THE DRAWER OF BARELLAN
They decided to allow Clara to go to Mrs. Prevost's, and Glen took her
there. She was given a kindly welcome. Mrs. Prevost was glad to have
her, liked her at once. The feeling was mutual. Glen felt he had left
her in good hands, that she would be happy and comfortable.
"Don't let Bellshaw see her if by any chance he calls," said Glen, "but
he will be going to Melbourne for the Cup meetings, and our show leaves
to-morrow. I shall not see you again for several weeks."
"I shall look forward to your return. I hope you will do well there,"
she answered.
"I think we shall. There is no reason why we should not do even better
than in Sydney."
As Glen was leaving, having bid good-bye to Clara, he said, "On my
return I may have something to tell you; something which I hope will be
for our happiness."
She smiled brightly, guessing what he meant. There was a prospect of
sailing into a peaceful harbour after a stormy life. Glen Leigh was
indeed a man. He had not even questioned her about the past, or her
relations with Bellshaw.
The horses, and all the paraphernalia of the show, went to Melbourne by
steamer, Glen and Jim going with them. During the short voyage Glen
thought Jim taciturn and ill-tempered. He asked him the cause.
"I'm sick of life," said Jim, "I never seem to get anything out of it.
You and Bill have all the luck."
"I don't think you've done so badly," objected Glen, "and now you have a
share in the show. What more do you want?"
"A good deal more. I want happiness, and I don't seem in the way of
getting it."
"Why not? What troubles you? Tell me, lad; I may be able to help you."
Then, as they sat on deck, Jim poured out the vials of his ill-tempered
wrath on Glen's head. He told how he loved Clara, but that she avoided,
shunned him. He complained that it was very hard lines he, Glen, should
come between them. For a long time he went on grumbling, and Glen
listened to him patiently not saying a word. He let him exhaust himself
before he made any reply.
"Jim, you're a fool," said Glen. "When she first came across my path and
found her way to my hut, as I sat and nursed her back to life, you
helping me, I thought I loved her. I was sure of it. That same feeling
possessed me when we came to Sydney. It remained with me until something
happened which opened my eyes, something totally unexpected. She put her
arms round my neck and kissed me."
"I know," said Jim. "I know. She always does. She loves you."
Glen smiled as he said, "You're a bit shallow, Jim. You can't see far. I
knew when she kissed me she would never love me like that, so I gave it
up. She regarded me as a father, that was all, and I'm quite contented
she should. I've found out the feeling I had for her was not that of a
lover. I love her, I always shall, because I rescued her from death.
It's only natural. You've no need to fear me as a rival. I love another
woman, not her."
Jim's face brightened. He knew Glen spoke the truth; he always did. It
clouded again as he thought how she avoided him.
"The reason she doesn't kiss you," said Glen, "is because she feels
different towards you. She doesn't think it would be right. I've watched
her, and I think if she does not love you now she will in days to come.
She'll miss you when you are away from her in Melbourne. Probably she'll
talk to Mrs. Prevost about you. Wait till you come back and then see how
the land lies. She's not fit to marry yet, not strong enough. It will be
better to wait until she recovers her memory."
"She may never recover it," said Jim.
"She will, I'm sure of it, and through Mrs. Prevost, who will help her.
She's a sympathetic woman, and I told her all about it, everything.
She'll do all in her power to bring back her lost memory; she said she
would," Glen answered.
After this conversation Jim was a different man.
All along he had been jealous of Glen; now the cause was removed.
Sometimes he gave a thought to Joe Calder, but he felt no regret for
what he had done; the man had brought it on himself.
"If I hadn't shot him he'd have done for me," said Jim to himself.
The show arrived safely in Melbourne, and opened in a large tent on the
St. Kilda Road. Crowds flocked to it, and before the first week was over
Glen knew they were in for an even better season than in Sydney. They
started business the Saturday before the Caulfield Cup. The tent was
packed every night, and sometimes twice a day.
Ivor Hadwin arrived at Caulfield with his horses, Barellan, Flash, and a
couple of others.
