LITERATURE.

Globe, Volume XXIV, Issue 2585, 20 July 1882, Page 4

LITERATURE.

THE RETURN MiTCH. A Talk of a Ttjbf Swindle;. It was the last meeting like'y to bo hs'd under the management if the Redmirahali race commit'ea. For years the enthralling subject of removing tiie mee'ing itojx Braokenlea to Jrnipey Willie'a meadows, n -peat/ pltoa of ground neartr the eater* prising town of Kedmasshall, h;d afforded the pub 'a spirited controversialists of tie place an unfniltng exoase for publishing their clinchers in the Impattial colnmnn of the local press. Braokenlea was wanted by a railway company, and the bog by the builder. Whereupon the raoe committee advertised their last meeting. Up at the Hur*t, Mr Hugh Win pet ny's place, onjthe evening before tho races, theso were naturally the lssdi'ng topics of conversation. As they were, too, at Kedmorshall, over the mahogany of Captain Wolvlston, 8.N., ard likewise at Braokenlea Park, Lord Hart's pace. Although retaining two members, a Whig and a Tory, Hedimarthall, whioh was a fiery f ainsce of party feeling at eleotion times, took no account of

political differences cf opinion during the races. Those were drowned, as it were, in the Bedmarshall Cup, a handsome piece of plate, the de>ire to possess which sufficed to make the race for it one of the most exciting iooal events of whit turf reporters would term the fixture. It wa* the day cf slow travelling | and the meeting was too good an opportunity for social enjoyment not to bo made the most of when it did coma which, after all, was only onoe a year.. It was then a race of hospitality on the part of WiDpanny, Wolviston, Lord Hart, the leading doctor and lawyer of Rodrnarshall and many other*. The Hurst, however, was the head quarters of the choicer spirits of the meeting. Apirfc icom the fact thtt he was a steward (as his father and grandfather had been before him), he owned a small stud of horses ; and he generally supplied a strong favorite for the Cup. * Win,' obeerved Ralph Freeman, Esq, of Thistleby Hall, a friesd of thirty years' standing, and an out and-out sportrman j' I look upon myself as an ill used persanage.' * How's that, Kslpho ?' replied the host, at the same time castlDg a glance around the table, and sign lling to a reverend guest the fact that the bottle lingered;' how ia that ?' * Well, here we are about to celebrate the obsequies of Redmarshall races—" '.No, no, no, no !' protested the host and several of the guests ; ' not a bit cf it!' ' You will admit that it is the last meeting on the old spat —where you are to fiud another, I don't know—and that it ought therefore to be uncommonly good.' •So it will be,' interposed the Tory member for Redmaraha'l, another steward, ' I beg leave to deny it; and this ia my grievance. Not only is the entry for the cap wretohedly small, but neither Win here, jioi Lord Hart, nor Bir Thomas Acklam is represented. I wanted to see one of the old-fashioned fights to wind up with. It does one's heart good to hear them shout wbsn a 'native bread-'un sails past in front. Upon my word, if I had ouspsoted there would have been inch a falling eff in the grand old race I would have entered something myself.' There was a general laugh at this last remark. Squire Freeman's name was not associated with uniform good fortune on the turf ; far otherwise. . «What could I do ?' asked Winpenny; «the mare was am's3 ; and until if was too late 1 did not find out that Jgrowfoat had grown into a stayer. What was 'the use of enteriug a six-furlong horsj—as I slwaya believed him to bo—for the Cup, which happens to be as severe a mile and a half course as you will find in England ? Beetlewing will win.' •Yes, bar accidents,' siii Sir Thomas Aoklam; • but tell us Winpenny, we shall see your colors displayed to-morrow or next day on something; I mean to show, although I have nothing in my stable "fast enough to beat a donkey. * Bud, yes 1* replied Winpenny, filling himself another glass of wine that hai never bstrayed him ; ' yes, I shall run; and you must back me.' •Not yon, Courtney,' continued he, addressing his broad-minded friend the parson, who shook his head and smiled, ' because, as you know, the Church always standß in with me—when I win ' This allusion to his own free handenness elicited from the reverecd gentleman the remark, 'The Church bai no reason te complain, I am sure:' Whioh naive admission aognm9nted the merriment of the board. Mr Winpenny I ran Crowfoot at Ruddy!ord, and —' «Won,' said Sir Thomas. * Yes, won; and I will tell you how. There ara reports of the affair in ' Bell' and the 'Sun.' but they are inadequate. It was a fif ty-pou'ad plate, and as I had Ibsen rather heavily hit at ths meeting, I thought to mysdf, this is just Crowfoot's distance, and he shall earn his expenses and mine. Of coarse I told Walton to get away and win ; and get away he did at score. Bat there Was another in the race—a horse called Slider—who also name away, and for most of the journey was neck and neck with Crawford. Indeed, we were beaten u furfrom home. From tb.it point mine oama on, and won by half a length." ' Bat what has all that to do with Bedmarshall ?' inquired Mr Freeman. •I will toil you,' replied Winpenny; 'I was too far to notice it; but when I was assisting Walton off with tho saddle to vf elghIn, he informed me that Slider's j.iokey hsd bored him all the way, and they were going to claim the raoe on the ground of foul riding. Sure they did For once, however, they reckoned without their heat. The Ruddyfard stewards bslleved my jockey, and taking a proper view of the other evidence—l never heard such skilful hands at misrepresentation in my life—gave me the raoe. Walton told me afterwards that their jockey, who was no other than the notorious roper Headstall—you know, ho was suspended for six months last season for his nefarious practice—said to him, ' Wait till we meet again. I'll bet a guinea we have every coin we have dropped to-day back •gain, and a lump on the top of it,' When Wrlghton mentlened to me, quits is a casual way, that Slider had been entered for the Greystone Plata. I at onoe entered Crow-' foot.*

