The Project Gutenberg EBook of Garrison's Finish, by W. B. M. Ferguson

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Title: Garrison's Finish
A Romance of the Race-Course

Author: W. B. M. Ferguson

Release Date: March 31, 2006 [EBook #2989]

Language: English

Character set encoding: ASCII

*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK GARRISON'S FINISH ***

Produced by Dagny; John Bickers

GARRISON'S FINISH, A ROMANCE OF THE RACE-COURSE

by W. B. M. Ferguson

CHAPTER I.

A SHATTERED IDOL.

As he made his way out of the paddock Garrison carefully tilted his
bag of Durham into the curved rice-paper held between nicotine-stained
finger and thumb, then deftly rolled his "smoke" with the thumb and
forefinger, while tying the bag with practised right hand and even white
teeth. Once his reputation had been as spotless as those teeth.

He smiled cynically as he shouldered his way through the slowly moving
crowd--that kaleidoscope of the humanities which congregate but do not
blend; which coagulate wherever the trial of science, speed, and stamina
serves as an excuse for putting fortune to the test.

It was a cynical crowd, a quiet crowd, a sullen crowd. Those who had
won, through sheer luck, bottled their joy until they could give it vent
in a safer atmosphere--one not so resentful. For it had been a hard day
for the field. The favorite beaten in the stretch, choked off, outside
the money----

Garrison gasped as the rushing simulacra of the Carter Handicap surged
to his beating brain; that brain at bursting pressure. It had recorded
so many things--recorded faithfully so many, many things he would give
anything to forget.

He was choking, smothering--smothering with shame, hopelessness,
despair. He must get away; get away to breathe, to think; get away out
of it all; get away anywhere--oblivion.

To the jibes, the sneers flung at him, the innuendos, the open insults,
and worst of all, the sad looks of those few friends who gave their
friendship without conditions, he was not indifferent, though he seemed
so. God knows how he felt it at all. And all the more so because he
had once been so high. Now his fall was so low, so pitifully low; so
contemptible, so complete.

He kne