OUR SATURDAY STORY.

Auckland Star, Volume XLIII, Issue 179, 27 July 1912, Page 17

OUR SATURDAY STORY.

SPUD DRIVES OLD IRONSIDES (By ELMER BLANKY HARRIS.) (IN TWO INSTALMENTS.) (Concluded from last Saturday.; It was a long walk l " the fair grounds, jujd Spud ambled lazily. resting under the dusty walnuts and keeping tile sorrel fresih ~od fit. At last the bunting and lings came in Bight. There came also .the cries of the lemonade spielers, a blether of sheep, a bull's jrrnmbiLnff. and a hum of many voices. ; .pud ciius<' ii back «ay and tied up at an Ir.ik-sli.-i'ied roodUoum , to set Dul» into the best possible condition. leather worried, lie ast about fur a ruse to distract the jiid u - s' mention, s'.iould the horse's state lecoine so apparent as to endanger lib getting ti. There »as .i sudden straii'ge waisiling (liitier in lii.-i ear. Startled, he stared up iii;o the oak. then under the horse trough. It came again — behind him; a little old man monkey was chained to the fence, mechanically scratching his furry belly, like a toy taut has run down, his alert, squint eyes on Spud. •• Whin's his handle?" the boy atked of the »-nite-.i| > '" n "'l saloon keeper. ■■ Darwin." ■• Wan; ter reut'm2" •'Whn.t for?" -Mascot." ••Sure.'' SpuJ tied a red bandanna round Darwin's Beet and. standing on the trough, set him ou I'ubs's back. It worked. The squirming mass of straw hats parts''! I,) make way, and a wave of laughter followed the monkey's efforts to disentangle himself fr.Mii ilie bandanna hnndkerc-bitif and tuy mi I In , horse at the same time. The judges looked the outfit over and accepted It wJtliou: I'lose iußpectlon as a gw>j JLike. They saw exactly what it was: a farmer's lior out for a lark. wit_i moJiey to spend ;li:il was us good as the next person's. If hp want»d to enter his plug and could pay for the pleasure, why. cuter away. Spud's heart, shivering in his shirt, gave a bound of pleasure. lie put his hand down after the 00 dollars swallowed. He felt again. He tried another pocket, then another. A coldness started back of bis jaws and raced like cracked ice and lightning down his spine to the tips of his toes and bock again. The perspiration burst out cold, then hot, all over him. Another harried round of the pockets, standing up in the sulky, while the crowd gave way to laughter at hie discomfiture. The truth hit llm like a blow: his money was gone! " Well, come on," ordered the judge; " cough up!" " Whiu time's 6is event?" asked Spnd, his voice trembling. '• ThTee o'clock." " See yuh later." And he drove off. He unhooked Dubs and put him up. It was lunch-time,, and people were opening shoe-boxes and paper bags of eggs and sandwiches, and boiling coffee over little fires. It enrolled good to Spud, but he only ran here and there along the way he had come, like a terrier tracking his master. It was gone, all right. He must find Tony. But where? He searched the paddock and grand BLaud—no Tony. What couW he do? Tup sweat poured from his r.'oe. The sens? of his loss made him sick, like too dpep an inhale from a cigarette. W3i:it would rue fellers say? What would become of the distinction he hud earned and enjoyed during the pn.»t ten days? Some of the jockeys were too big to lick, and they would all guy him. big and little. They'd want tTTelr innney back, which was worse. And the Beautiful I^ndy— what of hers? — all that "con" talk about his mother. lie wouldn't be able to stand it; he'd have to Jose his new job—the best he had ever had. They wouldn't believe him, might have him arrested! " Holy Crimenny!" he cried in agony. clenching his fists. " Whut de hell am I goin' t' do!" With staring eyes, he wandered hither and thither, smearing his dirty hand over his streaming face and wiping the palm of it on his jumper. He asked the time of every third man he met. and with the passIng of the hopeless minutes, his step quickcued, until every now and then he broke into a run. Once he caught a glimpse of Dubs, his bead in an empty manger, and of Parwin. who had torn the red bandanna into rilibons. He hated them both. Suddenly