AND OTHER SKETCHES 247 



THE WAY THEY FOUND IT. 



I ran across an old turf follower one evening who, for 

 convenience sake, we will call White, that being nearly 

 the opposite color of his name, and he fell to talking 

 about old times on the trotting turf. A friend of his 

 owned a very speedy horse, one that could reel off three 

 heats in .25 or better, and as the owner had no use for 

 the horse for some months, he offered him to the yamer 

 to campaign if he thought there was anything to be 

 made by it. 



The offer was accepted, and after a good deal of study- 

 ing where to go and what class to tackle, a certain town 

 was selected at which a two-day meeting was advertised 

 and the .45 class was the one decided upon for the raid. 

 The horse was dropped into the place quietly two days 

 before the race, and on the night before his controller 

 stepped into the pool-room to see how the betting opened 

 out. As soon as the auctioneer started he noticed an old- 

 timer who had driven more ringers than any other man 

 in the Eastern States, busy buying up all the tickets he 

 could get hold of on a horse called "Joker." There were 

 also two very slick veterans who were stacking up their 

 lucre on two other nags in the same race. After the box 

 closed. White, who knew the grizzled article that was 

 sticking so pertinaciously to Joker, followed him out to 

 the bam and the following was about the gist of the 

 interview : 



' ' I say, Pete, you are backing your horse pretty strong. 

 D'ye think you have got a patent on the race?" 



' ' Hello, White, is that you ? Well, I kinder reckon that 

 I'll take the stuff when the race is over." 



''Don't be too sure on that point, Pete. I don't want 

 to scoop you, but how fast do you expect to trot over this 

 stony and lumpy half-mile track?" 



