“Tell you, pardner, I took you into that pool-room to do you out of a couple of hundred, and I’d a got forty fer doin’ it.” “That’s quite awful!” exclaimed Nick, throwing up his hands in astonishment. “But I liked the way you bumped those toughies up there, and you have acted square in bringing me here, so that I’m goin’ ter give you a tip.” “Weally, now?” “Yes; you’re a man of your word, ain’t you?” “’Pon honah!” “Well, then, I want you to promise me that you will give me half a century after you get your money.” “Weally, now, isn’t that too much?” “You can make enny amount you like, pard.” “I might lose, you know.” “Will you give me fifty if yer win?” “Why, yes.” “Well, den, you bet on Daisy for de handicap to-morrow.” “But, my deah sir, what’s the mattah with Denver Bay?” “De hoss ain’t in it.” “But his name is on the cah’d, deah boy.” “I tell you,” said the other, pounding his fist on the table in drunken impatience, “de hoss ain’t in it!” “But, my deah boy, I’ve got money bet on Denver Bay now.” “You’ll get dat back.” “I don’t see how.” “If de hoss don’t start all de bets will be declared off, won’t dey?” Nick sat for some moments in silence. “Here are the two schemes,” he thought. “Johnson wants the horse to run and be beaten, and Brower does not want the beast to start.” “Wa’t do you say?” Nick was thinking fast, and did not answer for some time. “I’m responsible for the Brower end of the scheme,” he thought. “The fellow doesn’t dare to risk his ten thousand dollars.” The detective smiled as he thought how little confidence crooked sporting men have in each other’s word. “In this case,” he thought, “it may be that Brower doubts Johnson’s ability to fix the horse. He’s afraid of some failure in the plan at the last moment.” The detective now had two plans to select from. He could defeat the Johnson and Brower plots, and see that the race would be a square one, or he could allow Brower to have his way, and thus cause all bets to be declared off. The first plan, if the horse should win, would place his client in an excellent position. On the other hand, if the horse should lose after all it would only increase his difficulty. The second plan would release Wheeler’s twenty thousand dollar stake money, and leave him just as he stood before engaging in the enterprise. This plan of preventing the horse from entering the race had been more than hinted at when Chick had appeared at the stables as a jockey on the previous night. His report on the matter that morning had caused Nick to talk as he had at the broker’s office. From that conversation with Wheeler, every word of which was still fresh in his mind, Nick had satisfied himself that the broker was anxious to let the stake remain if there was any prospect of securing a fair race. This was one point in favor of the project of balking the rascals in their efforts to keep the horse out.