"If Mr. Speed can beat Mr. Covington, who is the best runner at Yale, I'm sure he can defeat Mr. Skinner, who never went to college at all. They have all turned against him, and he-he is so brave!" Miss Blake's indignation was tearful, and Gallagher spoke hurriedly: "He may be brave all right, miss, but he can't win unless Skinner dies. You save your money to buy chocolates an' bon-mots, miss. Why, listen" (the stock man softened his voice in a fatherly manner): "this Fresno party is wise; five hundred of this coin is his." Helen uttered a cry. "Do you mean he is betting _against_ Mr. Speed?" "Nothin' else." "Despicable!" breathed the girl. "Wait a moment, please!" Helen hurried back to Chapin, while Gallagher muttered something like "I ain't takin' no orphan's money." "Jack!" (the girl was trembling with excitement), "you told me on the way over that you had five hundred dollars with you. Let me have it, please. I'll give you my check when we get home." "My dear girl, you aren't going to--bet it?" "Yes, I am." "Don't do that!" For answer she snatched the pocket-book from his hand. "Mr. Gallagher!" she called. Skinner watched from afar. "Some class to that gal!" was what he said, which proved that he was a person not wholly without sentiment. CHAPTER XVII Speed leaped down from the buck-board in which Carara had driven him and Glass over to the Centipede corral. "I told you to jump out when we crossed that bridge," was Larry's reproach to him. "You could have broke your arm. Now--it's too late." But Speed joined his friends with the most cheerful of greetings. They responded nervously, shocked at his flippant assurance. "This, Mr. Speed, is the scene of your defeat!" Gallagher made the introduction. "And this is Mr. Skinner, no doubt?" Wally shook hands with the Centipede runner, who stared at him, refused to recognize his knowing wink, and turned away. "You think pretty well of yourself, don't you?" suggested Gallagher unpleasantly, and Speed laughed. There was no reason why he should not laugh. Either way his hour had come. "I s'pose that satchel is full of money?" Gallagher pointed to the suitcase. "On the contrary, it is full of clothes. It is I who contain the money." He thrust a cold palm into his pocket as Covington dragged him aside to advise him not to be an utter idiot, to throw his money away if he must, but to throw it to charity or to his friends. "Yes," Glass seconded, lugubriously, "and hold out enough to buy me a _Gates Ajar_ in immortelles." But he said also, as if to himself, "He may be wrong in the burr, but he's a game little guy." As the Centipede foreman counted the money, Helen came forward, announcing: "You'll _have_ to win now, won't you, Mr. Speed? I've wagered five hundred dollars on you. I bet against Mr. Fresno." "Fresno! So he's out from cover at last, eh?" "I haven't been under cover," spoke up the Californian. "I've been wise all along."