nd you have the Melford course to a dot,' he says.
'Now, young man,' he says to me, 'you get the horse ready and I'll go to
work on the rider.' 'N' believe me, he does it.

"His bum leg won't let him ride no more, but he puts Mr. Van on a good
steady jumper, 'n' drives besides the course in a cart, tellin' him what
to do. He keeps Mr. Van goin' till I think he'll put him out of
business--'n' say!--but he cusses wicked when things don't go to suit him!

"'Stick your knees in and keep your backbone limber! Hold his head up
now at this jump--_don't drag at his mouth that way_! Why! damn it
all! . . . you haven't as good hands as a cab-driver,' is the kind of
stuff he keeps yellin' at poor Mr. Van.

"I'm workin' Rainbow each day, 'n' in three weeks I take him twice around
the course at a good clip.

"'The hoss'll do in another week,' I says to the old gent.

"'I'll be ready fur you,' he says, shuttin' his mouth, 'n' that was the
worst week of all for Mr. Van. But he improved wonderful, 'n' one
mawnin' he takes Rainbow over the course at speed.

"'Not half bad!' says the old gent when they come back. 'He's not up to
his horse yet,' he says to me. 'But between 'em they'll worry that
Melford crowd some, or I miss my guess!'

"A day or so after that we starts for Melford. The old gent says good-by
to me, 'n' then he sticks out his mitt at Mr. Van.

"'God bless you, boy!' he says. 'I wish you luck both in the race
and--elsewhere.'

"Say, this Melford is the horsiest burg ever I saw! They don't do
nothin' but ride 'em 'n' drive 'em 'n' chew the rag about 'em--men 'n'
women the same. Even the kids has toppy little ponies and has hoss shows
fur their stuff.

"They has what they call a Hunt Club, 'n' everybody hangs out there.
This club gives the cup Mr. Van wants to win. The race fur it is pulled
off once a year, 'n' only club members can enter.

"The Ferguson guy has won the race twice with the Macbeth hoss 'n' if he
wins it again he keeps the cup. The race is due in two weeks, but there
ain't much talk about it--everybody knows Ferguson'll win sure.

"This Ferguson has all the kale in the world. He lives in a house so big
it looks like the Waldorf. But from what I hear, the bloods ain't so
awful strong fur him--except his ridin', they all take their hats off to
that.

"There's a girl named Livingston 's the best rider among the dames, 'n',
believe me, she's a swell doll--she's the niftiest filly I ev