he stopped. The monkey, a farmer's wife dodging the smoke over a coffeepot, four men playing horseshoes for money, and a game he had seen in the window of a toy store down .the road, rushed together in his mind like a chemical reaction—and an Idea was born. Instantly his nerve steadied. lie cooled off. Even though he raced at the top of his- speed for the toy store, his breath was regular again, and the hot air felt as good as a swim. He whinnied over the fence, entered the store, and bought the game— game of lotto—with some of the money left from the ten dollars ■Mr Haverly had given him. Then he scooted back to the fair grounds and into the thick of the wagons, where he opened an entertainment with Darwin playing the juvenile lead, his "props" a new tin coffeepot and the game of lotto. He begun by singing: " EfT yuh haven't got no money, why yuh needn't kum arotin'!" The monkey himself was a drawing card, and when the picnickers understood that they were invited, file crowd which collected suggested an accident or a fight. From all over the fair grounds others came running. They elbowed and crushed forward to such an extent, In the effort to see what had happened, that they threatened to put the fbf.tv out of business. Always from the Interior of the circle came the shrill, tuneful injunction in ragtime: " ECT yuh haven't got no money, why yuh needn't kum uroun'!" The song stopped, and a monologue began:— "He Toa't hurt yuh. gents. Perfeckly tame eats right off her ban'— yer leg! Before we bcstln, gents. I jus , like f menfihiu dat dis game is conducted on honest principles. Now, I have in dis hand what Cher see before yuh—e-eleven cards. Tuh kin h-v 'em for tyou bits apiece. Mr Darwin will l'D. kinely accommerd-ate us by citracUn' a number from di; solid silver coffeepot whut cher see stan'in' on de velvety green before yuh. an' d' gent whut baa tie correspoudin' card—are yuh all vex'? — wins tyou dollars— Now. who'll take de first? Tyou bits apiece—tax of a shave, shine, an' a hair-trim." Five bu'k nickels. Thank yuh. sir! Nex': Ilyere!—dat's plugged! Slip us some o' d" real Bryan! Nei"; One at a time, pleas?. One at a time. I say! Vuh got all day!" On eve.y round Spud realised 73 cents. Before long his pockets were bulging with silver "Cheese it!" warned somebody from the outer circumference of the game, and dropped lib card like a hot waffle. A speclai officer push''d through 'he crt!W'J. pounced upon Spud, and drasjeed him away !.y the ear for gambling without ii HrPi.se. He landed Spurt .'mil his monk.v accomplice heMnd the !--ir- of Ihc box-car Jail, and left him to Ms reflections. Spud wnied only till the officer had d:--ippeared, then began a rlefr. hasty pxamlnnSon of Jits prison. Every bar was tried Bickly, with nil the force of his body; bat «*4>

all were firm. So hot were they on tie sunny side of the car that they burned Wβ hands. The paddock was out of reach. He I glanced round: not a stone nor an Imple- ; inert of any kind. Springing, he caught the windows, one after another; they, too, were fitted with immovable iron bars. liich failure whipped his nerves to a 'higher pitch of excitement, until, as Ms helplessness was at last forced clearly into his mind, he lost his head and, running the width of the car, threw his side against the implacable gratings of the door. Again and again, like a wild bird in a cage, he hurled himself upon the (jqunre of daylight, and each time it I felled him like a blow. ! To make his tenure more maddening, the J festivities began. Between freight cars he caught glimpses of the procession; the giant i drum-major, his baton shooting sparks as it i whirled in the suullsht: the huge, pranci ing, dapple grey stallions, a man at each ljt-ad: the cream-coloured Ihills with copper rings in their noses: the black and white mi!