A young man recalls an event that was a "hard jolt" for him and "one of the bitterest" he had to face, and he bemoans the fact that the event occurred because of his own foolishness. He says that the event occurred on an October afternoon as he sat in the grand stand at the fall trotting and pacing meet at Sandusky, Ohio. The summer before, the man had left his home town with a man named Harry Whitehead and a black man named Burt to take a job as a swipe with one of Harry's racehorses. The man's mother and sister thought that the job was disgraceful, but he was nineteen and could not get another job so he left. He had a fun time with the job and learned a lot about horses from Burt. In the fall, the young man came home from his job and promised his mother that he would quit the race horses for good. The young man got a job in Sandusky taking care of some horses. The day the fall races came to Sandusky, he took the day off and went. He wore his new hat and his good clothes. He bought some fancy cigars, mingling with well-dressed people. He decided to get himself the best seat that he could in the grand stand, but he did not get a box seat because he thought that was putting on too many airs. Sitting in front of the young man was a young fellow with two girls. The man decided that the young fellow was a nice guy. He had his girl and his sister with him, and the young man was interested in the sister. The sister turned around and made eye contact with him, and they both blushed. The young fellow left to place a bet. He came back and told the girls which horse he had bet on, and they all watched the race with excitement. The horses came out, and the young man realized that he recognized one of them. The horse was named "About Ben Ahem" and it was owned by a wealthy man named Mr. Mathers, but a man named Bob French was the one who raced it. The previous summer when he young man had been with Burt, they had gone to Mr. Mathers house to see a black man that Burt knew who worked for Mr. Mathers. The black man had let Burt ride Ben Ahem. The young man decides he will tell the group in front of him about Ben Ahem. He taps the fellow on the shoulder and tells him not to bet anything in the first heat, but to bet on Ben Ahem in the second heat. The fellow is delighted, and makes someone move so that the young man can sit with them. He sits next to the sister, and they all introduce themselves. The fellow is named Wilbur Wessen, and his girl is daughter of a barrel manufacturer. Wilbur's sister is Lucy. The young man wants to impress Lucy. He lies and says that his name is Walter Mathers from Marietta, Ohio, and that his father owns "About Ben Ahem." He tells them about his fancy house and stables. He says that Bob French was racing the horse for his father, and his father suspected that Bob wasn't square. He says that his father sent him to find out what he could. He gives Wilbur thirty dollars to bet on Ben Ahem for him after the first heat, saying that he does not want Bob French to see him. Wilbur goes to place the bets, and Lucy gets closer to the young man. Lucy reveals that Wilbur placed a fifty dollar bet on Ben Ahem for the second heat, and she and the other girl added twenty dollars. Soon, they are all at the train depot, and Lucy tell the young man that it won't be long because they will write to each other. The young man thinks about how even if Lucy does write to him, she will be writing to a name that does not exist. Wilbur and the two girls get on the train, and Wilbur shakes hands with the young man. As the train leaves, the young man cries. He regrets telling the lie, and he decides that he does not care for saving up money for a fool like himself.