Blister Jones | Page 8

he sees how far away the wire is he thinks about
the battle of Waterloo 'n' says, 'Take me to Elby.'
"I've got one purty fair sort of a hoss. He's just about ready to spill the
beans, fur some odds-on, when he gets cast in the stall 'n' throws his
stifle out. The vet. gets his stifle back in place.
"'This hoss must have a year's complete rest,' he says.
"'Yes, Doc,' I says. ''N' when he gets so he can stand it, how'd a trip to
Europe do fur him?'
"Things go along like this till I'm busted right. No, I ain't busted--I'm
past that. I owes the woman where I eats, I owes the feed man, I owes
the plater, 'n' I owes every gink that'll stand fur a touch.
"One day a messenger boy comes 'n' leans against the stall door 'n'
pokes a yellow envelope at me.
"'Well, Pierpont,' I says, 'what's the good word?'
"'Sign here. Two bits,' he says, yawnin'.
"I sees where it says 'charges paid,' 'n' I takes him by the back of the
neck 'n' he gets away to a flyin' start fur the gate. The message is from
Buck Harms.

"'Am at the St Charles, meet me nine a. m. to-morrow,' it says.
"This Harms duck is named right, 'cause that's what he does to every
guy he meets. He's so crooked he can sleep on a corkscrew. When there
ain't nobody else around he'll take money out of one pocket 'n' put it in
another. He's been ruled off twict 'n' there's no chance fur him to get
back. I wouldn't stand fur him only I'm in so bad I has to do somethin'.
"'If he takes any coin from me he'll have to be Hermann,' I says to
myself, 'n' I shows up at the hotel the next mawnin'.
"Harms is settin' in the lobby readin' the dope-sheet. I pipes him off 'n'
he don't look good to me fur a minute, but I goes over 'n' shakes his
mitt.
"'Well, Blister, old scout, how're they breakin'?' he says.
"'So, so,' I says.
"'That right?' he says. 'I hears different. Fishhead Peters tells me they've
got you on the ropes.'
"'What th' hell does that gassy Fishhead know about me?' I says.
"'Cut out the stallin',' he says. 'It don't go between friends. Would you
like to git a-holt of a new roll?'
"'I don't mind tellin' you that sooner 'n have my clothes tore I lets
somebody crowd a bundle of kale on to me,' I says.
"'That sounds better,' he says. 'Come on--we'll take a cab ride.'
"'Where we goin'?' I asks him, as we gets into a cab.
"'Goin' to look at a hoss,' he says.
"'What fur?' I says.
"'Wait till we git there 'n' I'll tell you,' he says.

"We rides fur about a hour 'n' pulls up at a barn out in the edge of town.
We goes inside 'n' there's a big sorrel geldin', with a blaize face, in a
box-stall.
"'Look him over,' says Harms. I gets one pike at the hoss--
"'Why! it's ole Friendless!' I says.
"'Look close,' he says. 'Wait till I get him outside.'
"I looks the hoss over careful when he's outside in the light, 'n' I don't
know what to think. First I think it's Friendless 'n' then I think maybe it
ain't.
"'If it ain't Friendless, it's his double!' I says at last. 'But I think
Friendless has a white forefoot.'
"'Well, it ain't Friendless,' says Harms as he leads the hoss into the barn.
'And you're right about the white foot.'
"Now, Friendless is a bird that ain't started fur a year. Harms or some
of his gang used to own him, 'n' believe me, he can ramble some if
everythin' 's done to suit him. He's a funny hoss, 'n' has notions. If a
jock'll set still 'n' not make a move on him, Friendless runs a grand race.
But if a boy takes holt of him or hits him with the bat, ole Friendless
says, 'Nothin' doin' to-day!' 'n' sulks all the way. He'd have made a great
stake hoss only he's dead wise to how much weight he's packin'. He'll
romp with anythin' up to a hundred 'n' ten, but not a pound over that
can you slip him. Looks like he says to hisself, 'They must think I'm a
movin' van,' 'n' he lays his ole ears back, 'n' dynamite won't make him
finish better'n fourth. This little habit of his'n spoils him 'cause he's too
good, 'n' the best he gets from a handicapper is a hundred 'n'
eighteen--that kind of weight lets him out.
"Goin' back in the cab Harms tells me why he sends fur me.