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OLD-TIME QUARTER HORSE RACING. Personal Recollections of a Veteran Who Had Himself Taken a Hand in the Came. "The name of that ,,,lt." said | vteran ra inj; m.-in one day recently, ••brings t., my nieneuy Keol-lectioas el" the goad "Id days, when yen could match a quarter horse at almost any crossroads in the west and southwest, and you arete liable to be trimmed aboal aa often as you trimmed the other fellow, for it was part of the religion of those people in that region to Ix- ready to hold their own doing anything. They believed with all their hearts that •til" Lord helps those who help themselves. "My good friend Brown and I had plucked a few pigeoaa along the Atlantic coast, and incidentally we had lost some of our own plnafriag in Mississippi, where our feelings were hurt somewhat by people who not only took our money but hinted that their success had been mainly achieved through tlair superior training ability. They eeatceded that our horses were better than theirs, but they had out-trained the firm of Patterson and Brown, and that was a bitter pill to swallow. "We decided to try new pasture* and shipped into Indiana, where there arere in those days sasae mighty assart qaarter horses, but nothing the equal of a nag in our string, though he had been beaten in Mississippi through a fluke. V halted at Cambridge City and gave it out that we were en the lookout for some smart animals, principally horses with a turn of speed, though we were prepared to pick up an old carriage or saddle novae if a really high cttea animal should be eneountered. "You all know how solemn and innocent Brown looks naturally. Well, on the occasion of our visit to Cambridge City it seemed to ate that he had never appealed asore gnileleos. We made friends around town and were pretty good customers at the bar. 1 did the drinking for Patterson and Blown for reasons which will appear later in Bay story, and though then- was plenty of opportunity to talk quarter horse neither at as said a word until one ereaiag a prominent resident «.f Cambridge City coaxed Brown into consenting to run one f our siddl • horses against a mar.- I.e owned. " Just for fun. was the way he put it at first, though subsequently he wanted to bet MJ. Brown Puts Lead in Pockets. "I happened along i ■■uallj shortly after Brew a had made the race and I upbraided him shamefully for burring up our money, finally walking away. Pi.w n followed me to the stable where our horses were pat up ami I slipped him a r dl .f money. !!■ had on a long linen duster, such as country folks wear in tli summer time, and before returnim: to the hotel where the local Inn si maa was holding forth he pat ■ few i hauls of lead into his packets. You know Blown iifvp weighed more than 120 pounds those days, though be stood five feet ten inches in his socks. "When he raaee into the room, where- unite a crowd had gathered, having heard ef the proposed race, Brown wanted to » off. saying that 1 had threatened to diaasrre partnership if the match was nm. TH more he begged the Ktauairaer the other m:.a was, and finally quite reluctantly Brown put up his nuadred dollars. The local Sharper covered it. and the moiav was put in the hands of the betel proprietor as stakeholder. •• •Thats a forfeit of 618*, said the local man. and the day of the race we will post the other hundred. "I Wash you could have heard Brown plead and beg. Patterson certainly would quit him now, he sail. and. another thing, he had no joek-y. "That would be all right, the local man said. I He had a neighbor who bad a son that could ride rery well and he would get him to take the mount. i Bat Brown argued that lis horse was very hard to handle and that he would probably be compelled to ride himself. How much did he weigh? Fully lbl pounds as he stood, oh, that could be arranged If Brown rode they would put Up a colored boy of, equal weight who worked in the stable. "They went to a neighboring grocery store, and awre enough Broom tipped the beam at 140. Both sides got ready far the match, and the whole town Woke up. The event brought I number of sports from out-of-town and some even came up from Ken-tacky, among them the man whose name is recalled by that blocky built chestnut colt over there. "He had raced against me once and the minute he saw a»e he sang out. Hello. : giving the name I usually raced horses under, though I will say that I assumed a name only because I was a government official at home and wanted to enjoy my favorite sport under cover, as it were. It was not through desire to be cunning or secure anything to which I thought I wasnt entitled. Bets Crowd to Standstill. "I tipped a wink to the man from Kentucky and he sheered off into the crowd Which jai.im -d the country road where the race was to be run. For a few minutes I heard him offering to feet on our horse, and so eager were the local fellows to get Beaae of the good thing that he was surrounded in a moment. After he had on a thousand of his own, I motioned to him that we would like aaaae of it. too. and he bet that crowd to a standstill. 1 had put up a thousand in town in small packages, getting odds for some of it. and we stood to will quite a bunch when the horses appeared. "When Brown said that he would ride our horse himself, because he was unruly at the start, he sprained the truth badly, for if ever there was an ask and answer horse that knew his business, it was that particular animal. He could turn on a five cent piece and Jump twenty-two feet the first stride.* If it wasnt a go he would pull up with the gentlest touch of the reins and walk back to the stretch like a plough horse coming home after ■ hard days work. "Brown had heard something of the horse they had pitted against us. He was peculiar and as cranky as an old maid with several hens setting and a thunder storm coming. Whin I gave him my hand to put him up he remarked in his soft voice that he thought we had an easy thing. "Brown rode in his shirt, trousers and socks, discarding boots in order to save every ounce of weight, and if the other fellows could have put him on the se.tles, they would liav" had the surprise of their lives, for he on ighed not a pound more than IM as he stood. They were so cocky that they had put up the colored stable boy already referred to and he looked 130 iiounds at the very least. "When they came to the scratch our horse lost some of his apparent dullness — he had stood stolidly by the roadside when he wasnt walking about led by Brown — and happening to look up. I saw my red-faced friend from Kentucky in the crowd on the other side of the tree-lined road. He covered