In Racing Silk.

Tuapeka Times, Volume XLV, Issue 6220, 12 December 1914, Page 4

In Racing Silk.

BY GEfRALD R. BALDWIN

A Thrilling Tale of the Turf. ONE OF THE BEST AUSTRALIAN STORIES PUBLISHED.

CHAPTER Xlll.—Continued He left the two girls together, and there began between them a life-long friendship. While they sat together talking, Whitton hurried to a chemist's shop, and procured a harmless powder, chiefly sugar. 'Will you substitute this harmless powder for the one now in your sister's possession,' he asked. 'I will guaranteee it as perfectly innocuous.' 'What will my sister do when ■uy father learns that she has failed?' she asked.

'On Cup _Day you and she had better return here. Miss Butler will treat you as guests until I have had an interview with your father. After that you may stay here or return with confidence to your home,' he answered. That night Jean Ross abstracted Ben Levy's powder from her sister's purse, where she had placed it, substituting for it the powdered sugar provided by Whitton. She slept peacefully, secure in the confidence she had in Whitton. That he should fail to protect herself and Moua seemed an absurdity to the girl. Fred Lee duly won the Moonee Valley Cup on Lady Lavender, and the Melbourne Stakes on Cato. That year is still remembered in racing circles as the 'Corrumbeet' season. During thai period Eddy Harvey earned the

title of 'Lucky Harvey,' a term that clung to him not only on the turf, but in the other and more serious affairs of life. Fred Lee, too, rose at one bound from obscurity to eminence. He could select his own mounts, and demand what he wished for riding. In this way the year was memorable in Clayton. Never before had so many valuable races been won by horses bred and trained in the district; never previously had a Clayton lad taken a leading place as a jockey. Naturally, Cato became a strong favourite for the Cup. The Derby winner was but a moderate colt, and very few knew of the excellence of Legislator. It was not to his owner's interest to boom the horse. His purpose was to run for the bookmakers. He was trained quietly in a comparatively unknown 'stable, and neglected by the general public. To back a horse from Legislator's stable was to run the risk of burning one's fingers. Fred Lee was in the very best

ji spirits on the evening when he •vent to meet Mona Koss. The Doy was always susceptible to Jcanty, while he regarded the jirl's light banter as amusing and jlever. She was older than he,' nit that made her the more fasiiuating in his eyes. He was at ■hat transitional period of life jeUvcen boyhood and manhood vhen the boy desires to appear i man and to ape the manners of idults. For these reasons he vent to kis appointment filled vith pleasurable anticipations. Mona's maimer was very de•ressing to the boy. She was ibout to do something that was uost repugnant to her. She felt hat she was playing a dishonest mrt in acting as a decoy to lure ■uis iad to rum. Having this in ler mind, she was silent and disrait, short in her answers, alnost disagreeable to the boy. He iad gone to meet her filled with H'ight expectations, but in her ■oeiety he slowly became more uid more dissatisfied, until he had lot a word to throw at a dog. In this mutually depressed .'rame of mind the two sat down -o supper after their visit to the -heatrc. Mona naturally offered -o pour out the boy's tea, and in ioing so managed to introduce ;he powder surreptitiously into lis cup. He drank it without protest, while the girl watched him. .11 terror, expecting him momentarily to fall into a profound stumor. To her relief and surprise, tic gave signs of no ill-effects, and, the tension being thus relieved, she became once more as

bright and daring as usual. Fred Lee was delighted at the transition, and he brightened up in response. In this way a sombre evening ended in light-hearted merriment. But Mona passed a restless, wakeful night; her short snatches of sleep were broken by dreams ill which she conceived all sorts of dread mischances in which she and Fred Lee figured. She arose from her bed on Cup Day unrefreshed, and still tormented by anticipations of evil-. As a general rule this was to her the gala day of the whole year, but this Cup Day she paid little attention to her appearance—a most remarkable thing for Mona Ross ! to do. Only one thing consoled her, and that Was JeanVtather 'cryp- ■ Ifc erMrk'as'sh'e assisted'her' to arrangeiief hair. 'You need not.be.afraidi'Mbna. I have made it-all right!', 'What 'do 1 you nfean?'*asked 'Mbiia.,'lwill'te'LL you. when we'are alone on the^couTae.'

