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About Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922 | View Entire Issue (Aug. 24, 1902)
TITE CftlAIIA DAILY BEEi SUNDAY, AUGUST 24, 1002 thoroughbreds. Br W. A. FRASER. Aathor af "H Outcast." ''Mootwa." and Other Stories. I(CopyrUht, 1908. by MeClure, Phillip ft Co.) , CHAPTER VII. i It wu lata autumn; tha leglttmata ree ling sesson had closed. 1 In August John Porter had taken his pones 'back to Rlngwood for tha winter. When a man etrlvee against fata, when realisation, laughs mockingly at his expee ,ttloa, there cornea to him a time when h tlonga . for a breathing spHl when he (knows that he must rest and wait until the 'wheel of life, alow-turning, haa passed a Uttla through the groove of hla existence. John' Porter had been beaten down at ' every point. Disastrous years coma to all .men, whether they race horses or point tha truthful way, and thla year had been but a -aeries of disappointments to the master r' Rlngwood. After Lucretla'a win In the Eclipse Por ter did. not land another race. Lucretla caught eold and went oft this waa a bitter disappointment. Ha tried Lauzanne twice again, . but ' the chestnut seemed thor oughly soured. Now he was back at Ring wood, a' dark cloud of Indebtedness hang ing over the beautiful place and pros pect of relief a ahadowy child of the fu tar. If Lucretla wintered well and grew big and' atrong she might extricate blm from hla difficulties by winning one or two of tbe. big races tha following summer. About any of the othar horses there was not area thla much of tangibility. Thoroughly distrusting Lausanne, embit tered by hla cowardice, Porter had given him away but to Allis. Strangely' enough tha girl had take a atrong liking to the son of Laszarona; It may hare been because of the feeling that she waa Indirectly responsible for hla presence at Rlngwood. Allia Porter'a per ceptions bad been developed to an extra ordinary degree. All her life she had lived aurrounded by thoroughbreda and bar sensitive nature went out to them. In their courage . and loyalty. In a manner quite beyond possibility In a practical, routine following horseman. To her they were al most human; the play of their minds waa aa attractive and Interesting as ths de- velopment of. their muscles was to a trainer. When tha atabla had been taken back to Rlngwood ,sbe had asked for Lausanne aa a riding horse. , , "I'm going to' give him away," her father replied;. "I esn't sell him nobody would buy a bruta with such a reputation." This word brought to Porter's mind his chief cauaa of resentment agalnat the cheatnut. The public having got into Its head that Porter ,waa playing coups, generously sug gested that be was puiimg uuuuui to get him In' aome big handloap light. "I won't feed such a skate all winter." ha declared,, angrily, after a little pause. "Well, give him to me, then, father," the girl had pleaded; "I am certain that he'll make good aome day. Tou'll aee that he'll pay you for keeping your word." As Allls rods Lausanne she discovered many things about the horse; that Instead of being a atupld, morose bruta, his Intelli gence waa extraordinary; and, with her at . least, his tamper perfect. Allls's relationship with her father waa unusual. They were chums: In all hla trouble, in all hla moments of wavering, buffeted by tbe waves of dlsaatar, Allia waa tha ana who rheared him. who realrt him la hi armor Allls, the slight, olive-faced little woman, with the big, fearless, Joan of-Are eyea. "Tou'll sea what we'll do next summer, dad." shs said; cheerily. "Tou'll win with Lucretla aa often as you did with her mother; and I'll win with Lauzanne. We'll keep quiet till spring, then we'll show them." !-.'.. , It was Jlke a kitten carrying a city on Its back; but still It was tbe hop of endeavor. Langdoa'a horaea, ao silently controlled by Philip Crane, banker, had been put In winter quarters at ' Gravesend, where Langdon had a cottage. Crane'a racing season had been aa suc cessful aa the master of Rlngwood's had been disastrous. He had won a fair-class race with the Dutchman ostensibly Lang don's horse and then, holding true to his jaatare, which was to hasten slowly, threw him out of ' training. ' and deliberately K planned a big coup for the next year. The Tfolt waa engaged In several three-year-old take, and Crane set Langdon to work to find out hi capabilities. As hi owner ex pected, h showed them In a sever trial gallop tha true Hanover staying-power. Although Crane had said nothing about It at tha time, ha had hla eye on the Eastera Derby when he commissioned Langdon to purchase this gallant aoa of Hanover. It waa a long way ahead to look, to laj plana to win a rac the following June, but that waa- the essence of Crane's exlatenc, cartful planning.