“Don’t know what got into him,” said Henry. “Just tore off his halter and loped right out there when he saw the Black coming down!”

Jake rubbed his hand over Napoleon’s body. “Guess he isn’t any the worse for it,” he said.

Henry threw the blanket over the Black. “Tony’ll probably be wondering why he takes it so easy on his rounds tomorrow.”

“He’ll have more pep than ever.” Alec laughed. “Tony will be lucky if he can hold him in!”

Jake threw another blanket over Napoleon. “Here,” he said, “he earned this.”

“Better walk ’em both down the track, son,” Henry said.

Alec led the horses away. Napoleon raised his head as high as he could, imitating the Black. Carefully he raised his trembling legs higher and tried desperately to rear in spite of Alec’s hand on his halter.

Henry and Jake were standing in front of the truck when Alec returned with the two horses. The two men looked at the stallion. “I’d give a lot to be able to spring him in a big race,” Henry said. “Boy, what a sight that’d be!”

Alec looked at Henry. “We’re not going to give up hope yet, Henry, are we?”

Henry’s eyes swept up to the stallion and then back to Alec. “No, sir, kid, they’re going to see this horse run if I have to stage a race myself!”

Henry lit his pipe. In the glow of the lighted match, Alec saw determination written all over his face. His jowls rose and fell as he sucked on the pipe; the thick smoke rose in the air and then floated away on the warm, spring breeze. Henry lifted the pipe from his mouth and turned to Jake. “Got any suggestions on anything we could do, Jake?”

The old man thought a minute. Then he said, “No, Henry. Guess the best thing to do is to race him against time some way and get people talkin’ about him. But first I’d wait for the answer to your letter.”

The stallion’s ears pricked forward as a horse’s neigh reached them from one of the stalls in the distance. Alec looked at the Black wistfully. “That’s the way I feel about it, too, Henry,” he said. “We’ll wait, but he belongs up with the best, and some way we’ve got to show everyone that he does, thoroughbred or no thoroughbred!”

Weeks passed, and Alec and Henry conscientiously trained the Black. Eagerly they awaited an answer to Henry’s last letter. The days passed and gradually they began to lose hope. Then one day it came. Henry rushed into the barn with the long, unopened envelope in his hand. Alec was grooming the Black.

“Alec,” he yelled excitedly, waving the letter. “It’s here!” Furiously his hands tore it open and the envelope fell to the floor.

Alec saw his eyes fly over the letter and then disappointment appeared on his face. He handed the letter to Alec. It was short, only a few lines. Even then, Alec didn’t read all of it. The first sentence was enough. “There is no horse registered to fit the description you sent us. We made an extensive search …” Alec handed the letter back to Henry, who crumpled it up and threw it on the floor.