| OCR Text |
Show Putting One Past the Post By JOHN IRVING DAY Garnering the Gold by a Special Process Originated Within the Confines of the High Rollers' Club , apart during the afternoon, having agreed to meet in a secluded spot on the grounds just before the race in j which Camp had announced that a trick was to he turned. "Are you sure of that tout?" was the anxious inquiry of Hopkins when he and Floyd finally met in consultation. "Yes, he'd lose both legs sooner than throw me down," was the reply. "Now, what does Camp say?" "He says he has instructed the book , to take in all the bets they can get on I Applejack. He has arranged with the owner of that one to lose and he will win with his own horse, Lemon Squeezer. He explains that it might be suspicious to the judges if he didn't win this race." "That means," explained Floyd, "that he intends that Applejack is to win and his horse will be beaten out. How much money have you got in your pocket?" "Oh, about $500." "Well, go in the ring and make five $100 bets on Lemon Squeezer, but don't bet it in our book. Camp has given instructions to his bookmakers to give a shade the best price on the olher fellow's horse. He will have commissioners there to get his own money down quick and bet enough to win out the bank roll on that one race. That's the way he's got it fixed to win our $5,000." The two separated and entered the betting ring from different ends of that j inclosure. Floyd noticed that, true to I front, while next in order and close behind came Lemon Squeezer, both horses running easily. Before they had gone a quarter of the distance it could be seen that the race was between be-tween the first two horses, and the others wrere strung out in single file. In the stretch came Applejack, running run-ning without effort, with Lemon Squeezer within safe call. A smile of contentment rested upon the face of Tom Camp, down at the end of the grandstand, while Floyd's countenance counten-ance wore a worried look and young Hopkins was shivering in the excitement excite-ment of lost hope. "There, and I listened to you and your lout," he said to Floyd as he saw-Applejack saw-Applejack winning easily. "Why, it's nothing more than a procession," pro-cession," muttered Floyd. "And I would have staked my right eye on Tony. Why, that boy on Applejack is racing him to death to win and the other fellow don't seem to be trying." "Applejack wins!" shouted the crowd as the blue and white stripes passed under the wire a good length in front of Lemon Squeezer. "That's one time that I'm the goat," muttered Doc Floyd to Hopkins. "I'm sorry I steered you wrong, and will get you even. Although I guess I'm in a few thousand deeper than you are, I know I gave you the wrong steer and am sorrier for that than losing my own money. We are whipsawed for fair. Camp wins out the bank roll in the book and we lose our outside bets. To Tony Floyd told the proposition of Camp as Hopkins had told it to him, and upon hearing the proposition Tony let out a long laugh. "Why, it's just a plain game of double cross," asserted Tony. "He'll break the book and get your $5,000 in one race and then tell you it was all a mistake and make you believe it, and then he'll ask you to dig up another anoth-er $5,000 to get even with. Why, my kid brother wouldn't bite on that old hook." "Yes, do you suppose I didn't know all that?" broke in Floyd with a motion mo-tion for the talkative Tony to shut up. "What I want you for is to see if we can turn the tables and get Camp's end of the bank roll." "I'm afraid not," answered Tony. "He's worked that game four or five times this season and always gets away with it. He's got a regular crew to go on and make the book and they 1 OCK JTDYD, .Jack Cleland Dand Col. Powley of the High Rollers' club set out : r7- from Reno, Nev., for San '1 Francisco. They became ac-, ac-, I quaioted with a George Hop kins, interested in Raw Hide mining properties. I Doc Floyd sat in the marble-finished rotunda of San Francisco's best hotel the morning after his arrival. He had finishii with his newspaper and was gazing out upon the little park across the slreet filled with palms and 1 beds of bright-hued flowers. Neither Col. Powley nor Jack Cleland had appeared, ap-peared, and he was rather glad when the young mining man he had met on the train came upon him, and he was roused from his self-absorption by a cheery greeting. Looking up, he saw that young Hopkins no longer wore corduroys and heavy hunting boots, but was blue-seized, green-hatted and patent-leathered, and altogether sporty looking enough ti belong to his own set. "All