"If you force me," said Ashbaugh, pouring out a second heavy dose. Old Man Curry took more water. Ashbaugh gulped once and passed the back of his hand over his lips. "We have talked of birds," said he, wheedlingly. "Leave us now talk of centipedes." "No," said Curry quietly. "No, I reckon not, Henry. There's something else to talk about. You got my telegram?" "This afternoon," said Ashbaugh with a lingering glance at the bottle. "That's why I'm here." "You've still got your place out on the Martinez road?" asked Old Man Curry. "I can't get rid of it," was the answer. "I'd like to take a hoss down there and put him up for a few weeks, Henry." "The place is all yours!" said Ashbaugh with wide gestures. "All yours! A friend of mine can have anything I've got, and no questions asked. Where is this here horse?" "They'll be takin' him out of a freight car about now," said Curry. "Could I git him down to your place to-night?" "You can if you walk it." "Is the road as good as it used to be?" "Same road. Just like it was when you used to train horses on it." "Mebbe we ought to be going," suggested Old Man Curry. "Then you won't talk about centipedes?" "Oh, well," smiled the old man, "I might discuss a three-legged critter with you--once." "Put that bottle back on the bar!" said Ashbaugh. The overnight entry slips, given out on the day before the running of the Thornton Stakes, bore the name of the horse Pharaoh, together with that of his owner, C. T. Curry, whereat the wise men of the West chuckled. A few of them had heard of Old Man Curry, a queer, harmless individual who owned bad horses and raced them on worse tracks. A hasty survey of turf guides brought the horse Pharaoh to unfavourable light as a nonwinner in cheap company, and in no sense to be considered as a competitor in the second greatest of Western turf classics. In addition to this, those who made it their business to know the business of horsemen were able to state positively that no such horse as Pharaoh had arrived at the Emeryville track outside of Oakland. Consequently, when the figuring was done (and a great deal of figuring is always done on the eve of an important stake race), the Curry entry was regarded as among the scratches.