" The Cat's ' First Steeplechase 



Really it was a race between youths and mere boys ; 

 between full-sized horses and ponies. Still, as out larking we 

 had always been able to negotiate every fence our elders and 

 their horses had cleared, we were undaunted, and believed 

 that if we could not win we could at least put up a very 

 good show. The two weeks passed at last, and the fateful day 

 dawned. 



It was a lovely January morning, on a Tuesday and con- 

 sequently non-hunting day, for nothing could have induced us 

 to fix the race for a day on which it would have been possible 

 to go out hunting. Needless to say, amongst our other pre- 

 parations, each day had seen the two ponies thoroughly well 

 schooled, either over the fences, later on to become the race- 

 course obstacles, or over some other part of our well-known 

 skylarking grounds. 



My two brothers' mounts were, in consequence, in perfect 

 condition, and I suppose never had owners, even professional 

 trainers of racehorses, all the world over, regarded the feeding, 

 exercising and health of their animals more anxiously than we 

 had done. In this we were ably seconded by our head groom, 

 " Jimmy " Marfleet, the successor of " Tommy " Rickalls, to 

 whom any prowess we or our steeds exhibited in the hunting 

 field, or elsewhere, was a matter of infinite delight. 



Seeing that we three children, and those whom we led 

 astray, practically provided the whole village of Limber with 

 amusement and wonder over our escapades, it is not surprising 

 that there was quite an imposing muster of the natives in the 

 winning field, anxiously waiting to see the finish. 



"Just ye think, now, that tha' young Squire Richardson 

 (so my eldest brother was called) and Mr. Maunsell was agoing 

 to race over fences agin Maister George Nelson and Maister 

 George Marris ! " 



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