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"I see the rain tricklin' off Butsy's nose when we get close to him. "'Stay with it, Butsy! says Peewee. 'They got a lawyer comin' in a auto "'Come 'n' hold these dogs fur a while! says Butsy. "'I'd like to, says Peewee, 'but I can't. I might miss somethin', 'n' he goes back to where the crowd is. "We waits fur about a hour.

"Every time I see a bunch of rubes," he said at last, "it puts me in mind of Butsy Trimble 'n' the new stalls at Lake Minnehaha Park." "Lake Minnehaha Park," I repeated. "I never heard of such a place." "It's up at Mount Clinton," Blister explained. "It's Ohio's beauty spot." "Get out!" I scoffed. "Fact!" said Blister. "It says so right over the gates." "Tell me about it," I demanded.

Then I ambulates out among the rubes 'n' acts like I'm willing to bet on the bay geldin'. If I finds a live one, Butsy takes his hoss up in his lap the last two trips 'n' Peewee comes on 'n' grabs the gravy. "We figger the rubes'll eat it up after seein' that nice-lookin' black stud romp away with the first heat. But right there the dope falls down the rubes ain't as dead as they look.

His favorite stunt is to say he'll take his hoss 'n' quit. He springs this right along. "From the start this trip gets to Peewee's funny bone. He don't do nothin' but laugh. Butsy don't see nothin' funny about it, 'n' he gets to thinkin' Peewee's laughin' at him. "Peewee'll lay in the stall at night 'n' laugh 'n' laugh. Pretty soon he'll get me goin', 'n' then we'll lay 'n' snort fur a hour.

"'It's the truth! says Peewee, 'n' we rolls in the straw a-holdin' to each other till I feel like I'd been stepped on by a draft hoss. "Butsy gets up. "'Just one more snicker out of either of you, he says, ''n' I lead my hoss to the depot! "I see he means it 'n' I gets my head down in the straw 'n' holds my breath. Butsy stands there a-lookin' at us.

It seems to help Butsy a lot he acts more cheerful right away. "'Cherries are ripe, he says. 'Our next town's Mount Clinton. I know every boob in it. We'll sift some change out of them Knox County plow-pushers. "We ships over the B. & O. to Mount Clinton. It's rainin' when we unloads, 'n' Butsy ain't as cheerful as he was. "'How far is it to the track? Peewee says to him.

"We sets there 'n' talks over the proposition most all night. Butsy says it's a cinch 'n' it ain't long till me 'n' Peewee figgers he's got it doped right. "'Let's go against it, Blister, Peewee says to me. 'What do you say, old pal? "'I'm there with bells on, I says, 'n' that settles it. I ships my colts to Judge Dillon, 'n' the next week we start.

"'Furget it! he says. 'Put her on the street-car. The car runs right into Minnehaha Park 'n' you can unload her in front of the stalls. "'You can't take a trunk on a street-car, I says. "'Wait till you see this street-car, says Butsy. "'Ain't they but one? says Peewee. "'That's all, says Butsy. 'Orphy Shanner runs it.

"'I got to go 'n' tell Butsy there's a judge comin'! says Peewee. "'Butsy's sore about somethin', he says when he gets back. "This Judge Tate unloads hisself from the car when Orphy brings him, like he's the most important piece of work fur miles around. He has little side-whiskers 'n' a bay-window with a big gold chain stretched across it.

Butsy can't go to sleep 'n' he gets wild. "'What th' hell are you laughin' at? he says. 'If you don't cut this out 'n' let me get my rest I'll quit the game tomorrow! "It gets so I don't dare look at Peewee fur fear we'll get started 'n' Butsy'll quit. "At a burg called Mansfield I finds a good bunch of live ones 'n' we grabs off three hundred life-savers.