- He loved It. He waa a master at It. And, after all, given a good ataysr, such a he had la the Dutchman, the mlle-aad-a-half run of the derby left lea to ehanee than any other stake he could hav pitched npoa; the result would depend absrlutely upon tha claaa and atamlna of the horses. No bed start eould upset his calculations, no little Interfer ence In the rac could destroy his horse's chances, If he were good enough to win. The Dutchman' races, aa a 1-year-old, would not warrant hla being made a favorite, and Langdon, properly directed, waa clever aaough to that the Dutch- man waa at a comfortable prlc for betting purpose. , Many thlnga had crowded lata this tor- tleth year of Crane's life. Th bank, doing but a modest business always, was running so smoothly that It required Uttla attention from the owner. Thla was ona reason why he bad thrown ao much subtle energy lata his racing: 'its speculation appealed to him. The plucking he had received aa a moneyed youth rankled in his heart. . Th possession of such a faithful jackal aa Langdon car ried him to greater lengthy than ha would have goo bad the obnoxious detail been subject t hi - owa execution. Though oonsclsnceloss, be -was more or leas fas tidious. Hsd a hors broksn down and be som utterly useless h would hav ordered him to be destroyed without experiencing any feeling' of compaaslon he would hav dismissed th matter entirely from hla tolnd with th pasting of th command; .tut, rather than destroy the horse alrustlf, y hs probably would hav fed him. And ao It waa With mea. If they were driven t the wall because of bis plsns, that waa their owfc lookout; It did not trouble Philip Crane. ' Porter he had known almply In a business way. From th first he had felt that Ring woxl would paa out of It owner' poe session and h had begua ta covet It. ' The Lauzana race had beea Langdon' 1! planning altogether. Crane, cold-bWoded a he was, would not hav robbed a msa he had business dealings with, deliberately. He ' hid told hla trainer to win, if poutbls. a race mith Lausanne and get rid of him. That Langdon'a villainous schema had bornel evil trull fur Joha Porter was purely a mat- ter of ckauc selection. Thar waa a Me - lalstophelea restitutio in not striving ta wrest tha Eclipse from Lucretla with the Dutchman. And now, la thla fortieth year, had coma the entirely new experience of an affection his admiration for Allls Porter. In con flicted with every other emotion that gov erned his being. All his life he hsd been relfish considering only Philip Crane, his mind unharassed by anything but business obstacles In his ambitious career. Love for thla quiet, self-contained girl, unadorned by anything but the truth, and honesty and fearletaness that were In her big, ateadfast eyea, bad come upon him suddenly and with an assertive fore that completely mastered him. By a mere chance be had heard Allls give her recitation, "The Run of Crusader," In tha little church at Brookfleld. Crane was not an agnostic but h had Interested him self little In church matters, and Rev. Dole man's cencert, that waa meant to top down many weeds of debt that were choking tbe church, had claimed him almply because an evening In Brookfleld had com to hang heavy on hla hands. Now, when Rev. Dolman received Philip Crane's check for 160 tbe next dsy, to be applied to the church encumbrance, he sought to allay -his surprise by attributing the gift to his own special pleading that eveniDg, of course backed up by Providence. If anybody had atated that the mainspring of the gift had been the wicked horse racing poem of their denunciation he would have been acandallsed and full of righteous dls belief. It Is quit likely that even Crane would have denied that Allls' poem had In spired him to tho check, but nevertheless It bad. The world of feeling and sympathy and goodness that had bung In her voice had aet a new window In hla soul slightly ajar so slightly ajar that even now, months after ward, the lovellght waa only beginning to stream through. When love comes to a man at 40 he la apt to play the game very badly Indeed; he turn It Into a very aaxlous business and moves through the light-tripping measure with the pedantic dignity of a minuet dancer. But Philip Crane waa not given to making mistakes; ho knew that. Ilk Crusader, "bis best racing daya (In the love stakea) were over' especially where the woman was but a girl. Bo he sat down and planned It all out aa he planned to win the Brooklyn Derby, month later. And all the time he waa as alncerely in love as If he had blun dered Into many foolishnesses, but hi love making must be of diplomacy. Even now all the goda of fat stood ranged on his side; Allls' brother waa In his bank, more cr ! nrtiit upon him. Rlngwood Itself waa all but In the bank; he stood fairly well with John Porter and much better with Allia' mother, for already he had begun to Ingratiate himself with Mrs. Porter. He would cast from the shoulder of Rev. Dolman a trifle more of the load he waa carrying. He would aend the reverend gen tleman another check. ' Why he should think It necessary to pre' par hla suit with eo much subtlety b hardly knew; In all reason he should be considered a fair match for Allia Porter. He waa not a bad man, as the world un derstood him; he did not . profess Chris tianity, but. on the other hand, hla life WM extremely reapeetable; he did not : "'Ink; be waa not given to profane lan- s"go; area id racing, nis presence seemed to lend an air of respectability to the sport, and It was generally supposed that he raced purely for relaxation. In truth it aemed to him that It would be a deuced good thing for tha Porter. In actuality there were Just two thlnga that stood in the way two thing which his position and wealth could not obviate hla age and the Porter pride. If Porter had not been dubbed "Honest John" early la life, he might have been saddled with "Proud Porter" later on. The pride had come up out of old Kentucky with all the other useless things the horse racing and the inability to make money, and tha fancy for keeping a promise. Something whispered to Crane that Allia would never come to him