Evening star., 1926-04-04

/ II deadly insults he could think of OF
! all.
! Il E. reached down and absently
- plucked a brown stem from the
| bale on which he was sitting. This
wisp he placed between his teeth.
II amt saying exactly that you got
, what was coming to you. son." he re-
marked, because 1t don't look nc
ways right 70 me for a 150-pound
man to go trouncin' on q little kid
like you. And l amt saying exactly
I'm glad it happened either, though
/ won't deny but it kind of looks like
the workings of a just Providence.
Still, Trumbles a mighty funny i'm
plement to find in the hands of Provi-
dence. at that"
Fleabit wriggled uncomfortably. Il
amt gonna do it no more, sir" he
promised.
Reckon III do my best to help you
keep your word, too,' added f. B.
grimly. Then his voice took on note
Of puzzlement. Still, l don't rightly
understand the whole business" he
continued. at don't look like Trumble
to stir up all such a rumpus for SO.
1t don't, for fact, now Who'd you
say put you up to this bet?'
Scooter Flynn"
Rides for Perry Gordon, you said?''
"Yes'r."
"Hm-m.m. Well. yes. That'd be
about it. l didn't think that of Perry;
for fact, l didn't. Reckon Holy Joe
was at the bottom of it, anyway.
Wei, sonny, it don't look like you left
hardly a bean unspilled."
Fleabit deemed it prudent to pre-
serve a thoroughgoing silence.
Messy job, picking up beans" T..
B. went on. But it ought to be done.
Ought to be done by the party that S
responsible for the spill.
He set Fleabit down.
/ Stand up and try TO stretch your
self, son. he commanded.
Fleabit complied. grimacing painful.
ly as racked and bruised muscles and
joints protested yehemently against
further i'll usage.
And by tomorrow morning" COM
mented +. B., you'll be stiffened up
like a board, and sore as the pointer
pup that blundered into a beehive.
You will so. Mm-m-m! Yes, sir, the
lights a-shinin in the dark places,
sure enough. You probably don't un-
derstand it yet, do you? Well. I'll tell
YOU. 1t might help the lesson to bite.
Tomorrow afternoons the Mermentau
Handicap, with a $4,000 purse. There
was just two horses had a chance to
win that race, and that was my
Emulator and Perry Gordon's big Peri
cord. Amt that facts, son?"
"Yes'r," whispered Fleabit forlornly.
He, too. was beginning to understand
And Emulator's that high-strung
and sensitive, and at the same time
hard mouthed, that it takes about all
you got in you to give him the ride
he needs. Meaning to say likewise
that none of these other boys here
abouts, that amt used to him, could
ride him like you can either. So that,
with you in the shape you're in,
therell be only one horse that figures
to win the Mermentau Handicap,
meaning Perigord. And Perry Cor
don's jockey is the one that's touted
you off to this bet, which is plant,
so pure; but awfully simple, son.
Holy Joe don't welch for any SO
lessen there's something bigger be-
hind it. Now do you see what you've
gone and done?"
Fleabit nodded miSerably.
"Well, that's all right then" z. B.
said heartily. You run upstairs to
the loft and get mother to put a
couple of chunks of raw steak on your
shining evening face Where II ii DO the
most good.
Tell her I'll be up directly, to help
tuck away some of the same, medium
rare, where it'll do me the most good.
l don't know but what if this'll learn
you some sense. l won't owe Holy Joe
Trumble a heap over'n' about what l
aim to pay him back anyways"
X * x x
TT was later that evening, after the
two boys had been carefully tucked
into bed, that f. b. discussed the mat
ter more fully with Mother Charmley,
who was properly sympathetic.
You can't blame the little snickum-
fritzers so much" f. 3. defended
warmly. Boys going to be boys, you
know And that man Trumble, now.
He's back of all this. There'll be some
heavy betting tomorrow on my Emu
lator, folks figuring him to be the
favoright and ALL Trumble's going to
clean up And I don't deny I'd like
to have had that $4,000 purse about as
well as the next one"
why don't you tell the stewards
about it?'
What could they do, mother? It's