Part 13 (1/2)

Bill owed ht up as a pet, the little animal was absolutely trustworthy He would carry a lady or a child, or pull a sulky; in fact, it was quite a co for Blinky Bill to drive hi and look about him for a likely ”mark” If he could find a fleet youth with a reputedly fast pony, Bill would offer to ”pull the little cuddy out of the sulky and run yer for a fiver” Soot beaten; but as he never paid, that didn't ; but he would always sooner fight than pay

But all these devices had left him on his uppers in the end He had no feed for his ponies, and no money to buy it; the corn merchant had written his account off as bad, and had no desire to make it worse

Under the circue II must be sold

With heavy heart Bill led the pony down to be inspected He saw Mr

Algernon de Montgomery Smythers, and measured hi to him, so he went on the other track

He told hiyman, who used to drive him in a ”shay” There are no shays in this country; but Bill had read the word soht it sounded respectable ”Yus, sir,”

he said, ”'e goes lovely in a shay,” and he was just starting off at twenty words a second, when he was stopped

Mr A de M Smythers was brusque with his inferiors, and in this heto all that Blinky Bill said, and disbelieving it at his leisure, he stopped his talk

”If you want to sell this pony, dry up,” he said ”I don't believe a word you say, and it only worries ”

Fatal mistake! You should never stop a horse-dealer's talk And call hi you like, but never say you doubt his word

Both these things Mr Sh price, yet the insult sank deep into the heart of Blinky Bill

As the capitalist departed leading the pony, Blinky Bill muttered to hie II, the greatest 132 pony of the century Let hi That's all! Blinky Bill ed!”

Chapter III--EXIT ALGY

Christave orders to have the pony saddled, and led round to the front door Algy'ssuperintending the dinner Dinner was the principal event in the day with her Alas, poor lady! Everything she ate agreed with her, and she got fatter and fatter and fatter

The cold world never fully appreciates the struggles of those who are fat--the efforts at starvation, the detested exercise, the long, reatest poets written, ”Take up the fat y saw the pony he shouted with delight, and in half ahio out in the street--and that here the trouble began

Up and down the street the pony cantered, as quietly as possible, till suddenly round a corner ca their horses With a clatter of clumsy hoofs they thundered past In half a second there was a rattle, and a sort of coe II

was off after the tried to keep up with hi ahead for about three strides Then, like the wolves that pursued Mazeppa, he was left yelping far behind Through Surry Hills and Redfern swept the flying pony, his rider lying out on his neck in Tod Sloan fashi+on, while the ground seemed to race beneath him The events of the ere just one hopeless blur till the pony ran straight as an arrow into the yard of Blinky Bill

Chapter IV--RUNNING THE RULE

As soon as Blinky Bill recognised his visitor, he was delighted