Horse racing -- Fiction; Thoroughbred horse -- Fiction
"When the season closes I goes through Kentucky on my way South, 'n' I
takes a jump over from Loueyville to see the colt. Miss Goodloe's
bought a hundred acres around her little house, 'n' the colt's turned
out in a nice bluegrass field. We're standin' watchin' him, when she
puts somethin' in my pocket. I fishes it out 'n' it's a check fur five
thousand bucks.
"'I've been paid what's comin' to me,' I says. 'Nothin' like this
goes.'
"'Oh, yes, it does!' she says. 'I have investigated since you told me
that _story_. Trainers do _not_ pay expenses on other people's horses.
Now, put that back in your pocket or I will be mortally offended.'
"'I don't need it,' I says.
"'Neither do I,' she says. 'I haven't told you--guess what I've been
offered for Salvation?'
"'I give it up,' I says.
"'Fifty thousand dollars,' she says. 'What do you think of that?'
"'Are you goin' to sell?' I asks her.
"'Certainly not,' she says.
"'He'll earn twice that in the stud,' I says. 'Who makes you the
offer--Mr. Dillon?'
"'No, a New York man,' she says. 'I guess Mr. Dillon has lost interest
in him.'
"I guess he hasn't,' I says. 'I seen him at Pimlico, 'n' he was worse
'n ever.'
"'Did--did he still feed him sugar?' she says, but she don't look at me
while she's gettin' it out.
"'You bet he did,' I says.
"'Shall you see him again?' she asks me.
"'Yes'm, I'll see him at New Awlins,' I says.
"'You may tell him,' she says, her face gettin' pink, 'that as far as
my horse is concerned I haven't changed my mind.'
"On the way back to the house I gets to thinkin'.
"'I'm goin' round to the kitchen 'n' say hello to Aunt Liza,' I says to
Miss Goodloe.
"Liza's glad to see me this time--mighty glad.
"'Hyah's a nice hot fried cake fo' you, honey,' she says.
"'This ain't no fried cake,' I says. 'This is a doughnut.'
"'You ain' tryin' to tell _me_ what a fried cake is, is you?' she says.
"'Aunt Liza,' I says to her while I'm eatin' the doughnut, 'I sees Mr.
Jack Dillon after he's been here, 'n' he acts like he'd had a bad time.
Did you take a poker to him, too?'
"'No, sah,' she says. 'Miss Sally tended to his case.'
"'It's too bad she don't like him,' I says.
"'Who say she doan' like him?' says Liza. 'He come a sto'min' round
hyah like he gwine to pull de whole place up by de roots an' transport
hit ovah Lexington way. Fust he's boun' fo' to take dat hoss what's
done win all dem good dollahs. Den his min' flit f'om dat to Miss
Sally, an' he's aimin' to cyar her off like she was a 'lasses bar'l or
a yahd ob calico. Who is dem Dillons, anyway? De Goodloes owned big
lan' right hyar in Franklin County when de Dillons ain' nothin' but
Yankee trash back in Maine or some other outlan'ish place! Co'se we
sends him 'bout his bisniss--him an' his money! Ef he comes roun'
hyar, now we's rich again, an' sings small fo' a while. Miss Sally
mighty likely to listen to what he got to say--she so kindly dat a-way.'
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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