But now came the time when the mettle of the racers was to be tested. Black Boy responded nobly to whip and voice. He went ahead in a marvelous manner. He was soon nose and nose with Pawnee, and then he took second place, with his nose at Fanny D.'s flank. But there was another change. Again the black boy on the back of Frank Merriwell's racer leaned forward and talked into the ears of the horse, and then came a spurt that caused hundreds of spectators to gasp with amazement. Pawnee struggled nobly to hold third place, but Nemo passed him, and Evan Hartwick nearly choked with fury. Then it was seen that Nemo was gaining on the others. He crept up beside Black Boy till they were nearly even, and thus the two animals passed Fanny D. at the end of the third quarter. When the home stretch was reached Black Boy was leading by a neck, with Nemo second and Fanny D. third. Evan Hartwick was nearly beside himself with rage. The language that came from his lips cannot be printed here. In vain his companions tried to calm him. He cursed them both, and struck at them. Then the voice of another person was heard. "I slipped on the trick, boss. They caught me, and they didn't do a thing to me--not a thing! My head was near broke and they made me take a bite outer ther apple I was tryin' to feed ther horse. It'd killed me if they'd made me eat ther whole of the apple. I'm sorry, but----" It was Mike Hogan, his brutal face pale and drawn, if he were, indeed, ill, and a bloody handkerchief tied about his head. "Your head was near broken!" snarled Hartwick. "You bungling fool! I'll finish the job!" And then he hit Mike in the face with his fist. They grappled and fell, and, as the other lads were trying to pull them apart, there came a great shout that announced the race was over. The crowd was heard cheering. "Which won?" was the question Harlow paused to ask. "Nemo came in first by a full length," replied a spectator. Then Hogan was dragged off Hartwick, who lay pallid and still on his back, looking as if the end had come for him. Two nights later a jolly party gathered in Frank Merriwell's room to offer him congratulations. There were speeches, songs, toasts and jests. "How much will you take for Nemo now, Merriwell?" asked Jack Diamond. "I want to buy him and send him South to my father." "You can't," laughed Frank. "Your father hasn't money enough to buy the dear old boy." "But what are you going to do with him?" asked Rattleton. "You must think of the future." "Not now," smiled Merriwell. "To-morrow is my queen's birthday, and I am thinking of the present." Bruce Browning loafed into the room. "Heard the news, fellows?" he asked. "No; what is it?" cried several voices. "Hartwick's been arrested." "Arrested? What for?" "For robbing his own father of seven thousand dollars. He knew how to get at the old gentleman's dough, and he swiped it several days ago. He's been burning money since then."