almply out of love; It might be regard, esteem, a desire to pleas her parents, a bowing to the evident decree of fate. Perhaps even the vary difficulty of conqueat made Crane the more determined to win and made him hasten slowly. CHAPTER VIII. A a rule few visitor want to Ring wood. John Porter had been too Interested In hi horse and hi horn lit to car much for social matter. Mrs. Porter waa a hom body, too, caring nothing at all tor society at beat there was but little of It la Brookfleld except where It waa con nected with church work. Perhaps that waa on reason why Allis had grown ao close Into her father life. It waa a very mall, self-sustained household. Mike Gayaor had become attached to th taff at Rlngwood this winter as a sort of assistant trainer to Porter. Dixon only trained th Rlngwood horses during th reaclng aeaaon. Porter always supervising thsm in winter quarters. Perhaps It waa Porter'a great cloud of evil fortune which had eaat Its sinister Influence out to Mike, becau; of hi sympathy for th master of ningwood; certain it la that the autumn found him quit "on hi upper," aa he graphically described hla financial stand- ng. An arrangement waa mad by which i Mike's discoosolat horses wer fed at I Rlngwood, and he took care of both strings. This delighted Allls, for she had full eon fldence In Oaynor'a Integrity and good aenae. The oerly winter brought two visitors to Rlngwood; Crsne, who came quite often, and Mortimer, who went to tha farm a couple of tlmea with Alan. ' George Mortimer might be described aa n angular young man. H was Ilk a tree. On might e in him. aa In the tree, trength and stately grace, while another might And him awkward, stiff, uncompro mising In his angles, like an oak or a giant ycamer; hla figure, tall and aquaro and tra'ght, was rugged; even bis face, large featured. aquar-Jawd and bold-topped by bread forehead, suggested th solemnity (hat Alan had found ao trying. Of course a young man of all these angles aai auri to have notion, and Mortimer's mind was knotted with them; there seemed i soft nor smooth place la hla timber. Tf"at waa, 'why he hsd reasoned with the butcher by energetically grasping hi wind pipe tt evening that worthy gentleman had i xprcaard himself ao distastefully ever Allls Porter contribution to Rev. Dolmaa'a coo eert. Perhaps a young maa of mere subtls graro wculd hav received some grateful recognition for this efflce. but th matter had beoa quit closed cut so far aa Msrtl mer was concerned, aad when, Alaa tried to refer to It afterward had beea curtly stepped George Mortimer' chief aotloa was that wcrk waa a great thing seemingly th chief (nd of man. Another aotloa almost equally , prominent In hi makeup be had derived U trosa hi mother we that all forms of gambling were extremely bad bualness. First and foremost In this Interdiction stood horss raring. The touch of It that hung Ilk a 'email cloud over the Brookfleld horizon had Inspired Mr. Mortimer, a it had the other good people of the surround ing country, with the restricted Idea that thoaa v. ho had to do with thoroughbred horse were simply gamblera betting peo ple. Her bom was In Emerson, a dosen miles from Brookfleld. Quit paradoxically. It Allia Porter had not given "The Run of the. Crusader" moat certainly a racing poem In the little church, thla angular young man, with stringent . Idea about running horses, probably would have never visited Ring wood. Something of the wide sympathy that emanated from her as she told of the gallant horse's death struck Into bis strong nature, and there commenced to creep Into his thoughts at odd Intervals a sort of gratuitous pity that ahe should be so Inter minably mixed up with race horses. His original honesty of thought, tho narrow ness of his tuition, were apt to make. him egotistically sure that the things which ap pealed to htm aa being right were Incapable cf variation. At first he had liked Alan Porter, with no tremendous amount of unbending; now, be cause of the Interest Allls bad excited In him, the liking began to take on a super visory form, and it was not without a touch of Irritation In his , voice that Alan In formed his sister that h had acquired a second fstber, and with Juvenile malignity attributed the encumbrance to her aeductlva Influence. mHoLlx ml l. ' - "ALLIS. TOO, WAS FIOHTINO. BRINGING THE CROP DOWN WITH CUTTING FORCE OVER THE WITHERS, NECK. HEAD,. ANT PART OK THIS FIGHTING UAS3 IN mONT OF H SR." With all these cross-purposes at work it can b readily understood that Mortimer' visit to Rlngwood wero not exactly rose leaved. In truth tho actors .wer all too conventionally honest too unsoclallxed to subvert their underlying motives. Allls, with her. fine Intuition, would have unearthed Mortimer' disapprobation of racing though he awkwardly strove to hid it even If Alan had not enlarged upon this point. This knowledge constrained the girl, even drove her into rebellion. She took his misunderstanding as a fault, almost ss a weakness, and shocked ths young man with carefully' prepared racing '. expressions; revelled with atrange abandon In talka of gallops and trials, and workouta, and brea there; threw Iron-mouthed horses, pull ers, skates and drivers and other equine wonders at his head, until he revolted In sullen, Irritation. In fact thay misunder stood each other finely, In truth their dif ferent natures were more In harmony two miles apart tho dlstsnce that lay between the bank and Rlngwood. By