"No, no! I think myself Mr. Skinner will win. That"s why I"m here."
"Strip your hand, son. I don"t savvy."
And Fresno explained.
"You see, I"m a guest over there; but there"s no sentiment with me in money matters." He produced a wallet, and took from it five one-hundred-dollar bills. "Bet this for me, and don"t let on where it came from. I"ll see you after the race. Mind you, not a word!"
"I"m dumb as the Egyptian Spinks."
"This race means a lot to me, Mr. Skinner." The guest of the Flying Heart Ranch turned to its enemy. "There"s a girl in it.
Understand?" The cook showed the gleam of his teeth. "If you win, I"ll send you some wedding-cake and--a box of cigars."
"Thanks," said the other; "but I"ve got a b.u.m tooth, and I don"t smoke."
As Fresno left, there approached, in a surging group, the opposing side.
"Good-evenin", Gabby!" Stover called, loudly, as he came within speaking distance. "Here we come _en ma.s.say_, and with ladies, to further embarra.s.s and degrade you in the hour of your defeat!"
"We ain"t defeated yit! How do, Mr. Chapin."
"Did you get our message?"
"Yes. But we ain"t seen the color of y"all"s money."
"Mr. Speed borrowed five hundred dollars from me, and said he might want more," Chapin volunteered.
"Is that all?"
"All?" jeered Still Bill. "Why, this mangy layout ain"t never saw that much money," upon which Gallagher carelessly displayed a corpulent roll of bills, remarking:
"Count a thousand, Bill. It all goes on Skinner."
"I ain"t heard of no train-robbery," muttered the lanky foreman of the Flying Heart, "nor I don"t aim to handle no" tainted money." And Stover and Gallagher faced each other hard before turning.
Jean saw it, and whispered to Chapin: "Oh, Jack dear, I"m terribly frightened!" But Helen Blake, who overheard, left her companions and went straight to Gallagher.
"I should like," she said, "to wager a few dollars on Mr. Speed and the honor of the Flying Heart."
Both Skinner and his foreman stared at her nonplussed.
"You don"t look like a bettin" lady," the latter managed to remark, jocularly.
"I"m not, I never made a wager before in all my life; but you see, Mr. Gallagher, I believe in our man." Gallagher lowered his eyes. "How much do you aim to risk, miss?"
"I don"t know what the rules are, but I think our side ought to bet as much as your side. That is the way it is done, isn"t it?"
"You mean that you aim to cover what Mr. Speed don"t?" The girl nodded.
Gallagher spoke admiringly. "You"re right game, miss, but I reckon we don"t want your money."
"Why not?"
"I suppose there ain"t no partic"lar reason."
"If Mr. Speed can beat Mr. Covington, who is the best runner at Yale, I"m sure he can defeat Mr. Skinner, who never went to college at all. They have all turned against him, and he-he is so brave!" Miss Blake"s indignation was tearful, and Gallagher spoke hurriedly:
"He may be brave all right, miss, but he can"t win unless Skinner dies. You save your money to buy chocolates an" bon-mots, miss.
Why, listen" (the stock man softened his voice in a fatherly manner): "this Fresno party is wise; five hundred of this coin is his."
Helen uttered a cry. "Do you mean he is betting _against_ Mr. Speed?"
"Nothin" else."
"Despicable!" breathed the girl. "Wait a moment, please!" Helen hurried back to Chapin, while Gallagher muttered something like "I ain"t takin" no orphan"s money."
"Jack!" (the girl was trembling with excitement), "you told me on the way over that you had five hundred dollars with you. Let me have it, please. I"ll give you my check when we get home."
"My dear girl, you aren"t going to--bet it?"
"Yes, I am."
"Don"t do that!"
For answer she s.n.a.t.c.hed the pocket-book from his hand.
"Mr. Gallagher!" she called.
Skinner watched from afar. "Some cla.s.s to that gal!" was what he said, which proved that he was a person not wholly without sentiment.
CHAPTER XVII
Speed leaped down from the buck-board in which Carara had driven him and Gla.s.s over to the Centipede corral.
"I told you to jump out when we crossed that bridge," was Larry"s reproach to him. "You could have broke your arm. Now--it"s too late."
But Speed joined his friends with the most cheerful of greetings.
They responded nervously, shocked at his flippant a.s.surance.
"This, Mr. Speed, is the scene of your defeat!" Gallagher made the introduction.
"And this is Mr. Skinner, no doubt?" Wally shook hands with the Centipede runner, who stared at him, refused to recognize his knowing wink, and turned away. "You think pretty well of yourself, don"t you?" suggested Gallagher unpleasantly, and Speed laughed. There was no reason why he should not laugh. Either way his hour had come.
"I s"pose that satchel is full of money?" Gallagher pointed to the suitcase.