<-h cows, their teats like the legs of a milking-stool, jetting milk as their swollen udders swung from side to side: the float of wheat sheaves, presided over by a queen In yellow hair and a gold crown. Immediately after, the first race was called. His race was next—and here he was, a prisoner; the ■JO odd dollars he had made lay in his pocket, j Just then—footsteps. " Spud!" Tony's voice! The padlock snapped, the door opened, aud the monkey, escaping. leap"d to the officer's shoulder, where he perched, staring wildly back at Spud and indulging in a flow of jungle talk that was positively uncanny. " Spud. I bailed you out. Come quick, or you won't get that horse entered." Tony pulled him out of the car, and they started off on the run. •Tony!" The boy paused, trembling. "I tied de arty up in my handkerchief, but I lost it!" " Ixist it! Well, you're a !" " Don't roll de kids. Here's summore I made. fiee, lonk at mc shake! — wors'n a j dope fiend! Tony, please dean' tell do bunch!" He kept shovelling out the silver —nickels, quarters, half-dollars and whole. Tony's eyes set in his head like marbles. " How much have you got -there?" "Twenty-seven and a quarter. Stake mo fer de rest! Please, Tony!" " Of course, I'll stake you," said the frood-natured trainer, hugging the boy to his side and cackling softly. " Tony, . yer a prince! I alluz said so. Kutn-mon, help mc put the harness on , Dubs: I can't reach 'mi"' He led the way to Dubs's stall, stooping to snatch up a sandwich which someone had thrown away and cramming it into his mouth as he ran; took a pull at a water faucet, and mopped his face on his arm, while Tony put the sorrel Into the shafts. " Kid." said the trainer, helping him into the sulky and shaking hands, " you're a wonder. Listen. There are nine starters, and a 500-dollar purse. If you can wiu this race. I'll see that you're all to the good with Haverly. Sow go out and work." When Dubs entered the speedway, driven by a wee bine starfish, a ripple of laughter waved over the grand stand. and applause crackled like musketry. The bookmakers had started the odds at 20 to 1, but the appearance of the horse on the track spread his name like fire from lip to lip, and the betting on so dejected an object dwindled until the bookies were obliged to lower the price. As Spud passed the paddock, he could see them standing waist deep in the sea of otraw hats, their heads bare, offering thenewcomer at a fabulous figure. " Dubs, SI) to 1! Here you are, gentlemen. 50 to I shot!" Cheering greeted the arrival of the fay- ; ourite and other contestants. They formed a splendid spectacle and a formidable array of talent. Among them Dubs walked like a cart horse. Only, when rapid hoof-bents thudded alongside, he would cock his ears, and lose an inch or two in height, his shag- ! gy rump shrinking suddenly into the breechI Ing. Once he got away from .the boy—and I the odds changed to HO. But soon he was i quieted and dropped back into his dirge-like • stride. This wag sndicient, however, to j awaken a more Lively interest in Dubs, and i -men kept calling from the fence: I " r.et him out, kid! -Give him his head!" i The pong sounded, and from various ■ points along the pt"re?tch the ofher drivers. I who had been warming up with exhibitions ! of speed, turned and paced leisurely toward* i him. Spud's nerves began to tingle, and he took a firmer grip on the checks. They wheeled, formed a platoon, and began to drive. With practiced eye, the boy saw that they would never cross the wire together, for one or two of the animals balked at the start, so he dropped behind to save his horse and avoid- entanglements with the judges or bookmakers. Again they started, again flunked. For 15 or 20 minutes they wore their horses out in this foolish effort to obtain the advantage of an uneven start, but the man with the flag held them as tenaciously as a professional starrer, and it was with satisfaction that Spnd saw the soapsuds start from under the harness of his opponents, while Dubs was as cool as a cucumber. The judges commenced to fine, and that fixed the over-anxious farmerdrivers. Again the platoon wheeled, and this time they started flank to flank. The ground trembled with the thud of 40 hoofs. They crossed the wire. The flag dropped. "They're off!" A cheer from the grand stand. Spud heard it dimly. lie