Show the umbrella and the mule spectator well V thin the facts in imag n ng cometh ng wrong w th county fa r races the oddest race I 1 ever saw said J M blandon a traveling salesman I 1 of philadelphia recently waa at a county fair down in virginia the other day it was the last of the program and was between two mules a big mule and a little mule the lit tie mule was the favorite both were n iden by colored boys fresh from the farm the mules got off together all right and loped the first quarter of tl e track nip and tuck then the lit tie mule forged ahead and was over 50 yards in advance of the big fellow as they came down the home stretch 1 e little mule seemed to be the sure winner and his backers were certain that the money was theirs when within about a hundred yards of the wire a red umbrella was hoist d ai the outer rail near which the ittle ci ie was galloping A great and sudden change came over that mule he shied turned complete around and deliberately started up the track in the opposite direction of the judge s stand in the meantime the der had landed in all fours in the ditch along the track the big mule took his time in sauntering past the judge r eland and was declared to be the winner the race was pro tested on the ground that the red umbrella had been raised to frighten the little mule but the protest was not allowed anyhow a well dressed colored man who had hoisted the umbrella cashed in a good sized wad I 1 thought I 1 would like to pick up a dollar or two on the races but those virginia farmers were too sharp for me I 1 risked my cash on the sec ond event which was a trotting race best two heats in three there were only two horses in the race the oth era being only plugs to make sure that I 1 would pick the winner on the final heat I 1 poised a dollar to a col ored stable attendant and asked to give me the sure tip lie returned in a te mini tes and whispered in my air say boss he s doped I 1 knew what that meant and up went my money on the doped trotter well that horse was the last in the kracje I 1 certainly 1 ad been fooled |