, when Snowball's up. But
it don't. The colt ain't any more'n felt the curb when he bolts into
the fence 'n' chucks Snowball off. I starts to catch the hoss, but
Micky gets to him first 'n' grabs him.

"'Lemme give him a whirl,' he says. 'Come on--be a sport fur a change!'

"Snowball rolls away from the colt 'n' picks hisself up.

"'He is shoh welcome to him,' he says. 'I got no moh use foh him.'

"I studies a minute, lookin' at Micky. He don't come much above
Hamilton's knee. He's lookin' at me like a pup beggin' fur a bone.

"'Go to it, you ornery little shrimp!' I says at last. 'If a worse
pair ever gets together I've never seed it!'

"Micky gives a yelp like a terrier.

"'Take off this bit 'n' put a straight bar on him,' he says.

"'Why, you couldn't hold one of his ears with a bar bit,' I says.

"'Who's ridin' this hoss?' says Micky. 'Go awn, get the bit!'

"'Get him what he wants,' I says to Snowball.

"We leads the colt on to the track, when the bits is changed, 'n' just
as I throws Micky up I see he's got a bat.

"'What you goin' to do with that?' I says. 'You need a parachute, not
a whip!'

"'_I_ always ride 'em with a bat. Turn him loose,' says Micky.

"Well, it's the same thing over again, the colt runs off. All Micky
does is to keep him in the track. I see he ain't pullin' a pound.
They've gone about six mile 'n' Hamilton begins to slow a little. Just
then Micky lights into him with the bat.

"'Look at dat!' says Snowball. 'He's los' his min'.'

"'_No, he ain't_!' I says. '_He's there forty ways_!' I've just begun
to tumble the kid's wise as owls. 'Oh, you Micky!' I hollers. 'Go to
it, you white boy!'

"I hate to tell you how far that kid works the hoss. He keeps handin'
him the bat every other jump. It gets so I can run as fast as they're
movin' 'n' Hamilton's just prayin' fur help. I'm afraid he'll jim the
colt fur good, so I yells at Micky to cut it out, when he comes by.

"'Come down off of that, you squirt!' I says. 'Do you want to kill the
colt?'

"'Aw, you go to hell!' he says, 'n' 'round they go again. When
Hamilton ain't got more'n a good stagger left, Micky rides him through
the gate to the stall.

"'Now, pony,' he says to Hamilton, 'don't start nothin' you can't
finish.'

"The trip kills a ordinary hoss, but they ain't nothin' ordinary about
this Hamilton. I learns _that_ then. We cools him out good 'n' in
three days he's kickin' the roof off the