his mouth with a freckled and hairy hand to hide a smile that threatened to Income a guffaw. "The fences along the road for 4*hl yards, the distance of the race, were covered with people mid the roadside was well nigh impassable, a lane fifteen feet wide through which the horses were to pass being kept clear by marshals. As Brown rode forward, his long legs dangling and the reins held loosely, he seemed so innocent and unwary that I could not trust myself to look at the KeatucUaa. who I knew was enjoying the situation Bodge as nun h as I was. Horse and Rider in Harmony. "The colored lad had his work ut oat for him from the moment they threw him into the saddle. The horse curvetted and reared, and the !w v kept his seat only through an exhibition of skill Which betokened him no ordinary beneaaan. Our horse was rerdy always, he and Itrown working in perfect harmony. "rime :ind thaw again they scored, and all the while the I ie horse was becoming hotter and more high tempered. The owner finally asked permission to turn his horse, and from the appearance of his face as he stepped forward for the task he knew that his money was gone. Browns skill in handling his mount and the perfect nmnners of our candidate mad- it plain to all- and ther - were many quarter borae experts in the crowd that it was Ba experienced rider and a horse of unusual Baerit they were up against. "iinally they were away with Brown in the bad and the raee was over right then. Son f hem paid with pretty poor grace, and it was hinted Basra or less broadly that it wouldnt be healthy for us to tarry too long in town. As we had the m v we were nothing loath to exchange Indiana for Ohio, and ■ tew days later found ns snugly located m a prosperous town in the interior of that state not a hundred miles from n nimbus "I had a few pretty smart trotters at home and was always willing to nick no a foui rnered fellow if 1 knew where one could be found. We had been in town perhaps tea days and I had made several excursions into the country i:i qui st of likely material, when Bjpoa coming home one evening Brown confided to me thai be thought things won shaping themselves for a match. ."There was a pretty smart mate owned iusi out of town and, in response to a few hints that we had . something good in our string, there came a proposal to run MM yards for SoOO. We each put up ■ for fell o| NLOP and a few days lab r 1 went over Bear the Indiana border to look at a roan trotter thai « mid do 2:38 three times aa a half mile ban riag 1 was washing my hands in the back ream of .; country hotel preparatorj t Being ia to dianer when I thought 1 beard familiar roices outside at the bar. •Made a match, have youV was a query tii.it 1 loati d my way. " Yes, for 8688 with a m.-n aamed Brown, was tic answer. " What does he lo,k like? came the first voice again. " A simple sort of fellow, quite all and with one eye. " Simple, hey; was the answering retort, "Oh, yes: Browns simple, .-iii right. s... rour beat. youre beat right now. i "I sneaked oat the back way. bite l up mj horse and was on bbj iv.iv wbea the dinner bell was calling the bunch to the tabic 1 h,~t na tune in getting to town and told Brown that we might as well get ready t ve, far I knew what was rom lag off the next day. Ve wen- told that we could keep the 82MI and there were a few gentle reminders that the stalls we occupied wouM be needed. "Simple" Browns Prowess as Matchmaker. "I t ii ink. though, that BrownV crowa effort came somewhat earlier In his career. II- had pi, kc,i Up a fat little horse not much no. re than 14.2 hands ! and kept him pretty well under cover, breaking him to harness :unl using him as a sort of general purpose animal. If there was an errand to be run I Hut tons, the name the little fellow got ."rom Mrs. Bro-.vu when he was first brought home, was pressed I info service, and smart as 1 considered myself those I days I wasnt aa to the tact that the little chap I could flatten out like a true quarter horse flier until , Brown invited me to see him step one Bsornhsg. "He had the peculiar churning motion with his I tail seen occasionally in quarter horse families and his short legs fairly twinkled, when he got down to business. There was an old char in an adjacent town in South Carolina WOO never lost an opportunity to take ■ fling at us. and whoa WO made a . match to run our psora for a couple of hundred a side against a horse of sonic reputation a hundred miles or so m the state, he lost no time in pro phesying that we would be beaten and soundly at that. "We were beaten, all right, and on our wav beaae we put up at the town where our garrulous friend lived. We had scarcely bedded our BOtoea down that evening and had our SUppt r before the OM hap appeared. He was arianing aad chewing a ryi- straw. " Cot beat, didnt youV was his salutation. "I kuowd youd get it. Why, that bull of yours cant beat anybody. " He can beat anything round these diggins, was Bn-wns answer before I could say a word. " I got an old fellow can licat you for twenty-five. was the ready come-back. "Well, they mad- a match to run two days later and we lost. Brown rode and appeared mucii crestfallen at the outcome. When he dismounted In-looked his horse over carefully as though trying to figure out how ho had been beaten. Shaking his head, he said: " Im not satisfied and Ill run you Ear another twenty-five in half an hour. "That was lemon pie for our opponent and the mon y was put up at once. Brown looked ready to cry when he was beaten worse than at the first essay and he walked off loading the black ponv. apparently as disconsolate as though he had 1 ,-t everything of which he was possessed. "That evening the old fellow came around to our quarters to gloat. He was poking a lot of fun at us and our pony, when Brown ventured the opinion that he thought the pony was off his true form and that with a reasonable time to prepare him he could beat his coni.uerer of the afternoon quite handily. "Oive you all Hie time you want and ruii you for 00, was the old fellows reply to this. " Ill go you. said Brown, counting out his money and handing it to one of the hangers on. "Of course, the local horseman couldnt crawfish then and he put up his wad. " When dye want to run? he asked. " Well. drawled Brown with a twinkle in his solitary eye. I was going to any in two weeks, hut I ve just thought of a date I have dav after tomorrow, so if youre ready well run in the morning. "I can still hear the yell that went up from the bystanders," concluded the veteran. "Thev knew as well as the man who made the match that the race was over right there. Oh, yes, Brown was simple, all right." — w York Sun.
