“THE BRUNDAGE PLOT”

Manawatu Times, Volume LIV, Issue 7280, 6 October 1933, Page 9

“THE BRUNDAGE PLOT”

CHAPTER XVll.—(Continued.)

“See if you can find Mr Brundage," he said to a lad. “I don’t know whether he wants Winsome Hoof kept here or sent hack with the other horse."

■lt wap the most natural thing in the world for Marlsc, with her habit of deciding- thing-s for other people, to intervene. “Don’t bother Mr Brundage,” she said. “Send the 'horse home, Mr Godsell." “You’d better find him," Godsell said to the hesitating lad. “.No,", Marlse insisted. “Mr Brundage discussed it with me. He does not intend to start his horse. He can go back to Swetherton with the other one." "In that case —’’ Godsell agreed. Tho trainer, like the rest of the world, had 'been reading the newspapers, and believing what his eyes ■told him. And, like other people, he was in the habit of doing as Marlse said. “Don’t bother Mr Brundage," Barry Godsell ordered. Godsell discovered that he had made a mistake early on the following day, when Brundage met him on the course, with a question about the well-being of Winsome Hoof. “But I thought you had decided not to run him," the trainer said in dismay. “He was sent back to Swetherton last night." Brundage displayed no surprise or annoyance; only a grim amusement infinitely more disconcerting. “Whore did you get that Idea?" he asked.

“Miss Formby said so," Godsell faltered. “She assured me that there wa.-s no need to refer it to you. She said it was quite settled.” ( “I see,” Brundage said. “The matter with this country, Mr Godsell, Is that too many men take orders from women who are not qualified to give them. But I shouldn’t have suspected that you w r ere one of the men.” "That loaves me nothing to say,” ■the old trainer replied. “Except that I shall show Miss Formby that she cannot wilfully mislead me.” “I think you might leave that to me," Brundage suggested. “But will you tell me, between man and man, what, -made you think that she was- entitled to speak for me?”

“Well —” Godsell hesitated. "It’s common talk, Mr Brundage, that you and -Miss Formby are to make a match ■of It."

"Suppose it were true, would you aeoept an instruction for me about one of Miss Formby’s horses? You know very w r ell that you wouldn’t.” ‘Tvo admitted my -mistake,” the trainer replied. “Unfortunately it is too lato to do anything about it now.” "That’s all right; so long as you understand that It would be a bigger mistake to say one word about this; and -most of all to Miss Formby.” Brundage offered his hand with a smile, which took the sting -out of his remarks. The old trainer watched him stride away, and wagged Ills head doubtfully. He foresaw a surprise of some kind for Marlse Formby, and wondered why he had let her bluff him. Also, he wondered whether there -could be any truth in the gossip which -connected the names of these two people. Questing about the paddock, Brundage presently found Georgo Winterbrook, who -stopped for an exchange of opinions. . “What are you riding to-day, George?” Brundage asked. “Nothing much, except a two-year-old In the third race,” the jockey informed him. “One that the Guv’nor trains. He has never run before, and we haven’t exactly tried him, but he can go. The -owner doesn’t bet, and there will toe a raging favourite in Slipshod. Ay -should throw away a pound or two, if ay were you.” “Thanks, George; I don’t bet either. Do you ride anything in the fifth race?”

“Not as far as ay kneow,” tho jockey said. “You don’t run yours, do you?” “Godsell sent him home last night,” Brundage said. “I’ll see you later, I hope.” A little later Jane Chalmers was surprised to be intercepted by Brundage, as she was crossing the paddock with Mr and Mrs Talbot. She. took the opportunity of presenting him to her friends, and Jennifer at, -once began to operate her daily double -system.

“You are not starting your horse to-day, are you, Mr Brundage? We were told that It -could not lose.”

"I fully intended starting him," Brundage said. “But he seems to have been sent back to the stable, by some misunderstanding. And Winsome Hoof could lose any race, Mrs Talbot, unless handled in just the right way.” “He would have been a hard horse to back, if you had started him," Derek Talbot remarked. “Everybody seemed to think he had only to run in order to win.”

“I hadn’t thought of betting on him,” Brundage volunteered. “Betting is rather out of my line."

They were moving toward the reserved enclosure; and it was so -clear that he had something to -say to Jane, that her friends walked ahead. “I’ve got- a lot of things to do, Jane,” Brundage began. “I promised you some fun, didnt I? Well, It looks, like turning out funnier than I expected. And the first thing I want you to do is to let me mark one -of those lottery tiokets for you. You’d like to blue your -own money, I expect.” “There’s no fun, otherwise,” Jane said. “I can buy the tickets now. Shall we?”