was a unit in the moving mass. The punge.at smell of sweat and wet leather, Hie stertorous blowing of the horses, the frightful thunder of their hoofs, the tension on his arms, the fierce, hot blast of the wind in his face, the harsh voices of the men urging with whip and rein, the hail of gravel and dust from the hoofs, sanT: into his senses, swept them of all fear, and !e£t him vibrating with the fierce frenzy of conquest, cruel and determined, his eyes mad, his mouth like a tisrht--aeaied war. The forrel, loosed at last, was transflKured. The memory of old victories returned to lend him youth and valour. His horse soul awoke once more to honour the long line of speedy progenitors from whom he sprang. And honour them he did. lie seemed to i know that this was hi 3 Jast race. Nose I out, ears back, eyes unblinking In a crescent of red, his hoofs swinging with the rhythm of steel drive wheels, he held the bunch of youngsters, some of them ten years his I junior, with a grim persistence that made his boy driver moan with pleasure. As far as .the curve in the oval they clung together. That reached, they straightened Into a string led by the favourite. She was young and limber. The sun gleamed on her nek and Gunks like burnished copper; the IV.-.L of her swinging body was black velvet, with snow where the harness touched. I Easily pup widened the gap between her ! driver's burst suspenders and the outI stretched muzzle of the horse following. Dubs was ninth. Suddenly, toward the middle of the string, a roan horse went down with sunj strokP. A knot formed, the horse next heap- ; ing on top, and the nest. There was a ' tangle of horses, humanity, and wrecked i steelwork: a kicking. cursing. groaning nuiirle in a cloud of dust like an explosion. ! With ail bis strength Spnd pulled lip »■■.-■ ■ rel in I In- oaicr edge of the course and sped . i,y. crazing the twirling wheel of an up- '' tjrneil spider, and , hugged straight ba<"k to Ihe fence —sixth. j Hi- co'ildn'r swallow, Hi" arms began to i wilt. But he gritted his teeth and hung J his -weight took from the lines, j*otlne.

So great was the tension a* which boUx mind and body were working, however, that the fright wore away almost as quickly as it had come; and the stronger impulse or battle, conpled with the exhilaration of partial victory, tightened his muscle?. The quarter was readied. Five men to beat. " Hurry tip, there!" yelled Spud, the imp in him finding voice. " Walk up his back. Dubs!" Bite off his elbow!" Tie driver turned, and his horse broke. " Back to de woods!" Jeered Spud, as he whirled by. With an oath, the driver cut viciously at the boy and missed- " Never touched mc!" jeered Spud. *Hayseed!" norse number four was Likewise overhauled. Dabs wore like an engine, his neck rigid, his scantily-clad rat tall protruding from under the boy's anil. His shaggy hair book on a deeper brown from; the sweat that foamed under the reins. lie might bnvo just forded a river, he was so wet. Even the stump of tail glistened with trickles of moisture, and the soaking proce*.-. which left his coat like sealskin, allowed the play of the full-netted muscle-s u> show under the skin. He was rejuvenated, and looked, every inch of him, the predestined racer hi? was, with an air of assurance and determination that bespoke breeding and almost conscious superiority. In him was no uncertainty. Childish things, like going ofT his feet, lie had long since put aside. There were r.n frill* on his method 1 of racing. It was the sober old warrior fighting with a minimum expenditure of energy, unexcitable, deadly true in his reach, and a gentleman always. Horse number four was cosy. Spud grinned. From the grand stand, faintly but prolonged: '• Dubs'. Dubs!" •• Dubs, if yuh'll only fret near enough to dat black mare fer mc t'holer, I'll bury yuh. will a bras:* band! Oh, let out jes - a little link more! Jes , a little lank!" The fence jigged by like a ktnetoscope. The boy spared the whip, though his hand ached to use it. lie urged soothingly. He pleaded. He squeezed the stump tall uni der his arm. like