comparison. Crane's visits to Rlngwood were Utoplanly complacent. Extraordinarily enough, Mrs. Porter, op posed to racing aa she was. fell quit readily under the glamor of his artistic ' unob truslvenees. He had complete mastery over the aclenco of waiting. Hla admins Ion to th good lady of a passing Interest in horses was an apology; there aeemed auch an utter absence of the betting spirit that the recreation it afforded him condoned the offence. There was this difference between the two men, the old and th young; Crana knew exactly why he went there, even to th ut most consummation, while Mortimer bad asked himself more than once, coming back from Rlngwood feeling that h had been misunderstood perhapa even laughed at why he had gone there at all. . Ha had no definite plana even desire; he wss Im pelled to It out of aome unrecognized force. It was because of these conditions that the on potter turned his Image so per fectly and th other formed only poor, con torted, often broken, dishes of inferior clay. It stood In the reason of things, however, that Mortimer, in ipite of his uncompromis ing attitude toward racing, should be touched by It tentacles, If he visited at Rlngwood; his extreme stand weakened by attrition. Hla first baptism came with much precipi tancy, on the occaalon of hla fourth visit to the Porters. He bad driven out with Alan to spend his Saturday -afternoon at Ring wood. An afternoon la not exactly Ilk aa evening In the matter of entertaining a guest; something must be done; cigara, or mu le, or small chatter are Insufficient. If cne is on the western slope of life's Sierra perhaps a nap may kill tha time profitably ncugh, but this was a case where a young maa had to be entertained, a young man difficult of entertainment under tho circum stance. Alan had aoms barbarous expedition of Juvenile Interest on hand; the unearthing of a woodchuck. or It might have been a groundhog. In a back field, but Allls would not become a party to the destruction of animal life for ths ipert of th thing. 8b had a much better program mapped out for Mortimer. Some way shs felt that if he eould see tha thoroughbred horses la their stalls, could corn to kaow them Individu ally, eseually though it might be, be would perhaps catch a glimmer cf tbelr beautiful characters. So she ssked Mr. Mortimer to go and hav a Icok at her pets. Alan wculd havs nens of It; he waa off to hla wcodchuck or groundhog. "I'm glad you don't want to go and kill anything," shs said, turning gratefully to Mor Inur, when he refused Alan's Invitation aaylag that hs preferred ta look at th barte. "I'll show you Diablo, and Lucretla, and Lauzanne the Despised he' my horse and I'm to win a big jsce with him next rear Gaynor la down at tha atables aad I'll give you a tip" Mortimer winced "if yea want to stand well with Mike let him suspect that 'you're toad of horses." At tbs ctsbla doer they met Mike Gaynor. MUe usually vacillated botween a condi tion of chronic anger at somebody or some thing, and ao Irish drollery that made peo ple who wer sick at heart laugh. Allia was aa familiar with hla moods as she waa with th phase ef Lausanne's temper. She had developed the yens of reading mind la a rauiarkable degree; th association with her fsther and other men perhaps had procured this. On Mike's face waa a map of dlaaster, the disaster might be trivial or great. That something waa wrong the girl knew, but whether It waa that a valuable horae was dead, or that a mouse had eaten a hole In a grain bag. she eould only discover by questioning Csynor, for there were never degrees of expressed emotion In Mike' facll countenance; either a deep scowl or a broad grin were the two normal condi tions. "Where the matter, Mike?" questioned Allls. "Mather Is It?" began Oaynor. "It's just this. Miss Allls; If yer father think I'm go in' to stand by an' sea good colt spiled In their tlmper. Just became a rapscallion b y has got the evil Intlnts av ould Nick hlmsllf, thin he's mistook, that' all." "Who la It, Mlk 8handyT" 'That' him. Ml. He' the dlvll on wheels, bangln' thlm horses about as though he was King Juba." Allia saw that Oaynor was Indeed angry. "I'll apeak to father about him. Mike," she answerd; "I won't have the horse abused." "Mark my words, Mies AMI. Diablo 'II take It out of hla hide some day. Th' b'y '11 monkey with him once too often, then there'll be no b'y left." "May w see tbe horses, Mike are they having their lie down, or anything?" "Not yet, miss; they're getting the rub down now; don't y hear Diablo bastln' the boords av bis stall wid that handy oft hind foot av his?" "There' a filly ter yer life," exclaimed the trainer, rapturoualy, a he opened gently the floor of Lucretla'a box atall. "There's the stralghtest filly Iver looked through - a halter," he continued, putting his arm with th gentlenees of a woman over the brown mare's beautiful neck. "Come here, ould girl," he said coaxlngly, aa he drew the haltered head toward the visitors. Mortimer looked with Interest at the big, comfortable box stall, Uttered a foot- deep with bright, clean, yellow atraw. How con tented and at home the mare appeared. It aeemed almost a complete recompense, this attentive caro of animals, for the cruelty he Imagined race horses suffered. "You don't tie her up?" he asked. "Tie her up!" ejaculated Mike, a Una Celtic scorn la his voice; "I'd rather tie up a wife if I bad one," he added by way of extenuation. "No man would tie up a mar worth tin