Page:Patches (1928).pdf/222

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less than a race between four old-fashioned stage coaches. The coaches were furnished by the management. They were standing at the scratch, while the six horses which were used on each were in the paddock near at hand. Each driver was allowed as many helpers as he cared to employ. At the sound of the gong there was a great scrambling in the paddock for the horses. They came forth almost at a gallop and in an incredibly short time they were harnessed to the coach and the driver was perched upon his high seat, the reins in his left hand and the long snake-like whip in his right. Then the whip cracked and the six excited horses sprang into the collars and they were off. The coaches swayed and the axles snapped as they got up speed. The gait of the horses was a head-long gallop and each horse was trying to outdo the rest of the team. This was a race which required the greatest skill by the driver and the keenest judgment in calculating the turns as there was much jockeying for positions. The race was for two miles so the old stage coaches rattled four times around the track while the crowd cheered as their favorite drew to the front.

The excitement while the race lasted was intense, nearly every one in the grand stand was standing on his feet and shouting, when the leading coach finally thundered down the home stretch and claimed the