alone, I see," remarked Hopkins as he touched Floyd upon the shoulder. "If you've not been to breakfast, I'd like to have you join me." "I'd be pleased to," assented Floyd, who had grown hungry waiting for his friends. "Those fellows who came with me must be taking an extra portion por-tion of sleep this morning. I'll not wait any longer for them." Down in the grillroom a breakfast was served, the equal of which is not to be had in any other city in the United States, excepting, perhaps, New Orleans. By the nine . . .....i Hopkins had lit their cigarettes they were conversing as old friends. "Oh, look who's arrived!" burst out Tony the Tout, upon catching sight of Floyd and his party. "If it isn't the Big Doctor, and I haven't seen him since Hamburg was a two-year-old." "And say," whispered Tony, in confidential con-fidential tones, "find out to-night what business that young man who was with you this afternoon has with old Tom Camp. They were off in a corner- for a long time and if your friend ain't some wise fish he's apt to be bit." That night after dinner Floyd, in conversation with young Hopkins, cautiously cau-tiously led the talk up to Tom Camp, and then asked the flat-footed question as to whether Hopkins had entered or was about to enter into any deal. "Well, I'm rather ashamed of it, because be-cause it does look like a crooked deal," returned Hopkins; "but I'm a lot loser on the game, first and last, and it looks like a chance to get even, so I was going go-ing to take it. If you know anything about Camp, you know he has some of the best horses on the track. He says he's been in hard luck this winter and lost several thousand dollars bucking the faro bank. His proposition is for me to put in $5,000 to help back a book. He will put in $5,000 of his own money, making a good strong bank roll. The books are all making money now, and besides the even break we would get in on the regular play; Camp says he can fix a race or two so we can win some sure money. He is certain that we can pull out $25,000 each in a week." "That all listens well," broke in Floyd. "What's the matter with it?" questioned ques-tioned Hopkins. "I don't know why I'm telling you all this, anyway. You might queer my game for all I know." "No, I'll do nothing of the kind," answered an-swered Floyd. "But I'll bet you five hundred now that if I don't save you, Camp will trim you for whatever you put in. If it's such a sure thing, what "AIN'T YOU WISE TO WHAT'S HAPPENED?" does he want with a partner to share the profits? Any time a man offers you something for nothing, lock up your bank roll and keep your hand on your jewelry. Do you follow me?" "Yes, it does look that way," assented as-sented Hopkins; "but you see he needs $10,000 to make the book safe, and he only has about $5,000 in ready money that he can lay his hands on. Thai's why he wants some one to come in with the other $5,090." "That's just what they all say, and now I'm convinced that you are scheduled sched-uled to be the goat," announced Floyd. "Did he explain to you just how he was going to pull off one of those alleged al-leged 'sure things?' " "Yes. there's a race on the card tomorrow to-morrow in which he has a horse entered en-tered that can win. He also controls the only other contender in the race. He can throw the race to whichever horse he wants to. You know that's possible, don't you?" "Yes, I've seen such things done, and then again I've seen them fall most awfully hard. I can see now how V easy ii will be for him to break the book and get your $5,000 on one race. Come on up to my rooms and I'll initiate in-itiate you into the art of beating the double cross, "if there's any chance to do it; and if there isn't then you'd better bet-ter keep your $5,000 in the bank, or have a trustee appointed to look after it lor you. You may be all right on a mining proposition, but there are a lot vt other things you've got to learn." Within 15 minutes Floyd, with the aid of the telephone, had located Tony I lie Tout, and in another half hour that wise bug of the turf had arrived a I Floyd's rooms, wondering for what he was wanted, and pleased all over to be summoned into the presence of bi lUgnst a personage. all stand in with the play. I suppose he's told Mr. Hopkins that he can put a man in the box to look out for his interests?" "Yes, he said I could do that," assented as-sented the young mining man. "Let's look over that race he said he could fix for to-morrow," wsft the sudden sud-den suggestion of Tony as he produced aaper in which was a list of the entries en-tries for the next day's races. "Oh, I've got