thousand dollars if she's worth a cent, an' take chancea av her throwin' her ailf in the halter; av coorse she's hitched fer a bit after a gallop, while she's bavin' a rub down, but that'a all." Lucretla'a black nozzle came timidly for ward, and the soft, velvety upper Up snug gled Allls' cheek. "She knows you, Miss," said Mike. "That'a the way wld horses; they're like children, they know friends, an' you can't tool thlm. Now ahe'a alsln' you up. Mister," as Lncrstla sniffed suspiciously at Morti mer's cbtn, keeping a wary eye on him. "She'll know whether you like horses or not, an' I'd back her opinion agin fifty mln'e oaths!" Allls watched with nervous Interest tha Investigation. Sha almost felt that If Lu cretla liked her companion wall. It would be something less to dislike In him, at alt events. Lucretla ssemed turning the thing over In her mind, trying to think It out. There was aom mystery about this new comer. Evidently she did not distrust blm ntirely, els shs would have put her ears back a trifle and turned away, with a Uttla Impatient, warning shake of her delicate head. , She always turned In that cross man ner from Shandy, the atable boy. She had alao dlacovered that tha visitor was not completely a horseman; sha did not Investi gate hi pockets, nor put her head over hla shoulder, aa th would hav don with Mr. Porter or Mike, or even with one who was perhaps a atranger, as was Mortimer, bad aba felt the unmistakable something which conveyed to ber mind the knowledge that he was of tha equine brotherhood. "Lucretla has found you out," said Allls presently. "You do like horses, ahe knows it." "Oh, I I ks animals. I don't deny," Mor timer answered, "but I know very little about them nothing about race horaea." Mike frowned and looked disparagingly at the visitor. "He must be a quar duck," he muttered to htmaelf. That a maa ahould know nothing of thoroughbreds wss per fectly inexplicable to Gaynor. He knew many racing men whose knowledge of horseflesh waa a subject of ridicule, but then they never proclaimed their Ignorance, rather poaed aa good Judgea than other w'se. . But with startling Inconsistency, Mike explained. "There s many like you. sir, only they don't know It, that's all ths woods Is full av thlm. Would you Ilka to give the Ally a carrot. Miss?" he aaked, turning to Allia. "I'll bring some." ' When he returned Allls gavs one to Lu cret'a, then they pasaed to the next atall. "That'a a useful horss," explained tbe trainer; "he's won soms races In hla time." "What's his nam?" asked Mortimer. "Game Boy. He by the Juggler. You remember him, don't you?" Mortimer wa forced to confess that he didn't quite remember Juggler. "That'a atrange," commented Mike, turn ing the big bay about with evident pride; "he won the 'Belmont,' at Jerome park, did th ould Juggler. You must av beerd av tbet." Mortimer compromised by admitting that hs hsd probably forgotten It. "Wei!. I haven't," declared Mike, re proachfully. "If Game Boy stands a prep thl summer you'll hear from him," he con fided to Mortimer, a they left the stall. Just remember Game Boy; aee, ye can't forget a big bay with a white nigh foreleg an' a bit rat-tailed. Yea. Oust Boy s all i right," monologued Mike; "but here's a ) belter; thla la . Diablo. Ha must hav Vw basco In hi head, fer he' got th dlvll' own tlmper. But he can gallop a bit; he can go like a quarter horse, aa' stay till the cows come home; but he's like Lau sann acrost yonder, he' got a be In hi bonnet, fen' It takea a dlvll to ride him." "That'a hard on me, Mike," expostulated Allls. ( "You see, Lauzanne goes better with me In the saddle than any of th boys," she explained to Mortimer. "Th dlvll or angels, I was going to say, mine, when you Interrupted me," gallantly responded Mike. Diablo head was tied high In a corner of the stall, for Shandy, the boy, was hard at work on him with a double hand of straw, rubbing him down. The boy kept up a peculiar whistling notae through his parted Hp aa he rubbed, and Diablo snapped Impatiently at th halter-shank with his great whit teeth, as If be resented the operation. Mortimer gated with enthusiasm at the shining whit skin that glistened like satin, or watered Hk. 8urely there waa excuse for people loving thoroughbreds. It was an exhilaration even to look at that embod iment of physical development. It waa an animated statue to th excellence of good, clean living. Somehow or other Mortimer felt that though the living creature before him waa only a horse, yet nature's lsws wer being adhered to, and the result waa a reward of physical perfection and enjoyment of life. He began to feel that a man, or even a woman it was tbe subtle presence of the woman at his side that made him Involun tarily Interject this clause Into his Insudl- ble thoughta yea, even a woman of high moral attrlbutea might find tbe most healthy form of Interested amusement In watching tha auperb development of horaea that wer destined tor no other purpose than to race and beget sons and daughters of the same wondroua atamlna and courage and speed. His detestation of racing had bsen la reality an untutored prejudice; ha had looked upon but one phase of tha question, and that quite casually, as It Introduced Itself Into his life by means of sensational betting Incidents In tho dally papers. To him all forms of betting were highly disas trous most immoral. But here, like a revelation, came to him, In all Its fascination, the perfect picture of the