TRYING MY LUCK 



shoulder and counselling me what to do. Just 

 think of the following instance for a moment 

 and you will better understand what I mean. 



There was a man whom I considered a friend ; 

 he told me, afte?' my having done him a very big 

 service, that he had too much respect for the 

 French Societe to speak for me, but added : 

 " Poor little fellow, I am sincerely sorry for you, 

 because I believe you to be the most honest 

 and straightforward of all riders I have ever 

 known." 



A few years after this, when he was pro- 

 moted to be a steward of the French Jockey 

 Club, everybody in Paris thought : " Now Sloan 

 is sure to get his licence in France." All my 

 friends insisted on me going to see the new 

 steward at 3 Rue Scribe. They said to me: 

 " Don't be backward about it. Get a hustle on 

 you ; it is all for your own good. He'll see 

 you all right." I thought it over and over and 

 was very reluctant to take the advice given, but 

 they persisted, in fact argued me stiff about it. 

 Finally it was no use holding back any longer, 

 and practically I was kicked off — quite in a 

 good-natured way — to take the chance with 

 the magnate. Even when I was in the court- 

 yard and going up the staircase I nearly turned 

 back, for I considered that I knew him better 

 than my friends did, and I made the mistake — 

 a very serious one — of not going on my own 

 judgment. I have regretted it ever since. 



He saw me all right, but made me feel like a 

 worm. The first thing he told me was that I 

 should never have fought the "Societe" (the 

 French ruling body) and that he could not help 



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