"Printed on the card is 'Mr. William Dumont Van Voast,' 'n' in pencil, 'Union Club, New York City.' "The next day I gets a wire from Peewee in answer to mine. "'Sound as a dollar. Eighteen hundred bones buys him. P. W. Simpson,' it says. "I phones Mr. Van, 'n' he says to go to it--so I wires Peewee. "'Check on delivery if sound. You know me. Ship with swipe first express. Blister Jones.' "In two days Duckfoot Johnson leads ole Rainbow into the joint, 'n' I tells Brown it's a hoss fur Mr. Van. I looks him over good 'n' he's O. K. I gets Mr. Van on the phone 'n' he comes up 'n' writes a check fur eighteen hundred, payable to Peewee. He gives this to Duckfoot, slips him twenty-five bucks fur hisself, 'n' hands him the fare back to Loueyville besides. "'What next?' says Mr. Van to me. 'Do we need a burglar's kit, and some nitroglycerin, or does that class of crime come later?' "'We want a vet. right now,' I says. 'This bird has got to lose some tail feathers.' "'Well, you are the chief buccaneer!' says Mr. Van. 'I'll serve as one of the pirate crew at present. When you have the good ship Rainbow shortened at the stem and ready to carry the jolly Roger over the high seas--I should say, fences--let me know. In the meantime,' he says, slippin' me five twenties, 'here are some pieces-of-eight with which to buy cutlasses, hand grenades and other things we may need.' "I has the vet. dock Rainbow's tail, 'n' as soon as it heals I lets Mr. Van know. He tells me to bring the hoss to Morrisville, New Jersey, on the three o'clock train next day. "When I unloads from the express car at Morrisville, there's Mr. Van and a shoffer in the battle-ship. "'Just follow along behind, Blister!' says Mr. Van, 'n' drives off slow down the street. "We go through town 'n' out to a big white house, with pillars down the front. Mr. Van stops the battle-ship at the gates. "'Take the car to the Williamson place--Mr. Williamson understands,' he says to the shofe. "I wonders why he stops out here--it's a quarter of a mile to the house. When we gets to the house there's an old gent, with gray hair, settin' on the porch. He gets up when he sees us, 'n' limps down the steps with a cane. "'Don't disturb yourself, Governor!' says Mr. Van. 'Anybody here?' "'No, I'm alone,' says the old gent. 'Your sister is with the Dandridges. Your man came this morning, so I was expecting you.' Then he looks at Rainbow. 'What's that?' he says. "'A horse I've bought,' says Mr. Van. 'I'm thinking of going in for hunting.' "'Oh! _She's_ brought you to it, has she?' says the old gent. '_I_ never could. Why do you bring the horse here?' "Mr. Van flushes up. "'You know what a duffer I am on a horse, Governor,' he says. 'Well, I want to try for the Melford Cup. I'd like to build a course on the place, and school myself under your direction.'