Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1923-04-15

"'Fifteen hundred, say
the gentleman; "1fteen hun
dred for the little daughter OF
Lord yalor, out Of True Blue-a bit
dioky In the legs but no better blood
in America. Fifteen. do I hear six
teen? Speak up, boys-she beat Jack
Tar a head on the post. carrying 1ai
pounds! Make 1t sixteen hundred and
you lead her away. Fifteen once
fifteen twice
Old Sandy Mckee passed a trem-
bling hand across his mouth His
eyes arrested the attention OF the
man on the box: fingers fumbled In q
vest pocket and produced heavy
gold timep;ece. He held it up.
Fifteen and the watch" he qua
'vered. ITS worth two hundred
doub.s aplit-second repeater, listen"
He pressed a hidden spring From
his appraised hand. a tiny gong sound
ed the half hour by quarters. and
then III deeper cadence. the hour it
self.
The auctioneer smiled induigently.
"Fifteen hundred and the watch for
Lady Courageous
Seventeen hundred said voice,
Sandy Mckee lowered his hand.
His shrunken figure relapsed into
drab nonentity. his faded blue eyes
studied the tan turf al his feet
There was sudden movement on
the inner fringe of the circle. A man
in his early thirties. attired a bit too
F1v
stepped forward and held up two
fingers to the auctioneer, The lat
ter nodded.
Two thousand dollars from the
owner OF Lady Courageous. Mr.. PEN
nington retains his mare. That ends
the sale. boys" He scrambled of
the stand. and the crowd melted
leaving Tod Pennington frowning
upon Sandy Mckee.
You're an old fool, Sandy" COM
n.ei:ted Pennington. IAN obstinate old
fool. Not alone must you come clear
across the continent to fight with
the best trainer In Kentucky. but you
would beggar yourself for a STALL
warmer"
Sandy Mckee WINGED Not that "
he protested. she'll start again"
'.Pinie. Here. boy" Pennington
hailed a passing groom. Bring out
Lady Courageous"
But Mckee ;nterfered hastily. You
cant show me anything I don't know
I've slept in her stall every night for
two weeks. She has bowed tendons
on the two front legs. her feet are
contracted and she has a bad frog
And the devils own temper,
added Pennington. Now, why do
you want her."
Come with me" said Sandy They
walked along the row Of white
washed stalls until they came to a
little bay mare arching her neck
over the half-door of her compart-
ment.
Easy" warned Pennington, and
kept a respectful distance. but Mckee
walked quietly to the stall door and
stood there with arms at his sides.
x :; <
TOR a moment the mare withdrew
T. her head with the ears twitching.
but, as Mckee made no move. the
velvet nose protruded timidly. and as
a blind girl might pass deft fingers
lightly over her lovers face the deli
cate tactic hairs and sensitory nerves
located in the soft pad at the end
of the muzzle felt Of Sandy McKee's
hands and up along one arm to his
neck and features. Still he made no
Ia, u,
hA shoulder and nudged impatient
~
Memory" explained Mckee. He
slid one hand along the mares neck
and rubbed the space between the
ears and then down over the eyes.
pressing his fingers firmly over the
skin and always in one direction.
"She remembers how her mother
licked her on the head and neck when
she was a foal: it's better than pat
ting. isn't II. old girl? Now. listen!"
He lowered his head over cupped
hands. AS if from far off came the
faint strains Of the bugle call to the
post.
Lady Courageous jerked her head in
the air, small ears quivering. Her
bandaged legs trembled. In the
luminous eyes the high lights danced
as she stared with dlstended nostrils
in the direction Of the track.
'Imagination," whispered Sandy
Mckee. she sees herself facing the
webbing right now. Easy, you III OF
red stockings-I shouldn't have teas
cd YOU"
He came slowly back to Penning-
ton.
why does a man want his own
child7" he asked simply. When Lady
Courageous was foaled, Col. Penning-
ton says to me: Sandy. I'll let you
name her and want you to watch
over her like she was your own flesh
and blood. The graudest little Ally
in the world, Sandy-all of Lord
; Valor's courage and stamina and all
of her mothers speed and gentleness.
Some day. Sandy. she'll win the Pen
nington Handicap just as her sire
did' SO l named her Lady Coura-
seous and used to lay awake nights
worrying about her. And then
Sandy McKee's eyes wandered over
the empty grandstand in the dis
tance-then-the Colonel died, and
you left me at the farm and hired
Jake Mantor. who rushed her out as
. two-year- and"
He did not finish.
Under the mask OF cynical indif-
ference that contrasted oddly with
Tod Pennington's nut-brown eyes and
hpyish features, the warm blood
coursed to the surface.
"I thought 1t was something like