This information had been brought to Langdon, but he also had observed the gallop. And the same boy was to ride Lauzanne in the race, he understood, for Redpath had been released, and was looking for another mount. It wasn"t in the natural order of things that one small stable would have in it two horses good enough to win the Derby, especially when one of them was a cast-off; but there was the gallop; time, like figures, didn"t lie, not often; and as he thought of it Langdon admitted that he had never seen such an improvement in a horse as had been made in Lauzanne. Shandy had told him that it was Miss Porter"s doing, that she had cured him of his sulky moods; the gallop Langdon had witnessed seemed to bear out the truth of this. What was he to do? They couldn"t repeat the trick they had played on Lucretia. The Dutchman might win; he had worked the full Derby distance, a mile and a half, in 2:45, nearly all out at the finish. Lauzanne"s gallop was only a mile and a quarter; he might not be able to stay the additional quarter. But there was ten thousand dollars at stake--for Langdon. He sought to discover the ident.i.ty of Lauzanne"s rider; but n.o.body knew him--Dixon had picked him up somewhere. Perhaps he could be got at; that would simplify matters greatly.
The morning after her fast work on Lauzanne, Allis, draped as she was into the personification of Al Mayne, arrived at the course before their horses. As she was leaning over the paddock rail waiting for Lauzanne to come, Langdon, who had evidently determined upon a course of action, sauntered up carelessly to the girl and commenced to talk. After a free preliminary observation he said, "You"re the boy that"s ridin" for Andy Dixon, ain"t you?"
The small figure nodded its head.
"I seen you gallop that Chestnut yesterday. Where you been ridin--you"re a stranger here, I reckon?"
"Out West," answered Allis, at a hazard.
"Oh, San Francisco, eh? Are you engaged to Dixon?"
"I"m just on trial."
"Goin" to ride the Chestnut in the race?"
Again the boy nodded; under the circ.u.mstances it wasn"t wise to trust too much to speech.
"He ain"t no good--he"s a bad horse. I guess I"ve got the winner of that race in my stable. If he wins, I"d like to sign you for a year. I like the way you ride. I ain"t got no good lightweight. I might give you a thousand for a contract, an" losin" and winnin" mounts when you had a leg up. How do you like ridin" for Dixon?" he continued, the little chap not answering his observations.
"I ain"t goin" to ride no more for him after this race," answered the other, quite truthfully enough, but possessed of a curiosity to discover the extent of the other"s villainy.
"I don"t blame you. He"s no good; he don"t never give his boys a chance.
If you win on the Chestnut, like as not they"ll just give you the winnin" mount. That ain"t no good to a boy. They ain"t got no money, that"s why. The owner of my candidate, The Dutchman, he"s a rich man, an" won"t think nothin" of givin" a retainer of a thousand if we won this race. That"ll mean The Dutchman"s a good horse, and we"ll want a good light boy to ride him, see?"
Allis did see. Langdon was diplomatically giving her as A1 Mayne to understand that if she threw the race on Lauzanne, she would get a place in their stable at a retainer of a thousand dollars.
"We can afford it if we win the race," he continued, "for we stand a big stake. Come and see me any time you like to talk this over."
After he had gone, just as Allis was leaving the rail, she was again accosted; this time by Shandy. She trembled an instant, fearing that the small red-lidded ferret eyes would discover her ident.i.ty. But the boy was too intent on trying to secure his ill-earned five hundred dollars to think of anything else.
"Good mornin", boy," he said, cheerily. "I used to be in Dixon"s stable.
It"s h.e.l.l; and he"s a swipe. I see my boss talkin" to you just now. Did he put you next a good thing?"
Allis nodded her head, knowingly.
"He"s all right. So"s the other one--the guy as has got the mun; he"s got a bank full of it. I"m on to him; his name"s Crane--"
Allis started.
