Worcester Democrat and the ledger-enterprise. (Pocomoke City, Md.) 1921-1953, 1940-01-05
CHAPTER 10

Tor the SeablScult race, slim May
1ard, making his way along the pas
sageway between the grandstand and
clubhouse, heard a scornful feminine
voice say:
wrong again, weren't you, Mr..
Maynard?"
He turned to find Heather hurry
ing in an opposite direction and, tho
without rancor, he replied: "I'd like
to be wrong every time if it will
make Knight Errant be right" there
was little chance that she could have
heard in the babble of the crowd and
the quick patter of her high heels
along the runway.
A moment later, Slim saw Draper
coming out of the riders quarters
with his eyes fastened to the ground.
"Bassitt tied the can on me-" was
Dimple's response to Sims query.
"And besides, that was fake tele-
gram your friend Snapper Elliott
showed me. l found out all about it
from one of the boys in the press box"
"Well, what if it was?" Slim said
debonairly, half in defense. "Bas-
slit giving you the gate is the best
break you ever got in your life"
Slim noted for the first time at
close range the strong pair of hands
on the boy and told himself Draper
could become good jockey if he ever
connected with the right stable, APP
piled himself and dropped his chesty
attitude.
riding to orders like you've been
taking from Bassitt is plain cheat
ing, Dimples," Slim went on virtu-
ously. "You want to become a good
rider, don't you?"
"All my life have, ever since I've
been old enough to think about it,"
the boy answered, unexpectedly. He
looked up at Slim, subdued and chas-
tened.
Slim was astounded. His voice soft
'ened.
swell, you surely got off on the
wrong foot when you teamed up with
Bassitt," he said.
"He's the only man 1 ever rode for"
Draper gulped.
you've the makings of good rid
err" Slim went on slowly. "You have
a good pair of hands. Why don't you
use them? You shove horse along
lilo N0,, fh0u0bt rat;,,or bod eoY, 9TH n, ~
to do with your standing in the COM
munlty.
"You usually make four or five
moves too many and when you could
help firing horse with a hand ride,
you're so all in yourself that you're
lucky you don't fall Off"
,Dimples was staring at Slim.
"Why, you've told me more about
how to ride in the last minute than
Bassitt has shown me all year," he
said.
Maybe you won't need to go back
to the bushes" Slim encouraged, toy
ing with an idea that came to him as
he spoke. "If you want to you can
ride Cold Cream and Susie for me
and free lance in other races. I'll
act as your agent for outside mounts,
rustic around and get you some live
horses to ride. And Snapper can
teach you lot about riding. He's
forgotten more about it than most
riders nowadays ever knew"
Snapper had been a great rider in
his day, until he got so lazy he
thought he was being imposed upon
if they asked him to ride in a race
of more than five furlongs.
Dimples' eyes sparkled.
"Slim, I'll ride my head off for
you"
And I'll go along with you-win,
lose or draw" replied Slim. "Only
one thing. You've got to ride Clean"
He put out his hand. Dimples grip
ped it.
"Slim, it's deal"
AS Tanforan launched its spring
meeting Slim Maynard took mental
inventory OF the showing made by
the Versatile Stable, consisting of his
two old jallopies, Susie and Cold
Cream. 1t required no deft Juggling
of figures, for in the year that had
passed since he and Snapper became
co-proprietors of these two equine
nuisances after the courtroom rum
mage sale, the combined batting aver
ag of the steeds struck a grand total
of cool 900.
Cold Cream was now a six-year-
old maiden. Give Susie her due. She
did get fourth money once, but Slim
had never cashed the $25 check for
this tail end portion of the purse