"Yes. I must get busy,” he explained. Jane bought her ticket, and obedienlty handed It over. Brundage consulted his race card, and wrote two numbers on one part of the, ticket, which he deposited Jn the box without showing it to Jane. On the other half he also wrote the numbers; and then he folded the ticket carefully. “Put that away,” he said, “and don’t look at It. The first number Is eleven, Jane. If that wins the third race you can look at your ticket.” “I suppose you -arc trying to excite my curiosity,” Jane -said loftily stowing the ticket away in her purse. “Isn’t it about time you realised that you are grown up?” “What would be the good of that?” he asked. “Well. I’ll bet you fifty cigarettes that neither of your horses wins," Jane offered. “And you’ve probably pre-

(By E. C. BULEY)

Instalment 16.

vented me from baoking the winning double. Jennifer knows about two quite hopeless wretches to-day.” “This is my rush hour,” he retorted. “I’ll be back about the time things begin to happen. Don’h be a Mrs Bluebeard, and peep when you oughtn’t." “Who Is Brundage?” Jane asked. “Why, the man who gave two sparkling winners at Lingfleld Park! Must you go?” She rejoined her friends, more intrigued by his conduct than she had admitted. Jennifer Talbot was full of questions and comment. “What did he have to say, Jane?" she asked. "Did you ever see anybody so like Bonzo Burr-and-Asche? Will he come back to us? I'm going to ask him to dinner. Do you mind?" “t wish you would,” Jane said. “He says he’ll be back later. He’s up to something, Jennifer; he’s rather fun, when you get to know him." “Marise Formby seems to think so,” Jennifer remarked. “She never took her eyes off you two, while you were talking. And she was disappointed when he went off like that, without a look in her How did you get to know him, Jane?" “He’s a sort of connection, you know," Jane said vaguely. “Marise looks stunning, doesn’t she?" When the numbers went into the frame for the third race, Jane noted that number eleven was Dropscone, and was ridden by George Winterbrook. She felt justified in mentioning Dropscone to Derek Talbot.

“Find cut the price of Dropsoone, Derek," she advised. “I see that Winterbrook is riding, and I had the right sort of tip for it.” Later Talbot returned, with the information that he had hacked Dropscone.

“I took seven fivers,” he said, “and the price is shorter now. Slipshod is a raging favourite, and they say he’s sure to win. But I draw the line at laying odds on." Jane marked Dropscone’e colours; orange with blue sleeves. She liked the way he went to the start. She was delighted to see the orange and blue very plainly, as soon as the start was made, and to hear the people around her saying: “Dropscone is best away.” As they came nearer, .she could see that number eleven was leading. Another horse challenged a furlong from the finish, and there was a cry for Slipshod. But the cry was stilled immediately, for a novice could see that George Winterbrook had the race safely won. There was not the semblance of a struggle at the finish. “Thanks, Jane," Talbot said. “A very useful tip. I had a pound on for each of you girls, of course.” “Not for me,” Jano said promptly. “I don’t bet that way, Derek; not heads I win, tails you lose.. Besides, I’ve done very well. I’ve got a leg in the double.”

“What’s the other horse?” Jennifer asked eagerly.

"I’ll have a look," Jane confessed, opening her purse and unfolding the ticket. “Number sixteen.” "But it doesn’t run.” Jennifer cried. “That's Winsome Hoof. You are silly, Jane, to back that one, when you heard the owner himself say that It didn't run." “Did he?” Jane asked. “I thought he said It had been sent home in mistake.”

“Muoh the same thing,” Derek Talbot interposed. “Winsome Hoof is not among the arrivals, -so he cannot run. Hard luck, Jane; You’d better let that bet I made for you stand.” “Please do, Jane," Jennifer urged, “I should be wild If 'I had one leg of a double home, and then found the other was not a runner.” Then she saw that Jane's eyes were sparkling, and her colour was high. “You know something,” she said exoitedly. “Mr Brundage has told you something about Winsome Hoof, Tell me, Jane." Jane shook her head.

“You heard all that I heard, Jennifer,” she said. "All I know is that Mr Brundage is very busy about something, in his own way. Ana he -said, didn't he, that he wanted to start the horse?"

“He couldn’t get him here in the time, not from Berkshire,” Derek said very definitely. “I’m afraid it’s a blue duck, Jane." About the same time George Winterbrook, having weighed in, found himself faced by -Brundage again. “Did you do what ay said?” he asked. “He won. pretty easily don’t you think?"

“I didn't bet; but thank you just the same,” Brundage replied. “I want you to ride Winsome Hoof -for me, If you •will.”

“But Ay thought—-Marise was cure you didn’t, run your -horse," George answered.

“What’s that got to do with it? will you ride the horse?” For some reason George looked very nnoomfortable.

“Are you engaged for -something else?" Brundage asked.

“No. Oh, no. Ay’d like to ride your horse, but —you see, Lall and the rest of them have a lot of tote doubles, all starting with Dropscone. Lall reckons she's got everything with a chance running for her in .the fifth raoe. And she's keen on bringing off that tote double, you know.” “But she left Winsome Hoof out?” Brundage grinned. “That’s about it," George agreed. “It’s dashed awkward, you kneow.” “Not a bit. If you don’t ride my -horse, somebody else will. What’s more, if you ride him, you can lose the race, without anybody being t-ho wiser.”

“If Ay ride him," George said stiffly, "Ay’ll do rny best to win." “And that’s why I’m asking you," Brundage said. “Listen to me, son. If you aim to marry anybody named .Formby, the sooner you let her sco ■that your soul is your -own the better it wiil be for you.’

“Ay -shouldn’t wonder If you were raight," George said. “How do you want him ridden, then?” “He’s a quick beginner,” Brundage explained; “and he can go a great gallop for half a mile. After that, if you don't know the dog, you are likely to think that he is stopping, and if you move on him, or touch him in any way, that’s just what he will do. You’ve got to sit still, while he -makes a race of it with anything that tackles him." “I’ve seen them like that,” George agreed. (To be Continued.?.