Life — August 9, 1929 — page 13: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

Life Short Stories of Life Twixt the Cup by Erie Hatch ED POTTER arrived at the N «= and made his way to the paddock where the en- tries for the Challenge Cup Steeple- chase were being walked. There were ten of them, swathed in blankets and hoods so they didn’t look like horses at all. A boy passed leading a big blanket- ed chestnut. Ned saw it was Shelby, his horse. Anne Carey was talking to the boy. He could see even from where he stood that her face was strained. He was glad of it, in a way, for he knew it was because he was rid- ing, but her worrying in- creased his panic. He walked over to her. She looked up and smiled. “Ned, old boy, you will win, won't you—for us?” He nodded. = Then he heard Mr. Carey's voice somewhere saying, “All ready, gentlemen. Saddle up!” As if in a dream Ned saw them peel the blankets off old Shelby, saw the lean hardness and the great mus- ces bulging under the satin skin of him as they put on number cloth and lead pad. He never would have rec- ognized in him the quiet half-sleepy horse he'd bought on his groom’s say-so the day after his talk with Anne —when she'd told him her old man couldn't see him for dust as a son-in- law because he was such a poor rider. She'd told him, too, that if he won this race, there was just a chance her father might change his mind. Ned looked again at Anne. There were tears in her eyes. Suddenly he knew he could not have gone through with it if she had not been there be- side him; he'd only learned to ride because he thought she wanted him to and going over fences still made him goose-pimply inside. He bent over quickly and kissed her, then walked around to the left side of the horse, where Tim was waiting. The groom, before he tossed Ned into the saddle, leaned over and whispered in his ear: She told him if he won the old man might change his mind, 6 an a 4 “There's a candle burnin’ for ye in the church down the road, Oi lit it to keep ye whole and Oi got fifteen to wan on ye, so ride loike hell!” A bugle blew and he felt’ Shelby lunge under him and saw the crowd scurry away from his plunging. On the way to the post he went over his instructions in his mind. The trainer had said, “Let the horse go. Knows his business better than you do. Steer him at his fences, but let him have his head or he'll crash.” Ned smiled crookedly. As if he could do anything else if he wanted to! Then a voice that seemed miles away cried: “Go!” With a bound so sudden that it al- most pulled him from the saddle, Shelby was away. Ned saw the first grey wall coming at him. It seemed as high as his mount’s ears. With a feeling in his heart that no horse that ever lived could possibly clear such an obstacle at the speed they were traveling, he shut his eyes. There was a great gathering under him. He heard Shelby grunt... . Ned waited for the crash as they hit, but there was none. After ages had passed he dared open his eyes. He saw he was ahead and a strange feeling of warm con- tent passed through him. Shelby had cleared that one— maybe he'd keep on his feet after all. A black horse thundered by on his right; a bay was gaining and passing him on the left. His eye caught the next jump, a huge thing of rails with cornstalks laid against it so a horse must leap from far back to clear the five feet of timber that made the fence itself. “TIL slow up and let them get over first,” he said to himself and bracing his feet in the irons pulled hard on the braided rein, The horse with a wrench of his head, pulled away from him. Through Ned's mind ran the words of his trainer: “Let him have his head.” He settled back in the saddle and took a deep breath, for his throat was parched and his lungs ached. He cleared the cornstalks; had come at it just behind the black horse and had seen him go down with his rider under and had seen the bay following (Continued on Page 32) comicbooks.com