ming in far ahead.
Twice in the three heats that made
the race Dawnlight was to ramp out
and be disqualified.
Dad will never let her run again
when he hears this" said Val, "and /
don't blame him. either
But the mare was forgotten. for the
first heat of the next race was COM
ing on and they could see the brilliant
shine of Firebrand and The Flame,
pretty. nervous youngsters, among the
darker horse. Silkskin was there. and
two other blacks and a rangy Indian
claybank, but the flame-red colts with
their creamy names and tails took the
eyes of all beholdcts. They were gem
tlemen. too. minding their orders and
sweating with nervousness-eager as
wind to be gone.
And when they were gone. at last
gone with an even start. neck and
neck with Silkskin and the claybank.
they ran like wind indeed--light on
their drumming feet, skimming the
earth like swallows.
Lord Lord ~ said Val softly, her
eyes like stars. ''you darlings. You
blessed darlings.'
For Silkskin was drawing away
from the rest like the center of ris
ing stream-and the tossing cream
crests were thanking her on either
side.
Sikskin was far and bye the best
coming true to the predictions for
her-and the younglings from Para
disp were keeping pace with her faith
fully.
Farther and farther stretched the
distance between the three and those
bchind-they flashed by Val and stiff
and shot under the wire nose and nose
and nose,
The fringcs surged into the track
after them and yelled like mad.
While Dirk walked the colts about
and the hum of voices grew like
swarmjng bees. the first heat of the
days big race was on. THIS COM
nriscd Dollar. Clrndrnnirg's famous
Silver: a dark horse brought in from
somewhere at the last moment. though
it bad been duly entered; and Light
ming.
Sane. gentle. alert Lighting strobe
TO the start and waited like the gem
tlcmqn he was. with Rosy on his back.
Well matched all three. they
hummed down the track evenly for
the first quarter. Their slim iegs~were
a blur beneath them. their necks were
a straight line. their eager faces keen
as flame on night sky.
Dollar was running as he could run.
a machine. steady. true. perfect. keyed
To a rising note. He set the pace and
kept it lifting. gaining, gaining in
speed with every jump. And at his
side Lightning ran. but differently. IL
Dollar was machine. Lightning was
a living. breathing, aspiring bundle of
nerves and brains. Like wind. like
fire in grass. as they said of the Red
Brood always. he came down the track.
instinct with life.
Slowly the strange horse fell behind
and the two others began to run away
from him. For another quarter they
drummed down together. neck and
neck. flashing eye; by flashing eyes.
And then Rosy lay down on Light
ning's neck and reached hand caress-
ingly out along his cheek.
Come on. Come he yelled-and
the red horse came.
All. There was ''somethin' by-or-