etary's
office, and paid down the sum necessary to enter a horse in the next
day's steeplechase. The clerk looked toward the door.

"Don't you know the sun is down?"

"De sun down! 'Tain't nothin' but de cloud. De sun 's a quarter of a
hour high." Robin walked to the door.

"What time is it by your watch?"

"Hit 's edzactly seven--" His back was to the official.

"Humph!" grunted the clerk. "Don't you know----"

"--lackin' six----"

"--the sun sets at ten minutes to seven!"

"--lackin ' sixteen minutes forty-two seconds and a quarter," pursued
Robin, with head bent as if he were looking at a watch.

"Oh, you be hanged! Your old watch is always slow."

"My watch? Dis heah watch?" He turned, buttoning his coat carefully.
"You know whar dis watch come f'om?" He pressed his hand to his side and
held it there.

"Yes, I know. Give me your money. It will help swell Carrier Pigeon's
pile to-morrow."

"Not unless he can fly," said Robin.

"What 's his name!" The clerk had picked up his pen.

Robin scratched his head in perplexity.

"Le' me see. I 'mos' forgit. Oh, yes." He gave the name.

"What! Call him 'J. D.'?"

"Yes, dat 'll do."

So, the horse was entered as "J. D."

As Robin stepped out of the door the first big drops of rain were just
spattering down on the steps from the dark cloud that now covered all
the western sky, and before he reached the stable it was pouring.

As he entered the stall the young owner was on his knees in a corner,
and before him was an open portmanteau from which he was taking
something that made the old man's eyes glisten: an old jacket of faded
orange-yellow silk, and a blue cap--the old Bullfield colors, that had
once been known on every course in the country, and had often led the
field.

Robin gave an exclamation.

"Le' me see dat thing!" He seized the jacket and held it up.

"Lord, Lord! I 's glad to see it," he said. "I ain' see it for so long.
It 's like home. Whar did you git dis thing, son! I 'd jest like to see
it once mo' come home leadin' de field."

"Well, you shall see it doing that to-morrow," said the young fellow,
boastfully, his face alight with pleasure.

"I declar' I 'd gi' my watch to see it."

He stopped short as his hand went to his side where the big gold
timepiece had so long reposed, and he took it away with a sudden sense
of loss. This, however, was but for a second. In a moment the old
trainer was back in the past, telling his young ma