animal, which, he was forced to ad mit, stood next tbe man in Ita adornment of God'a scheme of creation. As Shandy swept his wisp of straw along the sensitive skin of Diablo'a stomach, tha latter shrunk from tha tickling sensation and lashed out impatiently with a powerful hind leg aa If hs would demolish th tor mentor. "He' not cross at all Just," explained Mike; "he's bluffln', that'a all. Bbure a child could handle blm If they'd go tha right way about It." Then ha leaned over and whispered In an aside to the visitors: "Bot t'umb up!" (this was Mlke'a favorite oath). "Diablo bates that boy, an' some day he'll do him up, mark my words." "Hero, Shandy," he cried, turning to the rubber, "loose the black's head an' turn him around." Mortimer almost ehrunk with apprehen slon tor th boy, for Disblo's ears wer back on his flat, tapering neck, and his eyes, looking back at them, were all white, save for ths Intense blue-shimmered pupil. To Mortimer that look was the Incarnation of avU hatred; but tbe boy unsnapped tha halter ahank without hesitation, and Diablo, more Inquisitive than angry, cama mine Ingly toward tbem, nodding hi head aom what defiantly, a much aa to aay that tha natur of the Interview would depend alto, gether upon their good behavior. "So that!" ejaculated Mike, a pleasant mile of satisfaction rippling the furrows of his face; "see how he picks out the best friend th stabls'a got!" Diablo had stretched his lean head down, and was trying to nibble with gentle Up th carrot Allia held half hidden behind her skirt. There waa none of Lucretla'a tim idity in Diablo' approach; It waa full of an assumption of equsllty, of trust In th In tentions of the stranger who had com with th mistress he had faith In. "They're all like that when Ml Alii I about," explained Mike; "there never would be a bad horse If the stabls b'ys worked the same way. Tie him up, 8handy," he added. "Even tbe jockeys spoil their mounts." Gaynor continued, in a monotone. "The horses'll gallop batter for women any time they treat thlm gentler, that'a why. "Moat interesting." hazarded Mortimer, feeling aome acknowledgment of Mike's In formation waa dus. "It's the trut. Miss Allls'd take Lau sanne, or the black, or the little mare, an get a better race out av altber than any Jock I've aeen rldln' hereabout." "Mike," exclaimed Allia; "you flatter me. tou almost make m wish that I were a Jockey." "Well, bot' t'umba up! you wild av made a good un, miss, an' that'a no disrespsct to you, I'm sayln ." Mortimer smiled condescendingly. Allls1 quick eye caught hla expression of amused discontent; It angered her. Mike' pralss had been practically honest. To him a good Jockey waa the embodiment of courage and honeaty and Intelligence; but abe knew that to Mortimer It almply meant a phase of life ho considered quite outslds tbe pal of recognized respectability. Somehow shs felt that Mike' encomium bad lowered her perceptibly in the opinion of thl man whom ah herself affected to look upoa with but toleration. They vlsltsd all the other stalls, sight of them, and Jlatened to, Mike's euloglstle praise cf the Inmate Coming down tha ether side of tbe paasage, the last occupied box stall contained Lauzanns. "Miss Porter '11 tell you about this wan," aald Mlks, diplomatically. He's shaped like a good horse, an' hla sire, old Lazzarone, landed many a puree, an' the 'Suburban,' too won It on three legs, fer he waa clean gone in hla pins; "I'll take me oath to that t He wss a good horse whin he liked. Ter hsps Laucsnne 'II do the same soma day, ter all I know." There waa such a ton of doubt la the trainer's voire that even Mortimer noticed It. Neither waa there much praise of the big chestnut. Evidently Mike did not quite approve of him, though heeitatlng to say so la the presence of hla mistress. "Yes, Lausanne Is my horse," volun teered Allls. "I even rid him In all hla work now, since he took to eating the ata ble boy." "And you're not afraid?" asked Mortimer. For answer the girl slipped quietly Into th stall, and going up beside the chestnut, who wa (tending sulkily with his besd In the corner of his box, took him by the ear and turned blm gently around. "He's Just a qulat-mannered chap, that'a all," shs said. "Ha s a big, lazy, contented old boy," and ahe laid her cheek against his fawn-colored nozzle. "You see." she explained, "he's got mora bralna than any ot the other horses; and when he's abused he know It." "But he' grateful when he's kindly treated," commented Mortimer. "Yes, that'a why I like horsea better than men." "Oh!" the exclamation slipped from Mor timer's lips. "Most men, I mean," she explained. "Of course father, and Alao, and" she hesi tated; "you aee," she went on to explain. the number ot my men friends are lim ited, but, except these, and Mike, and Mr. Dixon, I like the horses best." 'I almost believe you're right, Miss Por ter," concurred Mortimer; "I've known men myself that I fancy were much worse than oven Diablo." 'Mike tblnka Lauzanne la a bad horae," tho girl aald, changing the subject, "but you must win a big prize, on him this com ing season. You just keep your eye on Lauzanne. Here's your carrot, old chap, she said, stroking the horse's neck, "and wa must go It we're to have that drive. Will you hitch the gray to tha buggy for us, Mike?" she asked of Gaynor, as they cam out of the stable; "we'll wait here. As Mike started off, there cam to their ears the sound of turmoil from Diablo's box. Impatient kicks agalnat the boards from the horse and smothered imprecations from tha boy. i Hear that fiend!" the girl exclaimed, and there was wrath In her voice. 