HOW I WON MY HANDICAP 187 



me at first, but presently I heard evens offered, and 

 then £22 to £20 on me, and that was as far as 

 Locker's friends would go. We had a lot of 

 " fiddling," as they call it, at the mark, but pre- 

 sently we jumped away, I with an advantage of 

 about a yard. I had made the gap quite four yards 

 at half the distance, and then " died away " till near 

 the post, wliere, as the Chronicle next Monday said, 

 I " struggled manfully, and took the tape first by 

 half a yard; time, lOi sec." Hadn't we a jaw as 

 we went back ! Locker said I was a " wonderful 

 clever lad," and that Woldham had told him I 

 should be " heard of again." We both laughed, and 

 I got £5 for winning. With this I bought a new 

 rig out, and everybody at Stockton that knew me 

 said I was " ruined for life." They all wanted to 

 know where the togs came from, however, but I 

 kept that to myself. 



It was now September, and Locker said, '' I'll 

 enter thee for a handicap." So he did, and shortly 

 afterwards we went to Kenham again, where, by his 

 directions, I was beat for my heat, with 5 yards start 

 in 120. About a week later, we had a long talk, and 

 then he said, "I)ost know what I've been doing, 

 lad ? " I told him I thought he meant to get me a good 

 start and try if I could win. " Thou'rt partly right," 

 he said, " but I've been running thee 100 yards, and 