the old badger!" was the sudden, sud-den, gleeful outburst. "He was right about there being just two horses in the race with a chance to win. Go on and put in the $5,000 with him and Mi attend to the rest when I see you at the track to-morrow. Just put a wise one in the box to see that no one runs away with the bank roll, and after that race we'll have old Camp ready to take the high dive from the top of the ferry boat." "What is it you're going to do?" was the suspicious inquiry of Hopkins. "Never mind what I'm going to do; the Big Doctor will stand for what 1 say, won't you, Doc?" "Yes. I don't know what it is. but if you are sure you can put it through I'll take all, or half, of Hopkins' end of the $5,000. I'll give Hopkins $2,500 in the morning for a half of his interest inter-est and he needn't let Camp know there is any one else in on the deal. Jack Cleland can be the man in the box as lookout." When Floyd arrived at the race track on the day following his talk with Hopkins and Tony he saw a new bookmaker's stand in the line under the shed of the betting ring, in this stand was seated Jack Cleland, who was supposed to be there as an assistant as-sistant to the cashier, but no glance of recognition passed between t) e . two. Floyd and Hopkins also ke; his prediction, the new partnership book had put up 2 to 1 on Applejack while the other books were laying a shade less than that price. A moment afterwards he noticed that the partnership part-nership bookmaker rubbed out the price against Applejack, announcing that he had all he wanted of it. Floyd knew by this sign that Camp had bet enough of his own money to win out the money that was in the book. Walking Walk-ing quietly through the ring, he stopped long enough before a number of books to make several good-sized wagers on Lemon Squeezer. He already al-ready had given Tony $1,000 to wager on the same horse. Thomas Camp, besides getting all the money to be had in his own book, also had wagered hundreds on Applejack Apple-jack in other books about the ring, and was surprised to note when he returned re-turned from the paddock, where he had just saddled his horse and given final instructions to the jockey, that the price against Lemon Squeezer, his own horse, had not gone up in the betting. He was unaware that a large amouiM of money bet by Floyd had forced the price down. He had no time to investigate, inves-tigate, however, as the horses already were at the post, and he hurried to a point of vantage from which he could view the race. Across the track in the infield Tony the Tout and Hank Harlin, owner of Applejack", stood talking together. Doc Floyd, watching the pair through liis fleldglasses from tfie grandstand, saw Tony pass a small package of bookmakers' book-makers' tickets to Harlin. "They're off!" came the buzzing cry of the crowd in chorus as the barrier over at tiie three-quarter pole whizzed up and a B Id of eighl horses leaped forward. The blue and white strip- -: jacket and tail of Applejack showed ... Come on and let's get a bottle of wine. No use crying over spilt milk now." The two men, drinking large glasses of wine at the bar, paid slight atten tion to a sudden cheering and commotion commo-tion on the outside. "I guess we put over a good one that time, didn't we?" Floyd looked around upon the smiling face of Tony. "Why, you young hound, I ought to break your head with this bottle," he said in low but dangerously threatening threaten-ing tones. "What's the matter, pal? Ain't you wise to what's happened?" "No, what is it?" broke in young Hopkins, anxiously. "Why, Applejack was disqualified for not having up enough weight. Somehow or other Hank Harlin was careless in putting his lead pads to make the extra weight along with the saddle, and the jockey lost ten pounds of lead while he was at the post. Careless Care-less of Hank, wasn't it? He's been looking for a chance to double cross 1 Camp and fell for my little scheme when I told him how much money we would bet for him on the other horse." "And then we've won in the hook besides be-sides the outside bets?" exclaimed young Hopkins, suddenly realizing that Tony the Tout had made good. "You should have told us how you were going to pull it off," drawled Floyd. "We nearly had heart failure, and you can't blame us for doubling you, can you?" "Well. I've showed you that I could put one over, anyway," returned Tony. "And now, so far as I'm concerned, they can turn all the race tracks in tin-country tin-country into golf links. I'm goi g Into I a decent respectable saloon business j back home." , (Copyright, loot), by W. G. Chapman.) |