'Ha doea aeem a bad horse," concurred Mortimer. 'I didn't mean Diablo; It's the boy. It's all his evil doing. Oh, I've only one glove," she exclaimed, "I know where It la, though; that mischievous rascal Lausanne nibbled it from the front of my jacket; I saw' him do It, but forgot to pick it up." "Allow me, Miss Porter; 1 11 get It for you." 'No, pleaaa don't!" with emphasis, as he started back. She laid a detaining band on his arm. "I'd much prater to go myself Lauzanne distrusts strangera and might make trouble." Aa the girl entered the stable, Mortimer sauntered toward Mike, whom he could see a short distance away putting a horae to the buggy. Allls opened the door of Lauzanne's atall, passed In and searched In the atraw for tho lost glove. The noise of strife In Diablo'a box had Increased. There came the sound of blowa on the horse's ribs; a muttered oath, and suddenly a scream of terror from tbe boy, drowned by the ferocloua battle' cry of the enraged stallion. Mortimer, thirty yards away, heard It, and felt his heart stand still; he had never heard anything ao de moniac In hi life. He turned in auch hast that his foot slipped on th frozen earth and ha fell heavily. At the first sound ot tha blows Allls had started angrily toward Diablo'a box. She waa at the door when Sbandy'a cry of ter ror rang out. For an Inatant tha girl hes itated; what ahe saw waa enough to make atrong man quail. The black atalllon wag loose; with crunching jaws, hs had fastened on the arm ot Shandy, In tha cor ner of the atall, and waa trying to pull the boy down, that he might trample him to death. But for a aecond b faltered; If ever quick action were needed it waa needed now. "Back back Diablo! back!" ah cried, a puahlng past tbe black dem,on she brought her hunting-crop down with a full force between bis ears. Whether it waa the sound of hla mistress' voice or the straggling blow but Diablo dropped the boy like a crushed rat and, halt rearing, looked viciously at the brave girl. ' "Quick! Through tha hay window!" com manded Allls, standing between Shandy and the horse, and drawing the whip back over her left ahoulder, ready to give It to Diablo full In the throat, should he charge again. Cowed, the boy clambered through the opening. Enraged at tha eight of his assailant's escape, tha horse gav another scream of deflnanc and aought with striking forefeet and apread Jaw to pull down thl new nemy. Not until thea had Allls thought of call ing tor help; her ona Idea had been for th boy'a afety. Like a flash tha full peril of tha situation dawned upon her; perhapa her life would be glvea for the boy who wall deaerved bis Dunlshment. Sha bad seen two stallions fight, and knew that tbelr ferocloua na ture, onca aroused, could only be quelled by a force stronger than shs posssssed. Yes, surely she would be killed her young life trampled out by the frenzied animal. Incoherently, not In sequence, but all to gether, these thoughts filled her mind; also the knowledge that Mike wa beyond hear ing. "Help Mortimer!" ahe called. He heard It a ha reached tha atabla door. Even then he would have been too late had not other rescue come mor quickly. In rushing from Lauzanne's atall, Allls had ion t,he door swinging on Its hlnge. At the first cry of defiance from the black stallion Lauzanne hr.d stretched high bis head and aent back, with curled nostril, an answering challenge. Then with ea.-s cocked, he had waited tor a charge from his natural enemy. When the mingled call ot hi mistress and Diablo's bugle note came to him be waited no longer, but rusbed across th passage and aelsed ths black horse by th creat, Juat as he was overpowering tbe girl. It wss at thla Instant Mortimer reached the scene; In his hand a atable fork be bad grabbed as hs raced down tbe paasage. Even Lausanne's attack, tbough It gave Allia a respite, would not have saved her life; tbe madly. fighting horses would have kicked and trampled ber to death. "My God! Back! back, you devils!" and pushing, crowding, hugging ths side of tbe stall, Mortimer fougbt hla way to tha girl. Once Diablo'a hoof shot out and th man's left arm, anapping like a pistol, dropped useless at hla aide. His brain reeled with tbe shock. Ths oddly swinging arm, dang ling Ilka a doll'a, with the palm turned backward, seemed to fascinats him. Why was hs there? What was he doing? Why was he hammering th horae over tbe head with a atable fork, held tightly In his right hsnd? He hardly knew, his mind was clouded; ha was fighting by Instinct, and always crowding along th wall toward th farther corner. The girl bad quit faded from hla alght. Somehow he felt that be must drive the horses back, back out of th stall. Allls, too, waa fighting, bringing the crop down with cutting force over the withers. Beck, head, any part ot the fighting mass in front of her. Sb could escape uow through the opening where th boy had gone, but was not Mortimers In the asms position, she hsd beea? She had seen hire drop on his kners when Disblo tsehed out; he must be sorely hurt; now he was reeling Ilk a drunken man, aa he fought the mad brutes. "This way," she panted, catching him by the coat and pulling him toward th win dow. Ah, that was It! He saw her now. If steadied his tenses. It waa the girl; and she had called him "Mortimer!" "Back." he yelled. Irrelevantly, In