CHAPTER XIV. THERE IS MANY A SLIP. Everybody knows tlie story of how Cato won the Cup, and, as j.-i 1 in: custom in human and equine affairs, the winner received all the credit for his victory. But there was a better horse than Cato in the large field behind him. It was.merely a chapter of accidents, that streak of what we term luck, that accounted for the success of the 'Corrumbeet' champion. If this or that had happened, we have all heard the remark frequently and smiled at it, Legislator would have won the race; but Ben Levy was so certain of victory that he failed to eliminate the 'ifs' and thereby came to grief. The bookmaker was firmly convinced that Fred Lee had been placed hors de combat for the day. He imagined the lad as sleeping heavily, an unwakcablc drug sleep. He knew that all the other reliable jockeys were engaged, leaving only the incapable and unreliable as possible riders for the favourite. For his own horse he secured the services of a clever lightweight, who, however, was at a disadvantage from a lack of strength in a close fin-

ish. But, even with that drawback, Legislator must have possessed a great chance of absolute victory in the race had not the bookmaker been carried away by his own cunning. Who it was that backed Legislator, and how the stable secret leaked out, was never completely cleared up; with Ben Levy, I suspect that the horse's trainer foresaw an opportunity of feathering his own nest. In the result he lost that nest; for, when the horse was backed so heavily as to advance to a position among the leading favourites, Ben Levy decided that Legislator should not win. He took the lightweight from the horse, and substituted a boy, whose customary purpose in life was to stop his mounts from winning; the lightweight he placed on an inferior horse's back, good enough to win if Cato and Legislator failed to give their best running. On the morning of the race Ben Levy learned that a stable boy was to ride Cato in the absence

of Fred Lee. The rumour caused the 'Commibeet' horse to recede from a position of first favourite to liberal odds. But Bon Levy was not perfectly satisfied until he had, by means of an intermediary, negotiated with Cato's rider to lose the race. After this had been done the bookmaker went to Fleming-ton, and took his accustomed place in the ring with a self-satisfied grin on his face. There tfere many whispered conversations, many winks and nods exchanged with colleagues and subordinates, the result of which was a sustained attack upon Cato. But, to the amusement and surprise of Ben Levy, the 'Corrumbeet' stable replied to this fusillade with a heavy volley. In other words, the odds against Cato were accepted as fast as they were laid. Indeed, so keen was the excitement over the Cup that the races preceding it were almost forgotten. j

Itiddy Harvey had been delayed at 'Corrumbeet' by the sickness of a horse. He only started for Melbourne by the excursion train which left Clayton on the night before the Cup, and landed the passengers at Spencer street station on the morning of the race. But he had been told of the events preceding the Cup, and was neither surprised nor perturbed to read of the disquieting reports about his horse. •To the anxious inquiries of his friends eager to, hear from his own lips the truth about Cato, he answered: 'Cato was never better, and I believe he will win.' This reply satisfied many a perturbed punter who had risked his money on the 'Corrumbeet' horse. But Eddy Harvey was ignorant of the fact that the most important thing, for which lie believed he was playing, was already playing, was lost to him. Father 'Malum had not the heart to tell him; he considered it wiser to allow Eddy to learn the news for himself. It was with a feeling of nervous excitement, akin to that of one who stakes his all on the cast of the dice, that Eddy 1 Harvey travelled to Melbourne. He could not sleep, but there were others in the same predicament as he, and they did their best to shorten the long train journey by means of bridge. Nevertheless, Eddy Harvey was delighted to arrive at Spencer street and find Whitton waiting for him. ' How is the horse?' he asked, as he gra'sped Whitton's 'hand. 'Superb! Giles will not hear of defeat.' 'And Fred Lee?' 'Hush!' Whittoii took his friend on one side. 'Fred Lee is dead to the outside world. I have arranged'with the stewards

that he shall weigh out at the last moment. Then, just as the horses are filing out, after Legislator is out, as a matter of fact, we produce Fred Lee as a coup de theatre. I have been doing a little detective work, and I find that Legislator belongs to Ben Levy, and that he is a top-notcher. Ben had intended him to win, but someone discovered the secret of the horse's excellence, and backed him. This so annoyed Ben that he has arranged to run the horse quite dead, believing that. Cato is harmless. What J intend to do is to smuggle Fred Lee in, a thing easily done in a Cup crowd, and to allow Legislator to go out before I produce ihe boy. Ben Levy will be prevented from communicating with his horse's rider, and in this way Cato will be saved a formidable opponent. I intend to be near Ben Levy when he hears Unit Fred Lee is riding Cato. 1 would not miss it for the world.'

They had breakfast together, and met Eileen Butler at Prince's Bridge. In her mo lor they were driven out to Klemlngtou. 'Where is Bessie Jismonde?' was Eddy Harvey's first question. 'You are a very impatient man, Mr Harvey. .1 have not seen Bessie for some clays, but you i believe, find her at KemingUm. ji' not, you can go lo lli<' George, where she is staying with her parents. Id the meantime, you must contflit yourself Mill' less perfect beings as we are.' Eddy I-larvcy concealed his disappointment under a smile. 'I consider myself verv fortunate,' he replied.

