

THE WAGEE. 95 



In that country in those days such a threat meant 

 mischief, and out of the squire's mouth was no joke; he 

 had the reputation of being a " fighting man/' and, con- 

 sidering how his hand habitually shook, was an extra- 

 ordinary good shot. The stakes were consequently taken 

 charge of by a stakeholder, with a private arrangement 

 that, should old Double S. on the following day declare on 

 honour he had been too drunk to know what he had been 

 doing, they were to be returned; if not, it was a match 

 P. or P. 



But as there was general doubt as to this race coming 

 off at all, and as nobody wanted to lose their time by 

 attending a blank day, some other engagements were made 

 for the same date, to secure a certainty of sport on the 

 occasion. 



The following day, when spoken to on the subject, the 

 squire declared he was not drunk when he made the match 

 between his colt and Chieftain, that he never did get drunk, 

 that to do so was not a habit of his, that moderation in all 

 things was the rule of his life, and further, that had he been 

 drunk it made no difference; Simon S. sober would never 

 turn his back upon Simon S. tight. No ! he had always, 

 and under all circumstances, stuck to his word, and always 

 -should ; and then he made illustrative remarks not necessary 

 to repeat here. 



The universal opinion was that the old fellow would 

 sooner lose his money than give a chance for it to be said he 

 had " backwatered." Nevertheless there was some curiosity 

 evinced about the " sucking colt." It was a very promising 

 young thing the first foal by a horse of celebrity out of a 



