374 SPORTING STORIES 



for the pellet he picked up had " Doncaster " inscribed 

 upon it. 



Another famous dream horse was Blue Gown. The 

 following story was related to me by a sporting writer as a 

 personal experience : — " After that famous Derby was run, 

 I went off to finish the night at Cremorne. I had scarcely 

 passed through the gates when I met a pal, in the 

 commercial line, in very high spirits, who asked me to 

 come and have a drink. " I have just landed a thou over 

 Blue Gown," he said, " and it's the queerest start you ever 

 heard. I fancied Rosicrucian, and had a bit on him, when 

 I dreamt the funniest dream. You know I'm in the 

 hosiery line. Well, I was down at Manchester a few 

 weeks back, and one night I dreamt a lady came to me 

 and said : ' Mind, I shall require a blue gown to match 

 with the stockings you have given me.' Well, I never 

 take any notice of such things, and certainly I never 

 thought of connecting it with Hawley's horse : hang me if 

 two nights afterwards I didn't dream precisely the same 

 thing over again. I began to think it rather singular ; but 

 still the coincidence never dawned upon me, though I 

 actually dreamed it a third time. But it was now so very 

 extraordinary that I mentioned the circumstance to a 

 friend. " It's a tip for the Derby, as sure as you're alive," 

 he cried at once ; " lay on all you know, and I'll go in with 

 you." Then it seemed to come upon me all at once, and I 

 could not understand how I could have been such a fool as 

 not to see it before. I didn't lose a moment in putting on 

 Blue Gown every farthing I could scrape up, and this," 

 showing a role of bank-notes, " is the result." 



About the same time a man named Lowry, who had 

 been a tout to Henry Padwick, was lying dangerously ill, 

 bis life being despaired of. 



" Look here, my girl," he said to his wife one morning ; 

 "get together all the money you can and put it on Blue 

 Gown, for that's the Derby winner for this year. I 

 mightn't live to see it, but it's a dead certainty, as sure as 

 you are here." 



" La, Jim, what makes you think that ? " inquired the 

 wife. 