'Then please cheer up and a! low us to recognise the feet. Today you will he one oi: three heroes—the least oi' three, but a hero. After the race we shall talk ami read, about (Jato, Fred Lee, and the lucky Mr llaney. Vim'miis! .•■■'rnrself to satisfy !' . mam-eim-its ■-■ a seli'-.,a:isi'h d smile and an .ibsolutc sang frcid. as if you were accustomed to win a- Melbourne Gup every moiiiinv before breakfast. ll' your hand trembles, if you e:ive way to one exclamation of disgust' or delight, your reputation is lost.' •Safely arrived at Giominglon, Mdy Harvey hastened io find ''ato. A small crowd, already collected beside !he horse's stall, attraeted him to where Giles stood on guard beside the favourite. Beside him was Monlo Chris to, whose purpose it was to make a pace in Ihe Cup; b U [. to him Eddy Harvey gave no heed; all his attention was riveted on'(lnto.

'He is a eredi! to you, Giles,' he said. 'I have never seen ihe 'horse in such perfect condition. lie's a mass of muscle and as bright as a piece chipped off the sun.' 'lie will run fee race of his life to-day,' replied Giles. 'And of mine, loo.' He laid his hand on the horse's neck and whispered: 'Race like the devil, old man! There's mon than money dependiuir on this" fiileon Butler had follower more sedately with the Raymonds, while Whitton was busy in the ring accepting bets that the bookmakers were only tote willing to offer.

'Wliat were you whispering to the horse?' Hiiecn Butler asked Jiuuy llarvey, as lie kit the stall. His face reddened through iis customary tan, but he gave her no answer, can guess, and 1 wish you luck, Mr Harvey. J would help you if i could.' 'Thank you; i know that well. Have you seen her yet?' 'Ten thousand hers, ana yei not her. It is not an easy tiling to hud the one woman at Flemmgton.' '1 expected to find lier near Cato.' 'Probably she is waiting for your escort. Go and find her.' He went on a search lor Bessie Esmonde that became more and more hopeless. Nowhere could he see the girl. It was only when it became necessary to prepare Ualo for the great race that he relinquished his quest. The paddock was crowded with men and women—a well-dressed, chattering crowd, jostling one another, and only avoiding tne horses' heels by a special dispensation of Providence. They clustered around the favourites' stalls; beside Cato's they stood five deep.

By dint of elbowing and pushing relentlessly Eddy Harvey gained a place beside Giles, and there he stayed until the time came to send the candidates out. Others had already left the paddock, among them Legislator. The stable boy was beside the horse, perpared to mount, when a murmur broke from the onlookers as Fred Lee squeezed himself in between them, and, to the stable boy's surprise and horror, stood dressed and ready to ride Cato. The crowd increased tenfold, and, when jockey and horse moved out, a burst of applause greeted them. The rumour that Pred Lee was too ill to ride was widespread, and seeing him present and in the best of condition gladdened many a backer's heart.

Whitton was standing near Ben Levy, when a man hurried up and whispered to the bookmaker. With an oath he handed his bag to a clerk, and was about to rush madly away when Whitton seized his arm. 'Anything more to lay against Cato?' he asked. Ben Levy gnashed his teeth with fury and impatience. He must speak to Legislator's rider before it was too late. 'Not a penny!' he growled, trying to shake himself free.. 'I am ready to back him, at any price.'

'My books's full, and lamin a hurry!' He tore his arm loose from Whitton's clutch, and started towards the course. But others hindered him as he went. Now a man spoke a few words to him; a moment later a knot of three or four obstructed him; when he reached the rails ~ the field was Preparing to start, and he was too late. Turning away, he marched towards the stand. The lii'st faces he saw were those of Mona and Jean Boss. The look he directed towards them was uol pleasant. '1 will make it hot for you!' he growled as he turned to watch tlie race.

The race was a hurrying, scurrying scrimmage from end to end. At first Monte Christo raced in front, then he became one of a bunch of horses all racing at full speed to make the pace a record. And a record it proved from first to last. To Fred Lee, looking back and trying to recall incidents for the benefit of a reporter, it was a strange blurred dream. Now he was riding fifth or sixth, holding Cato steadily in hand; a moment later another horse lurched against him and lie fell back. But he was never far from the front, and when they rounded the turn for home the favourite was full of running, but shut in with a horse on the outside of him and two in front. Then the leaders swung apart for one brief second, to close the gap again immediately, but just too late.

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