the reservoir of a bagI pipe. lie fastened Ills eyes on the backs ! of the next men: he saw the tip of a hand--1 kerchief in the hip pocket of one. the other's hair, like a frayed, rat-eaten griiin .sack. A flying pebble closed his eye. Dubs waded through the hall of gravel Hbe a cavalry horse through bullets, the boy ducktag his head und peering with one eye from under his hat brim, the other smarting with tears. A Ileck of spume stung bis face like J a spit-ball. Ho pulled out, trying to pass i Ihe pair in front, they going wheel to wheel. I But pass them he could not. The gilt disk at the three-quarters shot by with the flash of a mirror. They reached the turn together. Dubs dropped behind. Spud could bear it no longer. lie threw mercy to the wind, and laid the whip J smartly across the sorrel's flanks. The result almost keeled him backward out of the sulky. His hat blew off. Dubs sank his belly 10 the ground and began to skim. ■• How kin I bear f leave yuh!" shri!le:l Spud, catching his breath, and not daring to take his eyes from the frantic machine he was driving. A dull roar from the hill I of fa'.-e.s which was the grand stand greeted I him as he bested numbers two and three. I A straightaway now to the wire. Only ! one horse to beatbut she was the favourite. Her four bright shoes swinging like double pendulums glittered ahead of them with exasperating case and swiftness. The driver was confident. InshJe the fence a long line of farm wagons, buckboards. ami covered buggies was bustling with people shifting their positions for a better view. They were str. tiding on scats and clinging to one another. They were cheering and waving their hats. Fur down the stretch the judges ia their towelwere watching through field-glasses. The favourite was only a dozeu yards to the good. They reached the first of the vehicles, r.iirl Spud heard the cheering, distant as through a dream. His mind fastened like a leech upon the black mare in front. He urged and whined and chirped over Dnbs's romp in agonised intensity. He Kept his eyes on the favourite's driver. All the venom in hie stunted vagabond body was focussed on that back. He heard file man talking in a low, quieting voice to the nervous mare. •• He's afraid to whip!" fh might Spud. " I'll make 'mi! Dubs! Dubs'." Old Ironsides stood the punishment, exerting himself now to the utmost. lie did not shrink nor dodge. He had been trained to pace. Dam and sire for many generations had combined with the infinite carp of owners to produce that perfect steadiness of gait which no amount of besting could now divert into the speedier escape of the gallon. Had he once left the ground, his last race would have raided in failure, .and this he seemed to appreciate better than the reckless lad' who gave him the lines and plied the conxer. lie couldn't make it. The younger horse bad the more reserve. Spud went wild. He sucked his lips, wet them quickly with his tongue, and took a long breath. " Ili-yi-yi Whoop-la! Ice-waggon! Shove on her tail! Change feet! Move over, yon tangle-foot, an' gimme some room! Whewah!" His newsboy's shriek ended in a prolonged screeching whistle. It scored. Instantly the black mare, flecked with snow, sprang Into the air—and broke, her driver trying to saw the pallop out of her gait. But Spud -was alongside. He rose in the sulky mid, yelling with redoubted fury, snapped his whalebone over the sorrel's ears. The black mare, driven without blinders, thought the blow was for her. She made a wild jump for the fence, sending * the near spectators tumbling to the ground. '• Go it. Dubs!" yelled Spud, Us eyes bulging. " f>o it, yon old son of a seacook!" The favourite was now behind, but coming fast. The grand stand lost its head an* churned down like a waterfall, spreading over the paddock and along the fence as against a dike. It seemed to have a million arm? beckoning the favourite to come in. ■■ I>ndy May! Lady May!" . •• Dubs, fer the love of God!" begged the wee blue starfish. And then instinct did what whip could not. It required the palpable presence of this horse