' I asks Harms.

"'What's wrong with him?' he says. 'He looks good to me.'

"'He ain't ready,' I says. 'Look at him 'n' feel him! He'll need ten
days more work 'n' a race under his belt 'fore he's safe to bet real
money on.'

"Harms buys some stuff at a drug store, 'n' gets busy with the white
fore-foot.

"'Only God A'mighty can make as good a sorrel as that!' he says when
he's through. 'Here's the can of dope. Don't let her fade.'

"'What are you goin' to do about this Elsy person?' I says. 'While I
ain't sayin' it's pure joy to have him around, I ain't got the heart to
hand it to him. I don't mind trimmin' boobs--that's what they're
for--but this Elsy thing is too soft. He must be in quite a wad on
this bum hoss of his'n.'

"'Who's Elsy?' says Harms.

"I tells him, 'n' he laughs.

"'Is that what you call him?' he says. 'What's bitin' you--ain't
Friendless goin' to win a nice purse for him?'

"About ten o'clock that night Alcyfras goes out one gate 'n' Friendless
comes in another. I keeps the foot stained good, 'n' shuts the stall
door whenever Duckfoot shows up. In ten days the hoss is right on edge
'n' one race'll put the finish on him, so I enter him, in a bunch of
skates, as Alcyfras. I gives the mount to Lou Smith--he ain't much of
a jock, but he'll ride to orders. Just before the race I has a heart
to heart talk with Lou.

"'Fur this hoss to win you don't make a move on him,' I says. 'If you
hand him the bat or take hold of him at the get-away he sulks.'

"'All right, I lets him alone,' says Lou.

"'When I'm ready fur you to let him alone I slips you a nice ticket on
this bird. You ain't got a ticket to-day, have you?' I says.

"'Not so's you could notice,' says Lou.

"'Are you hep?' I says.

"'I got-cha, Bo,' says Lou.

"I see Lou's arm rise 'n' fall a couple of times at the start 'n' ole
Friendless finished fifth, his ears laid back, sulkier 'n a grass widow
at a married men's picnic.

"'You let him do better to-day,' says Elsy. 'Isn't it time to allow
him to win?'

"'He wins his next out,' I says.

"I tell Harms we're ready fur the big show 'n' I looks fur a nice race
to drop the good thing into. But it starts to rain 'n' it keeps it up
a week. Friendless ain't a mudder 'n' we has to have a fast track fur
our little act of separating the green stuff from the poolrooms. I'm
afraid the bird stales off if I don't get a race into him, so I enters
him among a pretty fair