Polytechnic High School - Caerulea Yearbook (Long Beach, CA)

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s a s a aa s C ERULEA' 5 M a a s a M giving him advice and encouragement, for the Ace shook his head in apparent understanding. The Ace showed not a bit of nervousness at returning to the track. An experienced campaigner in his day, he had overcome that fault and in that respect he had an advantage over some of the younger animals who we1'e competing. He was not nervous, he was ready to go. It seemed good to him to be on the track again, and again to have his ma.ster, not a bit heavier than he was ten years ago, on his back. Ready,H called the starter. A nervous jockeying for position to start was the only answer. '6Ready,H was called again. The11 a few seconds and the starting gun was fired, and the barrier jerked up. The field had broken evenly and got away to a perfect start. They,re offf, came a mighty and t1'Cl11CIld01lS roar f1'OI11 the audience. The Ace, the Ace, look at the Ace,', c1'ied an excited fan. But his cry was useless, for everybody was already watching the Ace. Standing out above the field because of his height and with his colors easily distinguishable, the Ace of Spades was making an excellent showing. Joe VVorral, that veteran of the turf, had put. all his brain into getting the Ace out of the outside position. He had won many a race in his younger days by sprinting a horse on a quick cut-off for the fence instead of a less sharp cut-in. Accordingly he set the Ace off at a flying pace on as sharp a cut as the rules of the game allow. The other jockeys were amazed at the terrific pace that the old timer was setting. Their mounts were startled at this flying horse passing so diagonally in front of them. The spectators gasped at the speed of the Ace of Spades. A quarter mile and he had 11ot slackened. He was on the inside now with only three horses, Mahomet, Hone.st George, and ltloneygetter ahead, while Liza D. pressed close behind. A third of a mile and the Ace was passing ltfahomet. HA third of a milef, gasped one of the spectators, a fourteen year old horse can't keep that up much longer. Efglzteen

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C ERULEA' 5 the newspapers had devoted to setting forth the impossibility of a comeback for the great old horse caused many bettors to offer long odds. Fifty-to-one was offered at first, but when it was found that such great horses as Liza D., lifloneygetter, and ltlahomet were entered, the odds climbed steadily to a hundred-to-one. Joe laid two hundred dollars at these odds for Ace of Spades to win. It was the last money he had. If he lost he would have to borrow money to get back to the Bennet headquarters. The Grand Sweepstakes had attracted an enormous crowd from all over the country. The spectators, fully acquainted with the facts through the p1'ess, waited as expectantly to see the Ace of Spades run again as they did to see the Grand Sweepstakes itself. The crowd was there not only to see the champions of the present but one of the greatest champions of the past. A great cheer went up as a card bearing the name 'tAce of Spades-VVorral up', was .slid into the an- nouncing board. A greater cheer Went out when the word was passed around like lightning, That's VVorral and the Ace. Out there. Number seve11. All in redf, VVorral had been assigned the number seven, and had chosen the one color, bright red, as his privilege to display. The red made a brilliant and effective combination with the shiny black color of the Ace. In drawing for position at the barrier J oe drew the worst of the lot, an outside position. The inside position next to the fence was held by Honest George, the best horse in the Bennet stables as well as a winner in several of the season's big events. The inside is the' choice position as there is less distance to cover, while the outside is the most diflicult as the horse in that position has to cut in front: of the whole field to reach the fence. A run around the outside with a chance to win would be impossible as there is more than a quarter distance extra in taking the outside. And the Ace of Spades held the outside position. The Ace of Spades, who was old and making a heroic attempt at coming back, held the worst position of the field. Joe said not a word at his getting the outside but immediately took up his position at the barrier. He talked to the Ace, seemingly Seventeen as

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CAERULEK25 But the Ace of Spades was no longer old. Young blood burnt in his veins again. At the half 111ile post he was on the Hank of ltloney- getter, who was running neck and neck with Honest George. Slowly he crept up, his pace never slackening. At the three-quarter post ltloneygetter found herself outclassed and fell back. Honest George led the great Ace of Spades by a neck. At the mile post Honest George still led by a neck, but he was under the whip. Joe had never used the whip on the Ace of Spades, encouraging him only with the kindest of words. The Ace ran because he loved to run. It flashed through Joefs 111ind that Honest George was Bennet's horse, that beating Honest George would be the most effective proof of the ability to come back. They were pounding into the stretch and the Ace felt a horse creeping up from behind. The fans recognized this horse as lwahomet. I told you .so,,' said some. The Ace was too old to keep up the pace. But the Ace was not too old at heart. He had swung into a gigantic stride to distance the horse which was worrying up behind him. He left ltlahomet a length behind. He was neck and neck with Honest George, whose jockey was applying the whip furiously. An eighth of a mile to go and Honest George was half a length behind. The Ace did not slacken his pace in the least. At a greater speed than when he had passed Honest George he came under the WVl1'6. He had won by a length and a half over the Bennet thoroughbred. Great ltloses, twenty thousand gone, and the fastest record on the Albany track brokenf, groaned the man with whom Joe had bet, as he snapped shut his .stop watch. VVhat,s the matter with the Ace? Look! VVhat,s the matter with lim? questioned the spectators of one another excitedly, as the noble animal began to act strangely. Something was radically wrong with the great horse. Joe had checked him as soon as possible after coming under the wire, but his experienced eye saw there was something wrong with his stallion. He turned and started for the judges' .stand in order to receive the purse and p1'esent the winning horse to the closer inspection of those men. Nfneteen