"'My time's yours,' I says.

"'How about the other horse?' says the fat guy.

"'You'll own him in eight minutes,' I says. 'Stay here with Edwin
Booth till I get back.'

"I hustles down the line 'n' finds Peewee Simpson washin' out
bandages--that's what he'd come to.

"'You still got that sorrel hound?' I says to him.

"'Nope,' says Peewee. 'He's got me. I'm takin' in washin' to support
him.'

"'Brace yourself fur a shock,' I says. 'I'll give you real money fur
him.'

"Peewee looks at me fur a minute like you done a while ago.

"'Don't wake me up!' he says. 'I must--' then he stops 'n' takes
another slant at me. 'Say!' he says, 'I'll bet you've got next! I
ain't told you yet--who put you hep?'

"'Hep to what?' I says.

"'Why, this hoss works a mile in forty yesterday,' says Peewee. 'I'm
goin' to cop with him next week.'

"'Your work's coarse,' I says. 'The only way that dog goes a mile in
forty is in the baggage coach ahead. I'm in a hurry! Here's a hundred
fur the pup. Don't break a leg gettin' him out of the stall.'

"I don't stop to answer Peewee's questions, but leads the hoss back to
the fat guy.

"'Here's Salvini,' I says. 'He cost you a hundred.'

"'S. R. O. for you,' says he, 'n' slips me the hundred. 'Now, take him
and Edwin Booth to the livery-stable round the corner from the Alhambra
Theater. Come to the Gilsey House at six o'clock and ask for me. My
name is Banks.'

"'There's class to that name,' I says. 'It sure sounds good to me.'

"'Keep on your toes like you've done so far and it'll be as good as it
sounds,' says he.

"That evenin' Banks tells me the dogs he's bought is fur a show called
_A Blue Grass Belle_. A dame is to ride one of 'em in the show, 'n'
I'm to ride the other.

"'I've arranged to have the apparatus set up back of the
livery-stable,' says Banks, 'so you can rehearse the horses for their
act. When they know their parts I'll bring Pixley around and you can
work the act together. She was a rube before she hit the big town and
she says she can ride.'

"Say, this dingus fur the hosses to run on is there like a duck. The
guy that thinks it up has a grand bean! You leads a hoss on to it 'n'
when it's ready you gives him the word. He starts to walk off, nothin'
doin', he ain't goin' nowhere. You fans him with the bat. 'I'll be on
my way,' he says. But he ain't got a chance--the faster he romps the
faster the dingus rolls out from under him. He