83 



on the others, but it did not amount to much, and the penni- 

 less bookmaker realized that he was in a serious predica- 

 ment. He knew his horse could run all over the others in 

 the race, and he called his jockey to him. 



" If you win this race," he said, " I will not be able to 

 pay off, and these fellows will lynch both of us. If they 

 catch you pulling, they will lynch you. Now, you must get 

 the worst of the start and do your best in a quiet way to 

 lose." 



" But if I see he can't help but win," pleaded the jockey. 



" Then fall off." 



" I might get killed that way, too," said the rider. 



" That don't make any difference," was the reply. " You 

 must lose." 



Our Flossie got off absolutely last, and the boy was 

 doing his best to keep her in that position, but she suddenly 

 got it into her head to make a run for it, and she did so. 

 Away she went after the leaders at lightning speed and was 

 fast gaining on them. The boy was praying for the safety of 

 his master, for he thought there was absolutely no chance 

 for him to lose. He pulled her gently, but she only ran the 

 faster. At every leap she was nearer to the tiring leader, 

 but she did not quite overtake him and lost by a head. 



" Boy," said one of the toughest of the steamboatmen, 

 "you made a good race, and if you had got off even you 

 would have won sure. Don't be discouraged. You'll win 

 some time." 



When I was out in Montana I heard a good story of In- 

 dian sagacity. Bob Smith, of Tennessee, had been going 

 every year to Milk River, on the upper Missouri, in the Dako- 

 tas, and winning the furs of an Indian chieftain named Cof- 

 fee. The latter was a natural born turfman, and had he been 

 living in the civilized part of the world he would have had 

 a string of some kind at least. He was as game as a pebble, 

 and for several years he permitted Smith to come up and win 

 his furs at horse racing. Smith would bring a good horse 

 with him, race the Indian, win his furs, and then sell him the 

 horse. The next year he would return with a better horse, 

 race against the one he had sold the previous year, and again 

 win the money. Finally the Indian began to get tired of 

 this sort of procedure. 



