Running Recollections and How to Train

CHAPTER XXI. MATCHES AGAINST HUTCHINS, KEANE, AND BREDIN. I FIND that this story is becoming much longer than 1 intended. I shall, therefore, be compelled to cut short the account of the nexttwo or three matches in which I took part. The first 1 had after recovering frommy breakdown was against Harry Hutchins,the old champion and record holder, who offered to take sevenyards' start in 200 from me for £25 a side. A friend of mine found the needful, and I went into training at Flamborough, where I soon got into something like form. A week before my match with Hutchins was decided, came theSheffield Doncaster Handi­ cap. In this I was beaten in the second round by T. F. Keane, of America, who had won the previous handicap, and who was in receipt oftwo-and-a-quarter yards from me. I found, to my intense disgust,that 1 was not nearly so tit as I ought to be, but I kept myown counsel about this. I beat Hutchins all right, though I only made 10s thereby. It happened thus :— Hutchins, it seems, was working for two men, one of whom was finding the "stake" while the other found the " steak." The gentlemanwho was putting down the money complained that Hutchins wasnot treating him fairly in the matter of trials, or something of that sort, and withdrew his money from the Chronicle office. I was apprised of this the evening before the race by a telegram from the Chronicle people, who asked, at the same time, if the race was to go on. I replied to the effect that as allarrange­ ments had been made and the ground engaged, the race