"You don"t know him," continued the imp; "he"s too slick to go messin"
about. But if the old man promised you anything, see, G.o.d blast me, you"ll git it. Not like that other skin-flint hole where you don"t git nothin". I stand in five hundred if our horse wins the Derby."
"Do you ride him?" asked Al Mayne.
"Ride nothin". I don"t have to. I"ve did my job already."
"I don"t believe they"ll give you five hundred for nothin"," said Allis, doubtingly, knowing that the boy"s obstinate nature, if he were crossed, would probably drive him into further explanation.
"Say, you"re a stiff. What"d the ole man want you to do--pull Lauzanne?"
Allis nodded.
"I knowed it. What was the use of stoppin" the mare an" let the Chestnut spoil the job?"
"Is that what you get the five hundred for?" asked Allis, a sudden suspicion forcing itself upon her.
"Say, what d" you take me fer, a flat car? But she"s sick, ain"t she?
An" you jes" take care of the Chestnut now, an" I"ll give you a hundred out of my five, G.o.d bli" me if I don"t."
As he spoke Shandy looked hastily about to see that no one was listening, then he continued: "If you give me the double cross an"
peach, I"ll split yer head open." His small eyes blazed with venomous fury. "Besides, it won"t do no good, my word"s as good as yours. But I"ll give you the hundred, s"help me G.o.d! I will, if you don"t ride the Chestnut out. Mum"s the word," he added, bolting suddenly, for Dixon had entered the paddock with his horses.
With the horses also came Mike Gaynor. While their blankets were being taken off and saddles adjusted, he came over to Allis. There was a suppressed twinkle of subverted knowledge in his weatherbeaten eyes.
"Good mornin", Al," he said, nodding in a very dignified manner, and putting a strong accent on the name.
Now Mike had determined to keep from the girl the fact that he had penetrated her disguise. With proper Irish gallantry, crude as it might be in its expression, but delicate enough in its motive, he reasoned that his knowledge might make her uncomfortable.
"I see that fly-by-night divil Shandy talkin" to ye as I come in. What new mischief is he up to now?"
"He wants me to pull Lauzanne."
"He ain"t got no gall, has he? That come from headquarters; it"s Langdon put him up to that."
"He was talkin" to me, too."
"I t"ought he would be. But he didn"t know ye, Miss Allis--"
Heavens! It was out. Mike"s sun-tanned face turned brick-red; he could have bitten off his unruly Irish tongue. The girl stared at him helplessly, her cheeks, that were scarlet, tingling under the hot rush of blood.
"There ye are, an" believe me, I didn"t mean it. I was goin" to keep me mouth shut, but I never could do that."
"You knew then, yesterday?"
"Indade I didn"t, an" that"s a good sign to ye n.o.body"ll know. But whin I t"ought wit" meself I knowed that Alan couldn"t ride Lauzanne the way ye did; an" ye didn"t deny ye was him, an" if ye wasn"t him ye must be yerself, see?" which more or less lucid explanation seemed to relieve Mike"s mind mightily. "I think ye"re Jes doin" roight, Miss--Al, I mean; I must get used to that name; s"help me, I believe ye"ll win on the Chestnut--that gallop was good enough."
"Do you think I can do it, Mike, among all those jockeys?"
"Sure thing, ye can, A--Al, me b"y; he won"t need no ridin" in yer hands; all ye"ll have to do is sit still an" keep him straight.
He"ll win the race in the stretch, an" there won"t be many there to bother--they"ll all be beat off. Now, it"s a good thing that I do know about this, for I"ll just kape close to ye an" kape any wan that"s likely to spot ye away, if I have to knock him down."
Mike had worked himself up to a fine frenzy of projected endeavor; he cast about for further services he could render his admired mistress.
"An" ye know Carson the starter; he"s jes the loveliest Irishman; there isn"t a b"y on earth could git an inch the best av it from him on a start, not if they was to give him gold enough to weigh a horse down.
But I"ll jes" tip him the wink that ye"r a gurl, and--"
"Mike, what are you saying? Do you mean to ruin everything?"