'Same conditions V inquired Sir Thomas. •Not exaotly. I carry a winning penalty ot" three pounds. But 1 had plenty in hand at Buddyford, and I shall win. The Slider party are a gang of the vilest thieves on the turf, and it won't ba my fault if I don't break thorn j from Blaok Yarnold, the ostensible owner of Slider donn to the bookmaker Lock.'

' And W 8 must back Crowfoot ?' ' Yob,' replied Wiop nny, laughing ; 'back Mm, aa the apeculators would say, for pounds, shillings, and pence. I am bo sure of the result that I have promised myself tbe pleaaure of buying Blanche a certain maro ake has aet hor heart upon out cf my winnings. Thereafter the conversation deviated into other channels. By no means the least attentive of Mr Winpenny's auditors was Trenholm, the butler. Sleekly clerical in appearance, and a mm cf few words, the which he distribute i, not on duty but off with notab'o discretion, he was nevertheless, f> r his position in life a bold speculator in the lottery of the turf. In days gone by, when the Hurst stable had " pulled off good thing*," Trenholm had never failed to throw in for a heavy stake, -without his master hiving the ghost of a suspicion of the extent of bts daring. Winner or loser, he never, so to put It, turned a singld hair." He had his regular agent in London, a finencial operator on the turf of long standing, to whom he entrusted bis commissions on dia-

tant events; whi'e bis Bedmarshall agent ~waa a game-dealer named Featheretone. Said Trenham to himself, when the Crowfoot discussion had csme to an end, 'I must see Feathers tone to-night.' 'i urnicg over in his mind various pretexis for escape, it suddenly occurred to him that Mr Winpeuny had conferred with him that very afternoon on the subject of the morrow's breakfast, and the probable negleot by Feathers tone of certain orders for birds was pointed out. There was no time to be lost- Those necescontributions to the larder might oven then be on their way from Bedmarshall to the Burst.

Taking advantage of a discussion which appeared to monopolise everybody's attention at the table except Mr Wlopanny's, Trenholm aproaohed that gentleman, and in a whispered" ' aalde ' urged the necessity of -4w» immediate expedition to ' the town.'

•Certainly, Trenholm. I am glad yon | have mentioned it. t-'tn Bites at onoe ; or, say, perhaps yon had better go yoursalf Ring for him :he will take your place, We can manage, I think. And if you hear any news from Wrlghtson, let me know. We shall b» in vhe billiard-room when you return. Don't remain away longer than is necessary.' {To be continued,)