Betting on the two Cups was brisk, and Barellan was well backed by the
public at a hundred to eight.
Bellshaw had been laid a fair sum to nothing by the drawer of Flash in
the Caulfield Cup Sweep.
The first Hundred Thousand Pound Sweep on the Melbourne Cup was to be
drawn in Sydney on Monday night.
When Glen Leigh was informed he laughed, and said, "I don't set much
account on it. A fellow can't expect to get anything with one ticket in
a hundred thousand."
There was a tremendous race for the Caulfield Cup, and Flash ran third,
being beaten by Roland and Mackay.
Flash ran a remarkably fast race. Ivor Hadwin hardly thought him good
enough to win and he died away a furlong from the post. Knowing what
Barellan could do with Flash on the track, the trainer told Nicholl he
thought the Melbourne Cup was pretty nearly as good as won.
The result of the drawing for the Hundred Thousand Pound Sweep on the
Melbourne Cup was made public on the Wednesday. Glen Leigh received a
wire from Bill Bigs which fairly astonished him.
"You have drawn Barellan. Good luck, Bill."
This was astounding news indeed. He had only one ticket in the sweep,
number 33444, and it had drawn Barellan, third favourite for the great
race. Was there ever such a stroke of luck! Glen could hardly believe in
his good fortune. Barellan was Bellshaw's horse which made it more
remarkable still. All his friends connected with the show crowded round
congratulating him. He was regarded as a kind of hero. The first prize
was close upon twenty-five thousand pounds, and there were numerous
other large and small sums to be divided. He was bound to get one of the
first three big prizes with such a horse as Barellan running for him, so
said everybody who knew him.
Ivor Hadwin heard the news with mixed feelings; he was glad Leigh had
drawn the horse, but wondered what would happen if he declined to give
Craig Bellshaw a cut out of the sweep money. It was impossible to keep
the fact that Leigh had drawn Barellan a secret, nor had he any wish it
should be so.
"I've drawn the horse; where's the harm in people knowing it?" said
Glen.
Bill Bigs arrived in Melbourne, and consulted with Glen as to what was
best to be done.
Bill advised him to lay some of it against Barellan. He could stand to
win a large sum to nothing, and if the horse lost he would also be a
winner. Glen, however, was adamant on this point. He declared he would
not lay off a penny; he'd stand the thing right out.
"It's only cost me a pound," he said. "That's not much, and I'd sooner
go the whole hog and win the lot, if Barellan wins. If he loses I shall
not grumble."
"Please yourself," said Bill. "From all I hear you stand a good chance
of pulling it off at the first time of asking. It's an extraordinary
piece of luck, that's what it is. I know fellows who have been going in
for sweeps for years and have never drawn a horse. I've been doing it
for a dozen years, and all I ever got was a non-starter."
"You shall have a couple of hundred if Barellan wins," said Glen. "So
shall Jim, and I'll see Hadwin and Nicholl have a trifle."
"You're distributing the cash before you've won," laughed Bill.
"Half the fun of things is to anticipate, and plan out what you'll do
with the money," Glen laughed back.
"So it is. I've drawn some nice little pictures myself, but they've
always been rubbed out, not so much as a daub remaining," said Bill.
When Glen met Hadwin, the trainer asked, "I suppose you've not heard
from Bellshaw?"
"No. What do I want to hear from him for?" replied Glen.
Hadwin smiled.
"You've not had much experience of sweeps. Owners generally expect a
good slice out of them," he said.
"If Bellshaw expects to get me to lay him a big slice he's mistaken. I
shan't lay him a penny," replied Glen determinedly.
"For goodness' sake don't say that," expostulated Hadwin in genuine
alarm.
"Why not? I mean it."
"It will ruin me, Leigh, ruin me. I've backed Barellan for all I'm
worth, or nearly so," said the trainer.
"Well, my drawing him in the sweep won't stop him winning."
"No, I don't mean that. I think he will win, but if you don't lay
Bellshaw a fair sum, there's no telling what he'll do."
"What can he do?" asked Glen, surprised.
"Scratch him," said Hadwin in a low tremulous voice.