Cleopatra 



have been glad to have let me ride him, but the 

 only other horse up to his, Rawdon's, weight had 

 developed a splint — and besides Cleopatra was a 

 more brilliant performer. I knew what that 

 meant — a brilliant performer. It meant that 

 Cleopatra, when she saw the first fence, would dig 

 her hind hoofs into the soil, throw up her head with 

 a snort, and when she got well going, about a mile 

 a minute, would take off anywhere from twenty to 

 forty feet in front of the fence, and if you came 

 down again together, everybody turned in the 

 saddle and congratulated you, and thanked heaven 

 it was you and not they. I had once ridden a 

 brilliant performer years ago, and for one reason 

 or another I would have preferred not to ride any 

 more geniuses of the horse world. 



Rawdon's house is a stone's throw from the 

 stable, and as we stepped upon the porch, pande- 

 monium broke forth from within. 



"Burglars wouldn't have much chance around 

 here, would they, John?" Rawdon said, looking 

 back at me as he put his key in the door. 



"Sure they'll know you?" I jested carelessly. 



"Oh, they'll know me all right; but John, I want 

 to tell you, don't pat Roysterer until he's got to 

 know you a few minutes. He's overzealous, you 

 know, about guarding the place, and doesn't make 

 nice distinctions." 



3d 