behind him to shako the Inst kinks of old age out of Dnbs'g legs. The nearer she came, the faster he went. And. when he heard her breath and felt it beside his, the instinct to go where she was going and to get there first, his Law of surflval, rejuvenated Ills dying energies. five yards more. " I told yuh! I told yuh! I told yuh!" reiterated the frenzied Spud, whipping. "Beat to a custard, you freckled-face squasbcatpr! Dubs, we got 'em! We gni •em! Now! All-h-h—! We done ■;■.: I'icface! Sjiluarh!" • The giing sounded. Spud was whisked under the wire like a charging Indian, foaming with exulting taunts of victory. And Dubs won the first race for pacers. -Time: 2miu 14 i-f.seo. The boy dropped his whip and tried to ease up the- pacer, lie might as well have t:igg(\l at a .stone wall. He threw his weight ngniiist tin , sorrel's mouth without budging the rigid neck and hetu'. Old Ir--:i-sides had L-.ce ■speed blind. •■ It's over!" cried the boy. ■• I'iu:i"i cher hear de gong-" Dim Hubs heard nothing. On and .- n h-? went in ;ho killing heat of the aflPrunn.l. Like a trained fighter who could i..-> quit, nor foul as long as life lasted, ho continued racing as- though, the favourite were still be-

aide him. The others gave them the track. Spad new was silent and frightened. Twomiles— A throng poured Into the stretch In the effort to stop them, flagging the eorrel with their coats as he came. He scattered the bnnoh like rabbits, would hare trampled them under foot but, just as he crossed the wire on the fourth mile, something in the wonderful mechanism of the old racer snapped and he went down as though shot, ploughed through the duet, end lay still, while the limp, helpless driver was pitched headforemost out of the sulky. The panting, sweat-soaked flanks, corded with whip curs, ceased palpitating- Only the muscles of the legs quivered. Old ironsides trad gone out in victory and bononr to Join his illustrious forefathers in the laud beyond the turf. That night, after the supper of lamb curry and beans, at which. as may be Imagined. Spud, his victory sobered by the sorrel'e death, was guest of honour, Tony informed the boy that Mrs Haverly wished to see him. In 'the -half light of the caudles, the profusion of luxury in the villa bewildered him. The Beautiful Lady sat at the piano, a wolf-hound stretched on the bear skin at her feet. Mr Haverly, too, was there, reading. " Well. Spud," be said, quieting the dog, " Tony has told mc of your exploit with the old sorrel. Of course, I'm glad you've won —I'm proud of you: but I don't want you ever to play a trick of that kind again while you are in my employ. Don't you see what a position it pla-ces mc in with the I farmers?" '" Yossir." Spud hung his head, one hand on the gold pieces in his pocket. " I don't -think he'll do it agifin," said the Beautiful Lady, drawing him her. " And, Spud —where did you say your mother lived? 1 had Mr Huverly's man hunt for Haggerty's saloon, but he couldn't find It. I hoped we could do something for your I mother." The boy looked up. frightened. A poignant something had begun to pain and suffocate him. It was strange and disroncertj ing. He shut his teeth, but. in spite of his i effort to restrain them, the hot, exasperating tears pricked through his eyes, and, to complete his humiliation, before Tie knew it, he was crying like a " skirt." lie didn't know why this was. except that he had "done" someone he liked, someone who had been kind to him nod helped Mm out. " Lady," he explained, the teals choking him, " I didn't mean V kid yuh. I ain't got no mudder. I "was only workiu' on yer sympatees. But I'll pay yuh back, lady, 111 pay you forty dollars: ilat's double!" The Beautiful Lady and Mr Ilaverly exchanged glances. Her lips twitched, and he became absorbed in the evening paper. " Thank you. Spud," she said gravely; "the twenty will do." Thus ended the greatest day of Spud's young life; he had become a hero, made more money than he could count without pencil and paper, and discovered within himself a strange sort of pain commonly called conscience.