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

Page 21 text:

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

Page 20 text:

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

Page 22 text:

C ERULI-f,A'Z5 He was in haste and eager to get off the field that 'he might give the Ace the needed attention as quickly as possible. The horse staggered and Joe dismounted, dete1'1nined to lead his animal to the stabfles. The prize money could wait for him to claim it. As Joe dismounted, the new champion of the year turned, whin- nied feebly, nuzzled his nose in his masteris hand, as if in search of sugar, then staggered and sank down. 'tAce, Acef' Joe said softly and he had tears in his eyes, what's wrong? You ran a great race, you made a new record, Ace? Gently, tenderly, he stroked the winner's neck. The beautiful animal looked at Joe knowingly, and seemed to say with its eyes, That was wonderful. That was what I wanted, to win another race, to come backf, The horse looked at Joe with that look of worship which is shown for a man only in the eyes of manis best animal friends, the horse and the dog. Then the animal shuddered, closed his eyes, sighed heavily. His eyes snapped open again and began to glaze. The Ace of Spades was dead. J oe VVorral, who had witnessed and taken part in many trage- dies during his life, threw himself down by his dead horse and wept. He knew that the great thoroughbred had broken its heart in its tremendous effort, and had died of an internal hemorrhage. He was too old a man with horses not to know that this was the cause of death. 'Tve murdered the Ace, I've killed the Ace, he kept repeating over and over, crying all the while. '6Come on, Joe, come with meg you're sickf, came the voice of a 111an who was shouldering through the crowd that had gathered to express its sympathy. It was Charley Bennet. 'gCome on Joe. He took VVorral gently by the arm. Joe let himself be led away. Apparently he did not care who was leading him or where he was going. Bennet took his employee to his own suite at the hotel, where he quieted him and succeeded in getting him to sleep. VVhen VVorral awoke it was dark and he had only a hazy idea Twenty