ven the quiet tip to play Cornflower for a killing. So did the
Bald-faced Kid, edging away from the rustic who, with a Cornflower
ticket clutched in his sweating palm, seemed to be trying to swallow
the thyroid cartilage of his larynx. So did Jockey Moseby Jones,
driving straight into the hurricane of cheers which beat down from
the packed grand stand.

"_Elisha! Elisha! Come on, you Elisha!_"

Now the gaunt bay head was at the mare's flank, now at the saddle
girth, now it blotted out the shoulder, now they were neck and neck;
one more terrific bound, an ear-splitting yell from the grand stand,
and Elisha's number went slowly to the top of the pole.

The judges were examining the opening betting on the last race of the
meeting.

"Ah, we have Old Man Curry with us again!" said the presiding judge.
"Jeremiah. If the meeting had another two weeks to run I'd ask him
not to start that horse again. I'm told he bled at his workout this
morning. By the way, the old man acted sort of grouchy after the
Elisha race. Did you notice it?"

"Yes, and I know why," said the associate judge. "He tried to bet a
barrel of money and the bookmakers laughed at him. As a general thing
he bets a few dollars in each book; this time he went at 'em too
strong. The bookies are a little leary of that innocent old boy."

"Call him innocent if you want to. He's either the shrewdest horseman
on this circuit--or the luckiest, and I be damned if I can tell
which! Hm-m-m. Jeremiah, 20 to 1. If he bled this morning, he ought
to be a thousand!"

So, also, thought the employer of Shine McManus, none other than the
fat gentleman with the purple jowls, otherwise Izzy Marx, known to
his friends as "Easy Marks." McManus was a not unimportant cog in the
secret-service department maintained by the bookmaker.

"Listen, Mac!" wheezed Marx. "I want you to tail Old Man Curry from
now until the barrier goes up, understand? Yes, yes, you _told_ me
the horse bled this morning, but that old fox has got the miracle
habit; I'd hate to give him too long a price on a _dead_ horse,
understand, Mac? If Curry is going to bet a plugged nickel on this
here Jeremiah, I'll hold him out and not take a cent on him. Stick
around close and shoot me back word by Abie. The rest of these
fellows have got 20 to 1 on him; he's 15 to 1 in this book until I
hear from you. Hurry, now!"

There were ten horses entered in the final race of the meeting, and
nine of them were strongly to