240 TALES OF THE TURF. 



and Kit Curry, who was quite a ways behind, got scared 

 at the struggling horse lying on the track and refused to 

 go past until he got up and she could see what it was. I 

 thought sure she would be distanced, but she was not and 

 finished sixth, immediately behind Katharina, Jessie Bal- 

 lard winning the heat, while Richardson was distanced. 



In the second heat Kit made a break and finished last 

 but one, Katharina being close up to the leaders. Big 

 Fanny won this heat. 



Kyger came to me saying that the accident in the first 

 heat and the break in the second was only bad luck, and 

 wanted another trial, which I allowed him. 



The third heat was won by Globe. Katharina, who 

 came very fast through the stretch, was second and "right 

 at his necktie," while Kyger and Kit Curry finished abso- 

 lutely last. That ended Kyger's driving for that race. 



I went to Splan, explained the situation, and he 

 agreed to drive. He put an overcheck on the mare, 

 pulled her head up and started with a new whip (which, 

 by the way, he used quite freely) for the fourth heat. The 

 mare broke on the first turn, fell back some, then came on 

 and headed the field in the center of the home stretch, but 

 "The Sandpiper" here whistled the "Watch on the Rhine" 

 to Katharina and she came like a runaway horse, winning 

 the heat in spite of all Splan could do, assisted by the new 

 whip and that war whoop. The audience went wild, and 

 I — well, gravel was high-priced then and I didn't feel 

 half as much like a pickpocket as I had the Sunday I took 

 Katharina's entry and the Dutchman's money for the en- 

 trance fee — yet I was not real happy at that. 



A dose of sherry, plenty of whip, and the Commanche 

 yell landed Kit Curry an eyebrow in front of Katharina in 

 the fifth heat, the Dutchman claiming he would have won 