an swer. cutting Disblo across the fare with th fork. It was pandemonium. "Oct through the window," lb girl creamed In his esr. "Quick! now!" and she pushed blm toward It. "You first bsck you devils!" and hs pressed away from her, closer to tha horses, thrusting and striking with th steel pointed fork. The horses were giving wey; Diablo waa lighting halt through the door, weakening before the onelaught. of the powerful cheat nut. Even In battle, as in a race, tha stamina of the Lazarone blood was telling; tbe bulldog courage of the strsln was atrong upon Lauzanne now that he waa roused. "Quick, you can get out!" again called the girl. "You first." This dreary repetition waa the only ex pression Mortimer's numbed senses seemed equal to, but he fought the horses with tha ferocity ot a tiger; hi wound but enraged him. They could both escape, Allls kasw. If sha could bring Mortimer to understand, but they must do It quick, if at all. It waa useless. He seemed conscious of but one Idea; that hs.must drive tbe fighting ani mals out Into ths psssage to sav ber. She was not afraid now; tha man 'a pres ence had driven that all away. Even' at the coming of Lausanne aha had felt that, somehow she would come through tha terri ble melee safely. It wa useless to speak to him of tha. window, neither would go first; ao with her riding whip sha fought aide by sMe with Mortimer, springing back from tha swift cutting forefeet; sometimes even hugging close to the side of a horse as he lashld out from behind, and one saving Mortimer, from being cut down, by pulling him swiftly from under a raised foot. In the end the stallions were forced out Into the passage, Just aa Mike came rush lng on the scene. But th battle had warmed. Twice Diablo had been pulled to his knee, forced down by the fierce strength that waa Lausanne's; the black waa all but conquered. Tha trainer's voice checked Lausanna'a fury; even tha boy had plucked up courage to return, and between them the chestnut was driven Into his stall. All the fight hsd been taken out ot . Diablo. He atruggled to hla feet, and stood trembling like a horse that had ooma out ot a fierce cutting race. On hla arm were . the mark of Lauzanne' teeth, where they had snapped like th Jaw of a trap; from his crest trlnkled a red stream that dripped to the floor like water from a running cave. All tha fierce fire of hate had gone from hi eye. He hung his head dejectedly and hi flanks vibrated Ilka a silken flag In tha wind. Lauzanne, too, bora evidence of a vicious Ulfa. Ca cs quarter, -hers D!&b!c't sharp hoof had ripped, waa a cut as though he bad been lashed with a alckle, and his withers were torn. Mortimer and Allls had com out of th tall, and th man, exhausted by th atrug gle, leaned wearily with pale, drawn fac agatnet th wall; th floor seemed slipping from under him; he felt a sensation of swiftly passing off Into nothingness. Ha was Just sleepy, that waa all, but a sleepi ness to fight against; ha must still fight. "You are badly hurt." It was the girl's vole. He was almost suprlsed .that ha recognized It, everything was so confused. He answered, heavily. "Yet, I'm I'm I want to lie down." "Here, lean on my ahoulder." It waa Mlke'a voice thla time. "This ia had bus! nees," the trainer was saying; "wa must get blm out ot this; he's nearly knocked out. Are you all right, miss?" turning ta Allia. Th wounded man turned guiltily; ha had forgotten tbe girl. Yes, surely she had been In that hell of noises with him, lighting, too. "I'm Just frightened, that'a all," answered Allia. "Mr. Mortimer saved me." Hsd he? be wondered. How had he eoma in there, anyway. His mind refused to work out th problem, hi aide waa ao sore. "Your arm's broke," said Mlk, passing to Mortimer's right aide. "Coma laan on me, sir. Can you walk? I'll put you In tha buggy and drive you to tha house," At tha first step Mortimer staggered and swayed Ilka a drunken man. In hla aid wer many sharp thlnga pulling blm down like grappling irona; on hla head waa a great heavy weight that crushed his feet lata th bard plank; hi knees gave way under this load and he would have fallen hut tor Mike's atrong arm. ' "I'm afraid ;" then ha aet his teeth hard, hla voice had sought to end tha aan tenoa la a groan of anguish; tha thing that was tearing at hla aid had whistled In hla lunga. Allia stepped forward swiftly and, passing her arm about hla waist, helped Mtk lead blm to tha door. Twice ahe put her left hand up and brushed away tha teara from her ayea; the struggle had unnerved ber. Vary helplessly agalnat her awayad tha man aha had laughed at and ridiculed not half an hour before. And ha had been crushed saving her! But that wa not why th tear cam not at all. Sha waa un strung. "And he's got grit," aha kept muttering to heraelf ; "he haa never even groaned." Together they succeeded In getting him Into tbe buggy; then, .gently, Mlk drove to tha house. (To Be Coutinued.) INDIVIDUALITY That's thoWordl MILWAUKtaB Possesses a food ocas all tta aim, Unerring judgment exercised in tha selection -of materials, backed by Blatg method" of brewing-, ar the main (acton respon sible for Blatg character. ULATZ MALT-VI VINE (Non-lntMteanO SUMMER TONIO a:i lirulia or iMract. VAL BIATZ BREWIR8 CO., MwiUt 14V4 Uliuflsi Mt. Tel. 10S1. Morphine Habit Cured Anyone who wishes to be cured of mor- fhlna ir other drug- habits will Warn aume hliig to their kJviit(( by adUraUif i Lanlal Bellere, lock box sU. Omaha, Neat a i. u i 1